# NEW YORK | Projects & Construction



## krull

New York Projects & Construction


NYC Midtown Skyline by Manish Reddy, on Flickr


Ok so I decided to do this NYC thread. 

Unfortunately for NYC, a city of skyscrapers, a lots of zonings, construction costs and NIMBY's makes it impossible to built too tall in the city. But somehow something tall gets built. And that is all good. Keep in mind that most of the construction boom in the city are conversions from existing buildings like Offices, Hotels and Rental buildings to Condominiums apartments and there is alot of under 12 floors. So I wont post anything below 12 floors here. It is too much work to keep track. I also can't find a few renderings for somewhat tall buildings under construction yet.

If anybody thinks I got the hight in feet or the floors of a building wrong or if I missed a building please let me know. If you have a rendering for a building that I don't have please let me know. I will also try to store renderings in my photo service so I can have easy access for posting them. Hope nobody minds.

I also have not listed the proposing buldings and their renderings yet. But I will do that another time. This has been alot of work and time consuming. 

I am posting based on number of floors as oppose to height. Much easier for me. But there are some towers with lesser floors but are much heigher in feet. So keep that in mind.


Hopefully I did this one right and I hope you enjoy it.  



==========================================================
*Under Construction (Manhattan)*
==========================================================​

*The Freedom Tower:* 82 floors - 1,776 feet










*Silver Towers 1:* 60 floors
*Silver Towers 2:* 60 floors










*123 Washington Street:* 53 floors - 583 feet










*Bank of America Tower:* 54 floors - 1,200 feet










*The Saya (22 East 23rd Street):* 51 floors - 617 feet 










*Goldman Sachs Headquarters:* 43 floors - 742 ft










*785 Eight Avenue:* 42 floors - 566 feet










*Trump Soho Hotel:* 41 floors - 454 feet










*The Rushmore (80 Riverside Blvd):* 41 floors - 425 feet










*1095 Avenue Of The Americas (Redevelopment):* 40 floors - 630 feet










*11 Times Square:* 40 floors - 601 feet 










*Chelsea Stratus (735 Sixth Avenue):* 40 floors - 491 feet










*Hampton Inn/Candlewood Suites/Holiday Inn Express (337-343 West 39th Street):* 36 floors - 360 feet 










*Sheraton Four Points (326 West 40th Street):* 33 floors - 297 feet
*Marriot Fairfield (330 West 40th Street):* 33 floors - 297 feet










*47 East 34th Street:* 32 floors - 450 feet 










*510 Madison Avenue:* 30 floors - 386 feet 










*255 East 74th Street:* 30 floors - 338 feet










*808 Columbus Avenue:* 30 floors - 326 feet 










*43 East 29th Street:* 30 floors










*Fifth On The Park:* 30 floors - 310 feet










*402 East 67th Street:* 30 floors










*229-251 West 60th Street & West 61st Street:* 27/15/10 floors 










*Chelsea Hotel (128 West 29th Street):* 25 floors 










*Holiday Inn Chelsea (125 West 26th Street):* 24 floors










*Holiday Garden (121 West 28th Street):* 24 floors










*188 Ludlow Street:* 23 floors - 232 feet










*453 West 37th Street:* 23 floors 










*US Mission To The UN:* 22 floors










*281 Broadway:* 22 floors










*110 Eleventh Avenue:* 21 floors - 250 feet










*Maiden Hotel (20 Maiden Lane):* 20 floors 










*Linden78 (On West 78th Street):* 20 floors 










*Avalon Morningside Park (West 110th Street):* 20 floors - 204 feet










*The Brompton (200 East 86th Street):* 20 floors - 210 feet










*Sheraton Four Points (66 Charlton Street):* 20 floors - 195 feet 










*200 Eleventh Avenue:* 20 floors










*1330 First Avenue:* 20 floors










*Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering:* 20 floors










*Standard Hotel (848 Washington Street):* 19 floors - 233 feet









*Strand Hotel (33 West 37th Street):* 19 floors 










*Wyndham Hotel (37 West 24th Street):* 18 floors 










*The Lucida (151 East 85th Street):* 18 floors










*Hilton Herald Square (59 West 39th Street):* 18 floors 










*4 West 21st Street:* 17 floors - 185 feet










*Superior Ink (469 West Street):* 17 floors - 190 feet 










*Graceline Court (West 116th Street):* 16 floors - 162 feet










*127 Seventh Avenue:* 15 floors










*10 Chelse Place:* 15 floors










*485 Fifth Avenue:* 15 floors










*East River Science Park (Complex):* 15/12 floors 










*Columbia Northwest Science building:* 14 floors 










*John Jay College (524 West 59th Street):* 13 floors - 236 feet 










*245 10th Avenue:* 13 floors - 125 feet 










*Smyth (85 Broadway):* 13 floors










*Chelsea Modern:* 12 floors - 120 feet










*127 Seventh Avenue:* 12 floors










*122 Greenwich Avenue:* 12 floors - 128 feet 












==========================================================
*Under Construction (Brooklyn)*
==========================================================​

*306 Gold Street:* 400 ft - 40 floors
*313 Gold Street:* 35 floors - 367 floors










*The Edge I:* 40 floors
*The Edge II:* 30 floors










*One Northside Piers (164 Kent Avenue):* 29 floors - 297 feet










*Forté Condos (230 Ashland Place):* 28 floors - 288 feet










*The Sochi (Sea Breeze Avenue):* 28 floors










*[email protected]:* 25 floors










*Sheraton/Aloft Hotel Duffield Street:* 23 floors - 244 feet










*Gold Street Residential Tower:* 22 floors










*Bridgeview Tower:* 18 floors - 216 feet










*110 Livingston Avenue:* 16 floors










*The Edge III:* 15 floors










*1 Prospect Park Condos:* 15 floors










*100 Luquer Street:* 15 floors - 184 feet










*525 Clinton Avenue:* 13 floors - 148 feet










*The Smith:* 13 floors










*Novo (343-53 & 4th Avenue):* 12 floors










*The Argyle (410 4th Avenue):* 12 floors










*The Crest:* 12 floors










*Park Slope Court (110 4th Avenue):* 12 floors












==========================================================
*Under Construction (Queens)*
==========================================================​


*East Coast Tower II (5th Street, 47th Avenue):* 30 floors - 316 feet










*East Coast Tower III (Center Boulevard):* 18 floors










*The Crescent Club:* 17 floors










*Metroplex on the Atlantic (Beach 26th Street):* 15 floors










*Flushing Metro Center:* 15 floors










*Vantage @ Purves (44-27 Purves):* 14 floors - 151 feet










*10-50 Jackson:* 13 floors










*Queens Crossing:* 12 floors - 149 feet










*One Hunter Point (5–49 Borden Avenue):* 12 floors - 123 feet










*Hunters View:* 12 floors










*View59 (24-16 Queens Plaza South):* 12 floors












==========================================================
*Under Construction (Bronx)*
==========================================================​


*Riverstone (Arlington Avenue):* 13 floors - 133 feet 










*The Towers at Hutchinson Metro Center Tower I(Waters Place):* 12 floors











==========================================================
*Under Construction (Roosevelt Island)*
==========================================================​

*Riverwalk Place (455 Main Street):* 16 floors


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## krull

Ok this is a list of alot of proposed buildings over 12 floors in Manhattan. I know there are probably more but I don't have those renderings yet. But if someone has one that I haven't posted please let me know.


*Manhattan Approved & Proposed Buildings:*


*200 Greenwich Street (WTC2):* 78 floors - 1,254 feet










*175 Greenwich Street (WTC3):* 71 floors - 1,155 feet










*150 Greenwich Street (WTC4):* 65 floors










*West Street Residential Tower:* 65 floors










*610 Lexington Avenue:* 61 floors










*440 West 42nd Street:* 60 floors










*605 West 42nd Street:* 60 floors










*160 West 62nd Street:* 57 floors - 621 feet










*80 South Street:* 56 floors - 835 feet










*Intercontinental Hotel (On Nassau Street):* 55 floors










*110 West 57th Street:* 50 floors










*70 West 45th Street:* 50 floors










*West 57th Street Tower (Next to 9A):* 48 floors










*301 Forty Sixth Avenue:* 46 floors










*Two Sutton Place North:* 41 floors - 421 feet










*400 Park Avenue Tower:* 40 floors - 476 feet










*Port Authorhority Bus Terminal Office Tower:* 40 floors










*Radisson Financial (99 Washington Street):* 40 floors










*Sheraton Downtown (100 Greenwich Street):* 39 floors










*Gold Street Hotel:* 38 floors










*Global Diamond Exchange Tower:* 35 floors










*Holiday Inn Financial (50 Trinity Place):* 35 floors










*176 Madison Avenue:* 34 floors










*The Remy (On West 28th Street):* 32 floors - 461 feet










*Fairfield Inn (126 Water Street):* 26 floors










*210 West 91st Street:* 25 floors










*1800 Park Avenue:* 24 floors










*Sundari Lofts (On Madison Avenue):* 22 floors - 225 feet










*160 East 22nd Street:* 21 floors










*Horizen (On 23rd Street):* 21 floors










*Museum For African Art Tower (On 5th Avenue):* 21 floors










*4070 Broadway:* 20 floors










*241 Fifth Avenue:* 20 floors - 218 feet










*211 East 51st Street:* 19 floors










*87 Lafayette Tower:* 19 floors










*2075 Broadway:* 19 floors










*Marriot Fairfield (116 West 28th Street):* 17 floors










*The New School Tower (Corner of 14th & 5th Avenue):* 16 floors










*Delancey Tower:* 15 floors










*37 East 4th Street:* 15 floors










*The Avant (559 West 23rd Street):* 13 floors












*********

*Westside Tower (34th Street & 10th Avenue):* ? floors










*161 Maiden Lane:* ? floors


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## krull

*Completed (2006 and 2007)*


*Manhattan:*


*125 West 31st Street:* 58 floors - 615 feet










*The Orion:* 58 floors - 604 feet 










*10 Barclay Street:* 56 floors - 584 feet










*New York Times Tower:* 52 floors - 1,046 feet










*Seven World Trade Center:* 49 floors - 741 feet










*Atelier:* 46 floors - 478 feet










*The Link:* 43 floors - 433 feet










*Hearst Magazine Tower:* 42 floors - 596 feet










*325 5th Avenue:* 42 floors - 471 feet










*One Carnegie Hill:* 42 floors - 382 feet










*Ariel East:* 38 floors - 396 feet










*Chelsea Landmark:* 36 floors - 368 feet










*Millennium Tower Residences:* 35 floors - 291 feet










*Place 57:* 34 floors - 394 feet










*The Centria (18 West 48th Street): * 34 floors - 386 feet










*1 East 35th Street:* 32 floors - 312 feet










*Ten West End:* 31 floors - 350 feet










*Ariel West:* 31 floors - 340 feet










*Cornell Ambulatory Care (1305 York Avenue):* 30 floors










*Three Ten:* 30 floors - 328 feet










Memorial Sloan-Kettering Research Laboratory (East 68th Street): 29 floors - 424 feet










*200 Chambers Street:* 29 floors - 300 feet










*The Cielo:* 27 floors - 307 feet










*1600 Broadway on the Square:* 290 ft - 26 floors










*1500 Lexington Avene:* 26 floors










*33 West End Avenue:* 25 floors - 293 feet










*Sutton 57:* 24 floors -292 feet










*The Verdesian On The Park:* 24 floors - 240 feet










*Mosaic Downtown & Mosaic Uptown:* 24 floors - 275 feet










*One Ten 3rd:* 22 floors










*225 East 34th Street:* 22 floors










*Crossing 23rd:* 21 floors - 210 feet










*The Melar (On Broadway):* 20 floors - 210 feet










*Arcadia (East 79th Street):* 20 floors - 210 feet










*Chelsea Arts Tower:* 20 floors - 247 feet










*88 Leonard Street:* 20 floors - 220 feet










*11 Central Park North:* 19 floors










*Windsor Park (100 West 58th Street):* 18 floors










*Hudson Blue:* 18 floors - 195 feet










*50 Gramercy Park North:* 17 floors










*Blue at 105 Norfolk Street:* 16 floors - 169 feet










*The Bowery Hotel (4 East 3rd Street):* 16 floors - 165 feet










*330 East 57 Street:* 16 floors - 150 feet










*Cathedral Gardens (West 109th Street):* 15 floors - 165 feet 










*Courtyard By Marriott:* 15 floors - 152 feet










*985 Park Avenue:* 15 floors










*985 Park Avenue:* 15 floors










*8 Union Square:* 14 floors










*40 Mercer Residences:* 13 floors - 173 feet










*Chelsea House:* 13 floors - 163 feet










*Urban Glass House:* 12 floors










*The Lenox (380 Lenox Avenue):* 12 floors










*92 Warren Street:* 12 floors










*West 18 Street:* 12 floors










*Stephen Gaynor School and Ballet Hispanico:* 12 floors - 150 feet












*Brooklyn:*



*J Condo:* 31 floors - 337 feet










*Schaefer Landing North:* 24 floors - 234 feet
*Schaefer Landing South:* 14 floors - 135 feet










*Beacon Tower:* 23 floors - 297 feet










*New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge Expansion:* 23 floors - 240 feet










*20 Bayard Street:* 16 floors - 201 feet










*185 and 191 South 4th Street:* 13 floors










*30 Bayard Street:* 13 floors










*Court House Tower I:* 12 floors - 128 feet










*Oceana At Brighton:* 12 floors










*133 Water Street:* 120 ft - 12 floors












*Queens:*


*Avalon Riverview North:* 39 floors - 385 feet










*East Coast Tower I:* 31 floors - 299 feet










*The Windsor at Forest Hills:* 21 floors - 216 feet










*Plaza Northern Blvd (Main Street Flushing):* 18 floors










*United Nations Federal Credit Union Building (43-35 24th Street):* 16 floors - 241 feet










*Citigroup Court Square Two:* 15 floors - 221 feet










*Echaelon Condominiums (13-11 Jackson Avenue):* 13 floors - 123 feet












*Bronx:*


*Solaria Riverdale:* 19 floors - 208 feet











*Roosevelt Island:*


*The Octagon (888 Main Street):* 12 floors








]


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## moxwax

New York - STILL the skyscraper king of the world!


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## 3tmk

Great job Krull!
Although I can report that the Arcadia and Cielo are completed. And so is 7WTC, though it's still empty.
Otherwise, it would be best to put the heights in meters, not feet, like the rest of the world.


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## godblessbotox

holy hell those are alot of projects


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## FROM LOS ANGELES

Wow, I thought NY was asleep in comparasion with Chi and Dubai, but it is not. Btw, why is 7 WTC empty still?


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## USS Yankee

FROM LOS ANGELES said:


> Wow, I thought NY was asleep in comparasion with Chi and Dubai, but it is not. Btw, why is 7 WTC empty still?


To my knowledge, as of Feb of 2006, Silverstein has signed 3 tenants. So while its not empty, he still has a ways to go.

The tenants will come though.


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## 3tmk

^NYC builds, but mostly residential towers, and has started to go outside of Manhattan.
The towers aren't as grand as what you see in Chicago, however we already have enough anyway.
As for 7WTC, there's tenants, but very few still. And that's knowing some experts believe Manhattan will run out of office space soon, and the paradox is that the Freedom Tower and other new WTC redevelopment don't cause companies to rush in. It's as if they want to come to New York, just not there.
That's my opinion, and I'm far from being an expert, so do not take my word, at least this post could provoke those who know better to correct me if I'm wrong.


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## Ebola

Isn't construction of Freedom Tower supposed to start in a few days? I've been watching the sight. Activity, especially by the base of Freedom Tower, increases every day.


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## 3tmk

Ebola said:


> Isn't construction of Freedom Tower supposed to start in a few days? I've been watching the sight. Activity, especially by the base of Freedom Tower, increases every day.


I don't know. It's been supposed to start for years.
Personally I don't want the Freedom Tower built, actually I don't want any towers built at all, but Silverstein is the one making money out of this


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## Ebola

The new plan they have will have all five WTC skyscrapers completed by 2012.


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## FROM LOS ANGELES

Finally Manhattan is sharing with its neighboors. I hate seing that lonesome building in Queens, is there anything tall planned next or around it?


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## 3tmk

^yup, they're building two towers right next to it.
I personally don't like it, because I love seeing the Citibank all alone.
If you check the construction forum, you'll see a thread by Carlos NYC, with plenty of pictures, about the projects, the place is called Long Island City


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## Ebola

Oh, and why isn't Eighty South Street Tower on this list? It's one of the coolest!


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## 3tmk

^The list is for U/C towers only, and 80 south street might not even be built.


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## Ebola

3tmk said:


> ^The list is for U/C towers only, and 80 south street might not even be built.



I hope they built it. It's so starange that it might become a classic.


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## newyorkrunaway1

This is a great list of projects, and thanks for the renderings!


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## Harkeb

So, New York is reinventing itself by putting up a modern face like Chicago, Hong Kong and the likes?


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## Ebola

NY doesn't have to reinvent itself.


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## newyorkrunaway1

i agree, ny doesn't have to re-invent itself. it will remain an icon and stand above all else forever.


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## streetscapeer

and this is ony those currently under construction....crazy!!!


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## Ebola

In a few days, Freedom Tower might be on the list!


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## TroyBoy

Nice job krull its about time someone made an NYC thread.

How bout that development with the big coke-a-cola sign or is that in New Jersey?


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## 3tmk

^you mean the Pepsi sign? That's in Queens, the Long Island city redevelopment, but it's proposed, and the list is for U/C buildings only


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## krull

Thanks everyone! 

I will post the proposing renderings soon...


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## Ebola

Cool! I can't wait!


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## krull

Thanks everyone!  

I added a few more renderings and a few more projects under construction.


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## krull

*Condos, New Retail To Be Added to Times Square Mix*


By MICHAEL STOLER
April 20, 2006

Change is afoot at Times Square, the city's iconic neighborhood that now covers an area from Sixth Avenue to Ninth Avenue and 39th Street to 52nd Street.

Before the end of the month, Boston Properties, which owns 5 Times Square, is expected to announce the winning bidder for the 37-story, 1.1 million square-foot office tower that is leased to Ernest & Young. The winning bidder is expected to be Dubai-based Istithmar, which last week agreed to pay about $600 million for the 40-story, 905,000-square-foot office tower at 450 Lexington Ave., which is subject to a 99-year land lease, industry sources say. The seller is a joint venture of Murray Hill Properties, Westbrook Partners, and the Canadian pension plan SITQ.

In May 2002, what was then the accounting firm of Arthur Andersen opted out of its agreement to occupy space in Times Square Tower, the 48-story, 1.2 million-square-foot building at 7 Times Square and Broadway. A director at Cushman & Wakefield, Joanne Podell, said, "After more than three years of discussion, Ann Taylor Loft has signed a lease in the Times Square Tower. We expect the store to be profitable due to its location, hours of operation, and viability of retail in Times Square."

Directly across the street is 1466 Broadway, also known as 6 Times Square. The 15-story, 298,000-squarefoot office building, built in 1907, houses a three-level Gap store. In November 2004, SL Green Realty sold the building, built for John Jacob Astor IV, to Sitt Asset Management and Steven Sutton for $160 million. The property, at the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway, was formerly the fashionable Knickerbocker Hotel that counted as its customers celebrities such as George Cohan and Enrico Caruso. The building was renovated into showrooms and offices in 1982. At the time of the purchase, the new owners indicated they had an interest in converting the top floors into a hotel or luxury condos. Trade sources indicate that an investor from the Middle East might be the winning bidder at a price of close to $1,000 a square foot.

***

One of Manhattan's most active investors, the Moinian Group, was part of a joint venture including the Chetrit Group and Edward Minskoff, that in May 2004 paid about $121 million, or $316 a square foot, for the 42-story, 382,000-square-foot office tower at 1450 Broadway and 41st Street. In November 2005, the owners announced plans to convert the top floors of the buildings into residential condominiums. *Last month, the Moinian Group and its partner, MacFarlane Partners, opened the sales office for the Atelier, a 46-story, 478-unit condo tower at 635 W. 42nd St. This building is part of the first phase of a 1.5 million-square-foot mixed-use complex. The entire project will occupy most of the city block on the north side of 42nd Street between 11th Avenue and the Hudson River. The second phase will include about 300 residential condominiums and 350 rental apartments at 605 W. 42nd St. and 11th Avenue.*

The co-president of the Durst Organization, Douglas Durst, said, "I never expected the Times Square and 42nd Street corridor to evolve as a center of office, retail, and residential." Across the street from 1466 Broadway is 4 Times Square Tower, the 48-story, 1.6 million-square-foot building completed in 1999 by the Durst Organization. The office tower is leased to Conde Nast and the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Adjacent to the building is One Bryant Park, also known as the Bank of America Tower. The building is being co-developed by the Durst Organization and Bank of America.

Last month, Bank of America committed to occupying an additional 522,000 square feet of space. The deal expands the bank's occupancy to more than 77% of the space from 53%. The bank will lease about 1.63 million square feet of space, leaving about 450,000 square feet available. Mr. Durst said, "I don't think we'll have any trouble getting $100 per square feet at the top of the building. Right now we have at least 10 companies who are interested the space."

***

Last October, Equity Office Properties Trust closed on a $505 million purchase of the 41-story Verizon Building at 1095 Sixth Ave., which is across from the Bank of America Tower. Verizon kept about 200,000 square feet of the building as a condominium. Equity plans to spend about $250 million to renovate the tower. Office space is being marketed for rents of more than $1,000 a square foot.

According to industry sources, the 25-story, 227,000-square-foot Candler Building at 220 W. 42nd St. - at the heart of Times Square and home to a three-level McDonald's - is in contract to be sold. The building was built in 1912-14 as a commission from Asa Candler, a founder of the Coca-Cola Company. West of the Candler Building is the 444-room Hilton Times Square. Last month, Sunstone Hotel Investors paid $242.5 million for that property. The seller was a partnership of Forest City Ratner and Hilton Hotels, who completed the hotel in June 2000.

Contracts for about 97% of the residential condominiums have been sold at the Orion, a development of Extell Investment Management and the Carlyle Group. The 58-story, 551-unit midblock building is at 350 W. 42nd St., west of the former McGraw-Hill Building. *Extell Investment Management is assembling a site at 131-139 W. 45th St., directly behind the Muse Hotel on West 46th Street, The New York Sun has been told. It plans to develop a luxury hotel on the site.*

*Last month, Vornado Realty Trust wrote off $6.87 million it had spent on development costs for a project at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Vornado had planned to use the air rights of the Port Authority to develop a 39-story tower atop the building on Eighth Avenue from 40th to 42nd streets.*

As the Sun reported earlier this month, the Paramount Group has retained Douglas Harmon of Eastdil Secured to sell the 44-story, 1.1 million-square-foot building at 1540 Broadway, Bertelsmann's American headquarters. Based on recent purchases, the property, built in 1990, might fetch $1.1 million, or $1,000 a square foot.

*A 46-story, 250-unit residential condo tower is planned for the northwest corner of Eighth Avenue and 46th Street, with addresses of 301-307 W. 46th St. and 733-763 Eighth Ave.* The owner, New Jersey-based SJP Properties, originally had planned to construct an 80/20 residential rental at 750 Eighth Ave., on the northwest corner of 46th Street, which was once home to McHale's restaurant. Due to the strength of Times Square real estate, the company has decided to build a luxury residential condominium. *SJP is also building a residential condominium at 45 Park Ave., on the site of the former Sheraton Russell.*

*On the corner of Eighth Avenue and 47th Street, a New York-based development company is planning to construct a 40-story luxury residential condominium. A third tower is planned for West 48th Street and Eighth Avenue.*

A combination of factors, including creative tax subsidies and demand for more residential and office space in Times Square, has aided in the area's resurgence.


© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/16/realestate/16cov.html
*How Big Is Too Big?*

By WILLIAM NEUMAN
Published: April 16, 2006









_Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times

Robert M. Scarano's building at 4 East Third Street in Manhattan has drawn fire from critics who say it is too big._









_Robert Stolarik for The New York Times

FOCUS OF PROTESTS Stephanie A. Thayer has been protesting a building designed by Mr. Scarano Jr. that is going up at 144 North Eighth Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn._









_Robert Stolarik for The New York Times

Kevin Shea, a lawyer and expediter, is seeking changes in Mr. Scarano's 16-story building, now almost completed at 4 East Third Street, at the Bowery._









_Robert Stolarik for The New York Times

One of Robert M. Scarano Jr.'s buildings in Williamsburg, Brooklyn: 78 Ten Eyck Street. His buildings make use of mezzanines, and whether these areas should count as part of the buildings' total square footage is at issue. The city's Buildings Department has accused Mr. Scarano of knowingly ignoring building codes or zoning rules in submitting plans for 26 apartment buildings in several Brooklyn neighborhoods._

IT is not hard to spot the buildings that Robert M. Scarano Jr., an architect, has designed in New York City: they tend to be a lot bigger than the other buildings around them.

In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Mr. Scarano's building at 78 Ten Eyck Street is about twice as tall as the modest three-story houses on either side of it. In the East Village, the new building at 4 East Third Street, at the Bowery, rises to 16 stories, far above the other buildings on the block, including a row of 18th-century town houses.

Mr. Scarano has played an active role in the city's current construction boom, particularly in Brooklyn, where he has numerous projects in rapidly changing neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Brighton Beach. His designs have brought him plenty of business from developers rushing to take advantage of rising real estate values.

But the sheer bulk of many of Mr. Scarano's projects has prompted some residents to complain that he ignores the zoning code and puts up buildings that are simply too big, blocking the light and views of their neighbors. And too often, they say, the city has stood by and done nothing.

Stephanie A. Thayer lives in Williamsburg and has been active in protests over a tall building designed by Mr. Scarano that is going up at 144 North Eighth Street. She was also involved in years of community debate that led to a major rezoning in Williamsburg last year, including lower bulk and density restrictions for much of the neighborhood.

In contrast, she said, Mr. Scarano, with his outsize buildings, seems to have "single-handedly rezoned his own little development plots."

Now Mr. Scarano is beginning to draw greater scrutiny.

The city's Buildings Department has accused him of knowingly ignoring building codes or zoning rules in submitting plans for 25 apartment buildings in several Brooklyn neighborhoods. Mr. Scarano was scheduled to attend a hearing on the charges on Thursday, but the hearing has now been postponed. Ilyse Fink, a spokeswoman for the Buildings Department, said the agency is continuing to look at other projects submitted by Mr. Scarano.

According to the petition outlining the charges before the city's Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, at least 17 of the buildings cited in the charges were designed with more floor area than was allowed under zoning rules.

At the core of the case prepared by the Buildings Department is the contention that Mr. Scarano abused the honor system that allows architects and engineers to police themselves by approving their own building plans. Known as the professional certification program, the honor system was instituted under the Giuliani administration and was meant to trim costs by cutting the workload for the city's plan examiners. It was also intended to eliminate obstacles to building in a city where, at the time, construction projects could be delayed for months while builders waited for plans to be approved.

By participating in the professional certification program, architects guarantee to the city that their plans meet zoning and building codes. But the city has experienced a tremendous boom in new construction in the last several years, and officials have begun to worry that the honor system leaves too much room for architects and developers to run roughshod over zoning rules and safety regulations.

In response, the Buildings Department has drafted a series of changes to its disciplinary procedures that would make it easier to pursue architects and engineers who it believes are code scofflaws — one proposal would give the department's commissioner the right to pre-emptively strip them of the right to certify their own plans. The proposed changes were presented to a group of industry members last Tuesday.

If the city succeeds in its case against Mr. Scarano, he will be required to have all his plans approved by city examiners. He would be the first architect in more than a year to be barred from signing off on his own plans under the professional certification program, according to data on disciplinary actions posted online by the Buildings Department.

Ms. Fink said one reason there were few recent cases was that several staff members left the department's investigative unit last year. She said that the unit has since hired more investigators.

The complaint about many of Mr. Scarano's buildings is not that they are too tall or break height restrictions. Instead, the city contends that they are too big in another sense: they exceed limits on square footage, making them too bulky.

The building at 78 Ten Eyck Street, which has 11 condos, is typical of many of the buildings designed by Mr. Scarano. In plans submitted to the city in 2003, he described it as a four-story building. But it is at least 55 feet tall, more typically the height of a five- or six-story building, and it dwarfs its two- and three-story neighbors.

That is because Mr. Scarano included three mezzanine floors, turning the apartments into virtual duplexes, with an upstairs and a downstairs and a double-height ceiling in the living room.

But when it came time to calculate the square footage of the building to show that it qualified under the zoning code's floor-area limits, Mr. Scarano said the mezzanine floors were exempt and subtracted their 2,442 square feet from the total.

The Buildings Department reviewed the plans for 78 Ten Eyck early last year and stopped work on the condo project, informing the developer, Lipe Gross, that the building, which was nearing completion, was too big.

In response, city records show, Mr. Gross paid $200,000 to a neighbor to transfer 2,000 square feet of air rights to his property in an attempt to make the building legal. He has also agreed to make some of the mezzanines smaller, further reducing the building's square footage.

Mr. Gross said that when the issue of the floor area arose last year, Mr. Scarano told him that in his understanding of Buildings Department rules, he was not required to count the mezzanines because the low ceiling height, just over seven feet, exempted them from floor area tabulations. "He was understanding that it was kosher," Mr. Gross said.

Mr. Scarano refused requests for an interview. A lawyer for Mr. Scarano, Raymond T. Mellon, said that neither he nor Mr. Scarano would answer questions related to the disciplinary case before the hearing. Mr. Mellon has filed papers with the city denying the charges and saying that the city's interpretation of the building and zoning rules was subjective.

Gloria Sinchi literally lives in the shadow of 78 Ten Eyck, in a rented apartment in an English basement on Leonard Street. She said her three children no longer play in the small concrete yard behind their apartment. That is partly because of the construction, she said, but more because the yard is now deep in the shadow of its towering neighbor.

The building at 78 Ten Eyck, which is called Tower 78 in marketing materials, occupies an L-shaped lot, and Ms. Sinchi's yard is hemmed in by the two legs of the L, with high walls on both sides. "It's all surrounded," she said.

Mr. Gross took his condos off the market last spring after the city audit. But other condo buildings designed by Mr. Scarano have been completed and are now occupied by new apartment owners.

Mr. Scarano designed the buildings at 63 and 69 Stagg Street in Williamsburg, around the corner from 78 Ten Eyck. Here too, Mr. Scarano described the Stagg Street buildings, in documents filed with the city as 55-foot-tall buildings, each with four stories and three mezzanines. In drawings submitted to the city, Mr. Scarano estimated that the maximum allowable floor area permitted for each of the two buildings was 6,600 square feet.

Nonetheless, the drawings indicate each building has a total of more than 10,000 square feet of space. To account for the difference, Mr. Scarano deducted from his zoning calculations for each building nearly 1,800 square feet of mezzanine space and more than 2,000 square feet of basement space that made up the lower level of a ground-floor duplex. Each building contains eight units.

The Buildings Department audited Mr. Scarano's plans last spring and let the work continue, then gave the buildings certificates of occupancy in July.

But now the city contends in its disciplinary complaint that Mr. Scarano's calculations were faulty and that the mezzanine and the basement space should have been counted as part of the overall floor area of the buildings.

Ms. Fink, the Buildings Department spokeswoman, said the city's investigation of Mr. Scarano applies only to the drawings and other documents he submitted. In some cases, she said, zoning violations may have been addressed to bring the buildings into compliance before they were completed. But she said she was not permitted to discuss details of the projects, including the status of finished buildings like the ones on Stagg Street.

While several of the buildings have been completed, some are under construction and work on others has not yet begun. Ms. Fink said the city would eventually have to consider what to do with completed buildings that may have too much floor area or may contain other violations.

The mezzanine has become something of a Scarano signature and has made Mr. Scarano's services very much in demand. Developers, as a rule, are eager to maximize the square footage of their buildings, and in many cases, Mr. Scarano's mezzanines have given them a way to do just that.

Mr. Scarano has been prolific in recent years, and an analysis of Buildings Department data online suggests that the buildings cited in the city's case may be part of a broader pattern. According to the online data, Mr. Scarano has submitted plans for at least 299 new buildings in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island since the early 1990's; 44 of those have been completed.

Among Mr. Scarano's filings are plans for about 150 buildings containing one or more mezzanines, virtually all of those coming in the last six years. Approximately two-thirds of the buildings with mezzanines are described in Mr. Scarano's filings as having four stories and being at least 54 feet tall, suggesting the designs have similarities to the Ten Eyck and Stagg Street projects already targeted in the city's investigation.

Mr. Scarano has incorporated mezzanines into plans for much larger buildings as well. One of his more ambitious projects is a 172-foot-tall condo tower with medical offices planned for 62 Brighton Second Place in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, in an area of mostly one- and two-story bungalows. Each of the proposed building's 10 apartments has a mezzanine with a terrace and bathroom.

But in zoning calculations submitted with his drawings, Mr. Scarano deducted more than a third of the building's total residential square footage, including all the mezzanine space. In this way, a 14,000-square-foot building manages to squeeze into a 9,024-square-foot zoning envelope. The building is not one of those cited in the city's disciplinary case against Mr. Scarano, and the project was issued a preliminary permit in January.

Whether mezzanines should be counted for zoning purposes will most likely be a major issue when an administrative law judge decides the case involving Mr. Scarano. Zoning rules include mezzanines in a list of building features that must be counted as floor area. But there is at least one exception. The Buildings Department's guidelines for architects and engineers say that mezzanines intended as storage space can be omitted from floor-area calculations if they have ceiling heights of five feet or less and are accessible only by a ladder.

Mr. Scarano routinely labels mezzanines as storage space in his drawings and related documents. But in case after case, they contain windows and bathrooms or laundry rooms, are reached by a staircase and are clearly intended as living space.

While neighborhood residents accuse Mr. Scarano of breaking the rules, other developers ask if the rules are being applied evenly. Kris Corey is completing construction of a pair of four-story rental buildings at 264 and 268 Devoe Street in Williamsburg. In recent months he has watched as another developer put up a building designed by Mr. Scarano at 270 Devoe next door. Mr. Scarano's building — described in filings with the city as four stories with two mezzanines — is taller than Mr. Corey's buildings and appears to have substantially more square footage.

Mr. Corey said he asked his own architect about the difference. "I said to him, 'Did we shortchange ourselves?' " Mr. Corey recounted. "And he said, 'You're built to the max by the letter of the law.' "

"It's not fair," Mr. Corey said. "If he's allowed to do it, why couldn't we?"

Mr. Scarano's building on Devoe Street has not been audited by the city and is not included in the Buildings Department case.

Kevin Shea, a lawyer and expediter who helps architects and building owners negotiate the labyrinth of zoning rules and Buildings Department procedures, has been waging a campaign against Mr. Scarano's 16-story building on East Third Street at the Bowery.

Along the way, he said, he has confronted what he contends is a willingness of the Buildings Department to ignore apparent zoning violations or to find creative ways to make zoning rules fit Mr. Scarano's building, rather than the other way around.

Mr. Shea submitted a brief to the city's Board of Standards and Appeals last November detailing numerous objections to the building, which he says has many zoning violations and substantially more square footage than should be allowed. This building is also separate from the city's disciplinary case with Mr. Scarano, and largely involves different zoning issues.

To what degree it may be overbuilt depends partly on what the building is used for. That is because the zoning rules allow different amounts of square footage for apartments, for which it was originally designed, than for hotel rooms, for which it is currently being reconfigured.

Mr. Shea contends that it is too big in any case. "I think four floors should come off the top," he said.

An interest in the building was sold last year to the group of developers that created the fashionable Maritime Hotel on West 16th Street at Ninth Avenue. They hired a new architect and a zoning lawyer, and have been in discussions with Mr. Shea and city officials.

"This doesn't seem to be an egregious violation of the zoning," said Richard Born, one of the new investors in the project. "There are issues, but they seem to be resolvable."

Mr. Shea was reluctant to be quoted as saying anything critical of the Buildings Department, since he works with it on a regular basis, but he said he felt compelled to speak up about Mr. Scarano and what he sees as a willingness of officials to bend the rules.

Mr. Shea said he first notified the Buildings Department in May 2004 that he believed there were problems with the design of the East Third Street building. The department conducted an audit that raised numerous concerns, but after a brief halt, city officials let work proceed, and the building is now largely completed.

In his brief submitted to the Board of Standards and Appeals, Mr. Shea accuses the Buildings Department of coining novel interpretations of its own rules in an effort to let Mr. Scarano's building stand. "If the answer to how big a building is or what you can do in the construction industry is 'whatever you can get away with,' then I'm out of business," Mr. Shea said.

He said the Buildings Department had "lost control" of the honor system that allows architects and engineers to sign off on their own work. "The program rests on a promise and a threat," he said. "The promise is that of the professional, that his plans conform to the code and the zoning resolution. And the threat is that, if the Buildings Department finds out otherwise, they're either going to discipline the architect or order remedial measures to bring the building into compliance.

"Four East Third Street is what happens when an empty promise is met by an empty threat."


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## TroyBoy

Dont move to NYC if you dont want to see "huge" 16 story buildings, move to Montana and be quite.
Whats at the top a bell tower?


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## Audiomuse

Great work! I haven't heard of almost half of these until now.


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## Audiomuse

boy krull-- that is one ugly building^


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## FROM LOS ANGELES

Is 80 South Street still in the drawing boards, ready to start construction? I'm really looking forward to this one.


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## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_154/parkerbeginsdemolition.html

Volume 18 • Issue 49 | April 21 - 27, 2006

*Parker begins demolition before approval to rebuild*

By Ronda Kaysen

A stand of squat, one-story buildings in North Tribeca will soon be demolished, making way for a controversial residential development project.

The Jack Parker Corporation began cleaning the buildings bounded by West, Washington, Watts and Desbrosses Sts. of asbestos last week and plans to begin demolishing them soon.

Parker recently applied to rezone the block along with three other blocks to make way for high-rise residential developments. The Parker Corp. insists last week’s work is nothing more than what it is: a preliminary demolition, and does not mean that the company is preparing to begin building before it has city approval.

“The buildings have deteriorated to the point that they are not safe standing,” said William Wallerstein, vice president of the Parker Corp. “Rather than repair something that will ultimately be demolished, we decided to bring them down.”

The Parker Corp.’s plans for the area have not boded well with local residents who insist the zoning proposal would open the door for large, bulky buildings. Residents launched a campaign to block the application, which must be approved by City Council and the City Planning Commission. Community Board 1 rejected the application, although the board is only advisory.

The demolition has not ignited anger in the community, however. “We welcome the demolition, we have absolutely no problems with that,” said Andrew Neale, a Community Board 1 member and a member of the Tribeca Community Association, which has spearheaded the fight against Parker. “What is there now? It’s a hideous eyesore.”

Neale was concerned, however, that the demolition would wreak havoc on the Fleming Smith Warehouse, a landmark building located across the street from the property.

Wallerstein insists that his company—which successfully demolished five buildings surrounding a historic Broadway theater in Midtown—knows how to take down buildings safely.

“The demolition work isn’t being done with a wrecking ball, we’re not bringing in dynamite,” he said. “We are concerned about any nearby building, whether it’s next door or down the block.”

— Ronda Kaysen


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## centreoftheuniverse

I swear New York is the NIMBY capital of the world. :bash:


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## FM 2258

centreoftheuniverse said:


> I swear New York is the NIMBY capital of the world. :bash:



I just skimmed through the thread but noticed that there are no proposed supertalls in NYC. Plus there was that post with residents saying that a proposal was TOO BIG. Sadly all they have now is the Empire State building witch was completed way back in 1931 as a building with significant heigt. I hope that they build Trump's idea of the WTC replacement but does the FAR(Floor to Area Ratio) in the NYC lawbooks restrict big buildings like you see in Hong Kong, Chicago, Dubai, Shaghai, Guangzhou and other places with extremely tall buildings? NYC needs to move UP UP UP.


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## TroyBoy

FROM LOS ANGELES said:


> Is 80 South Street still in the drawing boards, ready to start construction? I'm really looking forward to this one.


Not till they sell some units, so far they havent sold any.

NYC doesnt build super tall anymore, didnt you get the memo, their scared.


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## Guest

^^It's the families of the victims that are scared, not New York. hno:


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## FROM LOS ANGELES

Trust me, NY has to build tall, can't believe Miami and Vegas are building taller than NY.


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## kazpmk

^Exciting. It's about time.


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## FROM LOS ANGELES

I think Goldman Sachs is going to mix in okay with FT.


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/27/nyregion/27rebuild.html?_r=1&oref=login
*A Plan to Rebuild by 2012, and Doubts on the Big Rush*

By CHARLES V. BAGLI
Published: April 27, 2006

The new plan for ground zero calls for the accelerated construction of a sprawling commercial complex: 8.8 million square feet of office space in four towers 58 to 70 stories high. All would open within a year of each other, by 2012.

Gov. George E. Pataki and others say the conceptual plan, officially approved yesterday by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey after months of gridlock, will rejuvenate Lower Manhattan and ensure that it remains the financial capital of the world.

But some construction and real estate industry executives, and some urban planners, hear echoes of the hoopla surrounding the original World Trade Center project more than 30 years ago. They are questioning whether the rapid building of so much speculative office space would have the same destabilizing consequences for the downtown market as the twin towers had in the 1970's. 

Some experts are even wondering whether there will be enough steel, concrete and curtain wall to build the four towers by 2012 at the same time that two baseball stadiums, the $2 billion Goldman Sachs headquarters, the $1.7 billion expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Moynihan Station, 10,000 apartments and various subway projects are under construction.

Yesterday, the influential Regional Plan Association and the Fiscal Policy Institute welcomed the plan, but they, like many developers, continued to question the wisdom of building the tallest of the skyscrapers, the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower, intended to be a symbol of the city's resilience.

They said the tower would stand too far from public transportation and was unlikely to attract corporate tenants, who view it as a potential terrorist target. Some government officials suggested that the site be brought up to street level and then put into mothballs next year.

"The Freedom Tower is a disastrous idea that should be scratched," said Susan S. Fainstein, a professor of urban planning at Columbia University.

Kathryn S. Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, was far more upbeat. "This agreement will provide a significant boost to the economy of Lower Manhattan by eliminating much of the uncertainty regarding the area's economic future," she said, adding that businesses would be lured by the neighborhood's comparatively low business costs.

But one thing is certain: the cost of the buildings, now estimated at $6.3 billion, is going to jump. Jones Lang LaSalle, the real estate company advising the Port Authority, has built inflation into the numbers. Construction costs are continuing to escalate, at the rate of 1 percent a month.

"I don't know how long it'll continue," said Frank J. Sciame, the former chairman of the New York Building Congress, "but that's the case for the next year or two."

The World Trade Center, a 10 million-square-foot office complex built by the Port Authority, opened in late 1970 during one of the worst real estate markets since the Depression. To provide anchor tenants for the 110-story towers, state agencies moved into two million square feet of space in one tower, and the Port Authority took 900,000 square feet in the second.

The trade center also offered subsidized rents to lure tenants out of surrounding buildings, angering local landlords.

It was not until the mid-1980's that the state began relocating to other buildings. And a breakthrough came in 1985, when Dean Witter Financial Services leased 24 floors in Tower 2, opening the way for other financial firms. Still, occupancy fluctuated wildly until 1998, when companies fleeing high rents in Midtown pushed the occupancy rate to 98 percent. 

In late 2002, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg outlined his vision for downtown and drew on some of the lessons of the trade center. He said that it made no sense to rush ahead to rebuild the 10 million square feet of lost office space.

"If we are honest with ourselves," he said, "we will recognize that the impact on our city was not all positive. The twin towers' voracious appetite for tenants weakened the entire downtown market."

But last fall, Mr. Bloomberg started calling for the ground zero project to accelerate. And the plan approved yesterday moves the completion date for the four office towers to 2012, from 2015. 

Government agencies — city, state, federal and the Port Authority — are expected to account for 25 percent of the 8.8 million square feet, only slightly less space than they took up in the twin towers in 1972.

"The need to relocate government offices to the World Trade Center in the 1970's was a sign of the economic failure of that project," said David Dyssegaard Kallick, a senior fellow at the Fiscal Policy Institute. "It would make more sense to ensure that we fully fund the public spaces, like the memorial and the performing arts center. Then, allow for the gradual development of the office space with market demand."

One downtown landlord, who expects to lose his government tenant to the new trade center complex, said, "They're about to make the same mistake they did in the 1970's." 

The executive, who was granted anonymity because he did not want to damage his relationship with his largest tenant, a government agency, predicted: "They'll pull all the city, state and federal agencies out of other buildings and put them in there. It'll take a long time for other owners to relet their buildings."

Barry M. Gosin, chief executive of Newmark Knight Frank, a real estate firm, also said the timetable was too short. "They'll be competing with themselves," he said. "They should leave a few sites zoned and ready to go when demand dictates."

But Bill Rudin, a third-generation developer and a major downtown landlord, said that his family was one of the few in real estate who supported the trade center in 1970, and that he supported the new ground zero plan. He said that while a few downtown companies would move to the new towers, most would come from outside the area. 

"There is a need for this type of space," he said. "In the last year or so, we've seen Midtown tighten and companies being priced out. Where are they going to but downtown?"

Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday that he was still concerned about building all four towers simultaneously, which "may very well lead to too much office space coming on the market at one time." But, he added, the empty holes at the trade center site have become a "great disincentive to rent downtown."

"On balance," the mayor said, "I'd just as soon get everything going."

Still, it may be physically impossible to build all four towers by 2012, as well as the memorial, the museum, the $2 billion PATH terminal and other nearby projects. Even before the accelerated schedule, Charles J. Maikish, executive director of the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center, estimated that there would be 10,000 to 15,000 construction workers a day on ground zero projects over the next three to five years. 

The trade center site will be competing for materials and labor with a dozen other major projects, including the extension of the No. 7 subway line on the West Side and the construction of the Second Avenue Subway on the East Side.


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## Liwwadden

nice work, and NY is was, is and will be the skyscrapercapital of the world


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## Woko

Nice projects here!!! I really love the 15 Central Park West.


But you forgot this shit:


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## centreoftheuniverse

Calatrava's 80 SS is doubtful.


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## TroyBoy

It like 50 mill for one cube.


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## TalB

Here is a recent shot of the Brooklyn Marriot expansion by Randy Sanford over at SSP, though I don't find it to be that special nor does it look anything like the Marriot Hotel itself.


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## Ebola

I really hope that 80 South Street gets built! Anyway, that Goldman Sachs Headquarters tower is getting built right next to the new WTC, right? That will add another scrapper! 

Is this the location?


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## iahcgnoht

l love new york


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## Scruffy88

Ebola said:


> I really hope that 80 South Street gets built! Anyway, that Goldman Sachs Headquarters tower is getting built right next to the new WTC, right? That will add another scrapper!
> 
> Is this the location?



That is the spot alright. Its interesting that people say that downtown is experiencing a low right now. If you stood at the spot where the Freedom Tower is going to rise, in 5 square blocks around you, you have 12 barclay rising, goldman sachs, 200 chamber street, that thing on warren st, 7wtc finishing up. a major remodel for the big subway stations downtown. i dont think downtown has seen this much development since the 70s


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## SaRaJeVo-City

Woko said:


> Nice projects here!!! I really love the 15 Central Park West.
> 
> 
> But you forgot this shit:


What a idiotic building, lets all pray it doesnt get build since it would ruin the whole, damn cubes stacked on top of each other....how stupid.


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## Ebola

It's odd, but not stupid.


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## SaRaJeVo-City

Ebola said:


> It's odd, but not stupid.


Just doesn't fit in with the rest of the skyline, its too empty in a way.


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## nygirl

newcastle kid said:


> ^^ No doubt it will be for a good few years yet, but have you seen China? The economy is growing so fast they don't know what to do with it! The cities are growing at an alarming rate, one city I think completes something like 20,000 sqmeters of office space per day!
> 
> It is getting so powerfull that soon no one will be able to keep up with it, and power= money, and money= big cities and big buildings.
> 
> I doubt any chinese city will ever have the heart of cities like NYC, or London, or Paris though, and on alot of levels I guess that is what counts!
> 
> Anyway back on topic! As I said great buildings, but it's a shame they werent past 1,000 to roof height, well I guess we will just have to wait for the Freedom tower! Whats the deal with that anyway?


People said the same thing about japan in the 1980's so from now on, i am going to yawn to this.


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## TalB

This shot from flickr shows that 40 Mercer St is nearing completion.


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## krull

Ok sorry about not updating the Freedom Tower on time... I was in Southern California for a week, with no access to the internet unfortunately. 

So it is underconstruction! :nocrook:


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## krull

*Residential construction booming in NYC*


by Tom Fredrickson 
April 28, 2006 

At a time when residential construction is cooling nationally, it's on fire in New York City. 

New York City builders filed permits to pour $665 million into new residential construction in the first quarter of 2006, 55% more than the comparable period of last year's torrid pace, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. 

The number of units permitted increased by 30% to 7,697 over the same period. "It's pretty much unprecedented," says city Building Commissioner Patricia Lancaster. 

The growth is being driven by the surging value of residential property, which makes it easy for builders to make the numbers work on residential projects, Ms. Lancaster says. What's more, the growth is largely unhampered by zoning restrictions because many areas of the city allow for much denser housing than exists presently. 

The following is a breakdown by borough: 

*Staten Island* leapt 385% to 296 units, with a 387% increase in residential construction value. 

*Manhattan * experienced a 38% rise in permits, to 2,466, with a 68% increase in construction value. 

*Queens* permits surged 51% to 1,647 units, with a 69% increase in value. 

*Brooklyn* saw a 2% increase in number of units permitted, rising to 2,265, with a 20% increase in construction value. 

*The Bronx* saw a 38% jump in units permitted, rising to 1,074, with a 64% increase in construction value. 


©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


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## krull

*Mike: I'll never west *












BY MICHAEL SAUL
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF 
April 28, 2006 

Nearly a year after Mayor Bloomberg's grand plan to bring the Jets back to New York collapsed in a spectacular defeat, the city is moving forward with a massive effort to revitalize Manhattan's far West Side.

"Other than the stadium, there is nothing that's not going according to plan," said Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, who is spearheading City Hall's effort to redevelop the area bounded by Seventh Ave., 28th St., 43rd St. and the Hudson River.

"All of the hopes that we had for the Hudson Yards remain as realistic as we would have thought a year ago," Doctoroff told the Daily News. "And a lot of things are moving along."

*Doctoroff said the $2 billion extension of the No. 7 subway line from Times Square to the West Side will be a major motivator for development. Construction is to begin by year's end.*

"That in many ways is the catalyst. That's what people are sort of waiting on, particularly from a commercial perspective," he said. 

Doctoroff told The News the city is "beginning the process" of stitching together an alternative plan for the site of the proposed Jets stadium that was torpedoed last June by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R-Rensselaer). 

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Chelsea), one of the most vocal opponents of the Jets stadium, said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the site's owner, should have solicited new bids by now.

MTA officials and Doctoroff confirmed there is still no timetable to do so. "You want to do something that's thoughtful," the deputy mayor said.

But other than the stadium, Quinn said she is "very happy with the way the rest of the Hudson Yards and the far west Chelsea area is moving forward. "*The city rezoned the area, providing for 24 million square feet of office space, 13,500 units of housing and a million square feet of retail.*

*Construction is to begin soon on the expansion of the Javits Center, and design work on a midblock park and boulevard between 10th and 11th Aves., from 33rd to 39th Sts., is to also begin later this year.*

Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday he wasn't concerned about competition between redevelopment in lower Manhattan and the far West Side.

"What we're trying to do is to develop throughout this whole city," said Bloomberg, adding that the No. 7 line is key to the success of the West Side.

"Once that's there, that will be a very hot real estate market."


All contents © 2006 Daily News, L.P.


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## krull

NIMBY's are mad!!! :bash: 


*Fighting New Heights on the Upper West Side*










*Ariel East, one of two towers 
being built on Broadway, between 
99th and 100th Streets. Some 
neighborhood groups that oppose 
the project are seeking rezoning. *


By JOSEPH BERGER
Published: May 1, 2006

When it gets mad, the upper Upper West Side springs fiercely into combat — most of the time, that is.

It was in the book-cluttered apartments between 96th Street and 110th Street where much of the successful plot to defeat a $1.1 billion West Side superhighway was hatched, leaving a governor and a mayor choking in the organizers' dust in 1985. In a smaller skirmish six years ago, residents were upset that a CVS pharmacy had opened on a stretch of Broadway that already had two Duane Reades and a Rite Aid. Petitions, pickets and a boycott followed and, a year and half later, the CVS closed its doors.

Yet, almost no one had any idea about what some see as a much more serious threat to the neighborhood's character. *Its zoning is so generous that it allowed Ariel East and Ariel West, two luxury towers — one that at 38 stories would be twice as tall as any other building around it — to be erected opposite each other on Broadway*, without the daunting gantlet of a West Side review. 

*Those towers are inexorably rising, and that is why the neighborhood, shocked into action, is hurrying to rezone before developers begin tearing down shops, supermarkets and other low-rise sites and replacing them with other tall apartment buildings.* 

"The race is to get it finished before new owners start their projects," said Miki Fiegel, president of West Siders for Responsible Development, a neighborhood group pushing for low-scale zoning. 

Time is a factor, because right now any entrepreneur who assembles a lot of sufficient size can — without any community review — match the height of the two towers, and there are at least a half dozen spots ripe for such development. 

*The battle on the Upper West Side is also being played out in various forms in the South Bronx, in Midwood and Red Hook, Brooklyn, and in other neighborhoods as the city struggles with the blessings of low crime and rising home values. *But few neighborhoods can match turnouts like the 700 residents who attended a recent meeting at a neighborhood synagogue, Ansche Chesed. Ethel Sheffer, chairwoman of a Community Board 7 task force that is evaluating new zoning proposals, said older and poorer residents voiced fears that their apartments might be torn down and that they would be pushed out. 

"They said, 'There won't be places for people like me,' " she said.

*Any rezoning plan must eventually be approved by the City Council.*

At stake is the personality of a neighborhood not quite like any of the city's others. It is a raffish mix of writers, leftists, musicians — Judy Collins and Lorin Hollander have apartments here — housing project tenants, the formerly homeless and, increasingly, Wall Street investors. Politically, it is liberal and generates one of the city's largest election turnouts. Ethnically, it crosses the globe, whiter on the affluent east and west margins, more black and Latino residents in the middle. 

According to the 2000 census, of the 52,032 residents in the tracts between 97th Street and 110th Street from Central Park to the Hudson River, 43.3 percent were white, 31.8 percent were Hispanic, 16.7 were black and 5.1 percent were Asian.

The stout old co-op buildings are less expensive and sometimes dingier than those to the south between 96th Street and Lincoln Center, and there are fewer brownstones, more tenements and more than 30 single-room occupancy buildings. Even though the median rent is $756, the median value of the owner-occupied co-ops, condos and brownstones is $328,561. 

Many onetime socialists are, to their embarrassment, millionaires on paper. Along Broadway, there are plenty of idiosyncratic shops, but a crop of new banks and chain drugstores have piqued fears about Banana Republics or Gaps to come.

This being the West Side, the rezoning push has set off feuding. The differences among the factions sound technical, but they essentially represent a clash between those who want to keep the neighborhood as close to its present scale as possible and those who think it should do its part in building enough housing for the city's swelling population.










*Andrew S. Dolkart of Columbia 
University leading a tour of the 
Upper West Side for Landmark 
West, a group that promotes 
the neighborhood's architectural 
preservation. 
*


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


----------



## Newcastle Guy

nygirl said:


> People said the same thing about japan in the 1980's so from now on, i am going to yawn to this.


Well you'll be in for a big surprise, like I said before, *nothing* lasts forever.

Japan is now probably the most technologically advanced country on the planet anyway.


----------



## krull

Downtown keeps getting hotter!!! :cheers: 


*Aon heads back downtown
Displaced firm signs for Water St.; leasing activity picking up *


By Julie Satow 
Published on May 01, 2006 

A major World Trade Center tenant that relocated to midtown after the terrorist attacks is returning to lower Manhattan. 

*Aon Corp., which had occupied 400,000 square feet in the south tower, is moving its entire New York City workforce to 199 Water St.* 

The insurance and consulting company lost 176 employees on Sept. 11, and soon thereafter moved its headquarters to 55 E. 52nd St., between Park and Madison avenues. It also leased a smaller office at 199 Water, between John and Fulton streets. *Now it will consolidate the two offices in 400,000 square feet at 199 Water, which will be named for Aon, and give up the 270,000-square-foot midtown office in a sublease.* 

"Aon's decision to consolidate its workforce in lower Manhattan is a testament to the vitality of downtown," says Eric Deutsch, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York. He called the move "fantastic."

The lease is one of downtown's largest in nearly five years. It comes on the heels of last week's agreement, between government officials and developer Larry Silverstein, aimed at spurring the construction of five towers at Ground Zero by 2012.

*In another positive sign for downtown, the Royal Bank of Canada is negotiating for an additional 200,000 square feet at the World Financial Center. The bank already occupies 155,000 square feet at 1 Liberty Plaza.*

At 199 Water, Aon is adding 200,000 square feet to double its space. Aon's new lease, a sublet from Wachovia Corp., runs through 2017. 

Aon edged out the city's Office of the Comptroller, which was preparing to move into 199 Water. It backed out at the behest of the city's Economic Development Corp., which was eager to lure Aon downtown. Jones Lang LaSalle, which represented Wachovia, declined to comment.

The comptroller, housed in the municipal building at 1 Centre St., is in the market for 250,000 square feet and is looking at several spots, including 100 Church St., 25 Broadway and 26 Broadway. The Staubach Co., which represents the comptroller, declined to comment. The space Aon has vacated in midtown has an asking rent of $79 a square foot and is being marketed by CB Richard Ellis, which declined to comment.


©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


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## krull

*Development Costs Make Rentals Scarce*


By MICHAEL STOLER
April 27, 2006

Take a look at the New York City skyline. Construction is booming throughout the five boroughs. Hundreds of residential units are being developed, and the majority of them are condominiums. *Due to the astronomical cost of land, construction, and other costs, less than 2% of all new residential developments are being built as rentals.* The director at Eastern Consolidated Properties, Alan Miller, said, "Exorbitant construction costs for high-rise residential development make building a rental tower prohibitive for nearly all ground-up projects in the city. Unless land has been owned for five to 10 years at a minimum - which can be a lifetime in New York City - the lid will remain on any substantial number of new construction rental housing units in Manhattan. Even with city and governmental incentives that may be available today, the high barriers to entry in the N.Y.C. marketplace will limit the amount of new rental product that comes online for the foreseeable future."

The two largest components of residential development are the cost of land and cost of construction. *Industry leaders say construction costs have risen more than 30% over the past year. Construction costs in Manhattan today range from $275 to $450 a square foot*, depending on the complexity of the project and the finishes within the units. *In certain instances, the cost of construction for ultra-luxury condominiums is nearing $750 a square foot. In Brooklyn and Queens, construction costs range from $200 to $300 a square foot*, depending on the project, its location, and whether the building is being constructed by a union contractor. The president of Triangle Equities, Lester Petracca, said, "Combined with increased construction costs, sometimes to a level nearing $300 per square foot for hard costs only, the high cost of land has prohibited rental development throughout the outer boroughs."

Mr. Miller said, "With the intense competition to secure land in the Big Apple from local, domestic, and an increasing number of international companies seeking a piece of the rock to construct the best new condominiums, high land prices prohibit new rental product coming online in the near term for the city."

He added, "For the best locations, like corner properties in Midtown - for example Macklowe Properties' recent purchase of the Drake Hotel - the market still seems never-ending.With a strong retail component, you can average down the cost to $300 to $400 a developable foot after carving out value of retail." The cost of the actual land sold for $942 a developable foot.

***

In certain neighborhoods, such as TriBeCa and Chelsea, developable land is selling for more than $450 a foot. Mr. Miller said, "I have under contract a development site on a corner location in Chelsea at $440 and another site selling for in excess of $500 a developable foot, side streets still attaining prices of $300 a developable foot and there are as many new buyers to the market as ever." A partner at a prominent investment sales brokerage company said, "What I've been hearing from developers is that they only want prime locations, in such locations as on West 57th Street. In that way, when the condo market continues to soften, their locations will differentiate their product."

*Cost of developable land in Brooklyn is ranging from $125 to $200, with prices of $225 to $250 for waterfront views.* A principal at Muss Development, Jason Muss, said, "Land is hovering in the $80 to $120 per square foot range in Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods that offer reasonable access to mass transit into Manhattan and that have enough FAR to allow for efficiencies of scale. Land in areas that are considered hot, such as DUMBO or Flushing, might go for $150. I don't believe people are actually attaining the $200 per square foot price thrown around for Brooklyn and Queens, but everyone wants to start there. As such, those deals won't happen and that land will sit until the given landowner becomes more realistic."

Mr. Miller said that his firm recently sold 447-49 Fulton Street for more than $200 a square foot. Prices in prime Long Island City locations are ranging from $150 to $200 per developable foot and have increased significantly since a city rezoning. Mr. Miller said that in July 2004 his firm sold a site at 45-56 Pearson St. off Jackson Avenue across from Citicorp Tower, for $65 a developable foot. He said that only six months after the closing, the property was resold for more than double the price. "Waterfront sites are selling for 25% to 50% higher," Mr. Miller said. In the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, 60-90 Metropolitan Ave., on the former site of the Old Dutch Mustard company, sold for $25 million, or nearly $200 a square foot.

***

The chairman of Massey Knakal Realty Services, Robert Knakal, said, "We have seen a noticeable flight to quality in the development business. Only the most prime sites are holding their value. Sites in secondary and tertiary locations are seeing reduction in pricing of 5% to 20%." The president of the City Investment Fund, Thomas Lydon, said, "Overall, land prices are stable to trending downward. There is more flexibility on the part of sellers of land. Construction cost increases and rising interest rates should continue the downward trend - perhaps 10% to 15% - over the next 12 months. Developers are monitoring current sales prices of projects being delivered to see if condominium sales prices can allow them to pass on construction increases. If it stays fairly strong, then landowners will continue to have good liquidity. However, any hiccups in absorption will have direct negative impact because construction lenders are tightening up their underwriting, and will reduce land draws."

The managing partner of the Clarett Group,Veronica Hackett, said, "Lenders are tightening their underwriting for new residential condominiums."A senior broker at Besen & Associates, Larry Ross, said, "Sellers still have unrealistic expectations based on what they have seen over the last year, so much so that they are reluctant to reduce their asking price. This disconnect has slowed down the overall pace at which development sites are trading.What you see are still high asking prices with much lower bids that reflect the increase in construction costs and interest rates."

Mr. Miller summed up the general feeling of industry leaders on the state of the market when he said, "The city has unbelievable resiliency on this limited island, and in my opinion will definitely be facing some resistance in the next six to 12 months. Rising interest rates, end unit condo sales stabilizing, and the meteoric rise in construction pricing will definitely lead to a softening in land per square foot sales. Nevertheless, benchmark pricing records continue to be set for every available buildable site that comes to market."


© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## TalB

Found this shot of 105 Norfolk St by NYatKnight at Wired NY, and it looks as if it is going to be topped out.


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## krull

^ That is very cool! Yes I guess is almost Top out.


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## krull

*Crown Molding Is King
Once that nice new-car smell wears off, hot developments don’t always measure up to prewar grandeur. * 












By S.Jhoanna Robledo 
May 8, 2006 issue of New York Magazine

The clients, who were moving from a sleek contemporary building in London, were adamant: “I said I wanted absolutely nothing prewar,” says Simone. She and her husband thought those apartments dark, depressing, and old. Two years ago, even a year ago, they would’ve ended up in one, predicts their broker, Corcoran’s John Gasdaska, so frenzied was the demand for new construction and conversions. “People were more easily persuaded to buy new construction,” he explains. “The mentality was new is better, and old is kind of passé.” In the end, after weeks of fruitless searching—the ceilings were too low in one new development; another at Time Warner was much too small for their large family—the British transplants got exactly what they said they didn’t need: a four-bedroom Park Avenue condo built in 1925. 

*Could the glass-is-king trend have finally peaked?* A few brokers say that their buyers are reacquiring a taste for the traditional. *“People are going back to resales, to prewars,” * Gasdaska says. (According to a Corcoran market report, condo prices were flat last quarter.) And why not? The traditional charms of prewar buildings, says Warburg Realty’s Frederick Peters by way of reminder, never went away. “They’re just built more solidly,” says Peters, who also lauds their “wasted space, which can be a good thing. *The foyer, the butler’s pantry—they make the apartment feel spacious and generous.” * (New condos are often hyperefficiently laid out.) Unsurprisingly, a handful of high-profile developments such as 15 Central Park West, 110 Central Park South, and Barbizon 63 are incorporating prewar touches like long galleries, crown moldings, paneled doors, and grand foyers. “People aren’t just looking for stark modernism anymore,” says John Cetra, the architect of Barbizon 63.

That means new condos debuting on the market can no longer rely on the buzz of being new, competing instead on the merits of the apartments themselves. (There’s tons of competition, too; According to PropertyShark.com, *there are 32,098 prewar buildings in Manhattan, versus 1,067 constructed since 2000*.) “Buyers are pausing more and assessing their options, regardless of what they’re buying,” says Peters. In the end, says Gasdaska, his clients simply found what best fit their needs: “The new stuff just wasn’t quite right. They were almost too glitzy, too new.” 


Copyright © 2006, New York Magazine Holdings LLC.


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## FROM LOS ANGELES

What's up with Hearst Maganize, and its building?


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## 3tmk

^lol, where have you been hiding? It's completed since a long time


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## Joey313

IS int new york always getting new high rise buildings 
Question when i see new york i see 2 sperate citys seperated by central park why dont i ever see pictures of the other city way over their


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## 3tmk

I'm not sure I understand.
You make a lot of grammatical mistakes, so it makes it harder to understand what you mean.
What does Central Park separate? East from West? North from South? Are you talking about Manhattan, or do you mean the other boroughs, or maybe across the Hudson to New Jersey? :dunno:


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## Joey313

i just see to big cities sperated by sentral park


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## number1

Ebola said:


> NY doesn't have to reinvent itself.



at most, horrbile bad designs for a worldcity like new york.


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## krull

^ That is your opinion... but I say 'at most'... the desings are ok and some are good. But there are indeed some crappy ones... just like almost all the 'world cities'. 

But NYC has plenty off great old buildings... which most cities will always lack. 

We are lacking lots of new tall ones... that I will agree.


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## krull

Nothing new and tall on the West Village (Manhattan) anymore...


*Commission OKs West Village landmark status*


By Tom Acitelli 
May 2, 2006

The Landmarks Preservation Commission today approved landmark status for parts of the far West Village, which should *prevent demolition of historic buildings in the area and any new development out of proportion with existing buildings.* 

The landmark status applies to blocks of the West Village bounded by Greenwich Street to the east, Perry Street to the north, Washington Street to the west, and Christopher Street to the south. Also designated by the commission for landmark status was a part of Weehawken Street between West 10th Street and Christopher along the Hudson River waterfront.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation hailed today's landmark approval. "We fought so long and hard for this, it's almost hard to believe this day has finally come," said society executive director Andrew Berman in a statement. "After 40 years, the city has finally seen the wisdom in stopping the destruction of one of New York's great historic neighborhoods."

*The new landmark status includes more than 60 buildings on five city blocks. Some of the buildings date to the early 19th century.*


Copyright © 2003-2005 The Real Deal.


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## TroyBoy

Joey313 said:


> IS int new york always getting new high rise buildings
> Question when i see new york i see 2 sperate citys seperated by central park why dont i ever see pictures of the other city way over their











Its seperated into a Lower Manhatten and Midtown with low rises in between.


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## 3tmk

^but he's talking about Central Park.
I really have no idea what he's talking about, my best guess is he's trolling, his other posts are in good english, why can't he write properly here is a good indication of his motive


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## krull

I guess I will add the brooklyn new 40 story tower to the Under construction page...












*Downtown Brooklyn
306 Gold Street and 313 Gold Street*

Developers Ron Hershco and Dean Palin, along with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, broke ground in April on the $400 million, two-tower project. When completed in January 2008, 306 Gold Street will be a 400,000-square-foot tower topping out at 40 stories -- making it Brooklyn's tallest new construction building. Construction on 313 Gold Street -- a 35-story, 250,000-square-foot tower with 214 condo units -- is slated to begin in August 2006. Sales for 306 Gold Street are expected to begin in fall 2006. Prudential Douglas Elliman will handle sales and marketing for the project.


Copyright © 2003-2005 The Real Deal.


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## krull

I am guessing this is under construction already... Anybody knows?


*The Edge:* A 1,300-unit apartment complex which will span over one million square feet on the Brooklyn waterfront.












*The 'Burg to Get Edge-ier*


By Phil Guie
Thursday, March 30, 2006

The first major development on the waterfront in the wake of the rezoning *is set to break ground in April*, and developers were making their pitch to the local board last week.

Community Board 1 was visited by Vice President Matthew Feldman of the real estate firm Douglaston Development. His team displayed drawings of Douglaston's upcoming *1,300-unit apartment complex "The Edge," which will span over one million square feet *and feature 300 units of affordable housing as required by the Inclusionary Housing Program. Rents for the low-budget units have been set at $1,100 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. 

Feldman said he expects The Edge - which will include two luxury towers as well as mid-size buildings for the affordable housing- to grow the local economy by bringing in "new supermarkets, liquor stores, dry cleaners" and other businesses. He said there would be a waterfront esplanade, along with water taxis to offset the flood of extra passengers on the L-train.

Not everyone in the audience, however, shared Feldman's optimism for the project. For example, Philip DePaolo from People's Firehouse Inc. said $1,100 a month was pretty steep for what is traditionally a working-class neighborhood. "This community board has an average AMI of $28,000," he told the Star. "Who are these apartments aimed at? A family with a $28,000 a year budget can't touch these apartments, or a huge chunk of their income would go towards paying the rent." 

DePaolo said he had asked Feldman what it would take to lower the rents. The veep said more subsidies would help - a prospect DePaolo said was unlikely. "The problem is, they're already getting large subsidies from the city," he said. "They purchased the land right after the rezoning, so they bought it for a very low cost." 

Overall, DePaolo said he could not blame Douglaston Development for angling to grab as much money as they can - not with the current administration encouraging it. "They're just going to go with what the city gave them, and the city gave them a lot," he said. "But that's just the reality of this nightmare rezoning."


Copyright @ The Ledger.


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## herenthere

*World Trade Center Transportation Hub*

The to-be-constructed WTC transit hub has great aesthetic value and I believe that the upcoming WTC hub is definitely a new face in modern architecture and design. NYC can definitely use some revitalization and this 21st century building will surely stand out in an old city. However, as always, NYC does not plan for the future very well. This hub will cost an estimated $2 billion*, which instead could be used to improve operations and infrastructure in the city's 25 subway lines(which is absurd since some remote places require practically 2 miles to reach a station while some stops (ie the Bronx's 4 train) are 3 blocks away from each other). True, NYC's subway is more than a century old, so other metros around the globe have an advantage of being newer. But don't you think that this 100 years could be an advantage and an opportunity to learn from and improve itself? The "revitalization" does not justify the huge waste in space and resources from the construction of this transportation hub and neglect of the subway network.
*http://www.lowermanhattan.info/cons...nsportation.asp 
__________________


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## krull

This tall one has officially started construction...


*Info:* 53-story mixed-use tower one block south of Ground Zero at 123 Washington Street that would include 180 residential condominium apartments and 220 hotel rooms.


*123 Washington Street:*











*Location:*











Latest article...


*Moinian Aims To Build Downtown Hotel Financed in Part by $50M in Liberty Bonds*


By DAVID LOMBINO
April 11, 2006

Developer Joseph Moinian is aiming to *break ground next month *on a 53-story hotel and condominium near ground zero that could be financed in part with $50 million in Liberty Bonds - financing that Larry Silverstein is also seeking.

The city has not yet awarded the bonds to Mr. Moinian, but a city official familiar with the application said the Bloomberg administration supports his project, which it sees as a relatively inexpensive way to encourage mixed-use development in Lower Manhattan.

The official said a hotel condominium could help spur demand at ground zero, and that $50 million in Liberty Bonds is not significant enough to upset negotiations with Mr. Silverstein, who has applied for the remaining $1.67 billion of the city's Liberty Bonds.

The city has not yet awarded any Liberty Bonds to Mr. Silverstein in an effort to compel the developer to renegotiate his 99-year lease on the ground zero site.

A spokeswoman for the Moinian Group, Daphne Viders, said yesterday that the bond application is being held up because Mr. Moinian has not yet submitted all the necessary paperwork to the city. She said a luxury hotelier would partner with the developer in the project; press reports have said it will be part of the W Hotel chain.

Last April, Mr. Moinian applied for $147 million of the tax-exempt bonds. In December, the president of the agency that will award the bonds, Andrew Alper, said the city was considering awarding the developer about $50 million. That amount of tax-exempt financing could save the developer about $2 million a year versus traditional commercial financing. If Mr. Moinian is not awarded the bonds, he has said he will not build the hotel portion of his project and will just construct apartments.

*Mr. Moinian's 440,000-square-foot project, estimated to cost about $240 million, is slated to rise on an empty lot behind the Deutsche Bank building, which was severely damaged in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and is now being demolished. An office tower built by Mr. Silverstein is scheduled to occupy the Deutsche Bank building site*, but the site has been mentioned as a possible residential building in recent negotiations between Mr. Silverstein and the Port Authority. It also could contain a hotel.

The same month that Mr. Moinian applied for the bonds, Mr. Silverstein applied for the city's remaining allotment of Liberty Bonds, which the developer said he would use to build 10 million square feet of commercial office space in five towers.


© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## nygirl

newcastle kid said:


> Well you'll be in for a big surprise, like I said before, *nothing* lasts forever.
> 
> Japan is now probably the most technologically advanced country on the planet anyway.



But that's it. They didn't take over the world, like everyone thought. 
Neither will China. I think you are the one in for the Surprise.

And what won't last forever?

Lol @ my "BIG" surprise.... Yuh, ok.


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## krull

*Commercial Office Development Returns to the City*


By MICHAEL STOLER
May 4, 2006

The metropolitan region is finally seeing a return of commercial office development. *Within six years, more than 10 million square feet of office space is expected to be completed in Lower Manhattan.* On May 23, Silverstein Properties will officially open the 1.7 million-square-foot 7 World Trade Center. Construction is under way for the 43-story, 1.9 million-square-foot new world headquarters of Goldman Sachs on site 26 in Battery Park City. Goldman is the first company to build headquarters in Lower Manhattan since JPMorgan constructed its Wall Street home in 1988.

*Zoning has been approved for 4.5 million square feet of office space as part of the Downtown Brooklyn Plan. An additional 1.9 million square feet is expected to be built by Forest City Ratner at the Atlantic Yards, the proposed home of the Nets. Tishman Speyer Properties plans to build 3.5 million square feet in Gotham Center in Long Island City. Other developers are planning offices in Long Island City, Jamaica, and the Bronx.* For the first time in more than two decades, office buildings are planned for Westchester. The New Jersey waterfront, to which many companies from Lower Manhattan and Midtown relocated, has at least 18 million square feet of space and more planned.

Can New York City absorb all the office space that is proposed to be built over the next decade?

A number of leaders in the industry and business weighed in on the viability of office space in the city. The president of Swig Equities, Kent Swig, whose firm owns 4.1 million square feet of office space in Lower Manhattan, said, "The amount of space we are adding over the next 15 years is not much more than the addition to the historic office supply. I do not think buildings in Lower Manhattan will be built without pre-leasing.

"Downtown needs huge, modern office space to attract and accommodate large tenants. Today, the city has a major problem: Rents in Midtown are skyrocketing, and there is a need for alternative spaces to retain companies in New York. How many businesses think they can spend $80 to $90 a square foot in Midtown? Lower Manhattan offers lower price with great incentives."

***

The president of the real estate division of Parish of Trinity Church, Carl Weisbrod - whose church is one of Lower Manhattan's largest owners of real estate - is the immediate past president of the Alliance for Downtown. He said, "I believe the agreement to move forward on the WTC site resolves the major market uncertainty that has made commercial tenants reluctant to commit to large blocks of space in Lower Manhattan. In view of the historic rental price disparity now between Midtown and downtown, together with the available downtown incentives, I believe space in Lower Manhattan will be absorbed as quickly as it becomes available, assuming the economy in New York and in the nation remains strong."

The chairman of the executive committee of GVA Williams, Michael Cohen, said, "I don't believe there is any doubt that 7 World Trade Center will lease successfully. Because of shortage of space in the city, the building should be absorbed during this current market cycle. Tenants will perceive it to be a bargain compared with comparable Midtown buildings. This has been Larry Silverstein's strategy all along, and he's going to be proved right."

The president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Kenneth Adams, said, "Midtown is corporate headquarters, downtown Brooklyn is the home of essential functions for banking and insurance, and Lower Manhattan is Wall Street and a construction site. Incentives, like REAP, help business districts such as downtown Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan, and Long Island City to better compete for tenants against New Jersey and Connecticut. The challenge is to create incentives that attract new taxpayers to the city and the state; to continue to drain more from the existing tax base is untenable. Locally, a healthy competition between NYC submarkets is generally a good thing. When that leads to new businesses coming to any one of these districts, the entire city wins."

***

As may be expected, not all industry leaders are optimistic. The co-chairman of the real estate securities portfolio manager Cohen & Steers, Marty Cohen, is cautious about Lower Manhattan. He said, "Initially, this is a very scary since oversupply is the perennial killer. Sometime in the next few years, we could very well have an economic downturn. If oversupply is the killer, then reduced demand is the undertaker. Though it is tempting to believe, I don't believe the real estate cycle has been repealed."

A principal at Koeppel Companies, Caleb Koeppel, whose family has owned the landmark 26 Broadway for more than 50 years, said, "It is history repeated. They're going to throw a ton of space on the market and destroy an already weak market."

The president of Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, Mitchell Hersh, said, "Prior to recent announcements, the only real competitive Lower Manhattan building in the market is 7 WTC. This building has had substantial difficulty in leasing space due to a variety of issues, including uncertainty as to the shape of Lower Manhattan redevelopment, infrastructure issues, and the concern among the corporate community relative to future threats of terrorism - and the impact this could have on their businesses and business continuity.

"Jersey City is clearly a preferred market and is being considered by a number of Midtown companies. It has a proven track record, cost of occupancy advantages, as of right incentive programs, a very diverse and wide labor pool, a wealth of affordable housing, great transportation infrastructure, great amenities, and a lot less congestion than New York City."

***

Many real estate leaders are bullish on commercial development in downtown Brooklyn and Long Island City. The president of Shalom Zuckerbrot Realty and a principal at Octagon Properties, Frank Zuckerbrot, said, "Downtown Brooklyn is a mature office market, although it still lacks the real liquidity in terms of leasing velocity. It has excellent mass transportation infrastructure and established retail businesses. The area is in demand and should be able to absorb new office space".

The president of Brause Realty and chairman of the Long Island City Business Improvement District, David Brause, said he is encouraged that Midtown tenants are receptive to the savings offered in new space located a subway stop away from Manhattan.

Mr. Brause said that the effective rents for Long Island City are in the low $20s per square foot, while similar space at the Bank of America Tower across from Bryant Park is projected to lease for $100 a square foot.

"If a major tenant plans to lease one million square feet, the annual savings for leasing in LIC is $75 million per year and over $1.5 billion over a 20-year term," he said.

Mr. Zuckerbrot, said, that Long Island City - while being the city's targeted area for major office development - will have a difficult time competing with downtown because it is not yet an established office market complete with amenities.

"Initially, the city was going to provide incentive for companies to relocate to this new central business district," Mr. Zuckerbrot said, "however, with the same incentives being offered for downtown, this area will have difficult time competing for those occupants. In addition, should city, state, and federal government agencies move to downtown Manhattan, this will be a blow to the LIC redevelopment process which would have benefited from some of these tenancies."

I agree with the executive director at Cushman & Wakefield, Glenn Markman, when he says, "Current estimates are that, with modest job growth over the next 10 years, *New York City could see demand for new office space reach 28 million square feet by 2016. To meet this demand, office space has to be developed all over the city.* Midtown firms that require large blocks of space will have to be more open-minded regarding alternative locations like downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Long Island City."


© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## TalB

I don't mean to burst the bubble here, but the Atlantic Yds hasn't been given the green light yet nor has the NBA Board of Governors approoved the relocation for the Nets, so I wouldn't be celebrating too early if I were you.


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## TalB

newyorkrunaway1 said:


> i agree, ny doesn't have to re-invent itself. it will remain an icon and stand above all else forever.


I don't believe that a city should try to have a construction boom just to compete with others. In reality, the city will end up being no better than the ones they are trying to compete. I don't mean to offend those who are happy about what's going on other cities, but I couldn't care less what they get. A city doesn't became the center of the world just b/c of a construction boom and it ends up having the biggest skyscrapers. Please remember that it's quality over quantity that matters. I find it better when cities are more distinctive rather than having so many similar characteristics Honestly, I find the book Learning from Las Vegas to be very overrated. All I can say about trying to compare NYC with other cities is FUHGEABOUDIT!


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/415471p-351123c.html
*People power vs. tower on W. Side*

Pushing grocery carts, waving signs and chanting slogans, more than 100 Manhattan residents rallied yesterday to protest the gentrification of their neighborhood.

Residents expressed disgust that their local C-Town supermarket had been shuttered - claiming it was closed to make way for luxury apartment towers in the area bordered by Columbus and Amsterdam Aves. and 97th and 100th Sts. "This neighborhood was created to accommodate the diverse people who live here," said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.

"They're taking everything from us," said Joan Sandler, who said she has lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years. "It's one of the last diverse communities left."

Jego R. Armstrong and Don Singleton

Originally published on May 7, 2006


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## Scruffy88

Yes Joan Sandler, Everyone is out to get you and make your life miserable. Or maybe perhaps an apartment tower will bring a bigger population to your neighborhood and thus making it more diverse as you so want it.


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## krull

*Trying to get rentals to make sense
City's economic health depends on next generation of renters, say development incentives backers*


By Alison Gregor
May 2006

A recent report indicates the absence of new rental housing development in New York City may jeopardize the city's future economic development, and the real estate industry is stepping up to the plate to change that.

*The 2005 New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey showed that the city has a 33.3 percent home ownership rate, up from 32.7 percent in 2002. But perhaps more revealing, the survey showed a loss of 16,000 rent-controlled units and that the number of rent-stabilized apartments increased by only 1,000.*

There goes the (affordable) neighborhood? Not necessarily, but real estate experts agree on a need for more rental housing.

"There's never enough -- like 'never too rich, never too thin' -- there's never enough housing," said Barry Gosin, CEO of Newmark Knight Frank and a commercial broker who said he is serving as adviser to an innovative and *large new rental housing project that has not yet been announced.*

*While the city has formed a commission to modify its 421a tax abatement, which provides a property tax break for construction of housing in certain areas of New York City, it is also working with the Real Estate Board of New York and property developers to come up with other incentives for rental housing.*

"Obviously there's a concern that you can't buy a piece of land today at the land prices and build a rental apartment building when you throw in construction costs and the tax policies of the city of New York in terms of how they assess property," said Steven Spinola, president of the real estate board.

Spinola said any program to encourage more rental housing -- both market-rate and affordable -- might include two different tax assessment formulae: one for condominiums and one for rentals.

Industry experts say that, at any one time, there is a portion of the population seeking rentals for more flexibility, and not everyone wants to invest in a condominium.

"Condominiums have become very popular, because people also see it as a favorable investment," said Andrew Oliver, a managing director and principal at investment banking firm Sonnenblick-Goldman. "But if the market turns, a condominium can become an illiquid investment."

Also, many people, including the next generation of young residents the city would like to attract, are priced out of the current condominium market.

"As more and more people come into the city, especially young people looking to start their careers, there needs to be more affordable housing and rental units for them just to be able to live and work in the city," said Nick LaPorte, executive director of the Associated Builders and Owners of Greater New York, a building trade organization. "Otherwise, they'll leave for the suburbs or never come to the New York City area at all."

That means companies may begin looking elsewhere, the suburbs in New Jersey or Upstate New York, for instance, to locate closer to their employees, Gosin said.

"The best thing for the New York City office market, aside from continuing to improve the school system, would be to create an incredible stock of low- and middle-income housing," he said. "Because if people are here to be employed, it will make it more attractive for companies to be here."

*Earlier this year, Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged to build 92,000 new affordable homes and preserve 73,000 existing affordable homes by 2013. Those 165,000 apartments and houses will be enough to house half a million people, the mayor said. Some will be rentals and others co-operatives. Preserving homes means stanching the conversion of the existing 250,000 units of government-assisted housing in the city to market-rate units.*

But residential developers have been lamenting for years that market-rate rental apartments are no longer feasible in New York City, and even affordable rentals -- which can receive a mix of tax abatements, government subsidies, zoning bonuses, and other incentives -- can be an unattractive proposition in the current hot real estate market.

Making things more difficult is that while the prices of condominiums have flattened, the cost of land in New York City isn't going down.

*"It's just so hard to build affordable apartments in the city right now," said LaPorte, whose group has many members involved in building and managing affordable housing in metropolitan areas. "Basically, because the cost of land and labor, as well as construction materials, is so expensive that you need help from the government."*

Bruce Becker, president of Becker + Becker Associates, served as developer, architect, and planner on the Octagon, a 500-unit luxury rental development that opened on Roosevelt Island April 17. Becker said he developed the complex on land leased from the state's Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, which made the project feasible.

Sonnenblick-Goldman handled financing for the project, Oliver said, and raised $150 million to get it off the ground. "The developer had some tax credits," he said. "There were old buildings on the property that he renovated, so he got a historic tax credit. He was able to sell and count that as equity. He also built a very environmentally-friendly building, so he got green tax credits. And he put in a daycare for even more credits."

While Becker opted out of the 80/20 program -- a city program that uses tax-exempt bonds to finance the construction of multifamily rental housing as long as 20 percent are affordable for low-income tenants -- he did choose to dedicate 100 of the units as affordable for middle-income residents.

The project is chock full of amenities, from a swimming pool, tennis courts, fitness center, and 24-hour doorman, while apartments with luxury finishes start at $1,570 a month for a studio with home office. The demand is there, Becker said. As of mid-April, 130 units had been rented. "I'm glad we got started when we did, because the costs have escalated significantly since then," he said. "I would say the project wouldn't be viable today on the same ground-lease terms."

Emily Youssouf, president of the New York City Housing Development Corporation, which issues bonds for affordable housing, said there are a number of financing programs available to developers planning affordable housing. One of the latest, begun about 18 months ago, is a 50/30/20 program, which enables developers to obtain low-cost financing for their projects in return for offering a blend of market-rate, middle-income, and low-income housing.

"What we like about this program is we're economically integrating buildings," Youssouf said. "Then you can economically integrate a neighborhood, and that stabilizes it. You go into these buildings, and you can't tell which apartment is 50, which is 20, which tenants belong where."

Some were skeptical about the program. Oliver said it helps somewhat, but most of those projects are being done north of 100th Street in Manhattan, because it's the only place land is cheap enough to do them.

Gosin said the 50/30/20 program can work especially if combined with other incentives such as zoning overrides where the city gives away air rights for free, thereby undercutting high land costs.

"The one I'm involved in will create an enormous amount of housing, but part of it is market housing," Gosin said. "This will probably be rentals, but one way to do it is to allow market condominiums to be at the tops of buildings where the best views are, and allow additional air rights, in exchange for building some moderate- and low-income housing.

"It's zoning, very aggressive and generous zoning, with some government funding and some tax relief," he said.

Spinola said rentals can be done with condominiums, but it requires a complicated legal process where a building must be a condop.

Gosin said that, in a perfect world, more could be done to promote rentals. "Perhaps one thing to look at would be wider berths of areas where you could transfer air rights," he said. "So you could transfer rights from one location to another, though they're not necessarily adjacent to one another."


*Upkeep needed as much as new buildings*


Preventing a shortage of rentals in the city means maintaining existing housing as well as constructing new buildings. Many of the government incentives that exist and that are being explored aim to help preserve existing affordable housing.

"If all you did was new construction and didn't help preserve what's already there, you would always be in a losing situation," said Emily Youssouf, president of the New York City Housing Development Corporation. "So we have a lot of programs that target preservation as well."

Maintaining and improving existing rental buildings is a niche that some developers are profiting from.

Ioannis "John" Danalis, principal of Blue Star Properties, for example, said his company specializes in buying under-performing rental buildings, removing low-rent tenants, spiffing up the buildings, and maintaining them as market rentals -- instead of converting them to condominiums.

"Each property is different," said Danalis, a landlord with buildings in Greenwich Village, Soho, and Tribeca, among other neighborhoods. "Some properties need major capital improvements, and by doing that, you're increasing the rent roll you'll be able to charge the tenants. At the same time, you're minimizing your costs, so at the end of the day, there's more money in your pocket."

Depending on the extent of capital improvements, there are tax abatements available, Danalis said. And with rents projected to increase by 15 to 20 percent in the coming year, he said the projects make sense. 


Copyright © 2003-2005 The Real Deal.


----------



## krull

*DOWNTOWN'S CONSTRUCTION BLITZ READY TO MOVE ONWARD - AND UPWARD*












By TOM TOPOUSIS
May 8, 2006

As downtown braces for an onslaught of construction, The Post got a first look at the battle plan being drawn up to keep the massive building projects rolling. 

Within two years, lower Manhattan's skyline will become a maze of tower cranes and steel girders, while workers closer to the ground tear up streets, knock down damaged buildings and rebuild the below-ground transit system. 

*"This is one of the single largest urban programs ever undertaken in America," *said Charles Maikish, who has to coordinate the dozens of massive projects as executive director of the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center. 

"The challenge here is to do it and preserve the vitality of lower Manhattan," Maikish said. 

Maikish and his team of engineers and planners are now putting the finishing touches on a plan to coordinate the enormous amount of construction work while at the same time keeping the nation's third-largest business district open. 

The plan will coordinate the arrival of 3,000 concrete trucks a month, delivery of enough steel to build the Empire State Building six times over and the arrival of 7,000 construction workers every day. 

"Lower Manhattan's resurgence is being forged in concrete and steel," said Gov. Pataki, adding that the projects will "ensure that downtown is positioned as the premier 21st-century central business district." 

*Altogether, $20 billion of construction will take place downtown over the next six years. The World Trade Center, PATH station and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum alone will account for half of that construction budget.* 

"It's unprecedented," said City Councilman Alan Gerson, a Democrat representing lower Manhattan whose primary concern is having an independent monitor to watch for potential environmental problems from all the work. Gerson said he's considering action by the City Council to get such an independent monitor. 

*Much has been made about the 10 million square feet of office space that will be built, but developers are busy with a residential boom that will boost downtown's population by 40 percent over the next four years during the height of construction. 

Planned residential towers will add at least 8,000 apartments and condos by 2010, including five buildings slated for Battery Park City and two more across West Street at Chambers and Warren streets.* 

The project will tax the limits of the city's bridges, tunnels, highways and streets - not to mention the patience of 240,000 people who commute to work in lower Manhattan every day and the 36,000 who call it home. 

To keep traffic rolling, the command center will create a satellite office of the city's Long Island City traffic center in lower Manhattan, where they can make immediate adjustments to traffic patterns as problems arise. 

Maikish said his group is working with builders to set up staging areas for construction workers so that they won't all try to drive into lower Manhattan. 

Lower Manhattan's voracious appetite for concrete will kick in about six months from now, and at its peak, the downtown projects will consume 3,000 truckloads of concrete a month from plants in Brooklyn and Queens. 

Maikish said the command center will have to coordinate with the Department of Transportation and the Police Department to make sure those trucks can reach their destinations within 30 to 45 minutes. Any longer and the concrete is ruined. 

The trucks will roll in over the Manhattan Bridge or through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, unless Maikish and his engineers can come up with a plan to build a temporary mixing plant downtown to speed the flow of concrete. 

Engineers are studying an alternative plan to mix concrete at a temporary plant in lower Manhattan to speed delivery, but that would likely have to delay construction of parts of the Hudson River Park, the only site that is potentially suitable. 

Maikish said his agency has been working with contractors to line up heavy equipment, competing with projects in the Gulf Coast. 

Thirty-four massive tower cranes will be needed - four alone at the Freedom Tower - to feed materials to the skyscrapers. 

While much of the work will be heading skyward, one of the largest construction projects is digging a massive, 80-foot-deep foundation for three office towers slated for the World Trade Center's Church Street Corridor, beginning by summer. 

That project will involve 2,000 trucks a day to haul off the rubble. 

Moving pedestrians through the work sites is another challenge, with plans to reroute commuters over bridges and skyways where needed. 

Maikish said the command center's main mission is to make sure that each project, public or private, is coordinated through a central agency. 

"We've got to get materials in, the labor force in and heavy equipment in. It's an enormous job," Maikish said.


Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc.


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## krull

Under Construction....


*25 Thames Street:* 368 ft - 33 floors











*Construction starting on condo tower at 133 Greenwich Street* 


08-MAY-06 

The Copper Group is developing a 30-story residential condominium tower at 133 Greenwich Street, which is also known as 25 Thames Streeet near Ground Zero.

Costas Kondylis is the architect. 

The building will have a low-rise base on Greenwich street with a setback tower with pierrs that extend slightly above the top on three facades. 

It will have about 100 apartments. 

The site was acquired last year by an investor group led by Hosea Deitsch and Edgar Bronfman for $20 million from YL Real Estate Developers, which reportedly will retain a small interest in the project. 

Mr. Deitsch is managing member of the Cooper Group 1 LLC, which is part of Greenwich Street Project LLC, which is developing the site. 

The site is to the south of O’Hara’s Bar on Cedar Street and it is near the Deutsche Bank building that is being demolished because of damage sustained in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on Lower Manhattan. 

The Department of Environment Protection earlier this year revoked a demolition permit for the site because of concerns over possible toxic hazards, but after studies the work was resumed and demolition has been completed. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY


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## Scruffy88

I thought the bathtub thats already there at GZ would be sufficient enough for these new towers. Apparently not if they are going to dig 80 feet deeper. They should use the dirt that comes out as more infill for Battery Park City like the original WTC. Maybe extend BPC to the north


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## Ebola

Yeah! That's what I was thinking. Then we could build more skyscrapers if the bedrock is in the right sopt.


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## krull

Under Construction...


*188 Ludlow Street:* 23 floors











*Edison Properties breaks ground on Ludlow St. residential project*


March 8, 2006 

Executives from Edison Properties, LLC broke ground at 188 Ludlow St. to officially begin construction on Edison's first residential building, located at the southeast corner of Ludlow and East Houston Streets.

The 210,000 gross s/f, 23-story, 243-unit residential development will be constructed with Hunter Roberts Construction Company acting as general contractor. The building was designed by Costas Kondylis & Associates.

"2006 marks Edison's 50th anniversary. Entering into residential development in this dynamic location is the perfect way to celebrate this milestone. 188 Ludlow has been designed to complement and enhance this historic neighborhood and to meet the needs of the many people who want to enjoy the area's exciting stores and restaurants," said Gary DeBode, president of Edison Properties.

The $90 million dollar project will be financed through developer equity and tax exempt bonds issued in accordance with the New York State Housing Finance Agency's 80/20 program. The bonds will be credit-enhanced by Landesbank Hessen-Thuringen Girozentrale. In addition to providing 20% low income housing, the developer is setting aside 5% for moderate income tenants.


COPYRIGHT 2006 Hagedorn Publication


*Developer Wins $83M Financing*












By Barbara Jarvie
May 8, 2006 

NEW YORK CITY-Approximately $83 million in construction financing under the New York State Housing Finance Agency’s 80/20 program has closed for a project on the Lower East Side. The owner/developer of the property is an affiliate of Edison Properties LLC and Hunter Roberts Construction Group. 

The apartment at 188 Ludlow St., will total 208,000 sf with 6,000 sf of retail space. Once it’s completed in 2008, it will contain 243 units. In addition to providing 20% low-income housing, the developer is setting aside 5% for moderate-income tenants. The joint venture leased the land from Edison Properties LLC under a 99-year agreement. The building was designed by Costas Kondylis & Associates.

The Singer Bassuk Organization arranged the construction leasehold financing including financing provided by low-floater tax-exempt bonds issued by the HFA. It also included a credit enhancement in the form of an $83-million letter of credit for the HFA bonds provided by Helaba. Richard Bassuk, president of SBO, also arranged a forward commitment on permanent financing from Helaba. “This cutting edge financing is the first time a commercial bank has agreed to provide permanent financing on such advantageous terms and is a very positive development for project owners. 

In the past, permanent financing has been provided by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac through a DUS lender.” The firm’s James O’Reilly and Evelyn Savino also worked on the financing. 

Gary DeBode, president of Edison Properties, said the project was designed to “complement and enhance this historic neighborhood and to meet the needs of the many people who want to enjoy the area’s exciting stores and restaurants.” Other recently completed SBO transactions include the $135-million construction loan financing and $155-million permanent financing for the Marc under HFA’s 80/20 residential program as well as the $120-million financing for 88 Leonard St. under HFA’s Liberty Bond Program. The firm also completed the $104-million construction and permanent financing for Chelsea 27th Apartments under HFA’s 80/20 residential program, the $145.2-million construction loan and $165-million permanent loan for 63 Wall St. under the Liberty Bond Program with HDC in addition to the $82.9-million construction and permanent financing for 90 Washington St. under the Liberty Bond Program. 


Copyright © 2006 ALM Properties, Inc.


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## krull

Under Construction...


*45 Park Avenue:* 21 floors











*Development Du Jour: 45 Park Avenue *


by Matt Lobron
Tuesday, May 09, 2006

A new condo development, known as 45 Park Avenue, is being constructed at the site of the former Sheraton Russell Hotel at Park Avenue and 37th Street. The building is designed by ubiquitous architects Costas Kondylis & Partners and will contain 105 apartments over 15 floors. No word yet on what prices will be, but at least owners won't have to worry about any sudsing issues—the website makes sure to point out that each apartment will have its own full size GE washer and dryer. The building is very conveniently located right near Grand Central, and the Park Ave. address should compensate for any embarrassment you might feel when telling people that you technically live in Murray Hill. 


Copyright © 2006 Curbed


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## krull

*Waterfront deals boom in landgrab*
*Despite fire, prices soar as construction picks up; skeptics doubt demand *  


By Julie Satow 
Published on May 08, 2006 

Last week's 10-alarm fire in Greenpoint destroyed a historic former industrial complex and left a planned 2.6 million-square-foot condominium complex in limbo. But even as that 14-acre site lies in cinders, developers are moving ahead with other projects along the north Brooklyn waterfront in what is one of the city's most extensive and lucrative neighborhood revitalization efforts. 

One year after city officials approved a major rezoning of the area, the transformation of Williamsburg and Greenpoint is in full force. 

Land prices have soared as builders plan a wave of luxury condominiums. A 300,000-square-foot property acquired two years ago for $14 million is on the market for $61 million. A 103,000-square-foot development has sold for $217 a square foot--the first time a large property has broken the $200 mark in this area.

"In just two short years, the vision initiated by Mayor Bloomberg and the Department of City Planning is becoming a reality," says *Jeffrey Levine, president of Levine Builders, which will break ground on a 1,000-unit waterfront project in the next 60 to 90 days.* 

*Real estate brokers say they expect 3,000 residential units to go on the market in the next six to 12 months. Smaller condo buildings are already being built on upland blocks, but construction is expected to reshape the low-lying and more valuable waterfront within the next 15 to 18 months.* 

Some developers are wary and say that the true strength of the neighborhood's renaissance remains to be seen.

"We've seen a few hundred apartments coming to market, but we are about to see several thousand," says Abraham Hidary, president of Hidrock Realty. "The jury is still out whether there will be enough demand." 


*Use of inclusionary zoning *  


The 175-block rezoning, approved last May after years of planning, is aimed at reclaiming the faded East River waterfront, once a bustling manufacturing zone. The effort is being watched closely by both civic groups and politicians, largely because it marks the city's most extensive use of market-based inclusionary zoning policies, which let developers build bigger towers if the projects include affordable housing.

Over the past 24 months, as the area changed to a residential zone from manufacturing, land prices doubled, to about $200 a square foot. In the largest deal this year in terms of space, Steiner Equities--which developed the Steiner Studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yard--paid $197 a square foot for the 127,000-square-foot Old Dutch Mustard Factory in Williamsburg.

The hope is that those price tags will be justified when condos are sold for $1,000 a square foot. Luxury condos in Manhattan average $1,362 a square foot, according to appraisal firm Miller Samuel.

*Home builder Toll Brothers in Horsham, Pa., has joined with L&M Equities to develop one of the first waterfront projects--three towers with more than 800 units--at 164 Kent St.* 

"On average, we anticipate the units will be sold for $900 to $1,000 a square foot," says David Von Spreckelsen, vice president at Toll Brothers.

One of the area's larger brokers, Aptsandlofts.com, has been ramping up. "We have hired a lot of people and are looking to open a new office," says President David Maundrell. 


*Higher interest rates, costs *  


The Corcoran Group, one of the city's leading residential brokers, recently opened its first Williamsburg outpost.

But higher interest rates and rising construction costs have caused some developers to pause, says David Jurnic, a broker at Greiner-Maltz. He estimates that asking prices for development properties have dropped 5% to 10% over the past few months, but they have since stabilized.

"We were doing a deal for $175 a square foot, but I just couldn't get comfortable that I could make these numbers work on the back end," says Mr. Hidary at Hidrock Realty. He backed out, deciding to build in the more stable Brooklyn neighborhoods of Midwood, Bensonhurst and Kensington.

Mark Lively, a broker at Massey Knakal Realty Services, says, "There are still developers looking for projects, but for the first time you are seeing owners granting a due diligence window or less than 10% down."

Adding to the upheaval, neighborhood groups are complaining. They say that a promised community oversight panel has not yet been established; that most of the funding to preserve industrial space and help displaced businesses has not been spent; and that the city has not yet studied how schools, firehouses, and the transportation network and other infrastructure will handle the expected flood of new residents. 

In response, a spokeswoman for the planning department says the city has thoroughly studied the potential impacts of the rezoning.

Despite the uncertainty, one thing is clear: "Five years from now, north Brooklyn will look completely different," says Mr. Maundrell of Aptsandlofts.com. *"The entire area will be brand-new, like Battery Park City or Trump's Riverside South."*


©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


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## krull

Proposed...


*Platinum (247 West 46th Street):* 450 ft - 39 floors 











*"Historic" first transfer of air-rights in Theater District debated *


04-APR-06 

In a rather thrilling and almost gladiatorial bout, the land-use committees of Community Boards 4 and 5 last night considered a request for comment from a developer wishing to use air-rights in the theater district for a new residential condominium tower on the northeast corner of Eighth Avenue and 46th Street. 

After an impassioned, two-hour meeting on the request, the committees decided to not endorse the project on procedural rather than qualitative grounds and began to draft a resolution outlining their concerns to the City Planning Commission. 

Anna Levin, the chairperson of the land-use committee of Community Board 4, chaired the meeting and stated that while the committee was very supportive of the general outlines of the proposed building and transfer of air-rights, it believed that the entire plan should be presented rather than one part and that important issues remained to be resolved regarded a fund set up to manage funds contributed by developers using air rights from the theater district and that concerns about the relocation of theatrical organizations evicted for new projects using the air rights should be addressed. 

Paul Selver of the law firm of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel represented the developer, SJP Residential Properties of Parsipanny, N.J., of which Stephen J. Pozycki and Allen F. Goldman are principals, of the planned building at 750 Eighth Avenue on the former site of a building that housed McHale’s restaurant. 

Mr. Selver said the application was “an historic occasion” as it was the first project to attempt to utilize transferable air-rights created in 1998 but on the drawing boards for “over a generation. 

The proposed building is a 38-story tower with 195 apartments designed by Costas Kondylis that would use air rights from the Al Hirschfeld Theater (formerly the Martin Beck Theater) on 45th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues as well as air rights from the Brooks Atkinson Theater on West 47th Street. 

Under questioning, Mr. Selver indicated that while the developer was seeking approval initially only for the “discrete” application before the committees, it had larger plans. Those plans included seeking a zoning text-change to permit the transfer of other air-rights from a theater on 47th Street that would enlarge the building at 750 Eighth Avenue to 42 stories and 220 apartments. 

As part of the special district’s air-rights transfer requirements, the developer would contribute $10 per square foot of transferred air rights into a special theater district fund. 

Joe Restuccia, the executive director of the Clinton Housing Development Company, suggested that the rate of $10 was perhaps too low as it was set in 1998 and that the market has changed. 

Jack Goldstein, a former executive director of Save The Theaters Inc., and the Theater Development Fund, argued that the transfer of air rights should not be permitted until the special fund was created and its purposes clarified. He noted that originally the fund was intended to help finance theatrical productions, but is now apparently being planned to finance theatrical education in the city’s school system. 

Representatives of the New Perspectives Theater claimed that it had been evicted from the McHale’s building without any relocation assistance despite assurances to the community board from some local politicians that such assistance would be forthcoming. 

Mr. Restuccia suggested that the developer withdraw his application so that the “entire package” could be addressed and resubmitted, but Mr. Selver said “no.” 

Val Libin, production director of Jujamcyn Theaters, the owner of the Al Hirschfeld Theater, stressed his organization’s desire to preserve and promote “legitimate theater” in the city. 

Mr. Selver indicated that “there is another site” on Broadway at 54th Street that is likely to soon seek to use air-rights from a theater to develop a residential tower. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY


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## krull

Proposed...


*The Rushmore (80 Riverside Boulevard):* 425 ft - 41 floors (Twin Tower)












*Not bothering to catch its breath, Extell announces new condo project *


04-APR-06 

The Extell Development Company this week launched its marketing campaign for The Rushmore, a condominium apartment tower on Upper West Side property it recently acquired from Donald Trump and a consortium of investors from Hong Kong. 

The new project is located at Riverside Boulevard and 64th Street and presumably will have a 80 Riverside Boulevard address since it is one block south of the Avery at 100 Riverside Boulevard on which Extell only began marketing this year. The Avery is a 32-story building with 274 condominium apartments priced from about $850,000 to more than $3,000,000. 

An advertisement in Quest, a monthly magazine that was distributed yesterday, indicated that one- to five-bedroom apartments at The Rushmore will range from approximately $1,000,000 to over $6,000,000. No indication was given of how many stories The Rushmore might have, or how many units, but presumably it will about the same size as the Avery. 

The building will have twin towers atop a seven-story base and has been designed by Costas Kondylis. 

The Rushmore will have a 24-four concierge and doorman, a garage, a swimming pool, an atrium with adjacent reading room, a “Grand Salon with catering capabilities,” a billiards room, a “Kid’s Creative Studio and Playroom, a La Palestra Spa & Fitness Center, and “Abigail Michaels lifestyle managers, a member of Les Clefs d’Or.” 

Extell and the Carlyle Group paid about $1.8 billion recently to acquire 20 acres between 59th and 65th Streets from Donald Trump and a consortium of investors from Hong Kong who have been developing properties to the north along Riverside Boulevard that ends at 72nd Street. 

Extell and Carlyle are expected to erect six buildings on their property that overlooks the West Side Highway and the Hudson River. 

Extell has recently become one of the city’s most active developers. Some of its other projects include the Orion on West 42nd Street, the Ariel East and West on Broadway at 99th Street, Altair 18 and Altair 20 in Chelsea, the W. Hotel in Times Square. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY


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## streetscapeer

there's so much going on around Ground Zero...Freedom Tower will have a lot on neighbors!


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## Ebola

krull said:


> *Altogether, $20 billion of construction will take place downtown over the next six years. The World Trade Center, PATH station and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum alone will account for half of that construction budget.*
> 
> "It's unprecedented," said City Councilman Alan Gerson.
> 
> Thirty-four massive tower cranes will be needed - four alone at the Freedom Tower - to feed materials to the skyscrapers.



:eek2:


----------



## krull

*Merrill Lynch construction of a new downtown skyscraper?*

*MERRILL MULLS ITS OPTIONS*


May 10, 2006

FINANCIAL services giant *Merrill Lynch has just begun working out its future headquarters scenario that could include construction of a new downtown skyscraper - perhaps even as part of the World Trade Center redevelopment.* 

Now located in well over 2 million square feet between World Financial Centers Two and Four, the firm wants to have all its bricks in a row by the time its triple net leases end in 2013. 

Merrill occupies all 1.8 million feet of the 34-story 4 WFC and a portion of the 44-story 2.5 million foot 2 WFC while subleasing the rest to firms that include Nomura and Mass Mutual.

"It is exploring all its options," stressed one real estate executive on condition of anonymity. 

"It wants to make a decision by the end of the year." 

*Those options include leasing or constructing its own tower, remaining in place and retrofitting, or moving to Midtown, a boro, Jersey or Westchester. Whew. *

One intriguing scenario could have Merrill take over one of the new ground zero hi-rises and have it tweaked to their liking with the latest high-tech trading floors and gadgets. 

Attention city and state: a hand is obviously being extended here for retention benefits. 

We hear the real estate giant Trammell Crow has been hired to explore the "build," "no build" option while the similarly savvy Jones Lang LaSalle is concentrating on the renew and retrofit vs. rent elsewhere scenarios. The various firms all declined comment. 

"The most important thing is that they remain a Lower Manhattan tenant," said Alliance for Lower Manhattan President Eric Deutsch. "They are an important anchor tenant and it is crucial for everything going on to keep them downtown." 


Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc.


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## krull

*Building 7 (Queens West):* 290 ft - 30 floors











*Aiming high at Queens *
*West Builder breaks ground for 2d housing tower*


BY DONALD BERTRAND
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER 
May 10, 2006 

Things are heating up at Queens West.

Ground was broken yesterday on the second of seven buildings comprising approximately 3,300 units that Rockrose Development Corp. is building at Queens West.

*The Rockrose buildings will occupy a 22-acre northern portion of the 74-acre site*, which sits across the East River from the United Nations.

Two months ago, another Queens West developer, Avalon Bay, broke ground for its second tower, a 39-story residential tower with 602 rental apartments.

The latest Rockrose structure is scheduled to open in late 2007, and *will be 290 feet tall with 394 rental apartments and 825 parking spaces.*

"Our first Queens West building is set to open in less than a month, and we have already begun construction on our second building. This gives you some idea of our enthusiasm for this project and for the residential market in Long Island City," said Henry Elghanayan, a Rockrose principal.

"I am firmly convinced that this community of Long Island City which is being spearheaded by the Queens West project is going to be one of the great communities of New York." 

Rockrose's first building, located adjacent to a giant Pepsi:Cola sign, is nearing completion and will start leasing in about a month. The first tenants are expected to start moving into that building in the summer.

"With the completion of the first two Rockrose buildings and Avalon Riverview North by 2008, we will have achieved critical mass constructing more than 2,400 apartments between the four blocks between 47th and 50th Aves.," said Charles Gargano, chairman of the Empire State Development Corp.

*When completed, Queens West will have 19 residential buildings, an eight-story senior citizen residence, two schools, and more than 20 acres that encompasses waterfront parkland, open and commercial space, Gargano said.*

"This development will literally transform this area into a vibrant neighborhood," he said.

"Rockrose is adding something very magnificent and special to this whole area," said Borough President Helen Marshall, who was especially happy about plans to open a supermarket in the second Rockrose building. 


All contents © 2006 Daily News, L.P.


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## krull

More on Queens development...


*Patchwork City*
*The future skyline of Queens bears a superficial resemblance to Jersey City:* 


Issue 05_03.22.2006

More than a dozen tall buildings are planned to rise along the Queens Waterfront and, as a result of Special District zoning, many others are in the works in Long Island City and Hunters Point. As D. Grahame Shane reports, the Department of City Planning’s surgical approach to zoning is stimulating strategic development throughout the borough, promising a series of dynamic urban patches— as well as some awkward seams. 

While New Yorkers witnessed an epic battle for the top-down control of the World Trade Center site, replete with power players channeling Robert Moses, the New York Department of City Planning (DCP) has been quietly leading an urban planning revolution with a small-scale, bottom-up approach throughout the boroughs. The unveiling last month of Richard Rogers Partnership’s design of a massive mixed-use project on the Queens waterfront for Silvercup Studios portends a dense, monumental future for the low-scale, still-industrial area. But various rezonings throughout Queens—including Long Island City, Hunters Point, and a dozen other neighborhoods—are in fact setting the framework for more incremental development in the borough, encouraging a unique fabric of mixed uses, spaces, scales, densities, and textures.

From its colonial beginning New York was part of an archipelago, a network of small patches of European settlements connected by boats, New Amsterdam, Brooklyn, Hoboken, and Harlem. The large open spaces of Queens have always attracted those unable to find accommodation in Manhattan, from the farmers and fishermen of the colonial period to the industrialists of the 19th and 20th centuries who deposited their ports, factories, warehouses, oil refineries, cement plants, and more in the marshy headland bound by the East River and Newtown Creek. With its evolving transportation links—bridges, tunnels, ferries, and rail—heavy industry thrived in the area. The huge spaces that were carved out by industrial uses have taken on new meaning today, with Manhattan’s squeezed housing market and changed attitudes about commuting. Suddenly, the rust-belt patches around Long Island City are attractive real estate.

In 2001, the Museum of Modern Art’s temporary move to LIC highlighted the area’s nascence as a cultural district. The same year, the Group of 35, a panel created by Senator Charles Schumer representing public and private interests, issued a report calling for the creation of a new business district in LIC, suggesting 15 million square feet of office space and citing the benefits of a planned—though sadly now defunct—“word-class intermodal transit station” at Sunnyside Yards. (The yard has a small LIRR stop and a ferry terminal nearby; the plan for the hub would have folded in stops for Amtrak, NJ Transit, and the MTA, whose routes all cross there.)

The intensification of development in Queens has actually been in process for some time. In 1984, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PA) took over a large portion of the Queens docklands and, together with the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), created a 74-acre development patch under the auspices of the Queens West Development Corporation (QWDC). QWDC follows the Battery Park City model of development (also created by the ESDC), with phased parcels bid to separate developers. Two buildings have been completed (one by Cesar Pelli, 1998, and another by Perkins Eastman, 2001), and more than a dozen more are planned. Though far from complete, Queens West already appears to be isolated and out of scale with its surroundings, despite well-intentioned efforts to create open spaces and waterfront views.

By contrast, the DCP has adopted a more targeted approach to the rest of Queens, with timely responses to particular urban actors in particular locations. The DCP is actually building on an approach that was pioneered in the 1960s by Mayor John Lindsay’s Urban Design Group (members included Jonathan Barnett, Alexander Cooper, Jaquelin Robertson, Richard Weinstein, and Richard Dattner), which abandoned masterplanning on a city-wide, regional scale and introduced Special District zoning. Based on a 1916 zoning ordinance addressing skyscrapers downtown, Special Districts under the Urban Design Group began as relatively simple mechanisms to protect small residential communities like Little Italy and Chinatown from large-scale development. Later, the concept was applied to create a Theater Special District, to protect Broadway theaters and allow the transfer of their valuable air rights to neighboring sites. This system of controlled zoning patches evolved into a complex, three-dimensional, multifunctional, incentive-based design methodology that paved the way for Cooper and Eckstut’s 1978 masterplan of Battery Park City. 

Under Amanda Burden, who has been planning commissioner and director of the DCP since 2002, Special Districts zoning has evolved further still, to encompass micro-patches of upzoning, downzoning, mixed-use, and historic and industrial preservation. Her LIC Mixed-Use Special District was in fact her first exercise, and presaged similar strategies in Greenpoint-Williamsburg, East Harlem, and Chelsea. 

This finely calibrated approach to zoning can be seen in three of current “hot patches” of development in Queens:


*Queens Plaza Special Improvement District *


Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s Adult Entertainment Zoning of the late 1990s exiled some of Times Square’s porn shops, strip clubs, and prostitution to this long-neglected industrial gateway. Few paid attention to the area, until 2000 when Michael Bailkin and Paul Travis of the Arete Group tried to buy two large sites, including a large city-owned garage, at the junction of Queens Plaza and Jackson Avenue. The same developers bought the air rights to part of Sunnyside Yards. Their moves prompted the DCP (then directed by Joseph Rose) to devise the Queens Plaza Special District (approved in 2001) that featured incentive bonuses and Urban Design Guidelines that called for broad setbacks, new parks, and ground-floor retail to enliven the street. The lots that Arete sought (which have since gone to Tishman Speyer) were upzoned to Floor Area Ratio (FAR) 12, signaling a dense future for LIC.

The city has also responded to pressure from public interest groups, like the Municipal Arts Society, the Regional Plan Association, and the Van Alen Institute. The latter organized the Queens Plaza competition in 2001–2002, which addressed the need to do something about the gloomy stretch of roadway beneath the noisy Queensborough Bridge. In 2002, the city selected Margie Ruddick as a lead consultant (on a team that initially included Michael Sorkin and Michael Singer) to develop a landscape design that would improve the public spaces, lighting, traffic flow, and general streetscape of Queens Plaza. Ruddick, who is now collaborating with Marpillero/Pollak, described her intention to make “the left-over spaces legible as a landscape that helps you get from one place to another, making connections across the space under the bridge.” *Her scheme emphasizes improved circulation; bicycle and pedestrian paths and crossings abound. Near the waterfront section, she has planned a cathedral-like space under the bridge, which will act as a seam between the planned Silvercup West project and the Queensbridge Houses*, a massive housing project built by the New York City Housing Authority in 1941. The plan is currently under review by the Fine Arts Commission.


*Long Island City Mixed-Use Special District (2004)*


Compared to the crude zoning of Queens Plaza, the LIC Mixed-Use Special District is more finely textured and varied. The DCP divided the area into three sub-districts, which form a triangle around a gritty industrial core that will be preserved: The Long Island City Core Sub-District is a small enclave driven by developers and already contains Citigroup’s skyscraper at Court Square, the borough’s first tall building. *This very compact, high-density patch (zoned at FAR 12) has many tax incentives and has already attracted a second Citigroup tower and United Nations Federal Credit Union building, both under construction.* The 1989 Citigroup tower, with its interior cafeteria and attached car park, never sponsored street life. Under the revised Urban Design Guidelines, both the new buildings will have street level retail to foster pedestrian activity and new plantings, furniture, and parks. The neighboring Jackson Avenue Mixed-Use Sub-District (approved 2004) borders the Sunnyside Yards. Here, warehouses and factories, like the 254-unit Arris Building, are being converted to residential lofts and offices. The upzoning to FAR 7 and Urban Design Guidelines under study by the Volmer Group are aimed at remaking Jackson Avenue into a densely built commercial boulevard, containing 3 million square feet of offices stretching from Court Square to Queens Plaza’s subway node. “The aim is to create a vibrant street life, with cafes, restaurants, and stores,” said Burden. The plan calls for widened sidewalks, tree planting, kiosks, seating, and night lighting.

The density on Jackson Avenue decreases in the Hunters Point Mixed-Use Rezoning Sub-District (approved in 2004). Individual urban actors predominate in this area, with small-scale housing, auto-body shops, galleries, and artists’ studios. Burden saw this area as containing the “soul” of LIC. Fearing the large scale of development on the nearby waterfront, residents have been organizing themselves into groups, like the 49th Street Block Association and the Hunters Point Community Organization. The city downzoned this patch within a general FAR 5 intended to protect the arts area around the P.S.1 cultural center.


*Queens Waterfront (1980s to present)*


The small-scale flexibility of LIC’s new mixed-use subdistricts is nonexistent on the waterfront. As a state agency, the ESDC formulated Queens West with almost no community input, though pressure from Hunters Point residents did ensure that a continuous landscaped riverfront would be publicly accessible.

The completion of the 42-story City Lights tower by Cesar Pelli for Manhattan Overlook Associates (1998) and 32-floor tower by Perkins Eastman for Avalon Bay (2001) have skyscraper-shocked local residents into paying attention to what is happening to the rest of the waterfront. Local groups are starting to pressure the QWDC to break down Queens West’s 1980s masterplan and work at a smaller scale. To deflect criticism, in 2004 the ESDC revised Phase II of the 1980s masterplan, which includes seven buildings by Rockrose, with designs by Arquitectonica and Handel Architects. Last year, State Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan was quoted in the Queens Chronicle as saying, “I think it is appropriate and past due time for Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg to review the plan for Queens West and begin a dialogue with the community as to the importance of affordable housing for the work soon to be scheduled on the southern portion of the site.” The southern portion, known as Queens West South (Phase III), was most recently publicized as the site of the proposed Olympic Village, with a winning masterplan by Morphosis. Though New York lost its Olympic bid, the exercise offered a vision of the area as a new vibrant neighborhood.

Burden is currently negotiating with Frances Huppert, the design director of the ESDC, to get the corporation to break down the scale of their development into more manageable patches, including mixed-income housing, which could link to the surrounding Hunters Point Special District. Burden also hopes that a pedestrian bridge across Newtown Creek can someday connect the Queens West esplanade to the waterfront planned for Greenpoint-Williamsburg.

North of Queens West lie two of the hottest patches in Long Island City. *The first project is River East, a scenographic, set-piece street of mixed-use townhouses and lofts with two glass-skinned 30-story towers at the riverside*, designed by Jay Valgora and developed by Vernon Realty. The buildings bracket a street that frames a view of the United Nations. Beyond River East lies an empty Con Edison site, and next to that is Silvercup West, the expansion of Stuart and Alan Suna’s film and production studios. The Sunas took advantage of an extension of the upzoning of the Queensborough Bridge Plaza Special District to create a 2-million-square-foot, hyper-dense, mixed-use matrix of film studios, roof gardens, office and residential towers spread over 6 acres, unveiled by the Richard Rogers Partnership last month after the plan received its Uniform Land Use and Regional Planning Review (ULURP) letter of certification. The scheme offers a 40-foot-wide riverfront esplanade designed by the Laurie Olin Partnership that will link to Margie Ruddick’s Queens Plaza landscape scheme.

Queens waterfront demonstrates the limits of the patchwork approach, where heterogeneous patches are connected by a weak link, the waterfront. 

The advantage of a patch-by-patch approach is its specificity and its ability to capture the dynamic of relationships between various actors in various patches. The complex narratives of LIC actors and their efforts to shape their sites shows that there are multiple ways to develop a patch, ranging from top-down utopian masterplan that is fixed and inflexible to the bottom-up approach where every actor has a distinctive voice in the polyphonic dialogue. Long Island City shows this range, and it is to the DCP’s credit that it has tried to deal with each situation individually. Eventually, an emergent system of urban design will be able to provide the means of balancing and managing the flows between the fragments. Until then we will have to rely on our intuition to sense the flows between the patches in the emergent ecology of the urban archipelagos that constitute our cities.


Copyright © 2005 The Architect's Newspaper, LLC


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## krull

*Development Descends on Queens*












*RESIDENTIAL*

*1 Silvercup West*
Owned by Alan and Stuart Match Suna and designed by Richard Rogers Partnership, Silvercup West is a $1 billion mixed-use project spread over 6 acres, and includes residential, commercial, cultural, and civic spaces, in addition to 1 million square feet of film-production studios. 

*2 River East*
44–02 Vernon Blvd.
Developed by Vernon Realty and sited on 6 acres just south of Silvercup West, River East will contain 1.2 million square feet of residential and commercial space. Rows of townhouses will lead to two 30-story towers on the river and a newly landscaped esplanade. The WalkerGroup of New York and its in-house V Studio, led by architect Jay Valgora, are masterplanning the site and designing the buildings. 

*3 Queens West*
The Queens West Development Corporation (QWDC), a subsidiary of the Empire State Development Corporation, has divided their large waterfront site into four development phases. 

Phase II, contracted to Rockrose Development Corporation will contain seven buildings with 3,000 residential units and 20,000 square feet of commercial space. The first two buildings have been designed by Arquitectonica; one will be completed in May, and the other broke ground this month. Handel Architects have designed a third building, with construction to begin late 2006. Arquitectonica will design at least one more building, and the other two are as-yet uncommissioned.

Avalon Bay Communities is developing phase I, just south of Rockrose’s. Its first residential tower was completed in 2001 and the second broke ground early this year, and will be completed by May of 2007. Both were designed by Perkins Eastman. A third lot on Avalon Bay’s site will likely serve as either a public park or a branch of Queens’ Public Library.

Phases III and IV, located partially on the Olympic Village site, have no developers attached, but will likely see the type of mixed-use projects as the first two phases. The QWDC is considering keeping parts of the Olympic site plans. 

*4 Power House*
50–09 Second St.
Cheskel Schwimmer and CGS developers will add 100,000 square feet to the former Pennsylvania Railroad Power House’s existing 150,000, converting the structure into a residential complex. The new building, designed by Karl Fischer Architect, will contain 190 condominiums. 

*5, 6 The Gantry*
5–15 49th Ave. and 48–21 5th St.
The Milestone Group, based in New York City, will develop an existing warehouse into 64 condos, designed by local firm Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects. The Gantry will be ready for occupancy early this summer.

*7 50th Ave. and 5th St.*
Developers Joseph Escarfullery and Joseph Palumbo are planning an 11-unit, high-end co-op on the site of a current parking lot.

*8 5–49 Borden Ave.*
535 Borden LLC has been working with New York architect Juan Alayo to develop a 12-story, 132-unit residential building. The project’s backers are presently closing on the sale of the lot to another developer. The sale includes the architectural plans, which, as of now, will remain unchanged.

*9 East View Condos*
10–40 46th Rd.
The East View Condos are in development by owner Henry Khanali and the New York architecture firm Bricolage Designs. The ground-up construction will be five stories, with an as-yet undetermined number of units, and should be completed by the summer of 2007.

*10 41–43 47th Ave.*
No information available.

*11 Vantage Jackson*
10–50 Jackson Ave.
This 13-story building is being developed by the Lions Group with Emmy Homes, and will contain 35 to 40 units.

*12 10–63 Jackson Ave.*
MKF Realty is planning a 40-unit building just west of the Polaski Bridge. Completion expected in early 2007.

*13 Badge Building*
10–55 47th Ave. 
Bricolage Designs is designing an eight-story ground-up building that will be attached to an exisiting and soon-to-be-refurbished four-story factory, which once manufactured medallions and badges. The building complex will contain 44 condos; interiors will be designed by Front Studio. Badge Building Development LLC is a group of independent investors led by the building’s current owner, who has been sitting on the property for the last ten years.

*14 12–01 Jackson Ave.*
Hentze-Dor Real Estate is developing a 35-unit rental on an irregularly shaped lot on Jackson Avenue.

*15 Echaelon Condominiums*
13–11 Jackson Ave.
Ron Hershco of Jackson Realty LLC is planning a 52-unit condominium designed by ****** Design Group of Cold Spring Hill, New York. Occupancy is scheduled for late spring of 2006.

*16 Venus Site*
Queens Plaza North and 24th St.
Developer Moshe Feller is reportedly working on a condo building that will house 320 units.

*17 24–15 Queens Plaza North*
Karl Fischer Architect is planning alterations to an existing 50,000-square-foot office building for an unnamed developer.

*18 42–37 Crescent St.*
Owner Ruben Elberg of Royal One Real Estate and Karl Fischer Architect are planning a 16-unit condominium building with two ground-floor commercial spaces. Completion is expected mid-2007.

*19 42–59 Crescent St.*
Adjacent to 42–37 Crescent Street, the same developer-architect team will build another residential project with retail space. 42–59 Crescent will be slightly bigger, at 24 units, and completed by early 2007.

*20 45–56 Pearson St.*
Rosma Development of New York is set to build a 20-story project on a 30,000 square-foot site, creating 120 condos that should be ready by 2007.

*21 Arris Condominiums*
27–28 Thompson Ave.
The Andalex Group is planning an $80 million conversion of a 1920s warehouse into a mix of 237 lofts and 17 studios. Costas Kondylis and Partners is completing the design, which will involve a total overhaul of the interiors as well as exterior restoration.

*22 Vantage Purves*
44–27 Purves St.
Another development in the area by the Lions Group and Emma Homes Partnership, the Vantage Purves will have 57 units. 

*23 42–51 Hunter St.*
A small group of investors under the name 42–51 Hunter Street LLC is developing a seven-story condo building with Manhattan firm Israel Peles Architects.

*24 41–23 Crescent Street*
No information available.

*25 The Queens Plaza*
41–26 27th St.
The Developers Group of New York is planning a 10-story, 66-unit condo building just north of the Queens Plaza Improvement Project.

*26 27–14 41st Ave.*
41st Avenue Property LLC, with Queens-based architect Surja Widjaja of Maison Design, is planning a 24-unit, 8-story residential building.

*27 Gaseteria Site*
Northern Blvd. and Queens Blvd.
Oil company Gaseteria has partnered with Lowe Enterprises Real Estate to develop a site bordering Long Island City’s Sunnyside Yards into a mixed-use complex with a projected 400 housing units, in addition to office and retail space. 


*COMMERCIAL*


*1 Silvercup West*
(See above.)

*2 United Nations Federal *
Credit Union
24th St. and 45th Dr.
With a tentative completion date of this September, the $65 million United Nations Federal Credit Union building, designed by HLW international, will be the second all-commercial highrise in Long Island City, after the 1.4-million-square-foot Skidmore, Owings and Merrill– designed Citigroup tower, completed in 1989.

*3 Citigroup, Phase II*
Citigroup is several months into the construction of its second office buidling in the neighborhood, next door to its 48-floor tower, the tallest building in the boroughs. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, the second building will be significantly smaller, at 475,000 square feet and 14 floors. An estimated 1,800 Citibank employees will be housed in the new building, which will be completed in 2007.

*4 Queens Plaza Municipal Garage*
Tishman Speyer recently signed a 99-year lease for the city-owned parking lot, and plans to raze the lot to build an office building with underground parking. Recently upzoned to 12 FAR, the site could accept 1.5 million square feet of development.

*5 QP Site *
Tishman Speyer is razing several low-scale commercial buildings and a parking lot, the former site of the QP flea market, and likely building office space in addition to that across the street at the Queens Plaza Municipal Garage. The lot is owned by businessman Bill Modell.

*6 Gaseteria Site*
(See above.)


*OPEN SPACE*


*Queens Plaza Improvement Project *
In 2001 the Department of City Planning began implementing a plan to improve Queens Plaza, the boulevard that runs from Sunnyside Yards to the Queensborough Bridge. The plan includes extensive infrastructural improvements, including new roadways and subway station renovations, as well as an extensive landscape scheme by Philadelphia-based Margie Ruddick, which would extend a lush, pedestrian-friendly esplanade to the East River waterfront. 












Copyright © 2005 The Architect's Newspaper, LLC


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## krull

*Long-Delayed Projects To Get A Pataki Push*










*The future Javits Center, if Pataki 
and others have their way * 


By DAVID LOMBINO
May 10, 2006

Governor Pataki will use the last six months of his term to push for expanding the Javits Convention Center and turning the Farley Post Office into Moynihan Station, $2.5 billion worth of long-delayed development projects on the West Side of Manhattan.

*"We want to begin this year," the state's leading development official, Charles Gargano, told The New York Sun.

Delays for both projects have been measured in years rather than months, but both plans are scheduled for final public hearings in the next three weeks.*

Although financing is already in place, the projects require approval from the Public Authorities Control Board - which includes representatives of the Governor Pataki, the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, and the State Senate majority leader, Joseph Bruno. The legislative leaders used their positions on the board to block last year's plans for a West Side stadium.

*Spokesmen for both Mr. Silver and Mr. Bruno yesterday expressed support for expanding the convention center, but said the Moynihan Station plan was still being reviewed.*

The $1.7 billion expansion of the Javits center would make New York's convention center the fifth biggest in the country - up from the 19th spot - and has the support of Mayor Bloomberg, the City Council speaker, Christine Quinn, and several business and tourism groups.

But the plan has also encountered its share of critics, including Senator Schumer, who called the plan too small and too expensive.

The current plan will extend the center north along 11th Avenue one block to 40th Street, and will increase exhibit and meeting room space to more than 1.3 million square feet. Much of the additional square footage will be achieved by building another floor on top of the existing structure. The state is also planning to sell an entire city block to the south of the center for private commercial and residential development to generate additional project funds, and move the truck marshalling yards to the center's northern end. The plan includes a 1,500-room hotel nearby.

*The Municipal Art Society, which opposes the Javits expansion, filed a lawsuit last week to halt the plan.* The plaintiffs, who include neighborhood groups, claim the state failed to update the environmental impact statement.

Other planning advocates have said the expansion plan, which will largely be upward, will leave the center with an awkward configuration for conventioneers who prefer contiguous space. There are also questions whether the block to the south will generate as much money as the state has predicted.

A spokesman for the Regional Plan Association, Jeremy Soffin, said that none of the project's flaws are necessarily "fatal", but he said that the most recent design seems to cost more but accomplish less.

"It is worrisome that the cost is going up and the final product is getting decreasingly effective at solving the original problem," Mr. Soffin said. "If you think long term, you really need to think about moving Javits altogether. It sits on some of the most valuable real estate in the world."

Mr. Gargano, the chairman of the state agency shepherding the project through the approval process, said that Javits' lack of space forces the city to turn away between 50 and 60 shows a year. He said a vertical expansion is "much, much cheaper" than expanding to the north - which would require buying a bus garage from the Metropolitan Transit Authority for an estimated $600 million.

Mr. Gargano said the vertical configuration would work "as long as there are enough escalators and elevators."

Even if Mr. Pataki is able to win the necessary approvals and begin preparation work on both the Javits Center and Moynihan Station, *there is no guarantee the next governor will not block or revise the plans.*

The first designs for Moynihan Station, an expansion of Pennsylvania Station into the Farley Post Office across the street, were drawn up in 1992. Plans have been delayed by the September 11th attacks and drawn-out negotiations with the Post Office over site acquisition, among other factors.

The latest designs, rendered by architect David Childs, were released last month. The plan, estimated at about $880 million, is for new train halls for New Jersey Transit and Long Island Railroad, a post office, and a mixed-use development that could include a hotel, big box stores and restaurants. The commercial portion will be developed by two of the city's most active developers, the Related Companies and Vornado Realty Trust.

Penn Station is currently the busiest transportation hub in America, with about 550,000 people daily, and the dark, dingy underground labyrinth is calling out for renovation or demolition.

A public hearing over Moynihan Station is scheduled for June 1, according to Mr. Gargano.

The owners of Madison Square Garden have expressed some interest in moving into the back portion of the post office, along 9th Avenue. Mr. Gargano said yesterday that the sports arena could be added to the project after the current plans are approved.

Amtrak has not agreed to move to Moynihan Station from Penn Station, which Mr. Gargano said was a disappointment.


© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## 3tmk

I've always thought they simply wanted to expand the Javits center, but looking at the render, it seems like they're going to change even the existing structure.


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## Bertez

34 cranes eh.....should be fun to watch


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## krull

This article is from last year but they are clearing the lot to start construction soon...


*MANHATTAN BIDS FOR BIOTECH*










*The East River Science Park, to be built - after 20 years of institutional wrangling *


Steve Garmhausen 
NYC 12 20 05

Maybe it’s the fact that the East River Science Park will be New York City’s largest biotech campus. Or it could be that the $700-million project is being built on spec. Whatever the reason, its 872,000 square feet seems like an awful lot of space to fill. 

Then again, if the planned science park fulfills the city’s goal of jump-starting a true commercial bioscience industry, the 3.7-acre campus, in the Kips Bay neighborhood between First Avenue and the FDR Drive, could start to seem very small to its tenants.

“Where do these companies go when they become bigger?” asks Patricia Ardigo, director of the life sciences group at CB Richard Ellis, who envisions the new park eventually spawning satellite research hubs in Long Island and Westchester.

It would be a nice problem to have, but the city, which will lease the site on Bellevue Hospital’s campus to Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc., must first overcome challenges to landing tenants. Those include established competition in Boston and New Jersey as well as Manhattan’s high rental rates. 

*The good news is that recruiting work is well under way. The city has already spoken with 500 companies worldwide, says Bill Fair, managing director of healthcare and bioscience for the New York City Economic Development Corp, which was the major driver behind the project.*

“Conceptually, people don’t think of New York as bioscience,” admits Fair. The city is playing up four strengths in its recruiting efforts: its deep, skilled employment pool; entrepreneurial talent; and access to capital for all stages of a company’s growth.

But the biggest muscle group in the city's armature is its collection of 11 major academic medical research institutions, including NYU and Columbia’s schools of medicine and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Together, these institutions filed more biotech patents between 1992 and 2002 than the institutions of Boston, Cambridge and the San Francisco Bay area combined, says Fair. But because of the city’s dearth of lab space, the people behind those patented ideas are forced to go elsewhere to try to commercialize them.

“The great ideas are already here,” says Fair. “It’s just that the companies haven’t stuck here. We’re good at spinning out companies to places like La Jolla.” (He might have mentioned New Jersey as another popular destination; perhaps it’s too close for comfort.) 

The feedback from biotech companies has been that these strengths could offset the high cost of setting up shop in New York City, Fair says: “Cost is definitely an important factor, but not the most important factor for companies making location decisions.”

Ramping up biotech in the city has been talked about for a good 20 years. But for various reasons?among them the rivalries between the research and academic institutions?it remained talk. 

Upon taking office four years ago, Mayor Michael Bloomberg commissioned a market study that identified all the ingredients for biotech success. The administration, determined to follow through, had a key assist from several business-world heavy hitters, including Jerry Speyer and Henry Kravis, who reportedly used some muscle on their own to persuade directors on the boards of the city’s universities and hospitals to put aside their turf concerns and form a consortium to bring biotech into the city.

When the city’s RFP process for East River culminated in August with the selection of Alexandria, mere talk had congealed into reality. The Pasadena, Calif.-based real estate investment trust is a pioneer in building, running and acquiring lab and office complexes; it owns 127 properties with 8.2 million square feet. Alexandria has the “deep pockets and the wherewithal for a long stay,” says Ardigo, who served on the EDC and New York City Partnership’s biotech task force that helped bring about the science park. (Read about Alexandria in the November Forbes/Slatin Real Estate Report, available by subscription on our Publications page). 

Bringing in a private developer also relieves the city’s institutions of driving economic development &emdash;which is not, after all, their mission. What’s more, the REIT is financing the park and building it on spec. What makes Alexandria CEO Joel Marcus, so confident that he took on blue-chip REIT Boston Properties for the right to build East River? Good question; he isn’t talking to the press. But his company’s bioscience parks are full of institutional users as well as corporations like Merck and Quest Diagnostics, and Alexandria should be focused on getting such heavy hitters to pre-lease space at ERSP.

“They have to go after large users right out of the box,” says Peter Waldt, senior director at Cushman & Wakefield, and a veteran of city government, who notes that the bioscience plan in the Giuliani era focused on institutions, while Bloomberg’s plan expands the mix to include corporate tenants. By contrast, the 100,000-square-foot Audubon Biomedical Science and Technology Park, part of Columbia University Medical Center and housed in the historic Audubon Ballroom where Malcolm X was assassinated, is mostly filled with incubator-sized companies and organizations.

The science park will also provide lower-cost lab and office space for entrepreneurs, who would now find a dry well, says Fair: “If someone called my office today, I’d have no place to put them.” 

Subsidies are sure to be key to filling the space. The New York City Partnership has pledged $10 million to help small and medium-size companies fit out their space. Labs’ specialized needs&emdash;everything from extra-thick walls to emergency wash stations&emdash;add a tidy premium to their costs, explains Bob Von Ancken, the head of consulting and evaluation at Grubb & Ellis, which is conducting a pricing study for the EDC. 

The state aid needed to compete with well-subsidized life science space like that in New Jersey may be hard to squeeze out of Albany because biotech companies&emdash;even though they create high-quality jobs&emdash;tend to be loss leaders, often investing for years before seeing any profit, notes Ardigo.

*The park’s first phase, slated for groundbreaking in 2006, includes two laboratories and office towers totaling 542,000 square feet, with the first tenants anticipated in 2008. Designed by Hillier Architecture, It’s to include a glass-enclosed retail area with 43,000 square feet of public open space, including a riverfront esplanade, and 520 underground parking spaces. The second, 330,000-square-foot phase is slated for completion by 2009, and it will have additional open space and 200 more parking slots. *

There’s a potential snag for the second phase. The city’s office of the chief medical examiner must first vacate the site; that is problematic because the office is storing 9,000 unidentified remains of victims from the September 11 attacks there. The remains are to be moved to the planned memorial at the World Trade Center site – whenever that is completed.

But if all goes well, the second phase will have a line of would-be tenants waiting to move in. The EDC’s Fair acknowledges that the city’s plans for biotech are not unique. In fact, all 50 states have biotech initiatives in their economic agendas. But unlike most of them, New York actually has what biotech firms are looking for, he says. 

“Most places pin their hopes on biotech as a hot, sexy area, thinking they’ll see great stock increases, lots of employees and cures for diseases,” he says. “What we’re doing is the opposite of the way most places approach biotech.”


(c) 2003 - 2005 The Slatin Report.


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## krull

Proposed Gehry design for Atlantic Yards Project in Brooklyn... The site is currently in demolition stage...












*Architect Frank Gehry Presents Designs For Atlantic Yards Project*


May 11, 2006

Developers unveiled new designs Thursday for a scaled back plan for the Atlantic rail yards complex in Brooklyn aimed at winning over critics of the project. 
*The plans are almost the same as the original, but the buildings are smaller and the project is about a half-million square feet smaller.* 

The change is intended to end an on-going feud between the developers and residents who say the $3.5 billion project will only increase congestion. They're also concerned about the look and feel of the borough. 

Famed architect, Frank Gehry, says the borough inspires his vision for the area. 

"We're trying to understand what is Brooklyn, what is the body language of Brooklyn and trying to emulate it without copying it,” said Gehry. “Copying it would trivialize it." 

Supporters say the sports complex will bring jobs to the borough and revitalize Downtown. 

Some buildings are already being demolished at the site. 

*Plans call for the arena to be open by 2009.*


Copyright © 2006 NY1 News.


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## krull

More...


*New Design for Atlantic Yards Presented* 










*The Atlantic Yards design, unveiled today by the developer Forest City Ratner, faces opponents with a 
different vision for Brooklyn. *  


By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: May 11, 2006

From across the room, the new plastic-and-wood model of Brooklyn's proposed Atlantic Yards project — unveiled by the developer Forest City Ratner at a news conference today — looked a lot like the old one sitting a few feet away: *A 22-acre swathe of glass, brick and metal towers that will loom over the surrounding neighborhoods and forever alter the borough's otherwise sparse skyline.* 

But in an hourlong presentation, Frank Gehry, the project's architect, and Laurie Olin, its landscape designer, emphasized details that they said would harmonize the project's scale with the neighborhoods it would border. *They described shorter and thinner buildings on Dean Street, where the project abuts a mostly low-rise neighborhood, extensive use of glass walls at street level, and what Mr. Olin described as "the biggest stoop in Brooklyn," a sort of public porch planned for the southeast corner of Flatbush and Atlantic.* 

"It still feels like Brooklyn," Mr. Olin said. 

But Mr. Gehry, Mr. Olin and Forest City Ratner officials made clear that the developer and its opponents still have vastly different visions of what, exactly, Brooklyn should feel like, at least in this corner of the borough, where the bustling downtown commercial district shades into a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood of brownstones.

"They should've been picketing Henry Ford," Mr. Gehry said today, dismissing critics who oppose high-density development in the borough. "There is progress everywhere. There is a constant change. The issue is how to manage it."

*Opponents of the project have criticized the height and scale of Mr. Gehry's designs, among other issues, and the possible use of eminent domain to make room for them. They have backed alternative plans for the site, including proposals by rival developers that would include mostly low-rise buildings and would not require eminent domain. * (Forest City Ratner is the development partner of The New York Times Company in building its new Midtown headquarters, a project that itself involved government condemnation of private property.)

Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, which opposes the project, said the new design "puts a Gehry sheen on top of repudiated 1960's-style urban renewal. It's still way too big, and does not change the fact of 16 skyscrapers slammed on top of and next to low-rise, historic neighborhoods."

Mr. Goldstein also criticized Mr. Gehry for declining to meet with residents of the communities surrounding the proposed site. The project "remains an urban planning disaster," he said, because "Mr. Gehry and Mr. Ratner continue to ignore the community."

Today's carefully-orchestrated presentation — Junior's, the famed Brooklyn cheesecake mecca, catered breakfast — came amid one of the most contentious periods yet of what has been a two-and-a-half year battle over the Atlantic Yards, which would be the largest Brooklyn real estate development in decades.

The Empire State Development Corporation, which is sponsoring the project, is in the midst of a state-mandated review of its potential environmental impacts, *the final result of which is almost certain to be the subject of legal action.* Today, the Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods, an association of about 40 Brooklyn community groups, announced that it had hired Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, a real estate planning firm, to conduct an independent review of the pending study.


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## jonovision

That is amazing! I like it more then the original. The massing in the main tower is brilliant :cheers:


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## krull

More on this Atlantic Yards project...


May 11, 2006,


*Gehry, Gehry Everywhere... *












The big Forest City Ratner high-security press conference today produced little news but lots of images: fewer crooked buildings and more straight lines, more titanium siding and less Las Vegas. This is all about how it looks, so take a peek inside.

By comparison to the latest version above, here's a shot of last year's model that led a Brooklynite to ask the Daily News, "Why is it crooked?" 












The most iconic building in the 16-tower complex is the Miss Brooklyn, at 620 feet tall (650 with mechanicals). Gehry said that when he transported the model via airplane from Los Angeles to New York he had to give it a name so it could get its own seat. He likens the tower to an actual Brooklyn bride he saw walking around one day. "She's a bride," he said of the tower, "with her flowing bridal veil--I really overdid it. If you had seen the bride you would--I fell in love with her." The tower to the right is her husband, and the second shiny one to the left is the man she will have an affair with, according to Gehry. Developer Bruce Ratner must really love having an architect who designs unfaithful buildings and tells the press about it!

Here is the bride at its most flattering angle, with the Williamsburgh Savings Bank tower (512 feet tall) in the lower left hand corner (given what's on that tower's top, maybe he's the one she will run off with!):

Gehry said that he and his team spent a lot of time studying Brooklyn and its "body language," in order to make the complex fit in, and also how his children live or have lived in Brooklyn. Then what exactly does he think of Brooklyn? "I like it.... It's a very friendly city. It has a different sense of scale. It's got a fabulous street life. It's got an ethnic mix that seems to coexist."

That different sense of scale, of course, is a lot smaller than the type of bulding he has been commissioned to design here. He does make a few token gestures to fit into the borough, however, but they definitely are tokens. The main one is the "largest stoop in Brooklyn" at the point of Atlantic and Flatbush, in front of the arena. One is supposed to be able to see through the lobby and a large window into the arena and make out the scoreboard from this angle (provided someone is not standing in front of you):












The complex will have seven acres of publicly accessible open space, but it will be inside the interior courtyards formed by Gehry's buildings and dwarfed by their height. Laurie Olin, the landscape designer, discounted the idea that hiding the open space would keep New Yorkers from using it. "I don't think one has to draw people into open space in New York City. They will find it." The swamp and pool will collect stormwater and reduce runoff.












Whether the complex will fit into the surrounding neighborhood of three- and four-story brownstones is very much in the eye of the beholder--and the angle of the camera. Here is Forest City's take on the view north from Carlton and Park Place, with trees in full bloom. (This is a better view of building No. 7, the paramour.)












Here is a similar view, just one block closer, imagined by onNYTurf, a website critical of the project. (It's based on specs from the project that have since been slimmed down a bit.)












Finally, the real reason to root for Ratner. Isn't that the Starbucks logo there on the left? 












copyright © 2006 the new york observer, L.P.


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/416914p-352232c.html
*A trim for Yards work*

*New & smaller look for B'klyn buildings*

BY JEGO R. ARMSTRONG and ELIZABETH HAYS
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Architect Frank Gehry now has a kinder and gentler vision for Brooklyn.

Nearly a year after his futuristic designs for the controversial Nets arena complex sent shudders through parts of the borough, Gehry released revised plans yesterday.

"We've tried to break down the scale," Gehry said, and mirror "the messiness of Brooklyn - messiness in a good way."

The adjustments make the massive project fit in better with surrounding neighborhoods, he said at a briefing with officials from Forest City Ratner, which is developing the 22-acre site at Atlantic and Flatbush Aves.

"We spent an enormous amount of time studying Brooklyn ... trying to get a sense what it is," Gehry said.

The centerpiece glass building, dubbed Miss Brooklyn, was inspired by a bride he spotted in the area, he said. The Atlantic Yards project has sparked criticism that its 16 high-rise towers are too big and will create a traffic nightmare. The new designs are about 5% smaller than before. Gehry and Ratner officials said they have been tweaked to be more open and less dense.

Some buildings were streamlined to be less bulky, Gehry said, while landscape architect Laurie Olin's designs aim to make the site more inviting. Other buildings are now less slanted than in the original designs released last July.

Gehry said the project's critics "would have been picketing Henry Ford."

"There is constant change. The issue is how do you manage change," he said.

The $3.5 billion project has not yet been approved. Ratner officials hope to have it okayed by October and the arena open for the 2009-2010 basketball season.

Reactions to the new designs were mixed.

Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, which has been battling the project, was unimpressed.

"It's still way too big and does not change the fact of 16 skyscrapers slammed on top of and next to low-rise, historic neighborhoods," said Goldstein, calling the project "a land grab by a wealthy sports baron developer."

But Jennifer Baffle, 34, liked the changes and said the new design "looks more like it suits Brooklyn."

"The old design just seems a little too much," said Baffle, who is unemployed and lives in Clinton Hill. "Who wants that kind of look for Brooklyn? That's more Manhattan."

Paris Crawford, 68, said he preferred the original look.

"The old design looks more futuristic, a sign of things to come, which sets Brooklyn apart," said the retiree from Fort Greene.

"This is Brooklyn. We deserve to be on the cutting edge."

Originally published on May 12, 2006


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## Scruffy88

Im a fan of the project but not the look of the buildings. Miss Brooklyn is b-fugly. ugly enough to make me flip flop on the whole deal


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## NewYork-wala

yeah, Miss brooklyn isnt very good looking... Still, anything is better the the huge gapping hole in the ground we have there now. (Talking about the LIRR


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## Guest

It's a sham!
The entire project is a disgrace to Brooklyn. :down:


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## Ekumenopolis

Sure, its not very beautiful, but you can say its original at least..

I think they should desing something less "cartooned".


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## krull

I like this whole development... Here is another rendering of the tall one...


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## krull

Here are views from street level....


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## krull

and a mini-skyline will be born....


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## Fragmentor

The first five are unbelievable, they just look so amazing


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/16/nyregion/16mbrfs-brief-001.html
*Smaller Size Proposed for Atlantic Yards*

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: May 16, 2006

Assemblyman James F. Brennan, a Brooklyn Democrat, introduced legislation yesterday that would require the developer Forest City Ratner to reduce the size of its proposed Atlantic Yards real estate development by about three million square feet, or roughly a third. In exchange, the bill would offer up to $15.4 million a year in state money to subsidize below-market-priced housing in the project, a 22-acre residential, commercial and arena development near Downtown Brooklyn. The bill would also relieve Forest City Ratner of about $310 million in costs associated with renovating and buying building rights over the railyards on the site of the project. Five other Brooklyn members of the Assembly are also sponsoring the legislation.


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## krull

TalB said:


> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/16/nyregion/16mbrfs-brief-001.html
> *Smaller Size Proposed for Atlantic Yards*
> 
> By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
> Published: May 16, 2006
> 
> Assemblyman James F. Brennan, a Brooklyn Democrat, introduced legislation yesterday that would require the developer Forest City Ratner to reduce the size of its proposed Atlantic Yards real estate development by about three million square feet, or roughly a third. In exchange, the bill would offer up to $15.4 million a year in state money to subsidize below-market-priced housing in the project, a 22-acre residential, commercial and arena development near Downtown Brooklyn. The bill would also relieve Forest City Ratner of about $310 million in costs associated with renovating and buying building rights over the railyards on the site of the project. Five other Brooklyn members of the Assembly are also sponsoring the legislation.



That is F**king great. :bash:


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## krull

Proposed...












*785 EIGHTH AVENUE 
NEW YORK, NY*


In the heart of Manhattan, in the so called “Movie District” of 8th Avenue and close to Times Square section of Manhattan, ILA crafted a beautiful residential glass tower. The featured design responds to the challenge of an oddly shaped site which results in a 40-story building with a still, rigorous geometry, defying the difficulties of the site: irregular shape and very small footprint. The angular nature of the site is exacerbated in the triangular shapes of the penthouse. The volumetric composition is complemented by the addition of cascading balconies with glass railings. The abstract sculptural quality of the whole resonates with the nearby very dynamic theater district. The slick curtain wall will reflect the setting sun and calming waters of the Hudson River.

The tower has 110 condominium units distributed on forty floors above ground level, a cellar and partial sub-cellar. The Ground Floor consists of residential lobby and a commercial space which extends to the outdoor garden in the rear. The building has two entrances with the Main residential lobby being accessible from 48th street and Eighth Avenue providing access to the retail and residential functions. The Ground floor residential entry has a skylight and a waterfall. The cellar also has a fitness center, lounge space, changing rooms and bicycle storage. Each apartment unit features high ceilings, floor to ceiling glass, wood floors and interior finishing in stone and marble. The apartments on second and seventh floor have outdoor terraces and from each of the units from the 8th through 40th floors have balconies. The rooftop has outdoor terraces with hot tubs and is part of 40th floor penthouse and 39th floor apartments. The northern portions of upper floors offer wonderful views of the northern and eastern parts of Manhattan as well as the Hudson River.


*New condo tower in Theater District*


16-MAY-06 

A 40-story, mid-block condominium tower with 110 apartments is planned by Espanade Capital LLC, of which David Scharf is a principal for 785 Eighth Avenue between 47th and 48th Streets. 

The very slim, glass-clad tower will have balconies facing the avenue, according to a rendering on the website of Ismael Leyva Architects P.C. 

According to the website, the design “responds to the challenge of an oddly shaped site which results in a 40-story building with a still, rigorous geometry, defying the difficulties of the site: irregular shape and very small footprint.” 

“The angular nature of the site is exacerbated in the triangular shapes of the penthouses. The volumetric composition is complemented by the addition of cascading balconies with glass railings. The abstract sculptural quality of the whole resonates with the nearby very dynamic theater district,” it continued. 

The ground floor will have commercial space that extends to an outdoor garden in the rear and the residential entry will have a skylight and a waterfall. A fitness center, lounge space and bicycle storage with be in the cellar. Apartments on the second and seventh floors have outdoor terraces and apartments on the eighth through the 40th floor have balconies. 

The roof will have outdoor terraces with hot tubs. The building will have residential entrances on Eighth Avenue and 46th Street, but the rendering indicates that a low-rise building will remain on the southwest corner at 46th Street. 

As rendered, the design would be one of the most dramatic “sliver” buildings in the city and a poster, “krulltime,” on wirednewyork.com likened the design to a "dead" design by Jean Nouvel for a very tall, slim, dramatic and impressive tower along the High Line in Chelsea. Another poster, “Fabrizio,” liked the balcony edge to “the chain-saw aesthetic.”

Calls by CityRealty.com to Mr. Scharf and Mr. Leyva were not returned today so it is unclear if the building is “as-of-right” and what is the size of the units and the exact shape of the building. 

Records on file with the city indicate that the project has an air rights easement from Letterbeg Restaurant Inc., and that the project’s site begins 32 feet 4 inches south of 48th Street and extends 23 feet 7 inches south along Eighth Avenue where it extends 100 feet deep into the block and “THENCE Southerly parallel with 8th Avenue 44 feet six inches; THENCE Westerly parallel with 48th Street, 16 feet 8 inches; THENCE Northerly parallel with 8th Avenue, 100 feet 5 inches to the southerly side of West 48th Street, THENCE Easterly along the Southerly side of West 48th Street 16 feet 8 inches; THENCE Southerly parallel with 8th Avenue, 8 feet 4 inches; THENCE Southeasterly along a line forming an interior angle of 256 degrees, 30 minutes, 15 seconds with the previous course, 102 feet 10 1/8 inches to the westerly side of 8th Avenue to the point or place of BEGINNING.” 

City documents indicated that Esplanade Condominiums LLC has arranging financing with Morgan Stanley Mortgage Capital Inc. 

Recently, planning for two other residential condominium towers on either side of Eighth Avenue at 46th Street has advanced, suggesting that the dramatic transformation of this once tawdry area of West Midtown is accelerating. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY


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## krull

> As rendered, the design would be one of the most dramatic “sliver” buildings in the city and a poster, “krulltime,” on wirednewyork.com likened the design to a "dead" design by Jean Nouvel for a very tall, slim, dramatic and impressive tower along the High Line in Chelsea.


That is me Krulltime. 


I was comparing it to this dead tower...


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## krull

Under Construction...


*164 Kent Avenue:* 30 floors













> *Williamsburg
> 164 Kent
> 164 Kent Avenue*
> 
> The FX Fowle-designed condominium will be the first of three high-rise towers on the waterfront built by a joint venture of Toll Brothers, L & M Equity, and RD Management. The building's 180 units will range from studios to three-bedrooms, the Times reported. No information on the other two towers was available at press time.
> 
> 
> Copyright © 2003-2005 The Real Deal.


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## Pavlo

krull said:


> Under Construction...
> 
> 
> *164 Kent Avenue:* 30 floors


Wow wth, a 30 floorer there? I am surpised as I used to live there, now after the rezoning they changed the whole place around. I might be stopby on the weekend and take a picture of the construction.


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## godblessbotox

krull said:


> Proposed...


i want to see more of this building


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## Spooky873

I see alot of people talking about NY getting its skyscraper status back, or being on par with Chicago, HK, Dubai, etc. 

I dont understand it. When the hell has NY ever been outta the loop? When did all these cities pass NY? I mustve missed the memo. 

Supertall this supertall that, that my friends, is oversaturated im afraid. Its less of an accomplishment because more and more are getting supertalls, and it is far easier than before. 

NY has held the worlds tallest for decades, I think its sealed itself as the best architecturally, remember, quality not quantity. 

Im sick of seeing these people writing about NY getting back on its feet. One dimensional cities like Dubai seem to get built overnight and it steals the crown from NY? Get real. Skyscrapers in cities doesnt automatically symbolize greatness, contrary to popular belief (aimed at ppl living in 'booming cities'). What city has more architectural history than NYC? Its just like music, the shit out today wouldnt be here without all the old music. Value doesnt come overnight, so to be honest, I dont see whats so special about Dubai. Taipei's got a supertall, I guess that makes it a world class city. I can imagine the skyline, like a toothpick. It just pisses me off how people are writing off NYC. The countries around the world that are growing, more power to you, your cities are building, your economies growing, but America isnt all outta the loop itself, so dont let it get to your heads.

Downtown Manhattan is back on track and ready to take over once again.$20 billion, 6 six years, cant wait to see it all complete. Is there really any other place in the world getting as big a makeover???????

Ok im done bitching. First time viewing this page, job well done krull, its good to see some NYers getting some play on this site. We need more WNYers here so NY has a bigger presence on the intl scale. Educate the world on whats really going on in NYC.


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## Victoria

Wow, New York City is booming with lots of new projects. It's good to see they are demolishing some of the old buildings that are starting to decay.


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## EtherealMist

Spooky873 said:


> I see alot of people talking about NY getting its skyscraper status back, or being on par with Chicago, HK, Dubai, etc.
> 
> I dont understand it. When the hell has NY ever been outta the loop? When did all these cities pass NY? I mustve missed the memo.
> 
> Supertall this supertall that, that my friends, is oversaturated im afraid. Its less of an accomplishment because more and more are getting supertalls, and it is far easier than before.
> 
> NY has held the worlds tallest for decades, I think its sealed itself as the best architecturally, remember, quality not quantity.
> 
> Im sick of seeing these people writing about NY getting back on its feet. One dimensional cities like Dubai seem to get built overnight and it steals the crown from NY? Get real. Skyscrapers in cities doesnt automatically symbolize greatness, contrary to popular belief (aimed at ppl living in 'booming cities'). What city has more architectural history than NYC? Its just like music, the shit out today wouldnt be here without all the old music. Value doesnt come overnight, so to be honest, I dont see whats so special about Dubai. Taipei's got a supertall, I guess that makes it a world class city. I can imagine the skyline, like a toothpick. It just pisses me off how people are writing off NYC. The countries around the world that are growing, more power to you, your cities are building, your economies growing, but America isnt all outta the loop itself, so dont let it get to your heads.
> 
> Downtown Manhattan is back on track and ready to take over once again.$20 billion, 6 six years, cant wait to see it all complete. Is there really any other place in the world getting as big a makeover???????


:applause: well said!


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/418280p-353292c.html
*Brooklyn Bridge Park building booed*

*Private use of public land*

BY ELIZABETH HAYS
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Nearly 18 months after luxury condo towers were added to the upcoming Brooklyn Bridge Park, outraged advocates sued in a bid to stop the private development in a public park.

Charging that housing in the park would set a dangerous precedent, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Legal Defense Fund filed the lawsuit against state planners yesterday in Brooklyn Supreme Court.

"This is a test case for parks," said Defense Fund President Judi Francis, adding it would be the first new park in New York State to have private housing built within its borders.

"This is a scheme to help condo developers and give them public land for development," she charged.

The suit was endorsed by nine nearby community groups, including the Cobble Hill Association, the DUMBO Neighborhood Association and the Fort Greene Association.

The suit is the latest salvo in the ongoing struggle over the park, which community leaders began pushing for two decades ago.

The park has always been slated to be "sustainable," meaning that commercial development inside would help pay its maintenance costs.

A 2000 master plan called for a hotel, restaurant and recreation center to help pay for the 85-acre park's upkeep.

But in December 2004 - after a public hearing had already been held and Gov. Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg had signed off on the proposal - state planners quietly added six high-rise condos with more than 1,200 private apartments, and a luxury marina.

One building at 360 Furman St. - now dubbed "One Brooklyn Bridge Park" - has already started marketing its luxury lofts.

"I deeply believe we have been railroaded into something that we shouldn't be railroaded into, and I hope we can stop it or change it," said Bronson Binger, a former City Parks Department assistant commissioner who has joined the opposition group.

State Economic Development Corp. spokeswoman Deborah Wetzel downplayed the lawsuit.

"Litigation often occurs for such projects. We are reviewing the papers and we will proceed as we usually do with such litigation," said Wetzel.

The lawsuit also charged planners failed to adequately study traffic impacts on the park by excluding other large-scale projects planned for the area, such as Atlantic Yards.

Marianna Koval, co-executive director of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, which supports the current plan, called the plaintiffs "a few irresponsible people who are attempting to manipulate our legal system to prevent or delay this park."

Opponents said the nine groups combined represent 40,000 people.

Originally published on May 17, 2006


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## Woko

There is also this under construction 35 floors tower by Fow and Fowle, across the new Times Building.
*Times Square Plaza :*


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## krull

^ That is not underconstruction yet. That site has been empty for a long time.


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/nyregion/19condo.html
*80 Tenants Face Eviction for a Teardown in Midtown*

By JOSH BARBANEL
Published: May 19, 2006









_Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times

The 20-story building at 220 Central Park South, second from left, would be replaced with a 41-story tower of condominiums._

In a sign that the real estate boom may be far from over, 80 tenants in a postwar high-rise building on Central Park South, many with spectacular park views, were notified yesterday that they could face eviction proceedings so a developer can tear the building down.

The developer intends to replace the 20-story white brick building at 220 Central Park South with a 41-story glass condominium tower.

The announcement set off a wave of anger, defiance and sadness among tenants, many of whom have enjoyed below-market rents for many years under the state's system of rent stabilization and were unaware that they were in jeopardy.

State officials said the demolition plan, if approved, would displace more rent-regulated tenants than any other demolition in recent memory. And real estate executives said the plan to demolish one postwar high-rise for a bigger one was extraordinary, if not unique, in the annals of New York real estate.

"Why should they tear up a beautiful building like this?" said Marjorie Cantor, a retired professor of gerontology at Fordham University, who has lived in a one-bedroom apartment with a terrace at 220 Central Park South for 27 years. When the building, constructed in 1954, was sold last year, she said she assumed that it would be converted into condominiums, but was shocked to learn of the planned demolition. She said she was ready to fight.

But Veronica W. Hackett, the managing partner of the Clarett Group, one of the development partners, said the existing building, just west of Seventh Avenue, was obsolete and had many maintenance problems. She said it would be replaced with a tower that was twice the height and 25 percent larger, with two glass-walled apartments on most floors, almost all with park views. The building was designed by the Pelli Clarke Pelli architectural firm to compete with some of the most expensive condominiums in Manhattan.

"The bigger issue," Ms. Hackett said, "is how to deal with obsolete buildings in the city."

Steven Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, an industry group, said the plans reflected the increases in prices and values that make even large buildings more valuable demolished than standing.

"All over the suburbs people are busy buying a house, demolishing and building another," he said. "This is the same thing on a bigger scale. We have reached a critical point."

William Gibben, a tenant lawyer who is handling several demolition challenges in New York City, said: "This is new territory. It's a scorched-earth policy. If this gets done, it is open season on every building in the city."

Under state law, developers can evict even rent-stabilized tenants when their leases expire from buildings they plan to demolish if they demonstrate that they are acting in "good faith" to carry out their plans, typically by showing that they have approved building plans and financing in place. The eviction of the small number of tenants in the city protected by the older rent-control system is more difficult.

But David Rosenholc, a lawyer who has represented many tenants who have fought eviction over the years, said that tenants can delay projects, sometimes for years, by questioning whether a developer is acting in good faith. He said tenants in one Upper East Side building delayed a project for 10 years before they settled.

But Ms. Hackett said the project owners were committed to acting in good faith with the tenants, and were prepared to offer "six-figure" settlements with the 47 rent-stabilized tenants who occupy a total of 50 apartments. She said the remaining 34 or so market-rate tenants would be asked to leave when their leases expire or possibly to remain on month to month until the plan is completed. No tenants in the building are protected by the stricter rent-control laws. The remainder of the 123 apartments in the building, roughly 40 units, are vacant.

Yesterday the process began, when the state's Division for Housing and Community Renewal received the developer's application for permission not to renew the leases of rent-stabilized tenants, and the developers sent letters to each tenant informing them of the plan.

The application cannot be processed until the building plans are submitted and approved by the city's Buildings Department, and Ms. Hackett said those plans would be filed soon.

Many tenants, however, were skeptical of the notices that went out yesterday, and viewed them as a scare tactic, intended to persuade some tenants to move. Don Glasgall, a semiretired fabric broker who has also lived in the building for 27 years, said the demolition plan was "a way to vacate the people."

"When people move into this building, they don't want to leave," he said.


----------



## TalB

*Balazs's Plans for Hotel on the High Line Draws Fire From Neighborhood*

BY DAVID LOMBINO - Staff Reporter of the Sun
May 18, 2006

Preservationists and neighbors who have seen designs for hotelier Andre Balazs's boutique hotel that will straddle the High Line in the meatpacking district have likened the 25-story glass and white brick tower to something one would find in Miami Beach or Las Vegas.

They are asking Mr. Balazs to scale back the designs - which have been shielded from the public thus far - but the hotelier is saying that it is too late to make changes.

The director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Andrew Berman, and the local restaurant owner Florent Morellet, met with Mr. Balazs last week. Mr. Berman called the designs "nauseating."

"It basically looks like a Las Vegas casino or an Atlantic City hotel dropped into the meatpacking district," Mr. Berman said."The design is about as far from contextual as you could imagine."

Mr. Balazs, calling from Los Angeles, defended the designs that were drawn up by local architect, Polshek Partners. He said that he has met regularly with Mr. Berman and others about the project, and he was surprised at the attacks.

"We can't alter the design. It's in the ground. It is what it is," he said. "I don't know if there is a political agenda here that I'm not aware of."

"There are no surprises in the design," he said. "What we do is contextual projects."

"The Standard, New York" is a 330-room hotel set to open by 2008, according to Mr. Balazs. The hotelier, a regular on Page Six, owns the Mercer Hotel and recently developed a luxury condominium project in the SoHo historical district called 40 Mercer Street. His boutique hotels in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles are popular celebrity hangouts.

The building site near Washington Street and West 13th Street has long served as a battleground between developers and neighborhood groups.

In 2002, developer Stephen Touhey proposed building a 45-story condominium on the site, designed by the renowned French architect Jean Nouvel. After outrage by neighborhood activists, including Mr. Berman and Mr. Morellet, Mr. Touhey refashioned his plans into a hotel. After more pressure, he sold out to Mr. Balazs in 2004 for $24 million.

In 2003, the city's Landmarks and Preservation Commission designated a large swath of the low-rise, cobblestoned streets as the Gansevoort historic district. Even though that designation would have prevented Mr. Balazs's current design, the site was excluded from the boundaries.

Mr. Balazs is under no obligation to change the designs because the planned building fits within existing city regulations. He said that he is "sad" about the pace of change in the area, much like the way that most boutiques have vacated SoHo because of its high rents. Mr. Balazs said that that he is heartened by the city's decision to subsidize some of the remaining meatpacking businesses in the area.

Despite the city's historic designation, Mr. Berman says that the meatpacking district is still facing a "host of issues" stemming from a rapid transition, skyrocketing rents, and the city's most crowded nightlife scene.

"There are efforts underway to bring the neighborhood back to a balance, an even keel, to keep it from becoming this B&T nightlife Disneyland," Mr. Berman said."We fear this hotel will only add to this problem."

© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## Ginza

I think it is great that after such a terrible experience all New Yorkers had with the Sep 11 attacks the city is getting back on track hopefully New York may once again hold the title for having the tallest building not only here in America but the world :cheers:  :eek2: :runaway: :bash:


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/nyregion/thecity/21witn.html
*Side by Side*

By JAKE MOONEY
Published: May 21, 2006









_Uli Seit for The New York Times

The site of four planned towers, for 1,600 Jehovah's Witnesses, in hip, happening Dumbo._

THERE are fences along both sides of Jay Street on the block that is most visitors' first view of the Dumbo section of Brooklyn. One, backed up against the Manhattan Bridge just outside the F train stop, is ramshackle blue plywood, covered with photocopies of building permits and signs for construction companies. Through peepholes and gates, passers-by in recent weeks have been able to see the frame of the 33-story J Condominium, the neighborhood's newest luxury high-rise, growing taller by the day.

Across Jay Street to the east, toward the Brooklyn Navy Yard, is another fence, 10 feet tall, of gray corrugated metal. It is impenetrable, except for a small metal door tightly locked, and featureless, except for a blue-and-white sign marked with its address: 85 Jay. At the moment the site is a vast, unpaved parking lot owned by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, more commonly known as the Jehovah's Witnesses; their plan is to build four residential towers ranging from 9 to 20 stories and housing about 1,600 people.

If there is a steel-and-concrete metaphor for the future of Dumbo, the patch of land down under the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, it is here, on the stretch of Jay Street between York and Front Streets: headlong private development on one side and the Jehovah's Witnesses on the other.

And what is notable about this and other Witnesses buildings, in the eyes of many local residents, is the extent to which they stand apart from the life around them. A particular sore point has been the Witnesses' refusal, on religious grounds, to include ground-floor retail space in any of the buildings.

"The issue," said Michelle Whetten, president of the Dumbo Neighborhood Association, who has a perfect view of 85 Jay Street when she looks out her living room window, "was just that they weren't willing to share or intersect with us at all within the site. It's really that they don't interact with the community. So to have such a big piece of the heart of Dumbo just for them, that's what's frustrating."

Responding to criticism that shops should have been incorporated into the buildings, a spokesman for the Witnesses, Richard Devine, said: "It's not retail because we're a noncommercial entity. We don't engage in commercial business, so retail on the site we can't do. But the idea of blending it in with the streetscape, making it open, well lighted and comfortable, that's what we're interested in doing."

Whose Dumbo is it, anyway? Twenty years ago, the question was easier to answer. Dumbo belonged to the factories and the handful of loft-dwelling artist pioneers sprinkled among them, with the Jehovah's Witnesses perched warily on the edge.

Today the artists remain — though, given real-estate pressures, their numbers are dwindling — and with 85 Jay Street the Witnesses are poised to establish a beachhead in the heart of the neighborhood. But in place of the working factories, there are new apartment buildings and loft conversions, filled with residents who are prosperous, highly educated and comfortable in well-cut business suits.

This small patch of land hemmed in by bridges, a highway and the water is in demand from several directions. There are grocery stores now, and plenty of places to get a fancy meal, but for the first time there is not enough space to go around.

Mr. Devine, who arrived at a Witnesses residence in Brooklyn Heights from Detroit in 1979 and moved into the group's largest housing complex, 90 Sands, on the edge of Dumbo, in 1993, remembers the old days.

"In the late 80's and early 90's," he said, "it was empty. It was a ghost town."

Now there are shops like Prague Kolektiv, which opened last fall on Front Street near Pearl, around the corner from 85 Jay. It specializes in furniture made in Czechoslovakia from the 1920's to the 1960's. Giovanni Negrisin, an Italian architect who is the store's co-owner, said he and his business partner, Barton Quillen, settled in Dumbo because of the large spaces, the closeness to Manhattan and the neighborhood's reputation as a design-oriented place, a reputation that has spread far and wide. As he put it: "I had people from Europe, from Italy, from Japan even, come in with articles: 'This is Dumbo; we heard this is the new SoHo.' "

Red Wine and Hyper-Realism

On a recent Friday night, it certainly looked like the new SoHo at Jan Larsen Art, a gallery on Pearl Street almost directly under the Manhattan Bridge. Jan Larsen, the owner, was tidying up for his weekly open house. Around the room were pieces by artists whom Mr. Larsen, bald and wearing a crisp white shirt and a tie, described as "some of the most talented in the neighborhood." Toward the front hung sculptures of animals — an eagle, some fish and a piece that was half fish and half machine — that had been bolted together out of metal. On the walls were hyper-realistic close-up paintings of padlocks.

Among those admiring this display was Eric Hoisington, a dancer who has lived in Dumbo on and off for six years.

"There's a lot of dance here," said Mr. Hoisington, who lives downstairs from a dance studio. He held a cigarette and a plastic cup of red wine in one hand while gesturing with the other. "There's a lot of cooking here, a lot of fine restaurants, and a lot of painting, furniture making, a lot of craftsmen. And a lot of fine art."

Not to mention room. The vast living space available in the former factory district is what drew Michael M. Thomas, longtime columnist for The New York Observer, to the neighborhood. Mr. Thomas, also a novelist and a former Lehman Brothers partner and Metropolitan Museum of Art assistant curator who grew up on Park Avenue, was living in Sag Harbor on Long Island in 1999 when he decided to move back to the city. Flipping to the lofts section of the real estate ads, he noticed a place at 66 Water Street, for rent by Two Trees Management, a company owned by his old friend and business associate David Walentas.

Intrigued, Mr. Thomas got out his map of Manhattan and searched, fruitlessly, for the address. He called Mr. Walentas and asked, "Where the hell is this place?"

On his first visit to the building — where Two Trees says a one-bedroom unit with an office would rent for at least $3,400 a month — Mr. Thomas was struck by the noise from the highway and the two bridges. But when he saw the long, spacious apartment, Mr. Thomas fell in love. In April 2000 he moved in, and within months he was comparing Brooklyn to Paris.

"The water's right here, the light is fabulous, the buildings are low — look at this space!" Mr. Thomas said, gesturing to a vast expanse of books and paintings, and a window that looks out over an old warehouse toward the Brooklyn Bridge. "I couldn't get anything like this space in TriBeCa for what I'm paying. I've got a big bedroom!"

The Paris comparison may be apt, because he lives upstairs from the chocolate shop run by Jacques Torres, the former pastry chef at Mr. Thomas's old hangout Le Cirque, and across the street from Almondine, run by Mr. Torres and Herve Poussot, a former pastry chef at Le Bernardin.

Liked or Just Respected?

Long before Michael Thomas or Jacques Torres arrived, the Jehovah's Witnesses were a force in Dumbo, or at least on the edge of the neighborhood. For decades, four tan buildings with green trim west of the Manhattan Bridge and south of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway have been at the heart of the group's mission: translating its version of the Bible into hundreds of languages, and printing it and distributing it worldwide, along with supporting texts such as the magazines Watchtower and Awake!

One of the buildings, 117 Adams, was a printing plant when Tom Combs first arrived from Oregon as a Witnesses volunteer in 1958. Next to the building, in an area ringed by the expressway and the on-ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge, sat an area of chest-deep brush that Mr. Combs helped clear. After a while, he started to cut the grass there in his free time, and now, at age 67, on warm days, he still does.

In the beginning, he said as he gazed from the building's sixth floor, the only people he saw in the neighborhood were day laborers arriving in vans to work at local factories. Mr. Combs, who lives in a Witnesses residence on Livingston Street in Brooklyn Heights, would walk down to the water even then, when the Witnesses had the neighborhood mostly to themselves.

"A lot of us are from out of big cities, so just to get anywhere there's a little quiet is nice," he said. "You can get the same thing in a park, but there wasn't a park then."

There wasn't much of anything but factories, and the streets were littered with trash and industrial debris. In the last few years, things have changed significantly.

"We're seeing a lot more people walking dogs or baby carriages," he said.

Mr. Combs, who has tidy white hair and pale blue eyes smiling behind bifocals, has grown accustomed to seeing people out on the lawn — one man greets him as Papi, and a woman, who knows he is a minister, sometimes asks for advice. Still, he realizes that some people are less eager to approach a Jehovah's Witness. "To say that we're well-liked by everyone. ..." His voice trailed off. "I'd say respected by most, liked by some."

The World of Brooklyn Bethel

In 1909, when Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses, moved the organization to Brooklyn from Allegheny, Pa., it was the area's hospitality and reputation as a borough of churches, along with its access to shipping lanes, that impressed him. Over the years, the group grew to worldwide prominence as a religious organization and became one of the city's largest landowners. Brooklyn Bethel, as the Witnesses call their headquarters, soon spread across Brooklyn Heights, and in the early 1980's, the group finished its sixth building in the area, the towering residence at 90 Sands, on the southern border of Dumbo, that houses 1,000 residents.

Halcyon, a record store on Pearl Street, is two blocks down from the Witnesses' buildings, and its owner, Shawn Schwartz, sometimes sees groups of the Witnesses' volunteers — recognizable because of their dark suits and short hair — headed to the waterfront. They don't stop in; the store caters mostly to D.J.'s. But Mr. Schwartz, who moved the store to Dumbo two years ago from Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, says he bears the Witnesses no ill will.

"They were here in a large way before any of the others of us were here," he said, "so if anybody's got a claim to the neighborhood, they invested in this neighborhood a long time ago."

Still, the presence of so many Witnesses, coupled with their low profile, strikes some Dumbo residents as odd. "They are silent in the neighborhood," Mr. Schwartz said. "I've told a couple of people that their giant buildings up there are like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory: Nobody ever goes in, nobody ever goes out."

But in the opinion of Robert Warren, 36, a volunteer in the Witnesses' communications department, the group is misunderstood.

"I think one of the misconceptions that people have about us in this area is that because we have our own dining rooms and take care of our own services, that we don't go to places out in the neighborhood," Mr. Warren said the other day over a communal lunch of whitefish scampi, rice and asparagus in the basement of 90 Sands.

"The thing that's important to remember about why we have the functions in here," Mr. Warren said, referring to the regularly scheduled morning and weekend prayers and the group meals, "is that it saves us a lot of time, so we can concentrate on what we're here for, which is our assignments."

A Change of Focus

The Jehovah's Witnesses are in the midst of a large-scale recentering, away from Brooklyn Heights and toward Dumbo and upstate New York. Their last printing press in Brooklyn, in a building on Dumbo's southern edge, came to a stop in April 2004, replaced by printing facilities in Wallkill, in Orange County. Last year, the organization sold its laundry building at 360 Furman Street in Brooklyn Heights and moved those operations into space vacated by some of the old presses. Plans are for the new buildings at 85 Jay Street to house Witnesses currently living in Brooklyn Heights.

Jan Larsen, the gallery owner, wonders if the organization's low-key, professional approach to relations with the neighborhood, particularly during the contentious approval process of 85 Jay Street, was a mistake.

"I was always surprised that they didn't see it as an opportunity to have interaction with a vibrant community," he said.

J. R. Brown, the Witnesses' national spokesman, sees an irony in complaints that the group is not outgoing enough, given its weekly door-to-door outings around the city. And he said the Witnesses had a lot to offer as neighbors. "We try to get people to be fair and look at what's being contributed here," Mr. Brown said. "You're going to know for a fact that you're going to have good neighbors who are going to be honest, they're not going to try to break into where you are or start a petition against you. But we're going to pursue our mission."

Mr. Larsen, walking around his studio on a chilly day in late March, thought back to all the time he spent cleaning, painting and putting up walls four years ago. "You're creating your own world," he said, "similar to what the Jehovah's Witnesses have done. They created a world around the way they see the world, and I'm doing the same. The same goes for Prague Kolektiv, and Halcyon. We're all creating our own scenes."

Occasionally the scenes intersect. One evening earlier this spring, in a basement studio across Front Street from Mr. Larsen's gallery, an artist named Jaimie Walker was applying chalk and silver spray paint to a canvas as she sipped from a glass of cabernet. Jamie Jared, a burly plaster restorer and Jehovah's Witness, watched the proceedings with interest.

A native Oregonian who lived and worked at the Witnesses' headquarters for six years in the 1980's before settling in Brooklyn for good, Mr. Jared is building a series of display and work spaces downstairs from the restaurant Superfine, to sublet to local artists like Ms. Walker, who might otherwise be priced out of the neighborhood.

To Mr. Jared, the biggest threat to the neighborhood's current mix is not 85 Jay, but the development of luxury condos. "By the time the Witnesses get down here," he said, "there's already going to have been a cultural shift that's going to have happened, from all the Manhattanites moving in."

One of those Manhattanites is Jill Montaigne, who moved to 70 Washington Street in October with her 7-year-old son, Schuyler. After living on the Upper West Side for 19 years, she looked at 85 places up and down the West Side before buying a 1,400-square-foot apartment in one of Mr. Walentas's buildings. Units that size in the building are being offered for at least $1 million.

Ms. Montaigne, who is a partner at a consulting and design firm in Manhattan, appreciates Dumbo's funkier side. "This is not a sterile neighborhood," she said. "It's very vibrant in terms of the arts community, and the mix of people is so much more citylike than in the city, where the neighborhoods feel so homogeneous."

Her concern about the new construction is outweighed by the positives of her new home. One of those is the view, which includes the Statue of Liberty, just beyond the Witnesses' Brooklyn Heights headquarters. "There's not a day that goes by," Ms. Montaigne said, "that I don't walk into this apartment and thank God I live here."


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/magazine/21wwln.essay.html
*The Manhattanville Project*

By DAPHNE EVIATAR
Published: May 21, 2006









_Brenda Ann Kenneally_

One evening in the spring of 2004, the Rev. Earl Kooperkamp attended a presentation at a community board meeting by the celebrated architect Renzo Piano. Unveiling preliminary sketches, Piano laid out his vision for the campus he's designing for Columbia University's president, Lee Bollinger. In contrast to the gated, stone Beaux-Arts-Renaissance campus built more than a century ago in Morningside Heights, the new West Harlem campus would tell a more contemporary story: filling almost 18 acres parallel to the waterfront, it would open Columbia to the surrounding community. Some buildings could reach 25 stories, and the streets would remain publicly accessible. A walkway would extend from 125th to 133rd Streets, cutting through the length of the campus. And in the center of a square of buildings there would be a large, open space. "It is a piazza," Piano said, in his lilting Italian accent. "The people will come, there will be discourse."

Kooperkamp, the Kentucky-born minister of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in West Harlem, was skeptical. "You're talking about being a 21st-century university," he recalls telling Piano. "And this looks like 12th-century Christ Church Oxford. It's a quad. That's not a piazza. That's not open space for a community. If it were, it would be a big lawn on 125th Street or Broadway."

The dispute over Piano's piazza encapsulates a larger conflict Columbia is now having with its neighbors to the north. When Columbia announced its plans to build a much-needed new campus in a corner of Harlem called Manhattanville, it saw a gritty neighborhood of auto-repair shops, tenements and small manufacturers that would probably pose little obstacle to its ambitions. Columbia says that the project will advance a vital public interest and help revitalize parts of Upper Manhattan. Yet the university has met remarkable resistance. One man's urban improvement, it seems, is another man's urban debacle.

The divergent views of the project may arise from the very different situations of its beholders. Since becoming Columbia's president in 2002, Bollinger has committed himself to restoring the international stature the university held half a century ago, when Columbia boasted such luminaries as Daniel Bell and Lionel Trilling and almost half the faculty of its physics department either had won or would win a Nobel Prize. To do that, Bollinger's administration has been recruiting hard, hiring, among others, some 10 star economists and 18 science and engineering professors.

"As knowledge grows and fields grow, we need more faculty, you need a certain scale," Bollinger says. "And we need places to put them. Now, a number of young faculty share offices. Our science departments have lab conditions that don't compare to what other top universities have." As Bollinger often points out, Columbia has 194 square feet per student; Harvard boasts 368.

Certainly Columbia's plans are ambitious: across a large swath of Upper Manhattan, the university wants to create an academic enclave that will both nurture intellectual progress and revitalize an urban area. Piano's design aims to accomplish both. The campus will have wide, open streets that offer a broad view of the waterfront. Along the main thoroughfares, the lower floors of the academic buildings will be mostly glass — "they will be floating," as Piano puts it — filled with shops, restaurants and arts spaces serving the broader public of Harlem and the Upper West Side. The designs are still preliminary, and plans for specific buildings have yet to be developed. But Piano, who also designed The New York Times's new headquarters, now under construction, and a well-received addition to the Morgan Library, is committed to designing the space to promote these integrationist aims. "You will feel part of the community," Piano told me when we met at Columbia's Prentis Hall, a white-tiled former milk-bottling plant on Manhattanville's southern edge. Indeed, Piano's drawings, on display in the sunny ground-floor workshop, depict transparent skyscrapers lining ample boulevards with ethereal-looking pedestrians ambling along them.

But in the eyes of many local residents, Piano's optimistic rendering obscures the fact that to fulfill its vision, the university will have to bulldoze almost everything that's already there. About 1,600 people are currently employed in this part of Manhattanville, and some 400 live there. Many residents are disturbed by the placement of the campus between a park being built at the West Harlem Pier and the community that fought for years to have that park created. Meanwhile, most everyone expects that the university's arrival will accelerate the gentrification that is already transforming the historically black neighborhood of Harlem — to the benefit of some residents and the harm of others.

That places Columbia in an awkward position. "If Columbia were like another private developer, most would say it has no responsibility," says Peter Marcuse, a professor of urban planning at Columbia. "Developers are private-sector entities whose purpose is to make money. But Columbia is a nonprofit institution. It gets substantial public benefits and thus has substantial public obligations as a property owner." Of course, those public obligations are hard to define. If a development creates thousands of worthwhile new jobs, mostly for outsiders, while eliminating hundreds of local jobs, has it served the public good?








ollinger came to Columbia with the respect of many in Harlem who had long regarded the university with suspicion. As president of the University of Michigan, he won renown for defending a challenge to its affirmative-action program all the way to the Supreme Court. And from the start, he presented Columbia's plan as promoting the integration of a public-service-oriented university with its diverse surroundings. "There was a time when Columbia really turned its back on where it was located," Bollinger says. "I wanted to take exactly the opposite approach."

That presented Columbia with a complex architectural challenge. "A university is a place where young people take a step back from the world so that when they re-enter, they do so with great intensity, care and responsibility," says Mark Wigley, dean of Columbia's graduate school of architecture. "So the university must be a defined space. The fascinating challenge is how to make that a space of withdrawal and reflection and at the same time integrate that space in the richest way possible in the very heart of vibrant New York City." In Bollinger's view, that sort of space benefits not only the university but also its neighbors. A hallmark of the new campus will be a center featuring Columbia's impressive array of neuroscientists. Bollinger also wants to bring the School of the Arts to Manhattanville, linking the arts with the physical and the social sciences. "We're looking for a new kind of intellectual paradigm," Bollinger told me, seated in his spacious office in Low Memorial Library, an imposing domed edifice in the center of the Morningside Heights campus. "Now we don't have the facilities to really achieve this intellectual ambition."

Columbia has promised to relocate residents directly displaced by its $7 billion plan, which it expects will create nearly 7,000 new jobs over 25 to 30 years — including academic, technical, maintenance and support positions, plus those at any new restaurants and shops. It has reserved space on the campus for a public school specializing in math, science and engineering. And Bollinger says he's willing to negotiate other benefits, like local hiring preferences. But to Bollinger, who describes his approach to development as "somewhere between the Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses views of the world," the interests of Harlem residents are only one concern among many. "We are not a profit-making institution looking out for our own advantage," he said. "We are trying to do things that help the world more broadly. The community is not everything." Above all, he seems unwilling to compromise on one thing: he wants the entire space. Indeed, Piano's design requires it. Much of the campus is to be built into a sort of bathtub that could reach seven stories underground. "The factory," as Piano calls it, would hide the facility's more noxious needs — like parking, loading docks and energy equipment — allowing the campus itself to be serene.

Columbia has already purchased more than half the property it would need. But some owners have refused to sell, and Columbia says that eminent domain remains an option if negotiations fail. It's a dicey option, however. Throughout the country, public opposition to eminent domain has mounted since last summer, when the Supreme Court ruled that private property can be seized by local governments for private development. Virtually every state has considered changing its eminent-domain laws; at least 13 different bills on the subject have been introduced in Congress. As Justice Clarence Thomas noted in his dissent in the recent Kelo case, concerning New London, Conn., an expansive definition of "public use" in the 50's and 60's permitted local governments to eliminate entire minority neighborhoods through eminent domain in the name of "urban renewal" — soon known as "Negro removal" among blacks. Not surprisingly, Columbia's talk of seizing property does not go over well in Harlem. Still, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has come out in strong support of eminent domain — which also figures in the developer Bruce Ratner's controversial efforts to construct a basketball stadium and condos in the Atlantic Yards area of Brooklyn. Without it, "every big city would have all construction come to a screeching halt," Bloomberg said recently.

It doesn't help Columbia's reputation in Harlem that it wants to use part of the space for a lab with a security clearance that would allow research on highly dangerous substances like anthrax. (Columbia says that it has no plans to actually do such research on the new campus.) Since Sept. 11, many people have warned that such labs could become terrorist targets. And given that Harlem has long been a depository for the city's unwanted environmental hazards — including a sewage-treatment plant and three-quarters of Manhattan's bus depots — many residents are immediately suspicious of large government-supported projects. "You never know when an accident can happen," says Sarah Martin, president of the residents' association at a housing development in Manhattanville. "Where do a lot of deadly viruses come from? They're airborne sometimes. I heard something about the AIDS virus being made in a dish. So that's a possibility." Indeed, many are quick to mention an outbreak last year of Legionnaire's disease at the Columbia-affiliated NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital or that Columbia has been fined for mishandling hazardous waste. Local residents also repeatedly reminded me that Columbia scientists participated in the original Manhattan Project — leading some to dub Columbia's campus plan "the Manhattanville Project." 

Columbia hopes that the benevolent aims of the institution, and its modern campus featuring open spaces that local residents can enjoy, will eventually assuage local concerns. "This is creating a neighborhood," says Bernard Tschumi, a former dean of Columbia's school of architecture. "Students bring street life, they bring safety. Maybe not when universities built themselves as fortresses, like Columbia did a century ago. But the attitude today is very different. Renzo and Lee have exactly the right idea."

Still, other architecture critics are skeptical. "If it's driving out existing businesses and driving up real estate prices, then the specific character of the architecture has very little impact," says Michael Sorkin, director of the Graduate Urban Design Program at City College. "I don't think that glassy facades have much to do with the loss of low-cost housing." In Sorkin's view, Columbia will have to offer the community more than a pleasing design to address that: "What they do to mitigate that disruption is a measure of the conscience and intelligence of the university."

The greatest fear of West Harlem residents is that they'll eventually be driven out. "The central thing to understand is that Harlem is terrified of gentrification, and rightly so," says Herbert Gans, a Columbia sociologist. Columbia's arrival is only intensifying those fears. "Columbia is an important cog in the wheel that is driving gentrification in Harlem," says Nellie Bailey, executive director of the Harlem Tenants' Council. "This is not just a neighborhood struggle. What will happen to the city's mosaic if the working and middle class can no longer afford to live here?" But many, including Gans, think that if the university handles the project well, Columbia could bring much-needed jobs, affordable housing and other improvements to Manhattanville — an area Gans calls "an industrial slum."








t a packed forum last fall at the Municipal Art Society in Midtown Manhattan, it was clear that Columbia's efforts to win over its neighbors were faring poorly. "We welcome Columbia to our neighborhood, but not to bulldoze us," announced Anne Whitman, owner of a moving and storage business situated in the proposed construction site. It was not possible to know how representative those in attendance were of the Manhattanville community. That said, business owners, planning experts and West Harlem residents alternately described Columbia's plan as "abysmal," "criminal," "greedy" and "heartless." At a city hearing a month later, 70 speakers stood up over a period of six and a half hours to denounce "Hurricane Columbia" for a plan many claimed would force out longtime residents, eliminate skilled manufacturing jobs, drive up Harlem housing costs and segregate the racially diverse neighborhood. Columbia has presented its new campus designs to a range of West Harlem community organizations. So far, though, the plans don't seem to have calmed their concerns. "Columbia is going to be between the community and the park," says Peggy Shepard, executive director of We Act for Environmental Justice. "Will people feel comfortable going over there, or will it be only for Columbia students?"

In part, the problem may be that the general public — and particularly the immediately surrounding neighborhood — doesn't always view architectural designs the way architects do. "In theory, a brilliant design can overcome social reservations on the part of the community," says Alex Krieger, professor of urban planning and design at Harvard. "But such conflicts are as much emotional as they are rational. A neighborhood that feels itself disempowered by comparison to the power of a university is always going to have its guard up."

Given Columbia's history, that guard is particularly high here. In 1968, when much of the world was in turmoil, Columbia University had its own reckoning. Although campus protests were common for the day, the uprising at Columbia was striking for its scale and brutality. And the spark had much to do with a university expansion plan: to construct a gymnasium in Morningside Park in Harlem. In a concession to the community, the university agreed to provide gym facilities for local residents — with a separate entrance on the Harlem side.

The so-called Gym Crow didn't sit well with Harlem neighbors, or with many students on campus. And it fueled tensions over other expansion efforts, as throughout the 60's Columbia had been purchasing apartment buildings all over Morningside Heights, displacing thousands of poor, mostly black and Puerto Rican residents.

In April 1968, students took over five major campus buildings in protest. A week later, the standoff ended in bloodshed: police stormed the buildings, beating and arresting students. Nearly 200 were injured.

"It was a war, and it had devastating consequences," Bollinger told me recently. "Many faculty left because they were bitter that the university had allowed an anti-intellectual group to take down the university; others left because the response was so brutal."

Community Board 9, composed of about 50 people appointed by the borough president who represent a broad cross-section of West Harlem residents, activists and business owners, does not oppose Columbia's expansion to West Harlem per se. But it wants Columbia to conform to a very different West Harlem plan that the board has developed — after community meetings and consultations with urban-planning experts — over the last decade. In Manhattanville, the board's plan would retain some manufacturing, preserve more historic architecture and allow current property owners to remain. The university would have to build around them. The city, now reviewing both proposals, has asked Columbia and the community board to try to reconcile their differences.

That may be difficult. Although Bollinger acknowledges that Columbia has an obligation to its surrounding community, he says he believes that Columbia's nonprofit status also works the other way around: "We're not here to make money, we're here to discover knowledge. So there's a larger public interest here that's extremely important to keep one's eye on."

Columbia has agreed to negotiate with a development corporation and the community board over providing a broad range of benefits. Across the country, such agreements are increasingly encouraging private designs to encompass the concerns of public planning. If successful, the Manhattanville project could become a model for responsible urban development — balancing the university's global ambitions with some of its neighbors' more immediate concerns.

Back when he was championing affirmative action, Bollinger described diversity as "trying to understand what it is like to be in the mind of another person who has a different life experience." The success of his latest endeavor may depend on whether he can generate that kind of empathy now.

Daphne Eviatar has written widely about economic development. Her last article for the magazine was a profile of Jeffrey Sachs.


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/nyregion/thecity/21stre.html
*Surprisingly, Silence Reigns in a Hospital Construction Zone*

By JENNIFER A. KINGSON
Published: May 21, 2006









_Costas Kondylis & Partners, L.L.P_

ORDINARILY, if one of the five megalithic medical institutions near the East River in the 60's and 70's planned to rip down low-rise buildings and replace them with a 20-story glass-and-concrete tower, the neighborhood would roll up its collective sleeves in preparation for a scrap.

Not this time. So far there has been no organized opposition to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's plan to replace a street front of 10 modest walk-ups with a residential building for its doctors, nurses and staff. In a city where every stone turned seems to provoke a battle, that is indeed news.

The old buildings, on First Avenue between 71st and 72nd Streets, are scheduled to be demolished by August; the new apartment house should be ready for occupancy in early 2008. According to Robert S. Vollard, a senior vice president of the hospital, tenants of the 120 apartments in the walk-ups, which the hospital owned, have been relocated, mostly on the Upper East Side.

Given the all-out brawl over Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's construction of a 23-story research laboratory on 68th Street between York and First Avenues, one might have expected that a comparable development in a more central location would provoke a revolt.

But community opposition to the NewYork-Presbyterian project has been almost nonexistent. Asked if there had been opposition, David G. Liston, the chairman of Community Board 8, said, "I haven't heard anything" and had to consult the board's land-use committee for details of the project. "So far this is not something that has generated any controversy," he said. "But you never know. It could."

One reason for the silence may be that the hospital did not need any special permits to proceed with construction, although it did get permission from the city to build "a little bigger than we would normally," Mr. Vollard said, in exchange for setting aside 13 of the 253 units for low-income tenants.

Then, too, NewYork-Presbyterian has been bending over backward to be a good neighbor. The hospital has met twice with the community board, and the heads of the co-op boards of buildings adjacent to the project were given the phone number of Martin A. Cohen, the hospital's vice president for real estate, with the suggestion that they call him with questions or concerns.

And during last winter's holiday shopping season, a wall, built to partition the empty buildings from the sidewalk, was made to hug the structures closely, so as not to impede pedestrians. It would have been better for the construction work to have built it wider, Mr. Cohen said, and it has since been widened.

Neighborhood residents can also look forward to seeing some familiar faces when the new building opens. Some of the old retail tenants may return to the stores on the ground level of the new building, Mr. Vollard said.

One tenant who had to vacate was Councilwoman Jessica Lappin. But she, too, had kind words for how she was treated by hospital officials.

"My dealings with them were very pleasant," Ms. Lappin said. "Any kind of big development like this is going to be an inconvenience, but they have tried to be responsive to the community."

Some of the motley low-rises, soon to be leveled, have been wrapped, cocoonlike, in a dark mesh screen and will be reborn as 1330 First Avenue.

Shown as a rendering, the new, light-filled structure was designed by Costas Kondylis & Partners. Its projects have included the 72-story Trump World Tower, across from the United Nations on First Avenue, which Donald Trump has called the tallest residential building in the world.

Providing nice apartments in a good neighborhood, Mr. Vollard says, is an important way for NewYork-Presbyterian to attract and retain skilled people.

"The mission of the hospital is to provide great medical care," he said. "You're not going to recruit many world-renowned medical doctors to go into a four- or six-story walk-up."


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## krull

> Certainly Columbia's plans are ambitious: across a large swath of Upper Manhattan, the university wants to create an academic enclave that will both nurture intellectual progress and revitalize an urban area. Piano's design aims to accomplish both. The campus will have wide, open streets that offer a broad view of the waterfront. Along the main thoroughfares, the lower floors of the academic buildings will be mostly glass — "they will be floating," as Piano puts it — filled with shops, restaurants and arts spaces serving the broader public of Harlem and the Upper West Side.



I hope Columbia manages to pull this off. That area needs alot of attention. But without a doubt that NIMBY's will put out a fight.


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## newfire

NEW YORK CITY IS THE GREATEST CITY IN THE FUCKING WORLD, BUT I DON`T LIKE THE YELLOW TAXIS.


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## Skid-Mark

That remy appears to have lost the plot! love it!


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/419789p-354459c.html
*$62M office towers are in the works*

BY BILL EGBERT
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

With a new Yankee Stadium complex and a huge shopping mall set to rise in the South Bronx, a new office park on the other side of the borough is in for a growth spurt of its own.

The developer of Hutchinson Metro Center in Pelham Bay is planning to more than double the space available with two new office towers.

Tower One, a 10-story, 260,000-square-foot office block, will break ground this fall, and the project is expected to create 500 construction jobs. Plans for the second tower are still in the works. Together, The Towers at Hutchinson Metro Center will cost $62 million and add 520,000 square feet of space to the 460,000-square-foot office park.

"With a wave of new office and residential projects under way as well as plans moving ahead for a new Yankee Stadium, the Bronx economy is currently enjoying an unprecedented renaissance," said Hutchinson Metro Center developer Joseph Simone.

The $60 million first phase of development at 1200 Waters Place - the largest Class A office park in the borough - was nearly 100% leased within two years of the start of construction in 2001, making Hutchinson Metro Center one of the most successful new office projects in the New York metropolitan area.

The Visiting Nurse Service was the first to move in, in 2003. It was followed by the Internal Revenue Service, the New York City Housing Authority and the new Bronx campus of Mercy College.

Simone Development Cos. acquired the original 18.2-acre site of the decrepit Bronx Developmental Center from the state in 2001 and has expanded the site to 42.5 acres through a succession of acquisitions. The company plans to develop the entire site, creating a total of 1.8 million square feet of office space.

Although the East Bronx may sound like a remote spot for Manhattan-quality office space, Hutchinson Metro Center's location - near most of the region's major highways, including the Hutchinson River Parkway, I-95, the Bronx River Parkway, New York State Thruway and the Cross Bronx Expressway, and just a few minutes from LaGuardia Airport - makes the office park more accessible than many other parts of the city.

Hutchinson Metro Center also runs its own private shuttle bus service linking workers to city subways.

Tara Stacom of Cushman & Wakefield, which handles leasing for the office complex, said that although the first phase of development attracted mostly businesses connected with Westchester, rising Manhattan rents will make The Towers more attractive to expanding businesses priced out of midtown.

Originally published on May 22, 2006


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## Spooky873

Ginza said:


> I think it is great that after such a terrible experience all New Yorkers had with the Sep 11 attacks the city is getting back on track hopefully New York may once again hold the title for having the tallest building not only here in America but the world :cheers:  :eek2: :runaway: :bash:


its not that big a deal anymore.


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## 3tmk

Honestly it's not such a big deal to have the World's Tallest Building anymore.
Any country in the world can build a WTB, unlike in the first half of the 20th century when only two cities were competing, and NYC kept the crown for so long.
Nowadays quality and density is the word, of course height is important, but you don't need to go as far as the kilometer.
Although I still would like to see a 1km tall tower in Manhattan, but there isn't much space left


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## SaRaJeVo-City

Here is something I took out of a paper today, these are those 62 million towers...


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## krull

*DOWNTOWN TOWER PLAN*


May 23, 2006

THE Frank Gehry-designed project that Forest City Ratner is developing on the NYU Beekman Downtown Hospital parking lot is starting to shape up. 

*The tower's just-revealed 876-foot height *will top off as the tallest City Hall area structure - yes, taller than the nearby venerable 792-foot Woolworth Building. *Nevertheless, despite earlier reports, it will be shorter than all the new buildings at ground zero.* 

It will be taller, however, than the 740-foot Goldman Sachs headquarters being designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners at the World Financial Center in Battery Park City. 

Plans just refiled with the Dept. of Buildings call for a 75-story building with residences above a new public school whose funding has been in doubt. 

The 1.147-million foot project is being built in the middle of the block bounded on three sides by Nassau, Beekman, Spruce and Gold Streets. For all you development junkies out there, you can follow its progress on the DOB Web site with an 8 Spruce St. address. 

The most intriguing nugget is a triplex unit at the top that will become one of the highest residences in the city. While it will share part of the 72nd floor with two other units, it will encompass the entire 73rd and 74th floors as well. 

You can be sure its eventual price and occupant - Bruce Ratner or not - will end up being widely reported in the coming years. 

These residences will all have unobstructed views of City Hall - and should we dare to say it - likely cast shadows on the park during a brief portion of some days. 

Along with lobbies for each use, the first four floors host a school cafeteria, classrooms, a gymnasium and a library. 

Medical offices for the hospital next door take up the fifth floor. The sixth is reserved for mechanicals such as the elevators. But above it is a pool on a building setback on the seventh floor, along with two community rooms for 150 people each. 

The midsection includes what will likely be smaller luxury rental apartments - between 17 to19 units per floor. 

Starting at the 37th floor, the sprawling condos take over with eight per floor. At the 44th floor, the count changes to four apartments, plus a gym and community room - which does not really mean open to anyone but the condo community. There are five units per floor from the 49th through 70th floors, three on 71 and then two plus the bottom of that triplex on 72. 

*Although no renderings have been released, it is likely that the top will taper gradually and that, unlike the uptown Trump World Tower, the upper floors won't be the same size as the lower ones.* 

Gehry's spirited and wavy designs are slowly taking shape as buildable ones for Forest City's other huge project in Brooklyn for the Nets and Atlantic Yards. 

A Forest City spokesperson was unaware of the details and had no comment. 


Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc.


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## herenthere

Anything in NYC will take forever to build. The recent bickering between developer Larry Silverstein and the city delayed the project for about 2 months, and now there are rumors that the city is sueing him for not progressing fast enough? By the time the Freedom Tower is finished in 2012, another building will probably surpass it. The world's current tallest building, Taipei 101, took only 4 years to build. More buildings around the world are constantly being designed and approved.The clock is ticking...


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## krull

*Beekman Street Tower (Gehry):* 876 feet - 75 floors (Proposed)


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## WestTexan87

It's kinda weird...I'll have to get used to it. Though, I love the height coming to downtown.


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## Woko

like i said in an other thread, this tower is a shit. I hope that it will just be a proposal, than after it becomes a cancelled tower.

But i like the idea to build a new tall (without the new WTC) at lower manhattan*.


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## TalB

SaRaJeVo-City said:


> Here is something I took out of a paper today, these are those 62 million towers...


The online version didn't have a rendering, which surprised me. Now that I have seen it, it looks like it belongs in an office park. Then again, Pelham Bay is a remote part of the city, so it will probably fit in. My guess is that new parking garages, lots, are incorperated parking are only disallowed in Manhattan, while the other boroughs can have them after seeing a shot of a new garage being built in the Kew Gardens sections of Queens.


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## krull

Proposed...


*Silvercup West project (Tower 1):* 588 ft - 57 floors 
*Silvercup West project (Tower 2):* 538 ft 
*Silvercup West project (Tower 3):* 517 ft - 49 floors













*City Planning holds hearing on Silvercup West project on the East River * 


24-MAY-06 

The City Planning Commission held a hearing today the draft environment impact statement of the large mixed-use waterfront development known as “Silvercup West,” which is also submitting eight applications for various zoning amendments, text changes, authorizations and certifications. 

The project would develop about 2,100,000 “zoning” square feet on a site immediate south and adjacent to the Queensborough Bridge in Long Island City. 

The impact statement indicated that project “would result in no unmitigated significant adverse impacts.” 

The applicant is Terra Cotta, LLC, of which Stuart Match Suna and Alan Suna, the heads of Silvercup Studios, are the principals. 

*The project would erect 8 large television and film studios at its center flanked by an office tower to the north and two residential towers to the south. * 

*The architect for the large project is the Richard Rogers Partnership of London.* Lord Rogers, one of the world’s most famous “high-tech” architects, designed with Renzo Piano the famous Centre Pompidou in Paris and on his own Lloyd’s Bank in London and he was recently selected to redesign the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and to design one of three office towers that are to be developed by Larry Silverstein at Ground Zero. 

In addition to about 1,000 market-rate apartments in the two south towers, the project would have about 650,000 square feet in the office building at the north end of the site and the eight film studios in the center of the site would be about 18,000 square feet. The studios would be topped by a catering facility with sweeping views of midtown Manhattan. The project, furthermore, would have a cultural/community facility in the base of the office tower of 126,401 square feet, 77,000 square feet of retail space and 1,400 parking spaces. 

The tallest residential tower would be 588 feet high, although Stuart Suna told the commission today that the Federal Aviation Agency had authorized a building height at this location of up to 600 feet. (The finials of the elegant Queensborough Bridge are about 354 feet high.) Lord Rogers told the project’s design relates to the “language” of the “fantastic” Queensborough Bridge, adding that office tower’s setbacks were designed to respect the ornate towers of the nearby bridge. Some speakers at the hearing, however, suggested that the project’s mass competes strongly with the bridge. After the hearing, Lord Rogers told CityRealty.Com that the size of the office building was determined in large part by the perceived market need for large floor sizes. 

The project would restore the New York Architectural Terra Cotta Company building, and provide considerable public open space. Silvercup Studio’s main facility is located in the former Silvercup Bakery Company building that is about half a mile east of the 6-acre, “Silvercup West” site. 

Commissioner Camilla Battaglia asked Alan Suna what provisions were being made to include “affordable housing” in the development. Mr. Suna said that while “we’re basically big supporters of affordable housing, it is not economic for this project,” which he emphasized was private, not public. Commissioner Battaglia did not retreat, however, and suggested that the developers seek out subsidies. 

Under questioning, Mr. Suna said off-site possibilities for such housing was being researched. 

“That’s far less than perfect,” Commissioner Battaglia retorted, adding that she would like to see something specific in writing before the July 18 deadline for the commission to vote on the proposal. 

At one point during the hearing, Amanda Burden, the chairman of the City Planning Commission, said that “we’re all very eager to get this built.” 

Joel Shapiro, the well-known sculptor, told the commission that it should be careful to ensure that the project does not “homogenize both sides of the river.” 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY


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## Scruffy88

I like the whole silvercup project and i really hope it goes through


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## Dancer

WOW! I love it. Nice work Krull. NYC isn’t going to look anything like it did when I moved to Seattle. NYC is the greatest city in the world. Keep it going.


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## SaRaJeVo-City

MAY 27, 2006 by me!


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## SaRaJeVo-City

*Chelsea Landmark*
May 27, 2006 by me.


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## SaRaJeVo-City




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## treboy

Wow Amazing

How can you possibly dig up collection of these construction projects going on in NYC.? it's wild


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## SaRaJeVo-City

Random Buildings, I walked from 23rd to 72nd street and took some random shots.


















*Hearst Magazine Tower*
















*Time Warner Building*


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## Guest

^^ Cool shots, SaRaJeVo-City!

I'll be in the city tomorrow with my new camera.

I'm going to bring my tripod with me (which I don't normally do). kay:


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## Phobos

krull said:


>


It has a good design and the white cladding will cause impact in the vicinities.
I hope the 3 buildings to be replaced are not of architectural value.


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## Guest

625 West 42nd Street (June 10th, 2006)


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/11/nyregion/thecity/11bank.html
*For Brooklyn's Beacon, the Luxe Life*

By JEFF VANDAM
Published: June 11, 2006









_"FRED'S VIEW" One of about 50 images of the old Williamsburgh Savings Bank painted by Robert Goldstrom._

IT'S all gone: every diamond ring, every stack of bills and birth certificate. Today, the safe deposit boxes in the subterranean vault of what used to be the Williamsburgh Savings Bank lie empty in haphazard piles on the dusty floor. The massive vault doors, several feet thick, stand open. No calls will ever go out to Mrs. Helen Massone, whose number is still listed on the wall in case of emergency.

The 512-foot tower of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank, at the intersection of Hanson Place and Ashland Place, has, since its completion 77 years ago, been by far the borough's tallest building. It was the flagship of Brooklyn's leading financial institution, one of the nation's largest banks. For many Brooklynites, it was also the place to go to get your teeth fixed — home to legions of dentists, orthodontists and periodontists.

Now, after months of publicity, the tower is poised to begin a new life. Workers are already transforming the space into luxury condominiums, which go on sale starting Tuesday, carrying price tags from $350,000 to $3 million. The building's name now is just One Hanson Place, although it has been given a marketing slogan: "Own a piece of history."

What all this means to the people of Brooklyn is hard to assess. A fortunate few will buy new homes in the old bank, with splendid views. Others have objected, contending that no one who needs affordable housing will be able to live in this architectural icon.

To most Brooklynites, it is surely the building's exterior, especially the four illuminated clock faces below the dome, that matters most. But there is some question about how visible these images will be in the future. A 22-acre plot of land around the corner is the site of the proposed Atlantic Yards development, including a basketball arena and more than a dozen new towers, which some critics of the Atlantic Yards proposal say could obscure the bank building's pride of place as the grandest light on the borough's skyline. After three-quarters of a century, they fear, the classic skyscraper that has been Brooklyn's beacon could disappear from view.

When Adam Pacelli was growing up in Park Slope in the late 1970's and early 80's, he was one of those youngsters who as they fell asleep looked out bedroom windows at the four faces of the clock tower. But the young Adam didn't just use the building as his second wristwatch; he created a comic-book superhero who lived inside it.

"He would stand out under the arches, under the dome — his living room was in the dome before I realized how small the dome was," said Mr. Pacelli, an animated man of 35 who can still see the building at night, now from his house in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. "He'd go into the arches down below and survey the city." The hero was named Dig, adopted from the bellow ("Caaaaan yooouuu dig it?") of the character Cyrus in the 1979 film "The Warriors."

Dig's enemy, Mr. Big, lived behind the clock on top of 1 Main Street in Dumbo, which has since been turned into the Clocktower condominiums. Dig led a band of underground musicians who battled the minions of Mr. Big, the corporate ruler of the record industry.

"Everyone knew it existed," Mr. Pacelli said of the dome atop the tower, "but no one knew what went on up there." The space hung, like fate, over the lives of countless Brooklyn children with cavities when they were taken for drilling. In Mr. Pacelli's comic universe, the hero Dig went to see a dentist in the building one day and managed to sneak upstairs.

Today, Mr. Pacelli is a vice president at the Corcoran Group, the firm marketing the building, and part of his job is to lead tours of One Hanson Place. But he also seems to enjoy having the chance to explore every nook and cranny of the building that so dominated his childhood imagination.

On a recent afternoon, Mr. Pacelli, looking dapper in a pink shirt and a pink-and-black-striped tie, took a few visitors from the dank vault up to the airy interior of the dome. While no masked guitarists lurked in the shadows, Mr. Pacelli invited his guests to climb onto a catwalk and stick their heads out between the steel slats that make up the face of the dome, just below its apex. The whole of Brooklyn stretched out below. 

The small dome space will not become a living room for a tenant, superhero or otherwise. And so far the 10th floor, which will house the sales office and model units, is the only one where renovations are nearly complete. The space, once divided into dental and medical offices, has been gutted to create an expansive, high-ceilinged interior, flooded by the light poring in from the large windows. The rest of the apartments in the building, which will have 189 units in all, are scheduled to be completed in a year. But the task of taking a tall, somewhat narrow 1920's office building and carving apartments out of its innards will not be easy.

"It's sort of like a giant jigsaw puzzle," said Andrew Macarthur, a principal of the Dermot Company, which bought the building last year with Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds, a development group whose managing director is the former basketball star Magic Johnson. "As you wend your way through this old structure, you have to figure out how to remold the interior into something totally new and different while retaining all the features that make it a unique building."

On the tour, Mr. Pacelli also took visitors to the great banking hall, which the Landmarks Preservation Commission has described as a "cathedral of thrift." The building's owners hope to rent the landmark-designated space to Borders, the book-selling chain, but on this day the teller windows stood empty and a few crumpled deposit slips littered the banking tables. A tile mosaic depicting the sun of commerce, shining its rays down on the original Dutch towns that joined to form Brooklyn, loomed over the empty scene below. "It smells like a church," one visitor said.

'A Cursed Little Part of Brooklyn'

Exactly what stood at One Hanson Place before the tower began rising on the site in 1927 is not certain. There may have been a church there, and before that, a doctor's office. (Historical records mention a Dr. Maddren, who in 1879 treated a family on Atlantic Avenue for trichinosis.) What is clear is that the neighborhood around Hanson Place was never a hot spot for business, though the Long Island Rail Road terminal was nearby, along with several subway stops.

"It's almost like a cursed little part of Brooklyn," said Francis Morrone, a historian who is the author of "An Architectural Guidebook to Brooklyn." "It's been a big transit hub forever, and for some reason it has never attracted the development everybody assumed it would."

The overwhelming stench of the old Fort Greene Meat Market probably didn't help matters. In any case, most of the borough's business was concentrated about a mile away, in the area around Borough Hall.

Yet in the years after World War I, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank, which had outgrown the building in north Brooklyn it had occupied since 1875, saw an opportunity at One Hanson Place. In 1926, the bank's managers commissioned the firm of Halsey, McCormack & Helmer, architects of the grand Beaux-Arts building of the Dime Savings Bank on nearby DeKalb Avenue, to design a modern office tower for the site. As the building went up and the Roaring Twenties careened forward, it was widely assumed that a new Brooklyn skyline would rise with the bank tower, whose marble base and carved stone pelicans, beehives and owls at eye level were impressive images even before the building was finished.

The tower opened on April 1, 1929; the hands of its clocks, at the time the country's largest, were illuminated by red electric lights, and the dome was lit against the Brooklyn sky. But the dream of a new skyline died with the stock market crash, which occurred just seven months later.

Where Old Fish Stowed His Money

Unlike similar institutions, Williamsburgh Savings prospered during the Depression, and the tower became the symbol of its success. By 1936, images of what was praised as "Brooklyn's Best Known Building" dominated its advertisements.

On Christmas Eve of that year, a man known as Old Fish died of pneumonia at Cumberland Hospital in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. People didn't know much about him, according to an article published five days later in The New York Times, except that he lived in a small attic on Cumberland Street, peddled fruit, vegetables and fish, and was cheap. (When his landlady proposed that he buy a $1 chicken, he suggested she buy the chicken and he would pay 10 cents for every bowl of broth it produced.)

Old Fish, too, could be seen as a symbol of the bank's success. He died because he wouldn't pay the $3 it cost to see a doctor, but he did entrust Williamsburgh Savings with his money. Among his things, police detectives found a key to a safe deposit box, which led to the bank's vault, seven blocks from his home. The box contained bankbooks and mortgage documents showing that Old Fish was worth more than $80,000, a fortune during those Depression years.

Old Fish was hardly the only one who saw the bank as a safe place for his money. By 1940, Williamsburgh Savings was the country's fourth largest bank, with a staff of 230 and assets of $263 million. But the building was destined to receive further notice for another sort of tenant.

The dentists for whom the tower became known arrived as a likely result of a marketing effort by the bank, Mr. Morrone said. By the 1960's, almost every floor not dedicated to banking was occupied by offices of more than 100 dental practitioners. Some boosters claimed the building was the world's largest dental center.

Among the early dental occupants was Joseph Franzetti, who started a practice in the building in 1960, according to his son, Louis, a periodontist and dental implant surgeon who still occupies the space his father first rented — Suites 1209 and 1210, both of which have sweeping views of New York Harbor. "He went to St John's Men's College nearby, which no longer exists," Dr. Franzetti said of his father. "He thought this was a very special building. For him, it was the best of the best that was in Brooklyn at the time."

As it turned out, the dentists outlived the bank, which began to suffer financial troubles in the 1970's. In 1986, it was sold, and the company that bought it was itself bought in 1999 by HSBC, an international financial services organization. HSBC operated a bank branch in the building for a time, but put the tower on the market in 2004. The next year, the Dermot Company and Canyon-Johnson bought the building and announced its conversion to condominiums.

Many of the dentists will lose their offices in the conversion (Dr. Franzetti is among only 16 who will stay on), but they weren't the only ones unhappy with the building's new role. In April, nearly 100 protesters gathered outside the tower to demand low-income housing in return for the city tax breaks for which the development, as a rehabilitation project, will be eligible.

"When they invited me to their grand opening, I told them I am not going," said City Councilwoman Letitia James, who participated in the protest and whose district office occupies a storefront just down Hanson Place from the tower. "Downtown Brooklyn is becoming very homogeneous. We need to preserve the diversity of downtown Brooklyn. We need to advance it."

In response, Mr. Macarthur of the Dermot Company said it would not be financially feasible for his company to include subsidized housing in the building.

Meanwhile, the latest renderings for Atlantic Yards, the arena and towers project proposed by Bruce Ratner of Forest City Ratner, show the bank tower next to several taller new office and residential towers, leading some residents to wonder just how visible the tower will be once it is joined by the new high-rises.

"It would be obliterated in its current form from many views in many neighborhoods," said Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for the group Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn. (The architect for Atlantic Yards is Frank Gehry; Forest City Ratner is the development partner of The New York Times Company in building its new headquarters on Eighth Avenue.)

"Could you imagine if somebody proposed to block or obliterate most views of the Empire State Building?" added Mr. Goldstein, whose group opposes Mr. Ratner's plans. "Can you imagine the uproar?"

A rendering on www.atlanticyards.com, a Web site run by Forest City Ratner, shows what several of the new buildings would look like from Flatbush Avenue at Prospect Place, but the bank tower is not visible. In a current photo taken from the same location on the Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn Web site (www.developdontdestroy.org), the tower stands alone. And today, from Bay Ridge to Brooklyn Heights, from Borough Park to Boerum Hill, the dome and the clock of the old bank still dominate the sky, just as in the days of Old Fish.


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## krull

^ It looks like our new developer Magic Johnson wants to built a new tower next to the Williamsburgh Saving Bank Tower (or the 1 Hanson Place Tower.)


*Getting into B'klyn housing game
Group led by `Magic' Johnson converts Williamsburgh tower, offers Park Place units * 


By Erik Engquist 
Published on June 12, 2006 

Basketball star-turned-developer Earvin "Magic" Johnson's first forays into the city's sizzling housing market are ready to bear fruit--and the hoops idol is coming to Brooklyn to celebrate.

He will attend a gala and model-unit unveiling Tuesday at 1 Hanson Place--the former Williamsburgh Savings Bank building, which is being converted to condominiums, medical offices and a Borders bookstore.

Half a mile southeast, at the edge of Park Slope, 47 condo apartments went on the market this month at 145 Park Place. Corcoran Development Group is selling the units for Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds--Mr. Johnson's investment group--and Anderson Associates, the New York developer that built them. They range from a 1,060-square-foot one-bedroom for $645,000 to a 1,825-square-foot three-bedroom with a terrace for $1.536 million. 

The Park Place development would be unremarkable if not for Mr. Johnson's celebrity. Not so the $200 million 1 Hanson Place project, which is transforming the interior of Brooklyn's tallest and most iconic building. 

The 34-story Williamsburgh tower was built in 1929 and designated a landmark in 1978. In recent decades, it became a kind of mall for dental offices. Canyon-Johnson and Manhattan-based builder The Dermot Co. bought it from HSBC Bank in May 2005 for $71 million. 


*Views of Manhattan *  


Most of the 189 new condo units--especially the 2,400-square-foot duplex on the 26th floor, priced at $3.5 million--will have sweeping views of Manhattan and New York Harbor. Some, however, will face the site where Forest City Ratner Cos. and architect Frank Gehry are trying to build a basketball arena and 16 residential and office towers, many taller than the bank building.

One of Canyon-Johnson's stated missions is to boost the "underserved residents of the urban neighborhoods in which it invests." Mr. Johnson's partner, Los Angeles businessman Bobby Turner, concedes that downtown Brooklyn and Park Slope are not exactly blighted areas. But he says that the two projects address a pent-up demand for housing.

Besides, he adds, redeveloping areas that other builders neglect is only a secondary goal of his fund, after making money. "We are opportunistic, for-profit investors," Mr. Turner says. Mr. Johnson was unavailable for comment last week.

*While the building will include no affordable housing, an adjacent parking lot might. Under current zoning, Canyon-Johnson could build 40,000 square feet of apartments on the lot. But Mr. Turner says he and Mr. Johnson will consider offering some units at below-market rates in exchange for permission to construct a bigger building than existing zoning allows. Talks with the Bloomberg administration and local City Councilwoman Letitia James are expected in the next three months.* 


*Lobby remains *  


Meanwhile, renovation of the former bank building continues, with occupancy slated for spring 2007. Its grand lobby was saved, as required by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, but the rest of the edifice was gutted. In place of cramped dental offices will go luxurious dwellings with 11-foot ceilings, gourmet kitchens, mosaic stone-decorated bathrooms and Brazilian teak floors. 

Building amenities will include a gym, business center, children's playroom, library and sky lounge. Finally, the building's dental tradition won't be completely lost. Above the bookstore will be 24,000 square feet of medical offices. At the same time, Mr. Turner says, his group will scour the city, looking for more cavities to fill.



©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


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## Chad

fish said:


> 625 West 42nd Street (June 10th, 2006)



Great shot!!, Looks almost like a rendering!


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## Guest

^^ Thanks!  Interestingly, I didn't use my tripod for that particular shot.


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## krull

*Manhattan Hotel Deals, With Foreign Accents *  


By ALISON GREGOR
June 11, 2006

THE New York City hotel market, which struggled after the dot-com bust and then after 9/11, has been steadily rebounding: occupancy rates now hover around 80 percent, compared with 67 percent just three years ago. And the shift has not gone unnoticed by foreign investors, who see the market as crucial to their international hotel operations, as well as a haven for their money. 

"I think all the stars are aligned for foreign investors to be investing in hotels in the United States and, in particular, New York City," said Daniel H. Lesser, a senior managing director who leads the hospitality group at CB Richard Ellis, explaining how hotels were once considered somewhat risky, specialized investments, but are now more mainstream.

In New York, the most recent transaction involving foreign investors was announced just last weekend, when Istithmar Hotels, which is controlled by the royal family of Dubai, said it had agreed to buy the former Knickerbocker Hotel in Times Square, at Broadway and 42nd Street, for around $300 million. Although the 16-story red brick building had been turned into office and retail space and includes a Gap store, Istithmar says that it plans to convert it back to a luxury hotel.

Joe Sita, the chief executive of Istithmar Hotels, called the Times Square district "extremely buoyant."

Last October, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of the Saudi royal family bought back a stake in the Plaza Hotel, which he had sold in 2004 with his partner at the time, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels of London, for $675 million to El-Ad Properties, which has its offices in New York and is backed by an Israeli investor. The Plaza, at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, is being redeveloped into condominiums, hotel rooms and condo hotel rooms, and the prince will focus on the hotel part. 

Another big transaction was the purchase last fall of the Essex House, at 160 Central Park South, by Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, now the ruler of Dubai, for around $440 million. It was one of the most expensive hotel deals in the nation last year, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting and consulting firm. The hotel will be the first of his Jumeirah chain in North America. 

Last July, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces of India assumed management of the Pierre Hotel, at Fifth Avenue and 61st Street, from Four Seasons Hotels. Taj Hotels agreed to pay an annual lease of $5 million to the co-op owners of the property and to spend around $40 million on hotel renovations. The hotel has been renamed the Taj Pierre.

"It is a very strong market now, so certain people are presumably taking advantage of this cycle and selling into the strength of the market," said Bruce Blum, an executive vice president and principal of the Oxford Lodging Advisory and Investment Group, which advised Sheik Mohammed on the Essex House deal. Mr. Blum said that it was unusual for these opportunities to become available all at once.

Taj Hotels had been looking to enter the luxury market in New York City for several years, having made unsuccessful bids for the Carlyle and the Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park, according to Raymond Bickson, the company's chief executive and managing director.

"If you're not in New York or London in some way, shape or form, you're really not on that global platform," Mr. Bickson said. "We look to the key gateway cities, which are our main feeder markets. You need to have a presence in New York if you want to have brand cognizance of any hotel chain."

Other deals involving foreign investors are advancing. Mark Gordon, principal and managing director of the lodging group at the investment banking firm Sonnenblick-Goldman, which put together the Essex House deal, said his team was preparing the sale of two New York City hotels to a new European hotel investment fund, which does not yet have a name. Mr. Gordon would not reveal which two hotels were being sold.

"They have a nonrefundable deposit to acquire two hotels," he said. "They were so excited by this opportunity, they actually pursued these assets before they even had time to finish creating their vehicle, which is an interesting commentary on market demand."

When a hotel management contract becomes available, fierce competition often ensues. "There were over 15 or 16 hotel companies that were considered for the Pierre," Mr. Bickson said, "so we're obviously pleased that we're able to enter the New York market."

The competition has helped to drive up prices for the hotels. Kirk Reed, a manager of the hospitality and leisure practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said: "If it's an international brand wanting to come to New York, they might take terms or buy in at a price that would be less desirable than a regular hotel investor might take, in the interest of getting brand presence in the States." After the deals are completed, international chains are likely to make significant renovations along with other changes, said Jose C. Alvarez, a senior vice president who leads the hotel group of the Trammell Crow Company.

"They may increase service levels, as many of them are luxury operators, which are trying to distinguish themselves in the very competitive New York City market," he said.

So what does that mean for domestic hotel operators in New York City? Art Adler, a managing director of the hotels division of Jones Lang LaSalle, the commercial real estate services firm, says the market is so underserved with hotel rooms that it probably won't have a huge effect.

WITH about 3,700 hotel rooms lost to condo conversions since 1999, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, New York City actually runs the risk of having a shortage of rooms to meet demand. That demand has already driven up room rates, to $211.80 a night, on average, in the first quarter this year, compared with $189.41 a year ago.

"When the city's busy, you get a room wherever you can get a room," Mr. Adler said. "It's very tight in New York right now."

Few new hotels are being built, especially in the luxury category. The high price of land, climbing construction costs and a robust condo market have discouraged hotel development in general.

"There's plenty of international money, but the basic economics in New York City, even with a lack of supply that is not getting better, still make it difficult to get the economics pointing in the right direction for development," said Richard Bassuk, president of the Singer & Bassuk Organization, which arranged financing for a W Hotel currently under development in Lower Manhattan.

But Mr. Gordon of Sonnenblick-Goldman says he thinks that the opportunity is there for foreign hotel developers. "The deals may have a residential component, just because the economics are so favorable," he said, "but I think there will be some meaningful luxury hotel development in the city in the next three years." 


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## TalB

The site in Yorkville where Extell Developement will build a luxury apartment is now being demolished.


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## TroyBoy

How could they knock down something so beatifull


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## jonovision

I like the circular balconies on the high rise behind the demolition site. Not something you see very often.


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## Spooky873

the process NYC goes through everyday today. how many other cities have to demolish as much as we do?


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## TalB

Here is a rendering of one of those new buildings.


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## Ebola

Spooky873 said:


> the process NYC goes through everyday today. how many other cities have to demolish as much as we do?



Yeah, we took out Radio Row for the WTC, and we'll never stop! I just love it when crappy, small buildings get destroyed for better, taller ones.


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## krull

*Liberty Bonds approved for three WTC towers*


by Catherine Tymkiw 
June 14, 2006 

The Liberty Development Corp. gave preliminary approval for $1.67 billion in Liberty Bonds to help build three of the five towers at Ground Zero. 

The City is expected to give preliminary approval for an additional $921 million in Liberty Bonds for the towers next month. 

“We expect that this [approval] will not only help leaseholder Larry Silverstein finalize the balance of his financing, but will facilitate the expenditure of funds at the World Trade Center site and accelerate real progress of construction,” said Empire State Development Corp. Chairman Charles Gargano in a statement. 

The site’s owner, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Mr. Silverstein originally entered into a 99-year ground lease for the site in the summer of 2001, shortly before the destruction of the original World Trade Center. A revised ground lease is in the process of being negotiated. 

The two sides butted heads earlier this year over who would have control over rebuilding efforts. Gov. George Pataki had made the release of the bonds contingent upon an agreement between the Port Authority and Mr. Silverstein. 

They came to an agreement in April, with Mr. Silverstein giving up development of the Freedom Tower in exchange for these three towers. Port Authority agreed to occupy space in one of the towers and to secure leases for 1 million square feet at the Freedom Tower. 

*Construction of Towers Two, Three and Four, which will comprise 6.2 million square feet of space, is slated to start later this year.* The whole project is estimated to cost $4.38 billion. 


©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


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## krull

*Milstein Properties to build last two Battery Park City apartment towers*


14-JUN-06

The board of directors of the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority announced today that it had designated Milstein Properties as the developer for two “green” resident towers on the authority’s last remaining undeveloped residential site. 

The towers will have a total of 421 condominium apartments and a 50,000-square foot community center with a swimming pool, gym, class rooms, kitchen and auditorium. The community center that will extend through both towers. 

The site is on North End Avenue between Warren and Murray Streets and west of the authority’s ballfields. 

“This project, which achieves a gold LEED standard, is one of the last steps we will take towards achieving our goal of 4.5 million square feet of sustainable development in Battery Park city, making us the largest ‘green’ neighborhood in the world,” declared James Gill, the authority’s chairman. 

*One of the towers will be 230 feet high and the other 320.* Construction is scheduled to begin next spring with completion anticipated for the fall of 2008. The community center is expected to open in the spring of 2009. The average size of the new apartments is 1,142 square feet. The buildings will have garages. 

The Battery Park City Authority was created in 1968 to develop a 92-acre site on landfill created by excavations for the nearby World Trade Center. Battery Park City contains 9.3 million square feet of commercial space, 7.2 million square feet of residential space, 9,000 residents, 52 shops, 35 acres of parks, 20 works of public art, three public schools, two hotels, a marine, the Irish Hunger Memorial, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the New York City Police Memorial, the Skyscraper Museum and a 1.2-mile esplanade along the Hudson River. 

Milstein Properties has erected several other residential buildings at Battery Park City including Liberty Court at 200 Rector Place, Liberty House at 377 Rector Place, Liberty Terrace at 380 Rector Place, and Liberty View at 99 Battery Place. 

No renderings were made available. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## krull

*NYC approves $179M for affordable housing*


by David Jones 
June 15, 2006 

More than 5,000 apartments in the South Bronx, upper Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens well be renovated or developed with the help of $179 million in financing from the city's Housing Development Corp. 

*The HDC will provide $70.5 million to gut eight vacant buildings in Mott Haven that were previously owned by the city's Housing Authority, as well as to build five new buildings in the South Bronx. 

In Harlem, HDC approved $63.1 million to help build a new mixed-income rental development, called Beacon Park, along with two other new buildings. Some of the Harlem funding will help rehabilitiate three vacant buildings and one five-story senior's building.* The Selfhelp Houses, a senior apartment building in Bayside, will be rehabilitated for $9.1 million. 

About $36 million will be used to preserve 4,226 apartments in 18 Mitchell-Lama buildings in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. 

"As concerns about affordable housing continue to mount across the city, HDC is responding by issuing record amounts of financing for affordable housing," said HDC President Emily Youssouf. 

About $156 million will be in the form of taxable and tax-exempt bonds, with the remainder coming directly from the agency budget. The Mitchell-Lama renovations will be in the form of repair loans or mortgage refinancing. 


©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


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## krull

*B.P.C.A. looks to expand east*


By Josh Rogers
Volume 19 • Issue 5 | June 16 - 22, 2006

On the day the Battery Park City Authority designated its last two development sites, its chairperson told Downtown Express *the agency wants to take over the financially-stalled Greenwich Street South project to add parks and better walkways just to the east.*

Jim Gill, the authority’s chairperson, said the agency has air rights to sell, bonding authority and the wherewithal to make the plan happen. *The project in Lower Manhattan’s southwest corner includes building a platform over the entrance to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, adding park space, building five residential buildings, an east-west walkway and parking garage for commuter buses.* The area is hard for pedestrians to navigate because of the tunnel, Route 9A and a large parking garage. 

“We could get as much as we need for the platform, the infrastructure and the park,” Gill said in a telephone interview Wednesday. He said he had not talked to any of the agencies and officials that would have to agree to the deal yet, but he planned to begin making the rounds.

Gov. George Pataki, who controls the B.P.C.A., last year set aside $80 million toward the project — $40 million from the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. and $40 million from federal 9/11 transportation funds. The money was to help pay for the bus garage, which was estimated to cost $125 million. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority owns several of the devlopment sites and they would have to agree to sell the sites to someone before the plan could proceed. 

Madelyn Wils, a director of the L.M.D.C., said the Battery Park City Authority was a “logical” group to do Greenwich Street South and the idea was discussed briefly a few years ago.

“I’m a fan of the idea of bridging over the highway [tunnel entrance] and making Battery Park City and the Financial District accessible,” Wils said. She said the bus garage was desperately needed with 350 commuter buses expected to come Downtown every day.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg first suggested the Greenwich St. idea at the end of 2002 in a speech outlining his vision for Lower Manhattan and the city would have to agree with Gill before the plan could proceed.

“They have to be a full partner on this,” Wils said.

A Bloomberg spokesperson did not return a call for comment. 

“It’s a big vision but it is something that could be done,” Wils said.


© 2006 Community Media, LLC


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## Scruffy88

god, i would love to get rid of or at least completley redo that parking garage. what an eyesore


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/15/nyregion/15yards.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
*Developer of Atlantic Yards Is Cited for Failing to Stop Demolition Work*

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: June 15, 2006

The city's Buildings Department issued a violation yesterday to Forest City Ratner Companies, the developer of the proposed Atlantic Yards project near Downtown Brooklyn, on the ground it did not obey an order to stop demolition work on a building on the project site.

The stop-work order was issued on Saturday, after inspectors responding to a complaint about the demolition work found several building code violations, including a defective safety fence at the demolition site, formerly home to small auto garages at 622 and 620 Pacific Street.

Though Forest City Ratner contractors fixed the fence after getting the stop-work order and resolved other problems, they did not seek a required reinspection to lift the order, said Jennifer Givner, a Department of Buildings spokeswoman.

The violation issued yesterday — fines run from zero to $2,500, as determined by an administrative judge — was the latest step in a running battle between Forest City and the residents of 624 Pacific, a building adjacent to the demolition site and also owned by the developer.

Forest City Ratner is the development partner in building a new Midtown headquarters for The New York Times Company.

Opponents of the Atlantic Yards project, an 8.7-million-square-foot residential, office, and arena development, have been stymied in their attempts to stop the demolition of the Pacific Street properties and and several others. A resident of 624 Pacific, Leigh Anderson, was among the plaintiffs in that lawsuit, and is also a member of Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, a group opposed to the project.

Contractors began tearing down the vacant Pacific Street buildings with hand tools — as required by the Buildings Department — on May 30. A backhoe was brought to the site on June 7 to help clear debris and level the ground, company officials said.

But Ms. Anderson and other residents say the backhoe was also used to demolish the exterior walls of the two lots, violating the building code and endangering residents living in 624 Pacific. They filed complaints last week with the city and took pictures of the backhoe at work.

Their tenant lawyer, George Locker, complained to officials at Forest City Ratner and at the Empire State Development Corporation, which is reviewing the project's environmental impact and approved the demolitions late last year.

"My clients are being assaulted by a huge piece of mechanical equipment," Mr. Locker said on Tuesday, adding that Ms. Anderson and others had refused earlier settlements offered by Forest City in exchange for moving out of 624 Pacific. He said the demolition work was intended to intimidate them.

No one was injured by the demolitions. Forest City officials said that the infractions cited by the Buildings Department were minor and that 624 Pacific, which the company owns, suffered no structural damage.

Norman Oder, the author of a blog devoted to the Atlantic Yards, posted some of the pictures on Tuesday, along with a report on the demolition.

The pictures taken by Ms. Anderson and another resident, David Gochfeld, appeared to show the backhoe pulling down first-story sections of the buildings' exterior walls. But Ms. Givner said that inspectors visiting the site on several occasions did not see the backhoe being used unlawfully.

In a letter sent to the Empire State Development Corporation in response to Mr. Locker's complaints, Jeffrey L. Braun, a Forest City lawyer, said the company was looking into whether contractors had disregarded instructions not to use the backhoe to demolish walls. If that was done, he said, the company would "take appropriate action."


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/16/nyregion/16yards.html
*Group Calls for Major Changes in Atlantic Yards Plan*

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: June 16, 2006

A leading architectural and design association called yesterday for significant changes to the proposed Atlantic Yards project near Downtown Brooklyn, saying that the current plan would overwhelm the surrounding neighborhoods and burden the area with more traffic.

Members of the Municipal Art Society, an association of architects, designers and planners founded in 1893, leveled the criticisms during a presentation last night at a church in Fort Greene, not far from where the developer Forest City Ratner Companies wants to build an 8.7 million-square-foot residential, arena, and office project.

"Does this project work for Brooklyn?" asked Kent Barwick, the society's president. "As it currently stands, we don't think it does."

Mr. Barwick laid out five principles for improving the plan, including changes to avoid eliminating city streets — which the current plan would do — and making the development's park space more accessible and inviting to residents of adjacent neighborhoods.

James P. Stuckey, the Forest City executive in charge of Atlantic Yards, was lukewarm on the presentation, saying that it was "a nice thing to say that we're going to come up with five design principles but ignore the fact that there's a billion dollars of cost in infrastructure and land acquisition" associated with the project.

Forest City Ratner is the development partner of The New York Times Company in its new headquarters building on Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, and the developer has made charitable donations to the art society in the past.

The presentation, which drew about 300 people, focused strictly on design and planning, and Mr. Barwick acknowledged that there were "other issues" in play. He also conceded that the society had not considered how changing the project's design might affect its costs.

Because Forest City has not yet released financial projections for Atlantic Yards, however, only the company itself knows precisely how the project's costs are driving its scale.

The society often convenes panels of architects and planners to review significant development proposals in the city. Last night's presentation came after weeks of negotiations between the society and about a dozen local politicians and neighborhood associations, which agreed to sponsor it.

But the sponsors were careful not to endorse the society's principles, which conspicuously eschewed any discussion of eminent domain or housing, two issues that have driven debate over the project in the past. Several of the sponsoring organizations and individuals, including the Fort Greene Association and the Park Slope Civic Council, are also aligned with Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, an umbrella organization that has taken a much harder line against the project.

Mr. Barwick said that the sponsors had had some influence on the society's decision to steer clear of issues beyond design and planning. "The community groups felt there had been enough discussion of those issues, and they wanted to have a mature discussion on the design issues," he said.

Details of the presentation had apparently circulated among members of the umbrella group in recent weeks. On Sunday, the group sent an e-mail message to supporters charging that the arts society planned to endorse the arena, the use of eminent domain and a 20 percent reduction in the project's size, positions the e-mail message described as "unacceptable." (No such endorsements were included in last night's presentation, however.) The e-mail message urged members to turn out and provided a script of questions to ask after the presentation.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Brooklyn group said it hoped the society would "respect" a more stringent and far-reaching set of development principles, including opposition to eminent domain, negotiated among a number of neighborhood groups last year.

Daniel Goldstein, the group's spokesman, said yesterday, "We don't think that because Forest City has proposed something that that should be the framework for starting a conversation about what's best for the area as far as development."


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/427522p-360556c.html
*Magic's luxury condos ripped*

*Advocates urge affordable housing*

Magic Johnson and his partners are considering building affordable housing on an empty lot next to their upcoming Williamsburg Savings Bank luxury condos - but outraged advocates want more assurances.

"They're thinking about? They need to stop thinking and start acting," said ACORN Executive Director Bertha Lewis during a protest outside the iconic bank building last week as real estate brokers attended a swanky party inside.

"They come into neighborhoods that are changing and they accelerate it," she said, as protesters chanted, "Come down, Magic," and "Sweetheart deals stink."

"Magic Johnson should be ashamed of himself," Lewis added.

Johnson's Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds and its partner, the Dermot Company, have come under sharp criticism for failing to include affordable housing at the site - though Johnson's group bills itself as helping "underserved areas."

The project - which includes units ranging from a $350,000 studio to a $3 million penthouse duplex - also has been singled out by ACORN for getting lucrative tax breaks.

Johnson and his partners said last week they cannot afford to build subsidized apartments at the site.

"When you think of the money we have to pay for the building and the build-out, too - whew!" exclaimed Johnson. "We have to get a return."

After the empty lot idea was floated by Borough President Marty Markowitz at the glitzy gathering, the developers confirmed they are studying the possibility of building affordable units on a back parking lot.

"It's something that we're going to start focusing on now to see if it's feasible," said Andrew MacArthur of Dermot. "But we don't want to make any commitments at this juncture because we don't know if it's feasible yet."

The 77-year-old building, the tallest in Brooklyn, is known for its signature clock face.

It previously housed mostly dentists' offices, but is in the process of becoming 189 condos - complete with "Brazilian teak flooring," "lava stone counters and lacquer cabinetry" and bathrooms "laden with custom vanities and Kallista fixtures." The units are slated to be ready in mid-2007.

There also will be a gym, 24-hour business center, children's playroom, and sky lounge for tenants, while a Borders Books is expected to move into the grand bank space below.

City Councilwoman Letitia James (WF-Prospect Heights), who also has been lobbying for affordable housing at the site, said she won't stop fighting until there is a guarantee.

"They're getting tax subsidies for these million-dollar condos," said James. "We're paying for them, and there's not one set aside for low-income people."

Local residents also said they would like to see affordable housing added to the mix.

"I thought Magic Johnson was supposed to look out for low-income people," said Clorine Edwards, 53, a school nurse who lives nearby. "They're pushing people out. I'm worried they're going to push me out, too."

Originally published on June 18, 2006


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## TalB

http://www.nypost.com/realestate/comm/condo_site_set_to_sell_comm_steve_cuozzo.htm
*CONDO SITE SET TO SELL*

QUICK DEAL SEEN AT E. 29TH STREET









_SNEAK PEEK: Here's a rendering of what the site at 39 E. 29th Street will look like._

June 13, 2006 -- SOME development sites are easier to develop than others - depending on such niceties as zoning obstacles, whether tenants are still in place and how much work has to be done to maximize permissible square footage.

But at 39 E. 29th St. between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue South, a residential development site now being offered by current owners the Lawrence Ruben Co. and Jonis Realty, there's nothing to it if you've got the dough.

Not only is the property a vacant lot, it's "completely entitled" for a 140,000 square-foot condo building that's already designed, said Studley Capital Transactions Group chief Woody Heller, who's fielding offers. Bids are due June 28.

The once gloomy East 20s, between Park Avenue South and Fifth Avenue, are coming into their own with new apartment buildings, hotels and restaurants. The 8,500 square-foot site at 39 E. 29th "has no possession or zoning risk," Heller said.

The owners have cleared the land and added to the planned tower's size through air rights, purchases and a bonus achieved under the city's inclusionary-housing program.

"It's rare for a site to come pre-packaged this way," Heller said. He added the asking price is $400 per buildable foot.

Market sources said they "expect" the site to sell for between $350-$400 a foot.

The land is half-a-block east of the thriving Carlton Hotel. Since the area is so hot, why do the owners want to sell?

"The development process is all about adding value, and there are a variety of ways to do that," Heller said.

"In this case, they created enormous value by assembling all the pieces and are less inclined to realize the development process than to sell."


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## nano2192

amazing new projects for an amicing city....!!!!


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## krull

*W'BURG SOAR POINT
ANGER ON PLAN FOR 28 TOWERS*


By ANGELA MONTEFINISE
June 18, 2006

A proposal to bring 28 soaring towers to north Williamsburg is the latest in a line of high-density projects supersizing the neighborhood's skyline - and it has fed-up residents shaking their heads. 

Quadriad Realty Partners, a development company that counts former Rep. Herman Badillo as a partner, presented its vertical vision of Williamsburg at a community meeting last week, and *it includes 28 towers ranging from 12 to 40 stories. The towers would be built over seven blocks between North Third and North Sixth streets and Bedford and Kent avenues. Most of the buildings would stand between 16 and 18 stories.* 

The area's zoning allows a maximum of only six stories, but Quadriad plans to request a zoning change to permit the development, which would yield about 2,500 units of market-rate luxury housing and 1,000 units of affordable housing. 

"This is the only way I know for affordable housing to get built without using any government dollars," said Quadriad managing member Henry Wollman. 

Under Quadriad's grand plan, each of the seven blocks will have four towers, a public park, retail stores and community facilities, like schools, theaters, day care and health care. 

"In an area where land costs $250 to $300 per square foot, the only way to build everything, including amenities for the community, is to build higher," Wollman said. 

Residents, however, say the area is already overwhelmed by massive projects. In fact, 20,000 units are predicted for the Brooklyn waterfront. 

The area Quadriad is targeting was down-zoned last year to compensate for the influx of waterfront towers. 

"We drew a line knowing this neighborhood was going to face higher density," Stephanie Thayer said. "We wanted this part of Williamsburg to stay affordable and protected." 

Michael Kriegh asked, "What's going to stop other developers from seeing what you're doing and doing the same thing?" 

The company currently owns only one of the seven blocks. That block will hold 650 units and will be called Williamsburgh Square. 


Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc.


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/16/realestate/18deal.html
*Dumbo Is Humble No More*

By WILLIAM NEUMAN
Published: June 16, 2006









_1 Main Street in Dumbo_

A FORMER executive with Goldman Sachs and J. P. Morgan Chase paid $5.8 million this month for two adjoining apartments at 1 Main Street in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The two units, with a combined 4,790 square feet, have views of the East River and Manhattan. The buyers were Mino Capossela, the former executive, and his wife, Maura McDonnell.

The building, a converted cardboard box factory between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, was the first in the area that the developer David Walentas converted to condominiums, about eight years ago. Since then the neighborhood has been completely transformed, with a binge of residential construction.

Mr. Walentas, who lives on one of the top floors of 1 Main Street, said that if the buyers of the two condos used them as a single residence, the total purchase price would be the highest paid for a home in the neighborhood. After the condos first went on sale in 1998, Mr. Walentas said, the two apartments sold to separate buyers for a total of $1.55 million.

"That's a good return," Mr. Walentas said of the nearly fourfold increase in the value of the apartments. "I made a lot of people rich. I'm happy for everybody. Dumbo has been a huge success for everybody."

One of the apartments was resold in 1999, and the new owner of that apartment then bought the second one in 2004. Karen Heyman, a broker at Century 21 Kevin B. Brown who represented Mr. Capossela and Ms. McDonnell, said the couple planned to combine the units eventually.

Mr. Walentas said the $1,215 a square foot paid for the two apartments was at the very upper end of prices in the neighborhood.

He is now in the process of creating a 6,000-square-foot triplex penthouse within the 16-story building's clock tower.

"That apartment, when complete, maybe we'll sell it for $25 million," Mr. Walentas said. "It's very special, one of a kind in the world."

Mr. Capossela was a managing director of Goldman Sachs when, in 2001, he jumped to its rival J. P. Morgan Chase and was named head of that company's North American cash equities business. Less than two years later Mr. Capossela and J. P. Morgan parted ways. Mr. Capossela and Ms. McDonnell did not return phone calls seeking comment.

*A Hedge in Harlem?*

WHAT if there were a different way to buy real estate? One that helped ease anxiety for buyers by helping to protect them against the risk of buying into a softening market? And one that provided potential benefits to the seller as well?

Suppose the buyer and seller agree on two prices for a property: a maximum, and a minimum perhaps 5 or 10 percent lower. The buyer pays the minimum price at the closing, and the balance is put in escrow.

Next, they wait about six months and then consult the most recent quarterly sales figures for the local housing market. If the average sales price of a home in the area has risen by an agreed upon amount, measured on an annualized basis, then the seller gets the money in escrow. If prices haven't risen that much, then the buyer gets the escrow money back.

In this way, the buyer creates a hedge, a kind of insurance policy against the market's softening after the purchase. And if prices continue to rise, the seller presumably achieves a higher price than he otherwise might for his property, in effect benefiting from the overall market appreciation after the sale.

*Sound implausible?*

Well, something along those lines appears to have occurred in the sale of a Harlem town house in March, which set a record for a residence in Upper Manhattan.

The buyer of the five-story home on Convent Avenue was John Geanakoplos, a Yale economics professor and a managing director of an investment firm. The seller was Robert F. Van Lierop, a lawyer whose clients have included Halle Berry and Spike Lee.

When the sale was first reported in The New York Times on May 21, Professor Geanakoplos would say only that the $3.89 million price recorded on the deed was a "maximum," and that the final, adjusted, sale price could be significantly lower. Beyond that, Professor Geanakoplos and Mr. Van Lierop have refused to disclose the full terms of their deal.

Since that article appeared, however, two people who discussed the deal with the principals while it was being negotiated said in interviews that its basic outlines were similar to the hypothetical transaction just described. According to one of those people, a minimum price was to be paid at the closing, and later in the year the two sides would base the ultimate price on sales figures, probably for the third quarter. 

Robert J. Shiller, a colleague of Professor Geanakoplos at Yale and a noted expert on the behavior of stock and real estate markets, said Mr. Geanakoplos consulted him during his negotiations over the town house, when he was looking for a price index that would reflect the Harlem market. Professor Shiller said that he was not familiar with the final details of the deal, but that he believed it was intended to provide a hedge against prices' tapering off after the sale. "People don't want to buy a house at the peak," Professor Shiller said. "They feel bad about that."

He has proposed two types of products that could ease the anxiety of home buyers: home equity insurance, which would protect people against falling home values; and price warranties for home buyers, where "if prices fall, you get some money back."

Such products would achieve the same aim as the deal worked out by Professor Geanakoplos. "I think this is a future trend that he's just at the beginning of," he said.

*A Partnership Evolves*

THE Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev and the Brooklyn-based developer Shaya Boymelgreen have teamed up for some high-profile residential projects since they first became partners in 2002.

Now, acting through his holding company, Africa Israel, Mr. Leviev has made his first significant move here without Mr. Boymelgreen, buying 111 Fulton Street, a commercial building at the corner of William Street in Lower Manhattan, which he plans to convert to condominiums.

But Mr. Leviev said the venture did not indicate differences with Mr. Boymelgreen. "Our relationship is very good with Mr. Boymelgreen," Mr. Leviev said last month during a visit to 20 Pine Street, one of the financial district buildings that he and Mr. Boymelgreen are converting to condos.

The partners have also worked together on the conversion of 15 Broad Street and 60 Spring Street, as well as in the construction of new condo buildings in TriBeCa, downtown Brooklyn and Dumbo. They also have ambitious projects under way in Miami and Las Vegas.

Mr. Leviev said he had other partners in the Fulton Street project but would not say who they were. Records filed with the Department of Buildings, however, give the names of two partners: Joseph Klaynberg, a developer, and Ricky Cohen, whose family owns the Conway Stores chain.

Those documents, filed on June 6 by the architect Karl Fischer, call for nine stories to be added to the existing eight-story building. But Dan Avidan, the head of finance for Africa Israel, said on Wednesday that plans had been scaled back and now only two stories would be added.

A deed filed with the city says the sale price of 111 Fulton Street was $21.8 million. But Mr. Avidan said the company had paid $59 million for the building and he was not sure why the deed showed a lower price.

Mr. Boymelgreen said he and Mr. Leviev had been working under a five-year agreement that required him to offer any new projects exclusively to Africa Israel. That expires next year. "The relationship is a beautiful relationship, but we're not married for life; we're married for five years," he said. He said they would continue to work together for several years on a number of projects, like a planned condo complex on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn.

He also sounded a note of caution on the New York market, saying he had been reluctant to start more new condo projects here. "I didn't buy for a while, maybe more than a year and a half, anything in condos in New York because it's a little bit overbuilt."

Instead he has begun to focus on markets he considers undervalued, like Israel, where he is completing the $500 million acquisition of Azorim, a company that develops condos and houses.


----------



## krull

*Plan to Move Garden Augurs Change for Midtown *  










*Under a developer's plan, Madison Square Garden, as seen from 2 Penn Plaza, would move into the James 
A. Farley Post Office. *  


By CHARLES V. BAGLI
June 20, 2006

Steven Roth, the chairman of a company once known for operating suburban shopping centers, made a startling move nine years ago when he plunked down more than $2 billion for office towers, a hotel and retail space surrounding Madison Square Garden on a bet that the neighborhood was ripe for transformation.

Now, Mr. Roth is quietly circulating a $7 billion plan detailing just how radical a transformation he envisions for the district, including moving the Garden to a new home on Ninth Avenue. He wants state officials to rethink the plan they have hired him to develop, an expansion of Pennsylvania Station under Eighth Avenue into the landmark James A. Farley Post Office, which is to be renamed Moynihan Station for the senator who championed the project. 

Not only would Mr. Roth build Moynihan Station, but he would remake the cramped and dreary Pennsylvania Station itself, turning it into a monumental gateway to New York under a sweeping glass canopy. 

*The Garden would move a block west to the rear of the Farley building, allowing Mr. Roth, the chairman of Vornado Realty Trust, and his partner, Stephen M. Ross, the chairman of Related Companies, to build a commercial complex on top of Penn Station akin to Rockefeller Center, with five towers and seven million square feet of office space, apartments and stores.*

The city's history is littered with hugely ambitious and ultimately unrealized plans, but while this one faces obstacles, it has been gaining momentum in the past few months. The two men have a nonbinding agreement with the owners of the Garden to move the arena, something other developers sought in vain for more than two decades. 

A battle royale like the one that doomed the Jets stadium on the Far West Side last year seems unlikely. The Regional Plan Association and Community Board 4, which opposed the stadium, both like the Roth-Ross plan. And six of the city's business organizations heartily endorsed it at a public hearing on May 30, even though it was not on the agenda and has yet to have a formal public debut.

Transportation advocates say the Roth-Ross plan provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reconfigure and expand the busiest rail station in the country, where 550,000 passengers struggle through a maze of underground passageways each day. Under the current Moynihan Station plan, 80 percent of passengers would still use the old, crowded quarters.

*To win approval, the project would have to run a gantlet from City Hall to Albany to Amtrak, which operates Penn Station. The state preservation commission would have to approve the Garden's move to the rear of the Farley post office in order for the developers to get valuable tax credits. Finally, it is unclear who would pay for the estimated $1 billion cost of renovating Penn Station.*

There are political obstacles. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is displeased with the owners of the Garden, who ran a multimillion-dollar ad campaign against him last year that helped kill his plan for the $2.2 billion football stadium on the Far West Side. And state officials are moving quickly with the simpler Moynihan Station plan, because Gov. George E. Pataki wants a groundbreaking before he leaves office.

If the larger project is approved, it would mean billions for Mr. Roth and Mr. Ross — the two Steves, as they have become known. It would enormously enhance Mr. Roth's holdings, which include the skyscraper at 1 Penn Plaza and the Pennsylvania Hotel. He would also solidify his hold on an area where his company already owns or controls seven million square feet and plans to double that figure.

"We are about making money here on a grand scale," said Mr. Roth, who has a reputation for refreshing boldness, at an investors' conference earlier this month.

But some say the Roth-Ross plan would serve the public, too. "It's actually a real convergence of public benefits and private interests, assuming the Garden fits without breaching the grand historic space," said Lynne B. Sagalyn, a professor of real estate development and planning at the University of Pennsylvania. "There's the potential for another high-density cluster of commercial activity connected to transportation, like Times Square and Grand Central."

Not everyone is a fan. The Farley post office was designed by McKim, Mead & White, the architects of the original Penn Station, which was torn down in 1963 to make way for the current Garden. Now some fear that history is repeating itself. 

Peg Breen, the president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, called the proposal to move the Garden into the Farley building akin to "Cinderella's stepsisters trying to jam their feet into the glass slipper."

*Mr. Roth and Mr. Ross were selected last year to build Moynihan Station and a major block of space for retail, office or residential use. The developers, who would pay the state $313.8 million and a yet-to-be negotiated annual fee, would also transfer about 1 million square feet of unused development rights from the Farley building across Eighth Avenue to the northeast corner of 33rd Street for two residential towers.* 

Then, earlier this year, the two men struck a tentative deal with James L. Dolan, whose family controls Cablevision, the Garden, the Knicks and the Rangers. By moving the Garden, the developers would gain the enormously valuable right to build three new skyscrapers above Penn Station, with a mix of apartments, offices, a hotel and stores, while generating up to $75 million a year in property taxes for the city. The Garden, which has considered renovating, would get a modern, egg-shaped arena with many more luxury boxes.

There is no final design for the Roth-Ross proposal, but the developers' current models show two buildings bordering Eighth Avenue — Moynihan West, in the Farley building, and Moynihan East, a sunny, rebuilt Penn Station with a monumental, glass-walled entrance and grand staircase at 31st Street. A commuter would be able to look up the stairs, through the glass entrance and across Eighth Avenue to see the 20 Corinthian columns, each 53 feet high, across the two-block front of the Farley building.

A soaring multistory glass canopy would stretch diagonally to 33rd Street, near Seventh Avenue, bringing sunlight to a hall leading to transit and subway platforms. The new towers would be built atop a retail building at street level.

The relocated Madison Square Garden, on Ninth Avenue, would take up as much as two-thirds of the Farley building, eliminating an intermodal hall in the current plan. The glass-topped great hall, which is slightly larger than the comparable space at Grand Central Terminal, would still be renovated as a public space. The Garden would rise 50 feet, or nearly five stories, above the roof. The post office would move its remaining operations, and the historic stamp windows would be used to sell tickets to Garden events. 

The owners of the Garden want a major presence on Eighth Avenue — perhaps banners hanging among the columns, similar to those at the Metropolitan Museum, or an expensive set of electronic signs.

That is an image sure to stir up the critics and even alienate supporters. Opponents placed an ad in The New York Times last week with the headline: "Don't let it happen again," a reference to the demolition of the original Penn Station.

The issue has gotten so heated in landmark and preservation circles that critics have chastised the senator's daughter, Maura Moynihan, who has championed her father's vision for the Farley, for narrating a media presentation of the new proposal. The developers have quietly shown the presentation to Mayor Bloomberg and various business, civic and news media figures.

"We've got to be open-minded, because chances like this don't come along very often," Ms. Moynihan said in an interview. "The only thing I've ever cared about is a bigger, better train station that liberates New Yorkers from the horror of the pit, Penn Station."

The developers contend that their plan would accelerate what has been a slow transformation of a dowdy area south of the garment district. "The larger Moynihan plan would serve as the catalyst for the transformation of Manhattan's West Side, ease overcrowding at Penn Station and create a much more functional and architecturally distinct gateway to New York City," Mr. Roth said.

Critics do not see it that way. "Clearly, from the developer's point of view, this is about mega-development and mega-bucks," said Ms. Breen of the Landmarks Conservancy. "But we all started with the notion of a great train station for New York City. That's gotten lost in the shuffle."

But Robert D. Yaro, president of the Regional Plan Association, said that an intermodal hall at a reconfigured Penn Station would provide for far more efficient transfers among subways, Amtrak, New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road. With the Garden suddenly willing to move, Mr. Yaro said the city should not pass up the chance.

And city officials are clearly intrigued. Deputy Mayor Daniel L. Doctoroff said: "It's undeniably a good idea, in terms of generating tax revenues, creating a train station and its impact on the development of the West Side. The question is whether we can make it work financially."

In all likelihood, the government officials would ask the developers to pay for at least part of rebuilding Penn Station in return for approving what is potentially a very lucrative project. 

Despite his dislike for the Dolans, Mr. Bloomberg has indicated that he would not block the move, although he will not let the Garden keep a $10 million a year property tax exemption, Mr. Doctoroff said: "It doesn't automatically travel to a new site." 

The biggest obstacle may be the governor, whose appointees are moving fast to approve the simpler Moynihan Station plan as early as next month, after 14 years of stops and starts. The money is in place, and the post office has agreed to move. The prime tenant, New Jersey Transit, has agreed to operate the public spaces. 

*State officials want Mr. Roth and Mr. Ross to wrap up the negotiations on the Moynihan Station plan, put up an initial $150 million and break ground in the fall. A separate deal with the Garden and the city would mean delays for public hearings and an environmental review.*

"Moynihan Station is critical to improving and enlarging the gateway to New York," said Charles A. Gargano, chairman of the Moynihan Station Development Corporation. "While a new sports arena would be a vast improvement, the building of Moynihan Station is more important than whether Madison Square Garden moves, or new high-rise buildings are built."












Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


----------



## krull

*Silence Rare Among NYC Construction Boom* 


By AMY WESTFELDT
Associated Press Writer
June 20, 2006, 1:59 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- The biggest burst in construction in New York in decades is making it tougher than usual for people in the City That Never Sleeps to get a little peace and quiet. 

In many neighborhoods -- especially around the World Trade Center site -- residents are assaulted by the noise of jackhammers and bulldozers and confronted by orange traffic cones at practically every turn. Rush-hour commuters have to wade into traffic to get around construction equipment on the sidewalks. Trucks clog the narrow streets, their horns blaring. And the digging often starts before the morning cup of coffee is ready. 

"After you've worked a full week, you really don't want to wake up at 7 a.m. to the drilling," said Lisa Hanock-Jasie, who with her husband moved to lower Manhattan a year ago, attracted by the prices and a building that would take in their 85-pound Belgian Shepherd. "We love living down there. We just hope that it ends one day." 

*Overall, the city is spending $20 billion on construction, more than it ever has. More than 30 projects are under way or planned in lower Manhattan alone, including a half-dozen at the trade center site.* 

To residents who complain they live day and night in a construction zone, officials warn it is going to get worse before it gets better. 

"There's just no peace," said Jan Larsen, general manager of the 569-room Millennium Hilton hotel, across the street from the trade center site. 

He said some guests have complained about the noise at night, while the restaurant inside the hotel has seen a drop-off in business because of the construction that surrounds the hotel. Work on a huge train-and-subway hub project has closed off the hotel's front entrance. 

"It's all good news, once it gets done," Larsen said. "While it's under way, it's a little bit painful." 

*The projects at the trade center site include the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower that will replace the twin towers; three more skyscrapers; a Sept. 11 memorial; the $2.2 billion transit hub; and a performing arts center.* 

Also, contractors are dismantling a 41-story skyscraper damaged by the terrorist attack, and a $2.4 billion Goldman Sachs Group Inc. headquarters is being built nearby. On Wall Street, where Hanock-Jasie lives, city officials are replacing water mains. And in nearby Battery Park City, several residential buildings are going up. 

*Elsewhere in New York, the conversion of an abandoned rail line into a park and the building of 30,000 housing units and several schools are under way. Also, an expansion of Penn Station is planned.* 

Officials overseeing the construction boom say the heaviest work is still ahead, and they are predicting three to five years of major rebuilding downtown. 

Charles Maikish, executive director of the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center, which is coordinating dozens of projects in the area, has been working for close to two years on maintaining air quality, controlling traffic and keeping the noise down for residents. 

He said as many as 8,000 construction workers will eventually be working downtown and will need to take mass transit and not cars. "We'll tow," Maikish warned. 

One of the biggest challenges will be dlivering more than 2 million cubic yards of concrete and thousands of tons of steel to the right places at the right time. 

When contractors begin excavating to build three new towers at the trade center site, Maikish said, "they're going to be running trucks every three to five minutes for a period of 12 months." 


Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.


----------



## skyscraperhighrise

krull said:


> Ok so I decided to do this NYC thread.
> 
> Keep in mind that almost half of all the construction boom in the city are conversions from excisting buildings like Offices, Hotels and Rental buildings to Condominiums apartments. But ofcourse I wont post those here.
> 
> I will not post alot of small buildings. Even though there are ALOT of small building (sometimes really interesting) construction in all of the boroughs in the city right now.
> 
> If anybody thinks I got the hight in feet or the floors of a building wrong or if I missed a building please let me know. If you have a rendering for a building that doesn't have one please let me know. I will also try to store renderings in my photo service so I can have easy access for posting them. Hope nobody minds.
> 
> I also have not listed the proposing buldings and their renderings yet. But I will do that another time. This has been alot of work and time consuming.
> 
> 
> Hopefully I did this one right and I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> 
> 
> =========================================
> *Under Construction (Manhattan):*
> =========================================
> 
> 
> 
> *The Freedom Tower:* 1,776 ft - 82 floors
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> *Bank of America Tower:* 1,200 ft - 54 floors
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> *New York Times Tower:* 1,046 ft - 52 floors
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> *Goldman Sachs Headquarters:* 742 ft - 43 floors
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> *Seven World Trade Center:* 741 ft - 49 floors - *TOP OUT*
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> *125 West 31st Street:* 615 ft - 58 floors
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> *The Orion:* 604 ft - 58 floors - *TOP OUT*
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> *Hearst Magazine Tower:* 596 ft - 42 floors - *TOP OUT*
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> *Sky House:* 588 ft - 55 floors
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> *10 Barclay Street:* 584 ft - 56 floors
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> *123 Washington Street:* 583 ft - 53 floors
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> *The Tower of 15 Central Park West:* 550 ft - 35 floors
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> *Atelier:* 478 ft - 46 floors
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> *325 5th Avenue:* 471 ft - 42 floors
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> *The Link:* 433 ft - 43 floors
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> *101 Warren Street:* 428 ft - 35 floors
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> *Memorial Sloan-Kettering Research Laboratory (East 68th Street):* 424 ft - 25 floors
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> *Ariel East:* 396 ft - 38 floors
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> *Place 57:* 394 ft - 34 floors
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> *The Centria:* 1 386 ft - 34 floors
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> *One Carnegie Hill:* 382 ft - 42 floors - *TOP OUT*
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> *25 Thames Street:* 368 ft - 33 floors
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> *Chelsea Landmark:* 368 ft - 36 floors
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> *Remy:* 352 ft - 32 floors
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> *Element:* 350 ft - 33 floors
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> *Ten West End:* 350 ft - 31 floors
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> *The Avery:* 344 ft - 30 floors
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> *Ariel West:* 340 ft - 31 floors
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> *Veneto:* 335 ft - 32 floors
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> *Three Ten:* 328 feet - 30 floors - *TOP OUT*
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> *1 River Terrace:* 320 ft - 32 floors
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> *1 East 35th Street:* 312 ft - 33 floors
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> *The Cielo:* 307 ft - 27 floors - *TOP OUT*
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> *200 Chambers Street:* 300 ft - 29 floors
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> *33 West End Avenue:* 293 ft - 25 floors
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> *Sutton 57:* 292 ft - 24 floors
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> *Millennium Tower Residences:* 291 ft - 35 floors
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> *1600 Broadway on the Square:* 290 ft - 26 floors - *TOP OUT*
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> *Mosaic Downtown & Mosaic Uptown:* 275 ft - 24 floors
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> *Chelsea Arts Tower:* 247 ft - 20 floors
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> *The House at 15 Central Park West:* 231 ft - 19 floors
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> *Sundari Lofts & Tower:* 225 ft - 22 floors
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> *88 Leonard Street:* 220 ft - 20 floors
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> *The Melar:* 210 ft - 20 floors - *TOP OUT*
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> *250 East 49th Street:* 209 ft - 20 floors
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> *The Hudson Condominiums:* 195 ft - 18 floors
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> *4 West 21st Street:* 185 ft - 17 floors
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> *40 Mercer Residences:* 173 ft - 13 floors
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> *Blue at 105 Norfolk Street:* 169 ft - 16 floors
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> *4 East 3rd Street:* 165 ft - 16 floors
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> *Chelsea House:* 163 ft - 13 floors
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> *Vesta 24:* 153 ft - 14 floors
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> *Courtyard By Marriott:* 152 ft - 15 floors
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> *Stephen Gaynor School and Ballet Hispanico:* 150 ft - 12 floors
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> *Unknown number of feet:*
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> *402 East 67th Street:* 30 floors
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> *1500 Lexington Avene:* 26 floors
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> *188 Ludlow Street:* 23 floors
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> *One Ten 3rd:* 22 floors
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> *225 East 34th Street:* 22 floors
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> *45 Park Avenue:* 21 floors
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> *Arcadia:* 20 floors
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> *170 East End Avenue:* 18 floors
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> *50 Gramercy Park North:* 17 floors
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> *485 Fifth Avenue:* 15 floors
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> *985 Park Avenue:* 15 floors
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> *92 Warren Street:* 12 floors
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> *West 18 Street:* 12 floors
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> *Urban Glass House:* 12 floors
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> *Spring Street Condos:* 11 floors
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> *255 Hudson Street: * 11 floors
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> *125 Central Park North:* 11 floors
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> *Chelsea Club:* 11 floors
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> *The Sutton Coop:* 11 floors
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> *InterActiveCorp Headquarters:* 10 floors
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> *2 Columbus Circle (Redesign):* 10 floors
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *40 Bond:* 10 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *100 West 18th Street:* 10 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Loft 25:* 10 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *The Oculus:* 10 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *110Bway:* 10 Floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Gateway Condominiums:* 9 Floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *139 Wooster Street:* 8 Floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Harlem Horizon:* 8 Floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *New Museum of Contemporary Art:* 7 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *No Renderings:*
> 
> 
> *25 West 51st Street:* 268 ft - 26 floors
> 
> *Holiday Inn Express-Midtown-45th Street:* 239 ft - 21 floors
> 
> *1115 1st Avenue:* 236 ft - 19 floors
> 
> *200 Allen Street:* 223 ft - 18 floors
> 
> *144 North 8th Street:* 222 ft - 16 floors
> 
> *519 West 42nd Street: *216 ft - 19 floors
> 
> *Four Points by Sheraton Soho Village:* 195 ft - 20 floors
> 
> *Wingate Inn Midtown Manhattan:* 183 ft - 18 floors
> 
> *M&R Hotel Times Square:* 171 ft - 18 floors
> 
> *330 East 57th Street:* 150 ft - 16 floors
> 
> 
> 
> =========================================
> *Under Construction (Brooklyn):*
> =========================================
> 
> 
> *306 Gold Street:* 400 ft - 40 floors
> *313 Gold Street:* 350 ft - 35 floors (Construction to start in August 2006)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *J Condo:* 337 ft - 31 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Beacon Tower:* 297 ft - 23 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge Expansion:* 240 ft - 23 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Schaefer Landing North:* 234 ft - 24 floors - *TOP OUT*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *20 Bayard Street:* 201 ft - 16 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> *1515 Avenue Z:* 156 ft - 14 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Schaefer Landing South:* 135 ft - 14 floors - *TOP OUT*
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *133 Water Street:* 120 ft - 12 floors
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *The Nexus (84 Front Street):* 120 ft - 11 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Unknown number of feet:*
> 
> 
> 
> *The Edge (Tower 1):* 40 floors
> 
> *The Edge (Tower 2):* 30 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> *164 Kent Avenue:* 30 floors
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *230 Ashland Place:* 28 floors
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
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> 
> 
> *Gold Street Residential Tower:* 22 floors
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> *11 Broadway:* 20 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
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> *100 Luquer Street:* 15 floors
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *The Smith:* 13 floors
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> *185 and 191 South 4th Street:* 13 floors
> 
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> 
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> *30 Bayard Street:* 13 floors
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Lookout Hill Condos:* 12 floors
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *383 Carlton Avenue:* 11 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *30 Bayard Street:* 10 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *184 Kent:* 10 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Park Circle at Prospect Park:* 9 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Boerum Heights:* 8 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *45 Caton Place:* 8 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> =========================================
> *Under Construction (Queens):*
> =========================================
> 
> 
> 
> *Avalon Riverview II:* 385 ft - 39 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *East Coast Tower I:* 299 ft - 31 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Building 7 (Queens West):* 290 ft - 30 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *United Nations Federal Credit Union Building (43-35 24th Street):* 241 ft - 16 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *44-27 Purves:* 151 ft - 14 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Echaelon Condominiums (13-11 Jackson Avenue):* 123 ft - 13 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *One Hunter's Point (5–49 Borden Avenue):* 123 ft - 12 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Badge Building (46-48 11th Street):* 80 ft - 8 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Unknown number of feet:*
> 
> 
> 
> *Flushing Metro Center:* 15 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Powerhouse Queens:* 11 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *43rd Avenue (& Cresent Street):* 9 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *No Renderings:*
> 
> 
> *45-56 Pearson Street:* 321 ft - 20 floors
> 
> *Park Lane Condominium:* 166 ft - 17 floors
> 
> *133-53 37th Avenue:* 158 ft - 13 floors
> 
> 
> 
> =========================================
> *Under Construction (Bronx):*
> =========================================
> 
> 
> 
> *Solaria Riverdale:* 208 ft - 19 floors
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> =========================================
> *Under Construction (Staten Island):*
> =========================================
> 
> 
> 
> *Unknown number of feet:*
> 
> 
> *Edgewater Terrace:* 8 floors


NY Gets bigger and better than before.


----------



## Ebola

NY Post: June 20, 2006 --June 20, 2006 -- After years of delays in rebuilding lower Manhattan, downtown officials are launching a bold new ad campaign that paints a rosy view of what the area will look like in just four years. 
Signs posted on construction sites and pay-phone kiosks feature visions of skyscrapers, a Ground Zero memorial, transit hubs and tree-lined esplanades. 

The campaign, "This is 2010. It's happening now," won't be officially launched by the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center until next week, but signs have been going up for the past few days. 

"These are the projects that will be at or near completion by that time," said Jennifer Nelson, spokeswoman for the center.


----------



## Spooky873

what i love about those projects is that not one looks the same. granted most of those residentials are just fillers. im just glad theyre not group projects of the same design. variety is the spice of life.


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## ZZ-II

Update!!!!

New 7 Tower Complex Named "Con-Ed Redevelopment" is proposed. 176m-263m.
Link to Emporis: http://www.emporis.com/ge/wm/cx/?id=115593


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## 3tmk

@skyscraperhighrise, PLEASE, edit your post, and delete the quote, we don't need to go through ALL the pictures.
Thanks!


----------



## TalB

Since the rendering of Park Circle was shown, it was recently completed, though it came out looking less like the rendering.


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## centreoftheuniverse

ZZ-II said:


> Update!!!!
> New 7 Tower Complex Named "Con-Ed Redevelopment" is proposed. 176m-263m.
> Link to Emporis: http://www.emporis.com/ge/wm/cx/?id=115593


Forget it. Fierce community resistance will kill this one, at least in its proposed configuration. Look for a few less towers and a considerable reduction in heights.


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## krull

3tmk said:


> @skyscraperhighrise, PLEASE, edit your post, and delete the quote, we don't need to go through ALL the pictures.
> Thanks!


I agree. Please.


----------



## TroyBoy

Tower o' Penthouses: Is Something Actually Happening? 





Friday, June 23, 2006

For a building that threatens to alter the future of New York City forever (or something), we've spent remarkably little time on Santiago Calatrava's 80 South Street project lately. Mainly that's because there's been nothing to report. Developer Frank Sciame wants his $7 million deposits, and nobody wants to give them to him. Case Closed. Until...

I was walking back from the river after lunch yesterday, when I noticed that there were new signs in the window of the shuttered lunch place on the corner of Maiden and South st. The signs now talk about having left due to a building demolition. Isn't this where Calatrava's tower o' White Elephants is supposed to be? Could it be that the tower might actually be happening now?

Can it be? CAN IT BE? We'll go Nancy Reagan on your asses and just say no. But still, wow. Our pulse is racing a little.


Copyright © 2006 Curbed


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## krull

^ here is the photo from Curbed about "new signs in the window of the shuttered lunch place on the corner of Maiden and South st"...


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## higienol

good projects


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## krull

ZZ-II said:


> Update!!!!
> 
> New 7 Tower Complex Named "Con-Ed Redevelopment" is proposed. 176m-263m.
> Link to Emporis: http://www.emporis.com/ge/wm/cx/?id=115593



Yes... here is the update... The heights of the towers have been lowered...


*Revised E. Side plan facing opposition
Developers shorten towers; critics seek more public space *


By Erik Engquist 
Published on June 26, 2006 

Radically downscaled plans for the largest Manhattan development tract outside of Ground Zero will get their first official viewing today. *The proposal envisions eight towers--one more than originally proposed--that top out at 600-plus feet instead of at 864 feet.*

Even that reduction might not be enough. 

"A 600-some-odd-foot building is still a big building," says Edward Rubin, land-use chairman of Community Board 6. "This [project] may be, overall, just too dense. 

The fight over the nine-acre site that sprawls along the East River just below the historic home of the United Nations promises to be heated. Community leaders and others insist that the very character of the neighborhood is at stake. 

Among other things, they want the developer, Sheldon Solow, to guarantee public access to the waterfront and to the open space amid the towers. In addition, they want Mr. Solow to restore block-long sections of East 39th and East 40th streets that were eliminated more than a century ago when Consolidated Edison erected its huge granite-and-brick Waterside Steam Plant on much of the site. 

The revised design that Mr. Solow will present to a community board subcommittee today addresses earlier criticisms by shortening the towers, by making the project's three acres of open space more accessible to the public and by increasing the space allotted for retailers along First Avenue. The new plan also includes a three-block promenade along the FDR Drive. But East 39th and East 40th streets would remain private. 


*Crucial links* 


"The two streets that run through the Con Ed superblock would be the main access to any kind of waterfront development, which we feel is crucial there," says Frank Sanchis, vice president of the Municipal Art Society, a private planning organization.

More controversially, critics accuse the city of squandering a chance to work with the developer to build an East Side waterfront park. They want a coordinated project extending beyond the four parcels he purchased for approximately $630 million. They would like him to kick in money for a $190 million landscaped deck over the FDR Drive that would be built in part with public funding. Calls for the city to exert pressure have been rebuffed by the Bloomberg administration, which insists it cannot compel the developer to consider another proposal. 

A fierce tug-of-war, with freshman Councilman Daniel Garodnick pulling on the community's side against Mr. Solow, is taking shape. The rest of the council is likely to side with Mr. Garodnick and another local community ally, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. But sources say Amanda Burden, the city planning commissioner, is concerned about making demands that could unfairly delay a project that has already taken five years to get going and won't be finished before 2014. 


*Key player *


The project's fate ultimately rests with the City Council, which will vote on the developer's request for a zoning variance to build his planned 6 million-square-foot project. It would include a large commercial office building, market-rate housing and a modest retail component. The need for a variance gives the city crucial leverage. Most of the site is zoned for manufacturing. 

Michael Gross, a spokesman for the developer, says the environmental review should be completed this year and the seven-month land-use review process would begin in early 2007. Construction would follow.

A rocky future would be nothing new for the project. In 2001, an architect was selected for the development through an international competition, only to be rejected by Mr. Solow. Instead, he hired the well-known Richard Meier, who is working with Skidmore Owings & Merrill, designer of 7 World Trade Center, the Time Warner Center and many other projects. 

Mr. Solow may also have alienated one of his neighbors. Nearly two years ago, he reportedly lobbied the state Senate to kill the U.N.'s plan to build a new office building on a 1.3-acre playground between Mr. Solow's site and the U.N. Secretariat.

The U.N. intends to renovate the Secretariat and would have used its new building as interim office space. Without it, the U.N. might wind up renting space in Mr. Solow's new development, which is too far east for many other office tenants.


©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


----------



## centreoftheuniverse

See? What did I say? I was right.
Don't think this is the end.
They will ask for more height reduction.


----------



## shaggers_jr

Has anyone else noticed that the Freedom Tower looks like a big "up yours" from this angle? Appropriate I suppose.


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## Ebola

I've noticed that. It even looks better from a different angle. The other towers will be higher so it will look great.


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## koolkid

lol!!!!
Your right, shaggers_jr.
It does. Ive seen that pic a dozen times and never noticed.
So how long did it take you to notice?


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## krull

:lol: LOL! I also can see the resemblance.


----------



## shaggers_jr

koolkid said:


> lol!!!!
> Your right, shaggers_jr.
> It does. Ive seen that pic a dozen times and never noticed.
> So how long did it take you to notice?


I noticed almost immediately. I have a filthy, filthy mind.


----------



## TroyBoy

Whats with the name, too much Austin Powers?


----------



## krull

*On the Waterfront: South Street Seaport, Treasure for the City, Is Suddenly in Play*


BY ROBERTA WEISBROD - Special to the Sun
June 26, 2006

South Street Seaport, the area of Manhattan shoreline just south of the Brooklyn Bridge, is in play, and what happens over the next few months will set its future for decades.

The opportunity is a result of two shifts in real estate: A year ago, General Growth Properties, a major publicly traded REIT that owns or operates 200 shopping malls nationwide, acquired the Rouse Co., including the South Street Seaport properties that it developed - Pier 17 and four other assemblages - a total of 385,000 square feet of retail space.

And a half year ago, the city relocated the 180-year-old Fulton Fish market to the Bronx, leaving behind an estimated 140,000 square feet of vacant selling space. GGP intends to exercise its option to acquire the city-owned landmarked "Tin Building" as well as a block of privately owned market stalls that were also vacated.

A spokeswoman for GGP, Cheri Fein of Rubenstein Associates, said the developer plans "to service the growing residential population as well as the people that work there."

The city's Economic Development Corporation will now have to decide how to develop its remaining parcel, the non-landmarked "New Market Building."

The city's planning commissioner, Amanda Burden, is effusive about the possibilities. "South Street Seaport is unique in New York City. It's unique among all American cities," she said. "The wonderful scale, the texture, with access to the water and a view of the Brooklyn Bridge."

It's a treasure for the city, she said - "and an important amenity for the financial district - their respite and recreation."

The seaport is where 200 years ago New York became a great global city through innovations in technology, financing, and business models, the latter best exemplified by the initiation of the world's first scheduled cargo shipping line, leaving on time, and half empty, in a January snowstorm.

*The City is developing three plans for downtown, all involving South Street Seaport. All three of them have good prospects for being accomplished.*

The Mayor's Harbor District links Brooklyn Bridge Park, Governor's Island, the Battery-Statue of Liberty, and the South Street Seaport by water - with the Seaport an obvious embarcadero for ferries.

In addition, the city's planning department and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation have created the Fulton Street Revitalization Plan, an upgraded corridor from the Hudson River to the East River, encompassing the new World Trade Center and the new Calatrava Transit Hub, and culminating with a park at the old Burling Slip in the South Street Seaport.

Most ambitious of all is city planning's East River Waterfront Esplanade and Piers Project, with $150 million of LMDC funds earmarked to create a two-mile walkway-bikeway along the entire tip of Manhattan. Innovations include enlivening the dreary underside of the FDR Drive with lighting, traffic-muting cladding, and pavilions for community, culture, and commerce. At the South Street Seaport section, the dismantled Pier 15 will be rebuilt as a public open space, to be used for historic vessel tie-ups.

Peck Slip, where huge oceangoing sailing vessels once pulled in for unloading is now a cluttered parking lot. But under the city's plan it will become a great plaza. The north side of Pier 17, now neglected, but breathtaking in its sweep of the East River, will become a small boat marina.

Civic groups have been actively engaged in shaping the course of the South Street Seaport. SeaportSpeaks, an energetic group composed of residents, architects, preservationists, developers, builders, cultural leaders, residents, and government officials, convened a one-day charrette, a workshop to develop ideas. The charrette's 70 participants agreed that the Ssaport's scale, texture, sense of history and maritime connection have to be preserved and promoted to attract unique, appropriate retail.

"With the removal of the Fulton Fish Market, cultural institutions and venues become the living, working link to the Seaport's rich narrative," said the co-chair of SeaportSpeaks, Lee Gruzen. "They should be the honey to attract New Yorkers to come, stay and return again and again."

The charrette's conclusions are available on the group's Web site, seaportspeaks.org. They include ideas like "Attract the finest restaurateurs-seafood first - as better quality restaurants will be an attraction." And "Put the SEA back into the SEAport." And create a "real neighborhood" with groceries, food, and shopping, so that residents of the neighborhood "don't have to leave."

*The main issues are maintaining the momentum and creating an entity to coordinate agencies, lobby for funds, guide development, oversee spending, and assure businesses get the services they need.* Right now the civic groups are thrashing out governance options, whether a Local Development Corporation, an Economic Development Corporation Task Force, or other public private structure, to sustain the enterprise and keep alive at the seaport the spirit and energy that were there when it began.


© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


----------



## warmaster08876

Those other buildings that make up the world trade center, (new one), how tall are they, I know the freedom tower is 1776 ft, around there, are those two large ones near it 900ft to a 1000ft?


----------



## Ebola

The heights, for the Triplet Towers, are supposed to be around 1,150 feet, 1050 feet, and 1,000 feet. The fifth tower will most likely be 950 feet.


----------



## krull

*New Super-Group Plans a World-Class Downtown*
*DUMBO ORGANIZATION ALSO MAKES ITS DEBUT*


by Dennis Holt
06-23-2006

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — It is called the New Partnership for Downtown Brooklyn, a culmination of sorts of the ongoing effort to build a new Downtown. 

Beginning as soon as various legal matters are completed, the partnership will be responsible for coordinating, leading, and planning all relative efforts for the continued evolving of creating a world-class Downtown.

Rumored for weeks, the establishment of this unit, which will report directly to the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development in the Mayor’s Office, was announced at the combined annual meetings of the Downtown Brooklyn Council, the Fulton Mall Improvement Association and the MetroTech Business Improvement District, held yesterday morning.

It was also announced the night before at the first meeting of the DUMBO Improvement District, a new BID without the word “business” in its title.

At both meetings, Josh Sirefman, the new president of the city Economic Development Corporation, made the announcement. Sirefman became known in Brooklyn for being on the planning team to create Brooklyn Bridge Park.

The executive director of the partnership will be Joe Chan, who lives in the Sweeney Building in DUMBO and formerly worked for the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Lately he has been the senior policy advisor in the Deputy Mayor’s Office.

In explaining why the new organization was created, Sirefman noted all the development going on in Downtown Brooklyn, and said that “it is time that these various efforts, and those yet to come, have one place and one person to oversee all activities.” (Also, to have this function reporting directly to the mayor is not to be overlooked.)

Technically, the new entity will be a Local Development Corporation/ Business Improvement District. It will have an initial $2 million operating budget. It will be responsible for for coordinating matters with the BIDS for general planning, for marketing Downtown Brooklyn, for design and construction, and for efforts involving the BAM cultural district.

At the meeting that drew a sizeable number of Brooklyn’s leaders — in part because of the anticipation of announcement of the Partnership, and partly because the guest speaker was City Council Speaker Christine Quinn — it was also announced that the Fulton Mall Improvement Association, the city’s first BID, is 30 years old.


*DUMBO Meeting*


The previous DUMBO meeting on Wednesday night, at the St. Ann’s warehouse on Water Street, was the first meeting of this new organization. It was presided over by Tucker Reed, the organization’s new executive director. 

He pointed out that most BIDs stress the business element — making it more appealing to shop within their areas — over others. In DUMBO, however, everybody is in the same boat, businesses, residents and visitors.

He highlighted some of the area’s needs — the buildings are old, and the infrastructure is out of date. Two critical situations that can cause floods have been documented by the Department of Environmental Protection. A study is being completed on public parking needs. While Sanitation pickup is only three days a week, a throwback to the industrial days, it will soon go to six days.

*The MTA admits that the High Street and York Street subway stations need a complete overhaul, but this can’t be undertaken until 2010 at the earliest.*

*Beginning this fall, however, Washington Street will be completely overhauled with new sewer lines, new sidewalks, and new Belgian block street paving. * Reed said that he hopes this will be “an example of what we can expect for other streets here in the future.”

The DUMBO organization will come under the new umbrella of the Partnership. 

At the Thursday morning meeting, District Attorney Joe Hynes summed up where things were by saying, “In 1989, the bad old days for Downtown Brooklyn, no one thought we would be talking about such a bright future.” 


© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2006


----------



## koolkid

shaggers_jr said:


> I noticed almost immediately. I have a filthy, filthy mind.


A dirty, diry mind!! Filthy! Filthy! Filthy! 
So, is the 1st pic your hand or did u get it on the internet?


----------



## shaggers_jr

koolkid said:


> A dirty, diry mind!! Filthy! Filthy! Filthy!
> So, is the 1st pic your hand or did u get it on the internet?


From the net. Just did an image search on Google. It seems you really can get anything online.


----------



## Ebola

The completion date of WTC Tower Two was just put up on Silverstein's site; even though, out of all of the towers (besides Freedom Tower), it has had the most progress, it won't be completed until 2012, but all of the other towers, including Freedom Tower, will be done by 2011. This might mean that Tower Two could be pretty massive. Also, I've heard somewhere that the new WTC masterplan will be released tomorrow, so we might know more then.


----------



## krull

*Condo culture hits S. Bronx *










*Artist drawing of 
Orion condo with 
elevators that will 
be going up in S. Bronx.*


By LORE CROGHAN
DAILY NEWS BUSINESS WRITER 
June 29, 2006 

Affordable housing is going upscale in the South Bronx - where excavation is under way for the area's first elevatored condo building.

The nine-story Orion will rise on Third Ave. near E. 156th St. in Melrose Commons, a 35-block urban renewal zone where a new wave of construction is starting.

Once burned-out South Bronx nabes are seeing a real estate resurgence, as old factories become handsome rental apartment buildings and townhouses sprout on vacant lots.

"This is a breakthrough," said architect Magnus Magnusson, whose firm designed the Orion and has an ownership stake in it. "It will show that the South Bronx is no longer the backwater of New York City."

*His firm, Melrose Associates, is one of four partners developing the Orion - and a second condo building set to break ground later this summer.*

The quartet includes Nos Quedamos (We Stay) - a community group that got the city to abandon an urban renewal plan that would have evicted thousands of Melrose residents and businesses - and builders Procida Realty & Construction and L&M Equity.

"We believe everybody needs a little piece of something to own," said Yolanda Gonzalez, Nos Quedamos' executive director.

The 60 condos in the brick and cast-stone design at 3044 Third Ave. will have fancy touches like bamboo floors, though most units are for low- to moderate-income buyers.

The developers hope to start the sale process in the fall, said Christine Procida of Procida Realty & Construction.

The builders get tax breaks and grants from the city.

Seven units are for low-income purchasers - who earn $58,320 or less per year for a family of four. A total of 39 apartments are for middle-income buyers - who earn up to $80,190 annually for a family of four - or moderate-income buyers, who top out at $94,770 for a family of four.

Fourteen flats are "market-rate" - with no income restrictions.

Prices are expected to range from around $145,000 for one-bedrooms for low-income buyers to about $325,000 for market-rate three-bedrooms, Procida said.

The developers will coordinate a lottery for buyers with the city Housing Preservation and Development department and the Housing Partnership Development Corp. People who want their names on a mailing list for notification about the start of the lottery should call Procida at (718) 299-7000, extension 221.

The second building is called the Aurora and will have 90 units - 7 for low-income buyers, 62 for moderate-income buyers and 21 market-rate flats. 


All contents © 2006 Daily News, L.P.


----------



## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/28/realestate/commercial/28queens.html
*Changing Face of Queens: From Small Asian Shops to High-End Stores*

By ALISON GREGOR
Published: June 28, 2006









_Robert Stolarik for The New York Times

Michael Lee, left, TDC's chairman, and Michael Meyer, its president, at Queens Crossing._

IF you're looking for cafes serving bubble tea or herbalists offering dried lotus blossoms or purveyors of waving-cat trinkets, downtown Flushing, the city's second-biggest Chinatown and the largest urban center in Queens, has them in large quantity. But in the next few years, the area may also welcome a host of more mainstream retailers.

Almost 1.3 million square feet of retail space is planned in at least three major mixed-use developments — about the same area as at the renowned Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey — and a few hundred thousand feet of office space is also being developed. The first new stores are to open by the end of this year.

Flushing is already a pan-Asian enclave that is a first stop for many immigrants from China, Korea and Malaysia, among other countries.

Developers are hoping it will soon be a stop for American shoppers. "You have to make this area a destination," said Michael Meyer, president of TDC Development L.L.C., which is involved in two of the mixed-use projects.

Mr. Meyer is relatively new to the community. But the chairman and chief executive of TDC, Michael Lee, an immigrant from Taiwan, arrived in Flushing two decades ago and has purchased a substantial portion of the area's properties. TDC is a subsidiary of the F&T Group, a real estate company.

Mr. Lee owns the Flushing Mall, a longstanding collection of boutique shops and restaurants on 39th Avenue, where signs are in Chinese and Korean. He also developed the nearby Prince Center in 2003; it is a complex of ground-floor retail space, now full of restaurants, and office condominiums that netted about $500 a square foot.

Office condos are fairly unusual for New York City, but the market is receptive in Flushing. "What drives a lot of this is the whole ethnic tradition and culture; the Chinese mentality is very much an ownership mentality," Mr. Meyer said.

Mr. Lee is building another office condominium project: Queens Crossing, a 12-story building being framed at the corner of Main Street, Flushing's main shopping artery, and 39th Avenue. It will have 190,000 square feet of office space in about 80 office condominiums, and 86,000 square feet of parking.

The building has a waiting list of more than 200 businesses, Mr. Meyer claimed. "Queens Crossing sales, on a net square footage basis, are now estimated at $750," he said.

The development will also have about 110,000 square feet of retail space, which has not yet been leased. It will open by the end of this year. "We're looking for mainstream retailers like bookstores and health clubs and restaurants and apparel stores," Mr. Meyer said.

But Queens Crossing would be dwarfed by another proposed development a block away called Flushing Commons, which envisions having a total of almost two million square feet. Flushing Commons is expected to be completed in about four years on the site of a municipal parking lot that now has space for about 1,100 vehicles.

That development, with 500 residential units and about 350,000 square feet of retail space, will aim to attract more upscale retailers than currently operate in Flushing. While the city has given approval to the general concept of this project, it is still going through public hearings.

Thus far, the developers of Flushing Commons — Mr. Lee and a partner, the Rockefeller Development Corporation — envision that much of the retail space will be used by a multiscreen cinema, a national-chain bookstore and a supermarket like Whole Foods, along with some smaller stores. Roughly 15,000 square feet of space dedicated to office condominiums is being envisioned for professionals like doctors and lawyers.

Flushing Commons will also include a 200-room hotel, where developers would like to see a Westin, Mr. Meyer said.

Alan L. Stein, a senior vice president at Rockefeller, said the developers, which won a bid to develop the city-owned property a year ago, had promised not to introduce any "big box" stores into the complex.

Robin Abrams, an executive vice president of the Lansco Corporation, a commercial real estate brokerage firm that consulted on the project, said she envisioned retailers like Scoop, Cole Haan and Sephora setting up shop in the development.

Stores like those "are all over Manhattan, but don't have a presence in Flushing," Ms. Abrams said. "Frankly, the thought is there's a huge Asian population that has disposable income that is currently shopping in Manhattan or even in Manhasset" on Long Island.

Mr. Meyer said that some retailers might be intimidated by the ethnic nature of the market, but that the developers believed they could convince them that they had nothing to fear.

Also, retailers that already have outlets in Asia would be comfortable in downtown Flushing, said Josh Segal, owner of the Segal Realty Group, a commercial real estate firm that also consulted on Flushing Commons. "It's like Shanghai on the Flushing River," he said.

Already going in alongside the Flushing River is one of the largest mixed-use developments. The Muss Development Company is building 1,000 residential units in several towers on a 14-acre site. The $800 million project will also include an 800,000-square-foot shopping center anchored by national retailers.

The first phase of the project will not be completed until 2008 at the earliest, said Jim Jarosik, a senior vice president at Muss.

Flushing residents are watching the explosion of commercial development closely. Real estate professionals say Home Depot and Target are rumored to be anchor tenants at the Muss project, which is called Flushing Town Center, although the developer would not identify the stores it was negotiating with.

Some Flushing residents say they believe that if retailers of that sort go into the development, there may be traffic backups along Roosevelt Avenue, said Chuck Apelian, vice chairman of Community Board 7, which represents downtown Flushing.

Downtown Flushing, a transportation hub that has 24 bus lines and the terminus of the No. 7 subway, is an area that is used by nearly 100,000 commuters daily, according to the Downtown Flushing Transit Hub Business Improvement District, and has become synonymous with traffic congestion. A group called Save Our Flushing Community has formed to protest the Flushing Commons project. Others maintain that additional traffic snarls would not hurt business.

Even if retail rents head far north of the $100 a square foot paid at certain locations on Main Street, the owner of Pho Vietnamese on Prince Street, Tai Ma, who has lived and worked in Flushing for 29 years, said he welcomed the new commercial development. "The rent here is going high anyway," he said. "If you want to develop Flushing, you need something big."


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## krull

*Crane Operators Threaten Strike at Many Construction Sites *


By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
Published: June 30, 2006

The union representing most of the city's crane operators is threatening to strike tomorrow in a move that could shut down most of the city's major construction sites.

Building industry officials said that if the International Union of Operating Engineers struck, it would be hard for other construction unions to continue work at most sites because the engineers' union does such crucial work, controlling the cranes that carry building materials.

*"A strike would affect more than 1,000 sites," said Christopher O. Ward, managing director of the General Contractors Association of Greater New York, which represents 150 construction contractors. "It could range from very important public projects, like the foundation of the Freedom Tower, to small roads and bridge jobs."*

Talks broke down yesterday between the contractors association and the operating engineers' union, which represents more than 2,600 workers who operate cranes, backhoes, compressors and drilling rigs that dig to help prepare for footings and foundations. 

Mr. Ward said the main sticking point was the contractors' demand to increase productivity by reducing what some industry officials say are jobs that require almost no work, like engineers who do little more than turn on a compressor in the morning and shut it off in the afternoon.

One of the union's main concerns was that there be an adequate retraining program for any workers whose jobs are phased out.

James. T. Callahan, president of Local 15 of the operating engineers, said in a statement that his union was offering to sign interim agreements with contractors to prevent work from stopping at several especially important projects, like the World Trade Center site and Water Tunnel No. 3, which will help supply the city's drinking water and is expected to be complete in 2020. Such interim agreements would allow these high-visibility projects to continue and would provide work for at least some of the union's members.

Mr. Callahan did not return calls requesting an interview.

Mr. Ward said the contractors association and its individual members would decide whether to sign interim agreements.

*The General Contractors Association has already reached contract agreements with seven unions, including the carpenters, but has not yet reached agreement with three unions: the operating engineers, the Teamsters and the underground construction workers known as sandhogs.

Mr. Ward said the association had offered the operating engineers a five-year contract with raises of 6 percent every year. The basic pay scale for union members is $72.03 an hour to $82.65 an hour, he said. *

"For those people where technology has taken the place of their jobs, it is our hope that we can retrain them and bring increased productivity to the workplace," Mr. Ward said.


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## Talbot

Well I hope if they do go on strike it isn't for long and they work out their problems. I wonder what kind of pay one of those engineers get just turning on and off a compressor?


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## krull

^ I heard that they get about 160K a year. :|


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## andysimo123

160K, I think am going to try and get into that. I need a job and that type of money is good.


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## Talbot

Wow, that's some easy money!


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## krull

*Are There Enough Buyers to Go Around? *










*SPACE AVAILABLE New Manhattan 
condominiums on the market 
include, from top, the Avery, 
under construction on Riverside 
Boulevard at West 65th Street; 
the Ariel West, planned for Broadway 
and 99th Street; 165 Charles Street; 
and the Abbey at 205 East 16th Street. *


By JOSH BARBANEL
July 9, 2006

CONDOMINIUMS have become a familiar sight in Manhattan in the last couple of years, punctuating the skyline from Battery Park to Harlem and most neighborhoods in between.

But as these condos are marketed — each carrying sky-high prices and a competitive list of amenities — and still more are breaking ground, it is hard not to wonder whether there are enough buyers to go around.

Not only are there thousands of condos currently on the market, but a review of building plans submitted by developers to the state attorney general's office shows that this building binge has not yet slowed down and may produce a supply of new apartments that could be around for a while. 

So far, applications have been submitted for more than 24,000 condominium apartments since January 2004, 7,000 of them in the first half of this year alone. This increase in filings comes as supply in the current market has been rising steadily, with broker listings nearly doubling since 2004. And since many developers list only a sampling of apartments in new buildings, the numbers of apartments available for sale is probably significantly larger than the inventory listed with brokers. 

Still, despite caution by some lenders and some customers, many others, including condo developers, brokers and buyers who are still signing contracts and putting down hefty deposits, say they have an abiding faith in the resilience of the market in Manhattan.

*Sales slowed sharply at the beginning of the year, when buyers hesitated because of the uncertainty about the direction of housing prices. But now brokers say that the pace is picking up, and they are seeing a slow but steady stream of visitors to sales offices and of contracts signed for new apartments.* 

*Asking prices on new developments are no longer rising sharply, but confounding skeptics, they have remained fairly steady, at prices that are higher than buyers ever imagined five or 10 years ago. Developers say they are, for the most part, holding the line on prices, convinced that they have produced the right product for the right market. *

"How strong is the market for $2 million apartments? Extraordinarily strong," said Gary Barnett, the president of Extell Development, which is currently marketing six condominium projects across Manhattan. "The market for $3 million and $4 million apartments is strong, too."

He said that the rising prices for land, soaring construction costs and careful reviews by lenders would eliminate weaker projects now under development, especially those by inexperienced developers, limiting the growth in supply over the next few years. 

Jeffrey Jackson, the president of Mitchell, Maxwell & Jackson, an appraisal company, said he had been consulted on half a dozen projects that may be postponed or converted to rentals.

The Manhattan market is subject to the same laws of supply and demand as the rest of the country. But the bullish view of the Manhattan real estate market is based on the belief that it is unique. The first tenet is that it is a magnet for wealth from across the country and around the world. The second tenet is that there is a strong demand for larger apartments with higher ceilings, open views and well-designed kitchens and bathrooms — the type of apartments that have not been built in large numbers in a generation. 

While rising interest rates may reduce the purchasing power of middle-income buyers, the market for the affluent will remain strong, brokers say, as the local economy remains solid; incomes for hedge fund managers, investment bankers and law partners remain high; and buyers from across the globe continue to view New York as a good place to invest. 

"There is a tremendous amount of demand, and there is little housing in New York," said Stephen G. Kliegerman, the director of marketing development for Halstead Property. "There is a desire to live in New York City, and as fuel costs go up, even more people will want to live here."

Or as Mr. Barnett of Extell put it, "New York is the epicenter of the world, and everybody wants to own something here."

*Of course, even the Manhattan market has had its low points. Park Avenue palaces faced foreclosure in the Depression, and town houses on the West Side sold for a pittance in the 1950's. In the 1980's, after a wave of apartment construction and conversions, many developers faced foreclosure. And the terrorist attack in 2001 sent rumbles through the market.* 

Frederick W. Peters, the president of Warburg Realty, said that he had experienced several downturns over the decades and likened the experience to driving off a cliff. And he does not see that occurring now. "The fact that we have experienced minimal price growth for a year suggests that the market has slowed down," he said. "The 'driving off a cliff' experience doesn't seem to be happening." 

Jonathan J. Miller, an appraiser and the president of Miller Samuel, said he believed that many prospective buyers were ready to act but were holding back because of market uncertainty. At the same time, he said, Manhattan developers were holding the line on prices, confident that the new condos were worth their high prices.

"There are a lot of buyers, with money to spend, on the sidelines," Mr. Miller said. 

Susan Petri, who works in communications for American Express, said that she and her husband have been shopping for a condo and that they found the same high prices at every place they looked. "This is New York — the demand will always exceed the supply," she said. "Everyone wants to live here."

But her husband, Roland, was more skeptical. They are trying to decide whether to settle in New York, where she now works, or in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he practices emergency medicine. He observed that the amenities touted in buildings in Manhattan were not that different from those found in new homes in Scottsdale and wondered whether they should wait to see if prices came down. 

Julia Bohan said she carefully researched the housing market, systematically comparing prices per square foot, before signing a contract a few weeks ago to buy an apartment at the Ariel East, one of the two glass towers facing each other across Broadway at 99th Street. But in the end, she said she relied as much on intuition as cold, hard facts.

Two years had passed since her husband died, and she was in contract to sell their Upper East Side apartment, with a wraparound terrace and park views. The sale price was high enough to enable her to spend about $2 million at the Ariel for about 2,000 square feet of space, and put away some money for tuition, too. The apartment had lots of space at a better price than she found elsewhere in Manhattan. 

"It is scary to do it alone after being married for 15 years," she said, "But I really feel confident that it is a solid investment. And it feels right, too.

During the years when prices were rising sharply and apartments were scarce, buyers were conditioned not to ask for concessions. If the price was too high, they would walk away. Today, Mr. Miller has this advice to buyers: "Always try to negotiate. Developers may be more open than in past years to negotiating. You have to ask."

Pamela Liebman, the president of the Corcoran Group, agreed but added that the developer's response would depend on "the mind-set of the building, how the building is doing." 

"We have buildings where we have not done one penny of negotiation," she said. 

During the ultrahot seller's market a few years ago, some developers would submit weekly or even daily amendments to offering plans, raising prices on new condominiums. Price increases come less frequently now, and a few developers have filed amendments lowering prices, though they attribute that to pricing errors, rather than to a faltering market. 

At the Avery, which Extell is building on Riverside Boulevard at West 65th Street, buyers learned that many of the closing costs would be picked up by the developer, up to a total of 3.7 percent of the purchase price. But that's down from the 5 percent offered a few months ago. 

Mr. Barnett, the Avery's developer, said that close to half of the apartments were now sold and as sales continued, help with closing costs would end entirely. 

At 170 East End Avenue, Skyline Developers' 19-story glass tower near 87th Street, brokers were saying earlier this year that sales were slow. Orin Wilf, Skyline's president, disputed this but added, "We have been negotiable on our prices."

"We feel that our sales have been very steady because we are willing to work with customers," he said. "If a customer walks into our sales office and wants to spend $5 million on an apartment, and the apartment they want is $5.4 million, over 99 percent of the time the deal gets done."

He said that he had not offered to pay closing costs and expects prices to tighten in the future. "At almost 50 percent sold, we plan on doing less negotiations and more selling at higher prices."

When sales were slow at the Ariel East, Extell filed an amendment with the attorney general lowering prices on 42 apartments, with cuts ranging from $5,000 to $260,000 for one sixth-floor apartment. But prices on some upper-floor apartments were raised. 

Mr. Barnett said that the price cuts were made because apartments in the Ariel West building had been selling faster, and that he wanted to encourage buyers to consider Ariel East. He said that when the price changes at the two condominiums were combined, prices actually went up.

At another smaller project, the Abbey, a former parish building on East 16th Street being converted to condominiums, most of the apartments sold for the asking price, or close to it. But according to property records, one apartment, a duplex on the top two floors, sold at a discount of $500,000, or about 27 percent below the asking price. Eight of 31 apartments are still listed as available.

The developer, Herbert Hirsch, said that he became convinced that a sloping triangular roof limited the use of some of the top floor of the duplex, so he reduced the price to account for this. He said buyers were out there looking but were worried by press accounts about the market and were postponing purchases. 

"From the developers' standpoint the market talks to you," he said. "The market tells you what your property is worth, to the extent that people come through and love your product and pay the prices."

*The New York Times reviewed condominium plans for larger projects — those with at least 30 units or those valued at more than $20 million — filed with the attorney general's office, which oversees all co-op and condominium offering plans for their compliance with state laws. But in addition to apartments, the listings of condominium units provided by the state often included retail stores, storage lockers and parking spaces, sometimes even wine cellars. So to get an accurate estimate of the number of apartments in the pipeline, those filings were compared with records from the New York City Buildings Department. *

*The review found that applications for 24,400 apartments in 240 larger projects in Manhattan and 5,000 apartments in 75 projects in Brooklyn had been submitted since January 2004. Of these, by the middle of June more than 13,000 had been approved for sale in Manhattan and 2,900 in Brooklyn. It is not known how many of these apartments were actually built and, if built, how many have been sold.*

What is known is that the 24,400 applications far exceed the number of apartments actually on the market. 

Last week, a report by Prudential Douglas Elliman put the current inventory at 7,640 apartments, both co-ops and condominiums, up from 3,922 in 2004. *In recent years, the total number of annual apartment sales in Manhattan has been estimated at 10,000 to 12,000. *

The filings with the attorney general's office also show that many newer projects, including conversions of rental buildings, are also in the works. There were 10,800 apartments in large Manhattan projects still awaiting approval for sale, including the 7,250 apartments in 59 projects submitted this year. About 2,300 apartments in Brooklyn are also awaiting approval for sale. If all these apartments are actually built, they could weigh on the market for several years to come. 

But many developers said they believed that the condominium market was beginning to correct itself, and that the weakest projects may never get built. Banks, worried about overbuilding, have tightened up on financing. The boom in construction has pushed up land prices and construction costs, making fewer projects profitable. 

In the meantime, some developers are not cutting prices no matter what. At 165 Charles Street, Izak Senbahar thought he had his finger on the pulse of the market when he put up a 16-story glass building designed by Richard Meier along the Hudson River, next door to two other Meier projects, and set prices as high as $20 million for the 31 apartments.

But last October, after about half the building was in contract, sales stalled. Not a single contract was signed for about six months, until April 2006. 

Mr. Senbahar received a series of offers below the asking prices and could have sold out long ago, said James Lansill, a senior managing director of the Sunshine Group, which is marketing the building. Even brokers urged him to cut his prices, but he would not.

"He placed his bet and stuck with his bet," Mr. Lansill said. "He had a belief in his goal that is unwavering. He just said when the building is completed, people are going to come and buy this."

After vacant apartments were used for an exhibition of modern furniture earlier this year, sales took off once more, Mr. Lansill said. Since April, he said, five apartments have been sold, leaving five apartments available. 

Two of those five apartments are being combined into a larger unit, he said, and a price increase was just filed with the attorney general's office.












Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


----------



## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_166/boardstudiesplan.html
Volume 19 • Issue 9 | July 14- - 20, 2006

*Board studies plan to limit East Side towers*

By Lincoln Anderson









_Dowtown Express photos by Jefferson Siegel

Cranes over new high-rise developments on the Lower East Side, seen from Houston St. and Avenue A._









_The East Village’s typical low-rise buildings, looking southwest from Ninth St. and Avenue B._

Community board members and housing activists got a first glimpse Monday night of a preliminary draft proposal for a sweeping rezoning of the East Village and half of the Lower East Side that would curb development of tall condo towers and hotels and include incentives for providing affordable housing in new construction projects.

In seeming awe, David McWater, chairperson of Community Board 3, several times referred to the undertaking — the study area includes a total of 114 city blocks — as simply “the massive rezoning.”

Harvey Epstein, a former chairperson of the board, explained that it was “the next big rezoning” by the city, following on the heels of prior major rezonings of such areas as Williamsburg/Greenpoint, West Chelsea and the Hudson Yards.

Under a community-led process known as 197-a, Community Board 3 last year proposed a contextual rezoning for the area between E. 13th and Houston Sts., east of Third Ave. and the Bowery, as well as parts of the Lower East Side, including E. Houston St. to Grand St., from Essex St. to Allen St.; and Houston St. to the north side of Delancey St. east of Essex St. The board then made its pitch to the city. On Monday night, the C.B. 3 197-a Task Force received a presentation from a pair of city officials on what the Bloomberg administration is willing to offer.

The city’s zoning study area is the same for the East Village, but for the Lower East Side includes the blocks bounded by Houston St., Pitt St., Delancey St., Ludlow St. and Grand St. and the west side of Chrystie St.

Arthur Huh, the Department of City Planning’s C.B. 3 district liaison, explained and answered questions about the general zoning provisions, while Gabriella Amabile, a planner with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, discussed the component for inclusionary zoning for affordable housing.

The general plan is to create zoning, under which new buildings will have to be built out to the street wall — no plazas will be allowed for new buildings — and maximum heights will be capped. No air rights will be allowed to be shifted from adjacent lots to add height to new projects, such as was done, for example, with The Hotel on Rivington, which was built to 16 stories by cobbling together air rights. Building heights would be capped, in general, at 80 feet — about eight stories tall — throughout the rezoning area. 

In areas being proposed for the inclusionary zoning program — along Houston and Delancey Sts., the west side of Chrystie St. and the west side of Avenue D — maximum building heights would be taller, 120 feet. A developer who includes 20 percent of the floor area in his project for affordable housing would get to add an additional 33 percent of density to the project. The affordable units would be eligible for families of four whose annual income is 80 percent of the area’s median income, or $56,720. Developers would also be able to qualify for the 421-a program, under which they would get tax breaks, if the affordable housing they build within the inclusionary zoning is for families of four whose annual income is 60 percent of area median income, or $42,540.

The developers would also be able to build the extra height but locate the affordable units elsewhere in the C.B. 3 district. But housing advocates at the meeting felt this would be unlikely, given the neighborhood dynamics, and that all of the affordable housing would be included in the new projects.

In general, the inclusionary zoning component is similar to the one included in the recent Greenpoint/Williamsburg waterfront rezoning.

The community facility zoning allowance would also be available within the rezoned area. But, some task force members said the allowance — which allows dormitories, for example, to be built extra tall — should no longer be made available to developers in the neighborhood.

Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, asked Huh why the five blocks between Third and Fourth Aves. south of 14th St. weren’t included in the zoning study area. A 26-story New York University dormitory — which will be the tallest building in the East Village — is being built on E. 12th St. in this strip.

“Institutions like N.Y.U. have identified this area as the place where they want to keep growing,” Berman said, adding that the university already has “a couple of monstrously out-of-scale dormitories on Third Ave.”

“Frankly, if the zoning stays the same, we’re just going to see more of these,” Berman said.

Added Barden Prisant of C.B. 3: “Just because Third Ave. has become a valley of towers doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.”

But, Huh said, the 114 blocks in the study zone already cover a very large area and that to add the Third and Fourth Aves. corridor “raises a lot of issues that changes the specific nature of the study. To raise the issue of contextual zoning in this area — it is just too different.”

Berman said he suspects N.Y.U. has been lobbying the city not to include the Third and Fourth Aves. area in the zoning study. But Christine Shakespeare, N.Y.U.’s head of city and government relations, said she wasn’t aware that the university was doing any such lobbying.

Nevertheless, Berman said, “There’s a lot to like” in the city’s proposal.

The task force also made known its displeasure with part of the plan that would add a commercial zoning overlay on St. Mark’s Pl. Opponents said a lot of the businesses on St. Mark’s illegally took over residential spaces years ago and shouldn’t be rewarded now with legalization.

Members of the task force also said they want to make sure that antiharassment provisions are included along with the rezoning so that existing low-income tenants aren’t pushed out by developers looking to build megaprojects benefiting from the inclusionary zoning height bonuses.

There was some concern the zoning south of Houston St. would remain commercial, which some feared would continue to allow large hotels to be built, such as the roughly 20-story hotel currently under construction by the Pomeranc group on Allen St. between Houston and Stanton Sts. However, McWater, C.B. 3 chairperson, noted later that — regardless of whether the zoning would be commercial or residential — with the 80-foot height cap, developers would no longer be able to build mammoth hotels.

Damaris Reyes, director of Good Old Lower East Side, or GOLES, objected to the idea of having inclusionary zoning on the west side of Avenue D, across from the public housing on Avenue D’s east side, arguing that instead it should be spread throughout the East Village.

“Inclusionary housing along Avenue D is cutting off the projects and is just consolidating low-income housing there. I don’t think we want to put all of the low-income housing in our part of the community,” she said. “We’ve lost so many areas [of affordable housing] within the East Village area that the character is completely different. I don’t think there’s a need to include it on Avenue D.”

“It seems like class-based zoning,” added Paul Bartlett, a C.B. 3 member.

McWater said the task force will send a letter to City Planning outlining its concerns about the preliminary draft rezoning.

In addition, the task force plans to take up the contentious issue of the long-vacant Seward Park Urban Renewal Area sites south of the Williamsburg Bridge. After the city announced a new plan for the sites at the end of 2003, there was a backlash, primarily from the Grand St. community, over its low-income housing component, and it was ultimately dropped at the end of 2004.

McWater said he hopes this time he will be able to pull together all the community stakeholders and politicians and have a real dialogue about what the community wants to see on these sites — on which old tenements were razed decades ago, but which today are primarily used as parking lots. The community board will attempt to initiate its own 197-a community-based rezoning plan for the Seward sites this time around, he said.

Before the task force started its discussion of the hot-button issue, McWater, hoping to head off any flare-ups, said he wanted “a spirit of co-operation — intelligent, rational, nonemotional dialogue.”

However, in some initial harsh words, Frances Goldin, a veteran Lower East Side housing activist, blamed the failure of the city’s last proposal for mixed-income housing on the sites on Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, himself a Grand St. resident, whom she said blocked the plan.

Goldin said H.P.D. recently contacted Seward Park Area Renewal Coalition, or SPARC — an organization of housing activists formed several years ago to spearhead the area’s redevelopment — and last week met with them, along with some Pratt experts, and worked up ideas for a new plan for the area. The new proposal includes low-, middle- and market-rate housing, with community facilities and commercial space.

“They wanted to move fast on that plot,” Goldin said. “It’s one of the largest sites of city-owned land.”

McWater said Councilmember Alan Gerson has proposed having a large arts or cultural institution as an anchor at the Seward Park renewal area, but that no such institution had been identified yet.

McWater said, because of circumstances, Grand St. representatives were unable to make Monday night’s task force meeting. He said, ideally, he hopes to have a public forum on the issue in the fall.

The board chairperson said he’d like to start from square one with local stakeholders, adding he’d maybe “put up butcher paper and let people write what they want there.”

“I think the politicians want to do something and they will be here for our meeting next month,” McWater said.


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## ZZ-II

it's amazing that New york get so many new towers


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## koolkid

That mamoth hotel they are talking about, i can see from my window... 
:sleepy:


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## Toronto06

nice........New York really is the greatest city in the world!


----------



## Ebola

New:


http://www.builditnow.com/


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## krull

Finally a vote on wednesday to get this thing rolling! :cucumber:


*Javits: Time to OK expansion*



Published on July 17, 2006 


On Wednesday, the Public Authorities Control Board is scheduled to vote on the proposed expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The powerful panel should approve it and bring to an end a decades-long effort to expand the crucial facility. 

The plan isn't perfect, but it will be worth its $1.7 billion cost. Exhibition space will increase by about 45%. The number of meeting rooms, which no one thought would be necessary when Javits opened in 1986, will go up fivefold. The entire facility will nearly double in size to 4 million square feet and include additional support space and a new marshaling yard that will make Javits more efficient and more secure. The center will become one of the country's 10 largest convention facilities; today, it is No. 16. 

The economic benefits cannot be overstated. The larger facility will attract more big meetings, and that is almost certain to spark the construction of large hotels on Manhattan's far West Side. Restaurants, cultural organizations and even taxi operators will benefit as well. These businesses are important because travel and tourism is now the city's second most important sector--second to only Wall Street--and employs 250,000 people, by some measures. Those jobs are the best first step on the ladder of economic success in New York, offering good pay and benefits and the opportunity for advancement.

Regrettably, the plan has attracted many critics. Sen. Charles Schumer argues that the new Javits won't be big enough. Several developers have floated alternative plans, all of which seem attractive but are primarily designed to improve the builders' own nearby properties. The Municipal Art Society objects to the location and configuration.

None of the opponents, however, has suggested a realistic alternative. Everyone would like the center to be bigger, but where would the money come from to make it larger? Meeting other objections requires expanding Javits to the south. But the city wants that parcel of land to jump-start development of the far West Side and help finance subway expansion. The city is not going to agree to surrender the needed land.

The choice is clear. The proposal being considered by the PACB would provide a tremendous economic boost to the city. Defeating it means more years of controversy and conflict. The governor, assembly speaker and majority leader--who control the board--should vote for progress now. 


©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


But of course we have to see what Mr. Silver's opinion is. :|


*Silver is linchpin in vote on Javits*


By Erik Engquist & Anne Michaud 
Published on July 17, 2006 

The $1.7 billion expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is scheduled to come up for a crucial vote before the Public Authorities Control Board, and as happens so often in Albany, its fate appears to depend on Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Both Gov. George Pataki and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno are expected to support the project, which would add 520,000 square feet of exhibit space and make the center one of the 10 largest such facilities in the nation. Including support space and a marshaling yard that management says would make the center more efficient and address security concerns, Javits would double, to 4 million square feet. 

Critics of the plan, ranging from Sen. Charles Schumer to the Municipal Art Society, argue that a redesign done earlier this year to cut costs makes the proposed expansion too small and inappropriately sited. But those concerns don't seem to have had any impact on Mr. Silver, who issued a general but far from definitive statement of support for the project last week. Instead, the speaker may use his vote as a bargaining chip with the Bloomberg administration on other economic development issues.

Mr. Silver could call for a one-month postponement. With construction costs escalating, center officials are worried that another delay would further increase the price tag. They say that if the plan is approved, remediation of two sites would begin almost immediately and demolition within months. 


©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


----------



## krull

*Funding plan is set for Hudson Yards
$2B bond issue, tax breaks key to West Side development * 


By Julie Satow 
Published on July 17, 2006 

The Bloomberg administration is about to jump-start an ambitious plan to develop 24 million square feet of Manhattan office space.

*As early as this week, the city will release the first details of a $3 billion financing plan for developing the area on the far West Side known as Hudson Yards. It is expected to include $2 billion in bonds to fund the No. 7 subway line extension and tax abatements to spur commercial real estate projects. The city's Industrial Development Agency, which must approve the plan, has already scheduled a public hearing and could vote on it at its next meeting on Aug. 8.* 

"The far West Side is the last frontier of available land to build the large office buildings that will be critical to the city's future growth," says Daniel Doctoroff, deputy mayor of economic development. 

With office rents in midtown topping $125 a square foot and its vacancy rate at a historic low of 6.9%, the need for a westward expansion is especially pressing. The rezoning will create 24 million square feet of Class A office space, and extending the No. 7 line from Times Square to West 34th Street and 11th Avenue will upgrade midtown's transportation infrastructure.

The City Council voted to approve the rezoning of Hudson Yards--bounded by Eighth Avenue and the Hudson River Park between West 30th and West 43rd streets--in January 2005. 

Hudson Yards has largely been off the public agenda since last summer, when the city failed in its controversial bid to build a football stadium there. Since then, however, Bloomberg administration officials have been working behind the scenes to put together a broader development plan for the area.

*The subway extension's design will be finalized this month, and construction will be put out to bid later this summer. The city will pay for the project; the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will run it. The estimated completion date is 2012.*

The city will also unveil its planned commercial tax abatements, the first step in finalizing the financing, as early as Thursday. 


*Cracking the tax breaks *  


According to people with knowledge of the abatement proposal, tax breaks will amount to less than $10 a square foot and are likely to favor commercial development on the western reaches of Hudson Yards. *For instance, companies that build office towers west of 10th Avenue will get bigger abatements than those building closer to Eighth Avenue.* The city declined to disclose details of the program.

The details will be critical to real estate developers, who need to know the extent of possible savings before moving forward with Hudson Yards projects. 

The ratings agencies vetting the city's bonds also want to know the extent of potential tax breaks, as revenue from commercial real estate taxes generated by the development will pay down the $2 billion in bonds issued for the No. 7 extension. 


*2011 target date * 


The city estimates that the first commercial office tower will open by late 2011. Until then, it will finance the bonds from general reserves.

"We raised concerns that the commercial tax incentives not be too deep, because we didn't want to create a disadvantage for developers who are building elsewhere," says Steven Spinola, the president of the Real Estate Board of New York.

"The challenge in creating the tax abatement is to come up with a number that won't upset too many existing developers and owners and yet be enough of an incentive to spur development," he says.

A handful of firms have already begun buying commercial properties on the far West Side.

"There hasn't been much development yet, but Hudson Yards is becoming a glimmer in the eye of the major developers," says Eric Anton, a managing director at Eastern Consolidated Properties. 

Last December, the Moinian Group paid $54.8 million for a site at West 34th Street and 11th Avenue. It has been rezoned to allow a 1.54-million-square-foot office tower that will also house the last stop of the extended No. 7 line. 

The Extell Development Corp. and Brookfield Financial Properties also own commercial sites at Hudson Yards.

"We are taking the next step in a long march to give investors certainty about Hudson Yards," Mr. Doctoroff says. "By all signs, we are almost there."


©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


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## colpe

lot of projects but very simple designs


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## ZZ-II

new york needs new towers, it's skyline is one of the best on world, this should be in the future too!!!


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## AndySocks

@Board plans... article posted by TalB

Y'all may complain about NIMBYS, but I think it would be best if certain neighborhoods stay low-key and low-rise. The Lower East side, mainly. I feel the Rivington Hotel is one of the biggest eyesores in the city, given the context around it.

I think developers should focus on the Far West Side and keep out of the Village and the LES. These neighborhoods have a unique personality in their low rise architecture not to be found anywhere else in the US. You can live in a condo anywhere. People move to these areas for a different reason. That is, if they know any better and aren't just blindly following trends....


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## centreoftheuniverse

AndySocks said:


> These neighborhoods have a unique personality in their low rise architecture not to be found anywhere else in the US.


Frankly, I think the "charm" and unique personality that you speak of in the LES and the West Village is so overrated. Tell me if the low rise buildings that you may find in those neighborhoods are any better than these in Pittsburgh.
Of course plenty of other cities have them too.


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## koolkid

^^ Are you agrivated by his opinion?
:sleepy:


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/17/nyregion/17yards.html
*Crowd Gathers to Protest Size of Atlantic Yards Plan*

By THOMAS J. LUECK
Published: July 17, 2006

In the largest public demonstration so far by opponents of the Atlantic Yards project planned near Downtown Brooklyn, a crowd that may have exceeded 2,000 gathered at Grand Army Plaza yesterday in a rally condemning the project’s scale and what many called inadequate public comment.

The event was organized by Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, a group whose advisory board includes Brooklyn residents active in film, music and literature. The actors Steve Buscemi and Rosie Perez, both Brooklyn residents and advisers to the group, appeared briefly on a makeshift stage in front of a sign that read “Brooklyn’s Neighborhoods Say No.”

“I’m not a politician or activist,” Mr. Buscemi told the crowd. He read a poem that he said he had written to protest the project, which included the line “I’ve played a lot of crazies, but this seems insane.”

The $3.5 billion project, which would include an arena for the Nets professional basketball team, office space and 6,860 apartments, is being planned by Forest City Ratner Companies at a time of considerable residential development in nearby sections of Brooklyn.

Even aside from the Atlantic Yards project, the nearby development has provoked protests about housing displacement and strains on Brooklyn’s roads, sewers and infrastructure.

The Atlantic Yards complex, planned at the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues, has undergone extensive public review, and more is assured once the developer releases an environment impact statement, which is expected this week or next.

“People have legitimate concerns that we have addressed, and will continue to address,” Joe Deplasco, a spokesman for Forest City, said yesterday. Forest City Ratner is a development partner in building a new Midtown headquarters for The New York Times Company.

The developer has promised to dedicate 2,250 apartments in the complex as rental units for low- and moderate-income tenants. About 2,300 people hoping to qualify for those apartments attended what Forest City described as an “informational meeting” in Downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday.

Whether that many showed up yesterday to protest the project was difficult to judge, since people circulated from the sunny site of the rally to the shade nearby in Prospect Park. Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, estimated the size of the crowd at closer to 4,000 people.

Some in the crowd had traveled from distant parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan, reflecting what may be a growing public interest in the Atlantic Yards project and the scale of Brooklyn development in general.

“I have seen what happened to Manhattan, and we should learn from our mistakes,” said Marian Goodside, a retired teacher who lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and came with friends from Brooklyn Heights.

Dan Zanes, a musician and singer with a national following among children and their parents, said he considered Brooklyn’s diverse neighborhoods to be a “national treasure” that was being threatened by the Atlantic Yards project and other development.

Mr. Zanes, who performed at the rally, lives with his wife and 11-year-old daughter in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. He said the rally demonstrated a growing sense of resistance to large-scale development, even to projects that are not directly across the street.

“To a lot of people, this seemed inevitable,” he said of the project. “The problem was that the public wasn’t engaged, but that is starting to change.”


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/19/n...l=1&adxnnlx=1153440076-OuZI6fN0WPWqmtyFt495KQ
*Measuring a Project’s Shadow, and Burden, on Brooklyn*

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: July 19, 2006









_James Estrin/The New York Times

A study says the proposed Atlantic Yards project, a residential, commercial and arena development in Brooklyn, would add traffic to intersections that are already busy, including Union Street and Fourth Avenue._









_James Estrin/The New York Times

The intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street._

A new school’s worth of classrooms would be needed to handle all the children. Dozens of crowded intersections would be choked with more traffic. Brownstone neighborhoods would find themselves in shadow. The city’s sewer and water systems would face new challenges. And good luck getting a parking space on game day.

These were among the most striking findings of a 1,400-page study released yesterday, for the first time laying out all the potential effects of the proposed Atlantic Yards project, an 8.7-million-square-foot residential, commercial, and arena development that would spread over 22 acres near Downtown Brooklyn.

The study, released by the Empire State Development Corporation, was accompanied by a project plan that estimated the cost of the development at $4.2 billion, much more than the original cost, $2.5 billion.

Residents have known for more than two years that something big may be coming to the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues, something that would affect their lives and neighborhoods in countless ways. But until yesterday, they did not have a picture of the details.

The draft environmental impact study provides the clearest view yet of what the Atlantic Yards would do for Brooklyn, and to it, with a welter of diagrams and cold hard facts.

Some of them are sure to be controversial. According to the study, the project would worsen what is already a tangled web of traffic. When it is fully built a decade from now, 68 of 93 intersections included in the study, all within about a mile of the project, would have significantly more congestion at one or more peak hours, most markedly during the morning rush hours and after Saturday games at the 18,000-seat basketball arena for the Nets.

The tallest of the project’s 16 buildings would block many views of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank. The new buildings would also throw more of the surrounding neighborhoods into shadow during the day, while street-level signs would create a new burst of neon at night, concentrated at the commercial corridors on the project’s western tip.

The project’s thousands of residents would impose new demands on the city’s sewage and storm drain systems, and include enough children to fill a new elementary and intermediate school.

Changes to the project and the city infrastructure supporting it may eliminate or minimize some of the predicted problems, the project’s backers have promised. In exchange, they say, Atlantic Yards would create 6,860 units of housing, thousands of construction jobs, and nearly $1.5 billion in city and state tax revenue beyond the amount needed to recoup the government’s contribution to the project.

“It’s a project of enormous magnitude, something that certainly will be important for the future and the economy of the city and state,” said Charles A. Gargano, the chairman of the development corporation, which is sponsoring the project.

The project’s developer, Forest City Ratner Companies, is the development partner of The New York Times Company in building its new headquarters on Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. The study was commissioned by the development corporation and paid for by Forest City Ratner, as required by law.

The study found that if all the project’s children attended a primary or intermediate school within half a mile of their new home, the existing schools would be “over capacity,” and new satellite classrooms in less crowded schools, new school buildings or other measures would be needed.

In a detailed examination of the shadows cast by the new buildings in each season, the report found that new shadows would fall on many existing parks, as well as on open space incorporated into the new project, “throughout the year,” but with a “significant adverse impact” for only one such area, near the Atlantic Terminal public housing complex.

The study also included extensive mitigation measures that the developer said would alleviate most of the project’s negative impacts. An ecologically friendly storm-water capture system centered on the arena’s roof, for instance, is expected to help prevent sewage overflows.

The report’s release sets into motion a public comment period. The project faces a final vote by the development corporation’s board this fall, and if it is approved, it will face a vote by the state Public Authorities Control Board.

Critics of Atlantic Yards have questioned whether the scope of the impact study was comprehensive enough, and may choose to fight the project in court on those grounds. .

Opponents have already promised a vigorous legal struggle against the development corporation’s efforts to condemn the small amount of property that Forest City Ratner has not been able to acquire privately. Those efforts, in effect, began yesterday with the corporation’s formal declaration that the blocks on which the project would be built meet the state’s definition of “blighted,” and thus qualify for eminent domain.

Critics of the project complained yesterday that the 60-day public-comment period was too short to allow residents enough time to wade through the environmental study. Others questioned why it had been released in the middle of the summer, when the borough’s community boards are in recess.

“The E.S.D.C. is making a mockery of what has already been a completely flawed process,” said Daniel Goldstein, the spokesman for Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, an umbrella group for opponents of the project.

At a press conference yesterday, Mr. Gargano, the development corporation’s chairman, tried to deflect criticism of the project’s scale, one of the main issues cited by Brooklyn residents. When asked whether he thought the project could be made smaller, he replied, “I don’t think it can be.” Later, however, he gave a slightly different answer, saying that though the developer would prefer to keep the project at 8.7 million square feet, the development corporation would contemplate reductions during the public comment period.

James P. Stuckey, the Forest City executive in charge of Atlantic Yards, said criticism of the project’s scale and other attributes came from “some people, who live close in, not liking tall buildings.”

“And I have to tell you that for most people who need affordable housing, that’s just not an argument that washes,” he said.

Those who oppose the project said that the documents released by the development corporation gave them yet more ammunition. According to the general project plan for Atlantic Yards, the project’s cost, which was originally estimated at $2.5 billion and was reassessed at $3.5 billion last year, is now $4.2 billion, which Mr. Goldstein called “bloated.”

Mr. Stuckey said the increases stemmed from rising construction costs, higher land acquisition costs, and a more detailed accounting of costs than was possible at earlier stages in the project’s development.

The general project plan also projects that Atlantic Yards will generate a total of $1.91 billion in total tax revenue over 30 years, calculated as net present value. The city and state together would contribute about $500 million to the project, a mix of direct payments, tax exemptions and financing costs. Overall, according to those projections, the development as currently proposed would produce about $1.4 billion in net tax revenues to the city and state, slightly less than a previous estimate used by Forest City Ratner, and less than projected when the development was originally announced.

Mr. Stuckey said the Empire State Development Corporation study had used a different methodology. “Their calculation tends to be a more conservative calculation,” he said. “But what their own numbers are saying is, even after you look at the contribution that the government will make, the government will earn $1.4 billion in excess tax revenues as a result of this project.”


----------



## krull

Ok so it has been a while that I haven't add new stuff under construction... and it is about time. So here are some of the buildings and the renderings.



*Manhattan:*


*The Rushmore (80 Riverside Blvd):* 425 ft - 41 floors











*735 Sixth Avenue:* 37 floors











*Cornell Ambulatory Care (1305 York Avenue):* 30 floors 











*Windsor Park (100 West 58th Street):* 18 floors











*30 West 18th Street:* 18 floors











*330 East 57 Street:* 16 floors











*One York Street:* 15 floors











*31 West 17 Street:* 13 floors











*The Lenox (380 Lenox Avenue):* 12 floors











*Kalahari (40 West 116 Street):* 12 floors











*127 Seventh Avenue:* 12 floors











*ONYX Chelsea (261 West 28th Street):* 11 floors











*High Line (519 West 23 Street):* 11 floors











*258 Nicholas Avenue:* 10 floors











*Ivy Condom (249 East 118 Street):* 10 floors











*Hudson Blue (423 West Street):* 10 floors











*160 Wooster Street:* 9 floors











*Avalon Bay Communities (5 buildings development) (East Houston Street):* 9 floors











*The Langston (68 Bradhurst Avenue):* 9 floors











*West 116th Street:* 8 floors











*One Avenue B:* 8 floors











*25 Bond Street:* 7 floors











*Hester Gardens (156 Hester Street):* 7 floors











*One Strivers Row (2605 Frederick Douglass):* 7 floors











*The Crown Condo (2132 Second Avenue):* 7 floors











*Clinton West (516 West 47 Street):* 7 floors











*Nina (450 East 17th Street):* 7 floors










*2002 Fifth Avenue:* 7 floors












*Brooklyn:*



*110 Livingston Avenue:* 16 floors











*1 Prospect Park Condos:* 15 floors











*255 West 4th Street:* 11 floors











*Tiffany Tower Condominiums (20 Tiffany Place):* 10 floors











*Parkville Promenade Condominiums (702 Ocean Parkway):* 9 floors











*Manhattan Park (297 Driggs Avenue):* 9 floors











*The Vista (206 Front Street):* 8 floors











*Park Place Condominiums (286 Flatbush Avenue):* 8 floors











*64 Bayard Street:* 7 floors











*Aqua Condos:* 7 floors











*530 Johns Place:* 7 floors 











*Myrtle Place:* 6 floors 











*609 Myrtle Avenue:* 6 floors 










*The Maritime At Carroll Gardens (93rd Rapelye Street):* 6 floors 












*Queens:*



*Citigroup Court Square Two:* 38 floors











*Plaza Northern Blvd (Main Street Flushing):* 18 floors











*Queens Crossing:* 10 floors











*Ocean Grande (116-12 Ocean Promenade):* 7 floors












*Bronx:*



*Promenade East Condominiums (3625 Oxford Avenue):* 9 floors











*The Orion (156 Street Melrose Commons):* 9 floors











*Bronx Criminal Court Complex:* 8 floors











*Westwood Terrace (3585 Greystone Avenue):* 7 floors











*The Waterford (3816 Waldo Avenue):* 7 floors











*Cambridge Mews (3517 Riverdale Avenue):* 6 floors












*Roosevelt Island:*



*Riverwalk Place (455 Main Street):* 16 floors











*The Octagon (888 Main Street):* 12 floors


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## koolkid

I really dont like the Avalon developement. Its ruining my neighborhood (in my opinion). :sleepy: 

PD: Its hard to believe that the Cornell Ambulatory Care building will have 30 floors. Are you sure?
Thanks for the updates. 

-koolkid


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## panamaboy9016

*They're all residential..*

I don't think this is really a boom,just a boom of residential small buildings!


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## ROYU

Lots of projects for the Great Apple. Nice.


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## Scruffy88

koolkid said:


> I really dont like the Avalon developement. Its ruining my neighborhood (in my opinion). :sleepy:
> 
> PD: Its hard to believe that the Cornell Ambulatory Care building will have 30 floors. Are you sure?
> Thanks for the updates.
> 
> -koolkid



I agree. They totally stand out in a bad way on Houston. Major error in approving them there. They are too big and bulky. I pass by them everyday going to work and wonder what else should have gone there.


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## centreoftheuniverse

^^ You can thank the NIMBYs for that.
They didn't want to see tall thin towers so now they got short bulky ones.


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## koolkid

Scruffy88 said:


> I agree. They totally stand out in a bad way on Houston. Major error in approving them there. They are too big and bulky. I pass by them everyday going to work and wonder what else should have gone there.


Yeah. Major error. Theres more on the way too.  
You pass by everyday, huh...
So do i. Ive probably seen u without knowing. :yes:
8:30 a.m? 

-koolkid


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## koolkid

Panamaboy, you are everywhere!
:lol:

:wave:


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## panamaboy9016

*LOL!*



koolkid said:


> Panamaboy, you are everywhere!
> :lol:
> 
> :wave:


So are you!


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## Talbot

Cool projects, I like the One York Street and the ONYX Chelsea.


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## opium

Only 82 floors in 1,776 ft building? ( the freedom tower) Are there going to be 20 ft ceilings?


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## krull

*Vacant Lot Was Their Paradise *  










*Geraldo Justiniano watched a crew last week work on the foundation of a three-family home being put up 
on East 139th Street in the South Bronx. * 


By MANNY FERNANDEZ
July 24, 2006

Technically, the lot on East 139th Street near Willis Avenue in the South Bronx was vacant, according to city records.

Yet there was nothing vacant about it.

Over here was the camper where the guys from the neighborhood watched football games on Sundays. Over there was Izzy’s 1981 Yamaha motorcycle, an old motorboat, a wheelchair, three Rottweilers and the cages for Mr. Lopez’s chickens. Children from across the street used it as a playground. There were parties, domino games, volleyball matches, auto-repair workshops and pig roasts.

About 12 years ago, Geraldo Justiniano decided to reclaim the abandoned lot for the neighborhood. He put up a chain-link fence, laid down some gravel and mowed the grass. And though he lives in a two-bedroom apartment a few blocks away, he would often sleep in the camper on weekends, soaking up life in the great outdoors of East 139th Street, the morning crows of a rooster his alarm clock.

When the construction crew arrived this month, no one was really surprised. Mr. Justiniano — people call him J. J. — watched one day last week as a giant claw tore a deep hole in the soil. Five three-family homes are going up on the lot, which had become known in this corner of Mott Haven by two names: La Yarda and Paradise.

“A lot of memories,” said Mr. Justiniano, 39. His friends and neighbors have been feeling equally nostalgic: On the Fourth of July, they threw him and La Yarda a farewell party.

*The commercial and residential development that has transformed the South Bronx in recent years has done more than added jobs and housing. It has altered the physical landscape, filling in the empty topography that in the 1970’s and 80’s came to symbolize the decline and abandonment of entire parts of American cities.*

The vacant lots of the area’s past — the eerie urban prairies strewn with garbage and the rubble of dead tenements — graced the covers of books and the pages of newspapers. They starred in Hollywood movies like “Fort Apache, the Bronx.” They drew visits from local politicians, a president, a future president and even a pope.

Yet for many South Bronx residents, the empty land was something more than an eyesore or an emblem of urban blight. Lots remained abandoned for so long that they took on an unexpected, improvisational life of their own in one of the poorest communities in the country. Now, as new apartment buildings, homes and businesses rise in the area, this small piece of gritty South Bronx history — the abandoned lot — is disappearing.

These lots were unloved for the most part, but not unused. They were dumps, drug bazaars and a breeding ground for illegal activity, but they also became community gardens, outdoor churches and places where streetwise entrepreneurs set up shop. They were home to wooden crosses, discarded couches, oil spills, beat-up cars and people like Jorge Luis Manzo, known as Choco, who years ago lived in a small wooden shack on a burned-out stretch of St. Ann’s Avenue, one of many streets devastated at the time by rampant arson.

Anthony Perez Cassino, a lawyer who is the chairman of Community Board 8 in Riverdale and grew up in the South Bronx in the 1970’s, said the abandoned lots cast the entire borough in a negative light, a reputation that continued long after they began to be replaced by much-needed housing. “It’s good to see it go,” he said of the empty spaces. “In the bigger picture, it’s for the better.”

*According to land-use and geographic data from the Department of City Planning, there were 1,300 vacant parcels in the South Bronx in 2005. Many are now construction sites or are no longer empty, the result of the borough’s building boom. Since 2002, $3 billion in private and public money has been invested in residential, commercial and institutional development projects in the Bronx, according to figures from the borough president’s office. The number of new Bronx addresses issued in 2005 was 1,352, nearly double the number in 2001.*

The empty lots that remain are narrow slices of pavement or large expanses of urban wilderness. Some are impromptu junkyards. Others have five-foot-tall weeds. Chain-link fences act as billboards advertising mattresses for sale and Carlo’s Lite Mover. The fences do not keep people out so much as keep them in. There are dining room chairs set on the grass, crushed beer cans, cigar butts and tables.

At a lot on Fox Street, there is a touch of gallows humor: a freshly dug mock grave and a cross at the edge of the sidewalk. At a lot at Prospect Avenue and East 156th Street, there is Mama Isabels Place, a food van that has been a neighborhood staple for years. People sit beneath the van’s canopy on cafeteria-style chairs, eating $1.25 pastelillos de carne, or meat turnovers.

And there is La Yarda.

The 100-by-100-foot space, which is being developed by the Jackson Development Group of Bellerose, N.Y., has been the scene of an unusually friendly property dance, as Mr. Justiniano, the lot’s unofficial tenant, moves out and the company, which bought the site six months ago, moves in. The developer even hired Mr. Justiniano to work as a security guard during construction.

Mr. Justiniano is short and stocky, and he has a tan as deep as any lifeguard’s from spending so many hours in the lot. He grew up in the apartment building next door, and his unorthodox view of public and private property began early, when he took over one empty lot on the block at age 9 and another at 19. Now he runs an office-supply delivery company and is the vice president of the Bronx chapter of the Lunatics, a New York City motorcycle club.

As he sat on a bench that used to be the back seat of someone’s van, he talked about the old times in Paradise. He and his friends brought in a projector to show movies on the wall. They had an Easter egg hunt for neighborhood children and once hitched a motorized water scooter to the back of a Jeep during a snowstorm. “Our own field of dreams,” said Mr. Justiniano’s friend Izzy Fortuna, 45.

At the goodbye party on the Fourth, neighbors signed a banner spray-painted with the words “Farewell La Yarda.” A woman named Sandra wrote: “We will miss the good times.” Someone else scrawled: “Home never has a name.” José E. Serrano, the Bronx congressman whose district includes Mott Haven and who happened to be in the neighborhood that afternoon, signed the banner and took home a plate of food.

“This is an example of a spot in the neighborhood that became sort of an oasis,” Mr. Serrano said. “I’ve always seen people using a lot. I’ve never seen anyone say goodbye to one.”

Mr. Justiniano is storing the camper, the children’s toys and other items at another lot at the corner. It is much smaller than La Yarda. But he thinks it will be perfect for a pig roast.










*Justino Lopez greets a Rottweiler that was relocated, along with the camper, from Paradise to another lot.*


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


----------



## koolkid

^^I hope to see that area progress. :yes:

Thanks for the info.


----------



## Avatar

OMG this is hot.


----------



## krull

*NEW DOWNTOWN B'KLYN 'HEIGHTS'
FLATBUSH TOWERS*










*Developer: Thor Equities
Location: Albee Square West
Use: Tentavtive plans for hotel, offices and condos
Cost: Unknown
Height: 60 stories *


By PATRICK GALLAHUE
July 24, 2006

Just call them the "Lords of Flatbush." 

Developers are lining up to build Downtown Brooklyn's storied main drag into a billion-dollar thoroughfare. 

*At least eight new construction projects are in the pipeline for a now-gritty three-block stretch of Flatbush Avenue between Tillary and Willoughby streets, just blocks from Bruce Ratner's $4.2 billion planned complex of residential and commercial towers around the new Nets basketball arena.* 

"It'll be a completely new vista of Brooklyn when you come off the [Manhattan] Bridge," said Michael Burke, of the Downtown Brooklyn Council. 

Among the projects being planned is a 60-story, multimillion-dollar hotel, office and condominium tower over a city-owned parking garage at Albee Square West, to be built by Thor Equities. 

Down the block, on Myrtle Avenue, a $450 million pair of buildings - comprising a million square feet of space - are planned, according to John Catsimatidis, who will develop the projects. 

"It's five minutes away from Wall Street and it's one-third the price of Manhattan. Why not?" said Catsimatidis, the Gristedes supermarket magnate. Catsimatidis said his tentative plans are to build just shy of the 400-foot building-height limits, with retail on the first and second floors. 

Just across the street, BFC Development is hoping to break ground later this year on a roughly $200 million, 40-story residential and retail tower, by the architectural firm Skidmore Owings and Merrill, which designed the Freedom Tower. 

"It's going to be in the area of a billion dollars between all [these] projects," said Ron Hershco, who broke ground on his own luxury 35- and 40-story buildings on Gold Street. 


Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc.


----------



## TampaMike

krull said:


> *NEW DOWNTOWN B'KLYN 'HEIGHTS'
> FLATBUSH TOWERS*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Developer: Thor Equities
> Location: Albee Square West
> Use: Tentavtive plans for hotel, offices and condos
> Cost: Unknown
> Height: 60 stories *
> 
> 
> By PATRICK GALLAHUE
> July 24, 2006
> 
> Just call them the "Lords of Flatbush."
> 
> Developers are lining up to build Downtown Brooklyn's storied main drag into a billion-dollar thoroughfare.
> 
> *At least eight new construction projects are in the pipeline for a now-gritty three-block stretch of Flatbush Avenue between Tillary and Willoughby streets, just blocks from Bruce Ratner's $4.2 billion planned complex of residential and commercial towers around the new Nets basketball arena.*
> 
> "It'll be a completely new vista of Brooklyn when you come off the [Manhattan] Bridge," said Michael Burke, of the Downtown Brooklyn Council.
> 
> Among the projects being planned is a 60-story, multimillion-dollar hotel, office and condominium tower over a city-owned parking garage at Albee Square West, to be built by Thor Equities.
> 
> Down the block, on Myrtle Avenue, a $450 million pair of buildings - comprising a million square feet of space - are planned, according to John Catsimatidis, who will develop the projects.
> 
> "It's five minutes away from Wall Street and it's one-third the price of Manhattan. Why not?" said Catsimatidis, the Gristedes supermarket magnate. Catsimatidis said his tentative plans are to build just shy of the 400-foot building-height limits, with retail on the first and second floors.
> 
> Just across the street, BFC Development is hoping to break ground later this year on a roughly $200 million, 40-story residential and retail tower, by the architectural firm Skidmore Owings and Merrill, which designed the Freedom Tower.
> 
> "It's going to be in the area of a billion dollars between all [these] projects," said Ron Hershco, who broke ground on his own luxury 35- and 40-story buildings on Gold Street.
> 
> 
> Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc.


I really like it


----------



## krull

*Housing Advocates Take Count Of Vacant Lots In Manhattan*












July 23, 2006

In a city where real estate is at a premium, Manhattan's borough president wants to know just how many abandoned properties are in his borough. 

Scott Stringer, along with a group of 100 volunteers, scoured Manhattan yesterday to count the number of abandoned buildings and vacant lots in the borough. The street by street count will be used to identify places affordable housing could be built. 

"We don't know why, in a hot housing market, we have vacancies like this in this," said Stringer. "We don't know who owns these properties. Are they tax delinquent? Does the city own them? We want to know specifically, exactly what is going on with this borough." 

Similar counts in other cities have been successful. After Boston did a count, it was able to reduce the number of vacant lots and buildings by 43 percent. 


Copyright © 2006 NY1 News.


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## Phobos

FLATBUSH TOWERS has a very nice looking.


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## streetscapeer

Brooklyn's stepping up!!


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## TalB

Updates of one of the Ariel Bldgs from Curbed.


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## NewYork-wala

How can you guys not mention the new visual and performing arts library thats being built right next to Brooklyns Williamsburg bank, and right across from the proposed new Nets STADIUM! Im shocked!
Since im not sure how to post a pic, i will just offer a link...
Someone please upload the pic if you get the chance.









[img
http://www.brooklynpapers.com/html/issues/_vol29/29_01/29_01bplplan.jpg[/img]


----------



## JAB323

I like the New York Times building a lot.


----------



## JAB323

krull said:


> *NEW DOWNTOWN B'KLYN 'HEIGHTS'
> FLATBUSH TOWERS*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Developer: Thor Equities
> Location: Albee Square West
> Use: Tentavtive plans for hotel, offices and condos
> Cost: Unknown
> Height: 60 stories *
> 
> 
> By PATRICK GALLAHUE
> July 24, 2006
> 
> Just call them the "Lords of Flatbush."
> 
> Developers are lining up to build Downtown Brooklyn's storied main drag into a billion-dollar thoroughfare.
> 
> *At least eight new construction projects are in the pipeline for a now-gritty three-block stretch of Flatbush Avenue between Tillary and Willoughby streets, just blocks from Bruce Ratner's $4.2 billion planned complex of residential and commercial towers around the new Nets basketball arena.*
> 
> "It'll be a completely new vista of Brooklyn when you come off the [Manhattan] Bridge," said Michael Burke, of the Downtown Brooklyn Council.
> 
> Among the projects being planned is a 60-story, multimillion-dollar hotel, office and condominium tower over a city-owned parking garage at Albee Square West, to be built by Thor Equities.
> 
> Down the block, on Myrtle Avenue, a $450 million pair of buildings - comprising a million square feet of space - are planned, according to John Catsimatidis, who will develop the projects.
> 
> "It's five minutes away from Wall Street and it's one-third the price of Manhattan. Why not?" said Catsimatidis, the Gristedes supermarket magnate. Catsimatidis said his tentative plans are to build just shy of the 400-foot building-height limits, with retail on the first and second floors.
> 
> Just across the street, BFC Development is hoping to break ground later this year on a roughly $200 million, 40-story residential and retail tower, by the architectural firm Skidmore Owings and Merrill, which designed the Freedom Tower.
> 
> "It's going to be in the area of a billion dollars between all [these] projects," said Ron Hershco, who broke ground on his own luxury 35- and 40-story buildings on Gold Street.
> 
> 
> Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc.


That's sexy, and it's gonna be in Brooklyn Heights!? I guess thse will be some incredibley expensive penthouses.


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## Spooky873

all the boros are getting redone. the bronx is making a comeback. glad to see all the vacant lots get counted. more and more will be filled in the years ahead.


----------



## krull

*M.T.A. Slated M.T.A. Slated to Consider Railyard Bid* 


By THOMAS J. LUECK
Published: July 26, 2006

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board is expected today to consider New York City’s offer of $500 million for development rights to 26 acres of railyards on the Far West Side of Manhattan, the site of the city’s failed attempt last year to develop a football stadium for the Jets.

The authority, which received the latest offer this month in a letter from City Hall, has not brought it up for public discussion before any of the committees that advise its board, including those dealing with finance and real estate. Although the matter had not been included on a preliminary agenda of the authority’s board, which is to meet this morning, Tom Kelly, a spokesman for the authority , said yesterday that it would be discussed, but added that it was not known if the board would take action.

The prospect of such high-level discussion provoked heightened tensions yesterday over the city’s offer, which has been characterized by some critics as a low-ball bid for one of Manhattan’s largest and potentially most valuable development sites, between 10th to 12th Avenues from 30th to 33rd Streets. Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who is running for governor, has called the offer “grossly under market value.”

Others have urged caution. In a letter last week to Peter Kalikow, the authority’s chairman, Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union, the main transit union, and the Straphangers Campaign, a riders’ advocacy group, said that the authority would “look very bad if it turns on a dime and just swallows the proposal whole.’’

Gene Russianoff, staff lawyer for the Straphangers Campaign, said any action taken by the board today would deny the public sufficient warning or input since the city’s bid was not submitted to prior discussion at open meetings.

One option for the authority’s board is to give Mr. Kalikow authority to negotiate with the city. Mr. Kalikow, a real estate executive, said after the city’s $500 million bid was outlined in a letter from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn that his top priority was getting top dollar for the site “to support our ongoing enormous capital needs.”

Mr. Kelly declined further comment yesterday.


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


----------



## Audiomuse

Here uoi go wala.


----------



## krull

*Plans for Javits Center and Railyards Move Forward*


By DANNY HAKIM and THOMAS J. LUECK
Published: July 27, 2006

ALBANY, July 26 — City and state officials moved on two fronts Wednesday to jump-start the redevelopment of the Far West Side, a little more than a year after a failed effort to build a football stadium next to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. 

*In Albany, state officials approved a $1.7 billion expansion of the Javits Center, meaning that construction will probably begin this year.* The plan calls for a major expansion of the complex, which has been criticized as being too small since it opened its doors 20 years ago, and a facelift for a structure often viewed as an aesthetic calamity. *Earlier in the day, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board authorized its chairman and executive director to negotiate a deal in response to the city’s $500 million bid for 26 acres of railyards adjacent to the convention center.* 

Taken together, the actions moved the Bloomberg administration closer to realizing an alternative development plan for the Far West Side after the fierce battle over the previous proposal to redevelop the area around a new football stadium for the Jets. But some critics say the new plan is also flawed.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg hailed the vote. In a statement, he said, “The approved plan will double the current size of Javits and provide the city with the ability to host many more conventions, trade shows, exhibitions and special events.”

The current Javits Center, he added, was too small and meant that New York City had “missed its opportunity to capture its rightful share of the lucrative convention market.” 

The City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, said Wednesday that the project would mean thousands of permanent new jobs and tens of millions in new tax revenue. 

*The Javits Center plan calls for it to have the city’s largest ballroom; for the exhibition space to increase to 1.1 million square feet by 2010, from the current 760,000 square feet; and for a sevenfold increase in the square footage used for meeting rooms. A new hotel would also be part of the complex. 

The plan will be financed with $350 million from the state and $350 million from the city, $645 million from a new $1.50-a-night hotel tax, and $339 million from the sale of land between 11th and 12th Avenues for commercial development.* 

The Public Authorities Control Board unanimously approved the plan. Its three voting members include representatives of Gov. George E. Pataki and the Republican-led State Senate, as well as a representative of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat. Mr. Pataki said this would make Javits “an epicenter for the hospitality and tourism industry.”

Still, the expansion project has no shortage of critics, including Senator Charles E. Schumer, the local community board, and Freeman, the company in charge of a majority of the exhibitor services and expositions that moves shows in and out of the Javits Center. 

Last year, Governor Pataki removed the chairman of the Javits operating corporation, Robert E. Boyle, after he clashed with the administration over the plan. 

Among other things, critics have said that the plan expands the convention center upward instead of outward, making it more cumbersome and costly to move shows in and out. 

Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat who is running to succeed Mr. Pataki next year, was measured in his response on Wednesday. 

“I think everyone agrees that the current expansion plan is far from perfect,” Mr. Spitzer said in a statement, “but I think we should proceed with this expansion plan unless there is a consensus among the various participants that a better alternative is available.” 

Michael A. Petralia, the president of the New York Convention Center Development Corporation, said the plan had been modified in recent months to try to address some concerns. For example, a marshalling yard for trucks was moved to the north side of the complex from the south side. 

“By doing that, you’re able to add some more space,” Mr. Petralia said. “It doesn’t add to the overall amount of space; it adds to the contiguous space on the main floor, which for trade show people is very important.”

But John F. O’Connell Jr., the chief operating officer for Freeman, called the design “ill-conceived” in a recent interview and said that the decision to move the marshalling yard to a garage will drive up the cost of producing shows at the Javits Center, which is already among the most expensive sites in the country. 

As for the railyards, Peter S. Kalikow, the transportation authority chairman, said “a major portion of the city’s proposal appears intriguing.”

But some on the M.T.A. board said the city’s $500 million bid may be too low, citing a 2005 appraisal valuing the western part of the railyards at $923 million, assuming the site was prepared for development by building a deck over its former rail operations.

Mr. Kalikow expressed skepticism about bargaining for a significantly higher price. 

“Real money is always better than maybe money,” he said, adding that the city’s offer would move the authority closer to a goal of raising $1 billion for capital projects over the next five years. Mr. Kalikow said he and the authority’s executive director, Katherine N. Lapp, hoped to work out a memorandum of understanding with the city and present it to the board at its September meeting, or earlier if negotiations proceeded quickly.

*The railyards are on both sides of 11th Avenue, between 30th and 33rd Streets. The authority would retain ownership of the eastern section, where it plans to explore deals with private developers. *

A central element of the discussions, although not directly addressed in the city’s offer, is extension of the No. 7 subway line from Times Square to a new station at 11th Avenue and 34th Street. The new line has always been considered crucial to Far West Side development. The city had planned to pay $2 billion to build the line as part of its proposal to develop a football stadium.

Mr. Kalikow said Wednesday that the latest proposal by the city “allows us to firm up building” the No. 7 extension, suggesting the city would be required to build it. But several board members questioned whether the authority would be left with huge costs if the subway project ended up costing more than $2 billion.

A spokeswoman for the mayor, Jennifer Falk, would not specify how much the city would pay for the subway project. “That will be part of the negotiations,” she said.

Danny Hakim reported from Albany for this article and Thomas J. Lueck from Manhattan. Charles V. Bagli contributed reporting.


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


----------



## krull

macon4ever said:


> Here uoi go wala.


Thanks, I will add it to page 1.


----------



## krull

*Second Moinian tower on West 42nd Street will have 938 condo units *












27-JUL-06

Renderings of the second phase of The Moinian Group’s huge development on West 42nd Street east of 11th Avenue were publicized today on http://wirednewyork.com. 

Several posters on its discussion board on New York City real estate described a rendering of 605 West 42nd Street as two towers, one 57 stories and the other 54 stories, with a total of 938 condominiums. 

The rendering, however, appeared to indicate one tower and Daphne Viders, director of communications for The Moinian Group, confirmed for CityRealty.com this afternoon that the rendering depicts one, not two, towers. 

The new tower will rise just to the east of the Atelier, the first phase of the Moinian development. The 46-story Atelier was topped out this spring and has 478 condominium apartments. Its sleek blue-glass façade is punctuated by banded groups of different fenestration patterns that do not extend fully around the slab tower. 

The new building appears like two slabs: the shorter, southern slab has a pronounced grid fenestration pattern punctuated by four different windows bands that pay homage to the Atelier’s distinctive façade; the taller, northern slab, however, not only has a clear façade that is not distinctively gridded but also a roofline that slants upward from the west to the east, adding a new visual dynamic to the grouping, one whose slanted roofline hints to the midtown skyline and whose notched western ends thematically recall oceanliner bridge aesthetics. 

The developers purchased the project, which will be known as Atelier, in June from the J. D. Carlisle Development Group and CUBS 42nd Street LLC. 

The new building will include 375 parking spaces and about 200,000 square feet of retail space. 

Forty-Second Street west of Eighth Avenue has been undergoing a major transformation for many years, led by some off-off-Broadway theaters, then the twin apartment towers of the full-block Manhattan Plaza project, then Harry Macklowe’s Riverwest apartment tower followed by Larry Silverstein’s Riverplace tower overlooking the Hudson River. More recently, Extell is completing its very tall Orion apartment tower just to the west of the “Green Giant,” as the great, former McGraw-Hill Building designed by Raymond Hood is known. Two other apartment towers have been recently completed and there are two very large undevelopment parcels that are likely to be development in the not distant future. 

Meanwhile, the state has just approved a major expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is reexamining a proposal from the city to purchase its large amount of air rights over train tracks west of Penn Station, and the Times Tower on Eighth Avenue at 41st Street has been topped out recently – all of which adds up to a lot of real estate activity. 

While some observers have characterized the Moinian Group’s 42nd Street towers as flamboyant and colorful exercises in Miami style, it would be hard to not characterize them as “handsome” and “attractive,” much to the lament of some posters at wirednewyork.com who are convinced that CityRealty.com’s vocabulary is limited. 

There is always a shock in comparing renderings with finished products. What appears daring and bold in a drawing may be merely a carbuncle in some prince’s eye. 

Kondylis’s designs for Moinian on 42nd Street have a simple but stunning resonance where fine proportion and élan may outweigh detailing. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


----------



## krull

*Major Office Tower Would Radically Change Downtown
‘One Brooklyn Plaza’ Envisioned For Area West of Fulton Mall*


by Dennis Holt 
published online 07-28-2006

BROOKLYN — All the furor over the Atlantic Yards project has obscured the plans for high-rise Downtown development, closer to the established business district.

For example, there now exists the prospect that a new 32-story tower will radically alter the entrance to Fulton Mall, where Joralemon Street, Adams Street and Boerum Place come together, near the Transit Authority building. 

This new tower would not only change the skyline, but would have implications for the Fulton Mall shopping strip as well.

When the Downtown Brooklyn rezoning plan was being formulated, four sites were nominated for new office buildings. The sites were chosen because they were logical places for new buildings, although other sites were available.

No new buildings have yet been announced, but there has been speculation about at least two of the sites. One is at Willoughby Street and Flatbush Avenue, and a rendering has been published, showing what it might look like.

But another, recently found by this newspaper on the Internet, is perhaps even more dramatic, as shown in renderings and plans by Ehrenkrantz Ekstut & Kuhn, a major architectural firm. It has been known that a major Brooklyn developer has been formulating plans for the Boerum Place-Fulton Street-Livingstron Street area. So far, no definite announcement can be made, but the renderings suggest what may happen.

*The 32-story office building, if constructed, could just about complete the overhaul of the Boerum Place segment that links Atlantic Avenue to the entrance and exit of the Brooklyn Bridge along Adams Street. Already, the Brooklyn Law School residence hall and an apartment complex called Boulevard East have been completed in the area. Nearby, the former Board of Education building at 110 Livingston St. is being converted to residential use.*

The new structure, called 1 Brooklyn Plaza, would be totally dedicated to offices, with a major retail presence on the ground floor.

More stores are expected on the Adams Street side of the city-owned building at 345 Adams, which is largely vacant now.

Besides adding new commercial space to Downtown Brooklyn, the 1 Brooklyn Plaza project, if fully implemented, would significantly inject major new retail capacity where essentially none now exists. It also complements the major new apartment houses completed or under way within easy walking distance of this important site.

*It has to be noted that this is one concept: many different versions are indeed possible, as is the shape and height of the proposed office building.* 


© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2006


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## Spooky873

i like it.


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## Spooky873

seems like NYTimes is making a positive impact on buildings all over.


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## krull

^ I know, I though about the New York Times when I saw 'One Brooklyn Plaza.’

Anyway talking about the New York Times Tower... I saw it last night when I was on 42nd street (which I rarely do at nightime) and it just look so beautiful at night time. I believe the lights of 42nd street were reflecting light to the tower.  I think I will missed the way it looks before the office lights will light up from within.


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## NewYork-wala

macon4ever said:


> Here uoi go wala.


Thanks a lot... Appreciated.


----------



## Spooky873

krull said:


> ^ I know, I though about the New York Times when I saw 'One Brooklyn Plaza.’
> 
> Anyway talking about the New York Times Tower... I saw it last night when I was on 42nd street (which I rarely do at nightime) and it just look so beautiful at night time. I believe the lights of 42nd street were reflecting light to the tower.  I think I will missed the way it looks before the office lights will light up from within.



ive seen it too, it does look nice. i think when the offices are lit from within itll look better, especially since the glow of lights from txsq will hit the facade, should be a nice effect. we dont have much longer to wait now.


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## christian818

what happens if u guys drown because of global warming. the water is goin to start risin wat do u do. i dont know






































PS: Good thing u guys biuld tall buildings because u guys can just live on top of the buildings. LOL HEHE




*westside4life*


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## Indyman

Isnt that movie dramatizing the amount of flooding that would occur.


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## Spooky873

some shit is just too pretentious.


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## TroyBoy

Flooding would happen very slowly, inch per year and less, you can easily build a wall.


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## Indyman

And if there was a city to build a wall it would be New York.


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## christian818

u no what its called a joke gosh man and u never know there could be a ginormous tsunami duhhhhhhhhhh


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## Indyman

I know I just felt like being serious. lol


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## nygirl

christian818 said:


> what happens if u guys drown because of global warming. the water is goin to start risin wat do u do. i dont know
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PS: Good thing u guys biuld tall buildings because u guys can just live on top of the buildings. LOL HEHE
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *westside4life*



Thats fine, i personally can't wait till an earthquake sucks you guys all in. But hey, hehehehehehe. 
Screw jokes. That was straight up truth. 

Have fun with all your mudslides, earthquakes, heatwaves, rampant illegal immigration, and suffering snow cap.  A tsunami is probably more likely to hit you guys. Enjoy .


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## koolkid

^^ THE COCKYNESS!!
kool!
You tell him! Lets see if he can come up with a good comeback...

:crazy2:


----------



## koolkid

I actually like L.A though... :yes: :doh:


----------



## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_168/pinesinthesky.html
Volume 19 • Issue 11 | July 28- - August 3, 2006

*Pines in the sky for Tribeca project’s wealthiest tenants*

By Ronda Kaysen









_Rendering of the third-floor terrace at 101 Warren St._

he residents of 101 Warren St. will not need to trek upstate to enjoy pine trees — they’ll have a whole grove of them right outside their window.

The new luxury development currently under construction will come equipped with a bucolic grove of 101 Austrian pine trees set atop the building’s third floor terrace. The building’s sports center will open out on the grove, and all the residents in the 227 condo units will have access to the trees.

“There’s just the serenity and peacefulness of this grove,” said landscape architect Thomas Balsley. “The needles, the texture, the sound of the wind going through the pine trees above. It’s really an extraordinary experience, it’s almost religious. It’s one that would be transported to this roof as a gift to the residents of this building.”

The “gift” will be reserved for the condo residents only. The public and rental tenants in the building’s 163 rental units will not have access to the forest or any of the other amenities reserved for the condo residents.

“You’ll see the pines rising off from the roof, but you will probably have to go across the street to see them,” said Balsley.

In 2005, the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. set aside $15 million in Community Development Block Grants for 77 units of affordable rental housing at the lot, formerly called Site 5B. “They will have their own amenity rooms in the rental building,” Jeffrey Sussman, executive vice president for the developer, Edward J. Minskoff Equities, Inc., said in an e-mail. Rental tenants will have a separate fitness room and lounge and a different address: 89 Murray St.

The 1 million sq. ft. development has no public plaza, either. “The rental building was the giveback for the community,” Lawrence Kruysman, Sunshine Group’s director of sales for the property, told Downtown Express.

The Skidmore, Ownings & Merrill-designed building will open at the end of 2007 and already, buyers are grabbing at the luxury abodes, which range from $1.2 million for a one bedroom apartment to a whopping $16 million for a five-bedroom 34th and 35th floor duplex. Nearly 50 percent of the units have sold since they hit the market in April. “Sales have been great,” said Kruysman.

Promotional materials boast a Whole Foods Market, a sports center and the building’s proximity to P.S. 234, “the city’s top ranked public school.”

A promotional video shows a future Tribeca family—equipped with a handsome couple, their two curly-topped young children and miniature dogs—reveling in their sleek, modernist abode.

Current Tribeca residents have long complained that 234, which is currently at 120 percent capacity, will be further squeezed by the new residential developments in the neighborhood.

[email protected]


----------



## Stradivari9

Wonderful job. I have to admit that these renderings/pictures are very interesting, but most of them don't look futuristic, they look banal to say the least. Most of them remainded me of the Art Deco times. This is nothing compared to Shangai or Dubai. And for those who still claim NYC as the skyscraper king, sorry... NYC is lossing the title.


----------



## krull

*Chelsea's Sixth Avenue completes shift to high-rise row
Last remaining parcels getting filled in with housing as flower and flea market retailers recede*










*The Chelsea Landmark rising 
at 55 West 25th Street*


By Gabby Warshawer
August 2006 Issue

As Manhattan real estate values transform every last corner of the island into a haven of high-priced housing, another down-at-the-heels area has joined the ranks of unlikely hot neighborhoods.

Sixth Avenue between 24th and 31st streets is the locus of frenzied construction, as a former enclave of flower and flea markets becomes a high-rise residential corridor with thousands of new luxury condo and rental units. Less than a decade ago, several parking garages and an accumulation of low-lying buildings fronted by wholesale businesses dominated the neighborhood, and the Chelsea Flea Market was a weekend fixture attracting droves of bargain hunters.

Now many of the flower sellers have been forced or priced out of their storefronts and are largely relegated to 28th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues. After 29 years in the neighborhood, the Chelsea Flea Market relocated to Hell's Kitchen last year.

Developers are quick to tout the extent of the transformation.

"To imagine what it's going to look like in five years, all you need to do is go back six years and double it," said Jules Demchick, president of JD Carlisle Development Corporation, which is building a 46-story tower on Sixth Avenue between 29th and 30th streets. "It's going to be a vibrant residential neighborhood."

From a residential developer's perspective, the area is ideal. It's close to the 34th Street transit hub and to Midtown office buildings, and surrounded by Chelsea's retail and dining establishments.

The seven-block expanse may have been ripe for building, but it saw no significant residential development until the late 1990s. A 1995 rezoning changed the area's designation from a manufacturing district to allow high-density residential and commercial structures. Developers could build on these blocks, and build high.

*Today, there are five rental towers along the stretch, all of which have gone up since 2000. Three construction plots dot the streets, the future sites of one rental tower, Rose Associates' Chelsea Landmark at 55 West 25th Street, and two condo towers, Adellco's the Remy at 101 West 28th Street and LCOR's yet-to-be-named building at 101 West 24th Street.

Meanwhile, groundbreaking is imminent on two other sites. The JD Carlisle development between 29th and 30th streets will be a hotel with condo units starting at the 20th floor. On the next block, Herald Square Development recently purchased all the parcels on the west side of the avenue between 30th and 31st streets for redevelopment.*

The new developments will satisfy some of the demand for housing in central Manhattan, filling a need that is stymied in neighboring prime Chelsea and the Ladies' Mile district by height restrictions on residential projects.

On the other hand, the towers threaten to obliterate the neighborhood's unique character. In the rental towers that have gone up since 2000, chain stores like CVS and Starbucks, as well as several bank branches, have filled the ground-floor retail spaces.

The Flower Market, which has been in the neighborhood since the 1890s, has lost dozens of flower sellers to evictions and rising rents since the residential development began (see below).

"I think it's really sad that the city is letting the wholesale district be crushed," said Cordelia Persen, executive director of the Flower Market Association. "On the other hand, it makes sense, because this should be a residential neighborhood."

On the northern end of the district, several wholesale apparel and jewelry stores serving the Garment District are also likely to be forced out by new developments.

"Anyone who thinks they've been living in this outpost district with a cool little store underneath them that they never shop at, that's going to go," said Richard Hamilton, senior vice president at Halstead Property. "I see the neighborhood ending up a little bit like that area between 23rd and 30th streets on the far East Side that's not quite Gramercy and not quite Murray Hill. It has a large number of buildings and is short on the cutesy."

According to developers and brokers, because most of the new buildings going up are condos, residents will stay in the neighborhood longer than they typically do in the existing rental towers.

"The rents in those buildings are so high that I think people are going to choose to buy," said Kevin Kurland, president of Kurland Realty. "I think it's going to make it more of a long-term neighborhood." Kurland said he expects the condos to sell for $900 to $1,200 a square foot.

LCOR's 37-story tower at 101 West 24th Street will be the first completed condo development. Construction will be finished by late 2007, and the building will be Chelsea's tallest.

"We felt it was time to have an ownership property in the neighborhood," said David Sigman, senior vice president at LCOR. "Our target audience is the people already living in the corridor."

Sigman said the changing face of retail along Sixth Avenue was a natural outgrowth of the rezoning, and that there would be a respite area for small businesses along side streets since developers can't build as high there. Persen of the Flower Market Association said that with the exception of the Remy -- which will be a glass tower composed of interlocking squares designed by Costas Kondylis -- "they're building modern, uninteresting monstrosities.

"It's extremely complicated," she said, "but I wish it was easier to preserve neighborhoods in New York without having to turn them into museums, like Greenwich Village."


*Once blooming Flower Market fading*


Flower sellers set up shop between 26th and 29th streets in the 1890s because of the area's proximity to the Ladies' Mile stores and the one-time Tenderloin District's restaurants, clubs and theaters. The Flower Market thrived there until the 1970s, when some sellers started relocating to the suburbs.

After the 1995 rezoning, though, the market started shrinking at a faster pace, and over the past 10 years most of the sellers on Sixth Avenue have been forced out of their storefronts.

"If you look at the revenue condo buildings bring to the city, we bring a lot less," said Richard Walker, who has been selling flowers in the district for over 20 years and is the co-owner of Foliage Garden at 120 West 28th Street. "But the city is going to regret tossing the market aside."

Plans to move the Flower Market to another neighborhood have been discussed for years but are currently on the back burner due to a lack of consensus among the merchants.

Aside from rent hikes and evictions, the shift to residential has also detrimentally impacted the flower sellers because it has led to an uptick in parking tickets, driving customers away and making it difficult for truckers to make late-night deliveries without getting fined, said Cordelia Persen, executive director of the Flower Market Association.


Copyright © 2003-2005 The Real Deal.


----------



## krull

*Titan of Tenements Stakes Out West Side* 










*Michael Bloomberg would have liked to see a 
development centered on an Olympic stadium 
at the West Side rail yards, but rising real-estate 
mogul Baruch Singer likely has other plans. 
*


By: Matthew Schuerman
Date: 8/7/2006 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg failed to bring the Jets to the West Side. And now it looks like there’s little he can do to stop a controversial landlord from moving there instead.

Baruch Singer, who owns dozens of tenement buildings in the city’s poorer neighborhoods, has spent $61.7 million dollars with his partners on five lots on or near 11th Avenue since last December, including a warehouse formerly used by the artist Robert Rauschenberg. 

The transactions are filed in the city’s online property database under official-sounding names such as Hudson Yards L.L.C. or Javits Center Development L.L.C., but they can be traced back to Mr. Singer’s company, Triangle Management, at 95 Delancey Street.

Mr. Singer is best known as the owner of a Harlem apartment building that partially collapsed in 1995, tipping sleeping residents from their beds into a pile of bricks and killing three people. 

He had also tried to buy the massive Greenpoint Terminal Market just months before the 19th-century warehouse complex went up in flames in May. 

In neither case was he charged with any wrongdoing. But Mr. Singer’s storied history as an owner is still troubling city officials, sources said.

In one case, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development tried to prevent him from bidding on one of its properties in Harlem, although Mr. Singer’s lawyer, David Jaroslawicz, said that H.U.D. later reversed its decision.

*The West Side purchases imply that Mr. Singer is entering the second phase of a well-worn trajectory in real estate: going upscale and moving from residential ownership into office development.* 

The recently purchased lots are located in the 40-block area that was rezoned last year to make way for a major new residential and commercial district just west of midtown, dubbed Hudson Yards.

*The placement of the purchases suggest that Mr. Singer is assembling adjoining lots to create at least two office towers, one between 36th and 37th streets and the other on the block to the north. The new zoning permits construction with a base floor-to-area ratio (F.A.R.) of 10, increasing to 21.6 if Mr. Singer purchases development rights from nearby property owners and the city. Only a small portion of the buildings, which could reach about 40 stories high with that F.A.R., can be residential.*

The rezoning is one of the remnants of Mayor Bloomberg’s once-grand plan that included a new stadium for the 2012 Olympics and the Jets football team a few blocks to the south of Mr. Singer’s holdings. Across 11th Avenue, the state is going ahead with a $1.7 billion expansion of the Javits Convention Center.

And Mr. Singer has probably got the liquidity to take advantage of all that and become an office-building mogul.

He reportedly sold dozens of his apartment buildings last year to the Pinnacle Group, although he retained a minority share. This spring, he was down to 58 buildings, but has since purchased a number more and now owns 86 buildings which together have 4,565 outstanding housing violations, according to the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The violations may have predated Mr. Singer’s ownership, however, and may have been cured without the owner having notified the city housing department.

Mr. Singer didn’t respond to interview requests placed by phone and in person at his Lower East Side office. 

A partner listed on one of the deeds, David Galanter, and a lawyer involved in two of the purchases, Kevin Vernick, also did not return telephone messages. 

Mr. Jaroslawicz said through an assistant, “He is always buying and selling, since he is in real estate.”

*Of course, Hudson Yards will only become attractive to commercial-office tenants once the No. 7 subway line is extended west along 41st Street and then south to 34th Street, an extension that is currently scheduled for 2012—which means that any building on the property is likely years away from materializing.*

Mr. Singer may simply be speculating, purchasing property at prices ranging from $124 to $295 per base zoning square foot, only to sell them later at a profit. The lots he has purchased represent just a smattering of the property that he would need to assemble a footprint large enough for a Class A office building.

An incentive program proposed by the city last week to encourage development of the new Hudson Yards would cut property taxes on new buildings on Mr. Singer’s lots by as much as 40 percent for the first four years after construction. The tax abatements would gradually recede in subsequent years.

Rachaele Raynoff, spokeswoman for the Department of City Planning, told The Observer that representatives from Hudson Yards L.L.C. had inquired about the mechanism by which the city is selling extra development rights on the Far West Side, but they didn’t discuss their plans, she said. The development rights are selling for $106.48 per square foot.

City housing officials said that there was nothing stopping Mr. Singer’s foray into commercial development so long as he found banks willing to finance his purchases. 

City records show that Mr. Singer is relying at least partially on Fortress Credit Corporation, a private equity firm in Manhattan.

The blocks where he is getting a foothold are now populated by warehouses, a stable for Central Park carriages and parking lots that serve visitors to the Javits Center. One of the properties, a 4,937-square-foot lot at 544 West 38th Street, includes a nondescript three-story brick warehouse that had been used by Mr. Rauschenberg since 1993 as storage for art works, according to a representative from the artist’s studio. Mr. Rauschenberg, who has long lived and worked in Florida, bought it for $875,000 and sold it for $8.575 million.

Three other lots that Mr. Singer purchased along 37th and 38th streets are occupied by warehouses formerly owned by a family business, Astra Spinning Mills, that once stored textiles in them. The lots, totaling 12,343 square feet, according to city records, went for $24 million.

Another property, a 9,875-square foot lot at the corner of 37th Street and 11th Avenue that is now occupied by three taxi repair shops, went for $29.13 million.

The remaining property owners say that they’ve been approached by a variety of developers since the rezoning, although they added that they wouldn’t know if Mr. Singer was one of them, since developers often employ representatives to mask their identities. 

“The first condition is that they help me relocate, and after that we can talk about price,” said Cornelius Byrne, the owner of Central Park Carriages on West 37th Street. “So far, no one has done that.”


copyright © 2005 the new york observer, L.P.


----------



## koolkid

^^Thanks for the updates.


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## LeCom

krull said:


> *Chelsea's Sixth Avenue completes shift to high-rise row
> Last remaining parcels getting filled in with housing as flower and flea market retailers recede*
> 
> Copyright © 2003-2005 The Real Deal.


This is the one instance of gentrification/highrise construction that I lament. That stretch of 6th used to be one of the most unique and mysterious locations in Manhattan. Now just another bland stretch of uninspired midrises.

I happen to like pretty much all skyscraper development in the city and will often be the first to tell a nimby off, but the line has to be drawn somewhere.


----------



## LeCom

christian818 said:


> what happens if u guys drown because of global warming. the water is goin to start risin wat do u do. i dont know


I got a disaster plan. I'll shit myself and think "damnit, what to do".

However, I may be relatively well off as I work on the 23rd floor and live pretty far inland in Jersey, behind the high cliffs of the Hudson Palisades.


----------



## krull

*MARKET SHARE *
*YOUNG FAMILIES ARE INVESTING THEIR FUTURE IN THE FINANICAL DISTRICT*










*FAMILY FORTUNE: David and Charis Cooper and son 
Max bought at 150 Nassau. 
*


By GABRIEL BELL 
August 3, 2006

Stockbrokers, bankers and bulls - these are what the Financial District is known for. But babies? 

"When I told people I was moving here, they asked, 'Why?'" says expectant mother Dr. Sonni Mun, who like many others, found a number of reasons to make her home among Wall Street's skyscrapers. "The views are amazing," she says, "and it's so quiet at night." 

Yes, a hush does fall over the Financial District when the weekday suits depart its narrow alleys and head back to the burbs. But the residential market near New York's economic heart is anything but quiet. A decade after Mayor Giuliani initiated a massive financial redevelopment scheme, Manhattan's oldest neighborhood has evolved into its latest success. 

Dr. Mun, who recently transitioned from full-time work at Mt. Sinai Hospital to full-time motherhood, and her husband, lawyer Jeff Fourmaux, are typical Wall Street newcomers: mid-30s professionals taking advantage of Liberty Bonds and post-9/11 tax abatements to buy into one of the hundreds of new condo properties and office-space conversions. In Mun's case, the discounts made her brand-new two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,475-square-foot apartment in Nassau Street's revamped Croft Building a relative bargain at $1.3 million. "We're absolutely happy here," she says. "We could stay indefinitely." 

Like Mun, it seems the area's rookie tenants have instantly become as much a part of the local landscape as Bowling Green's "Charging Bull" statue. In fact, a recent survey commissioned by the Downtown Alliance finds that 60 percent of the new arrivals intend to remain among its European-styled streets. Says Pierre Moran, a top agent with DJK Residential and a former local, "the area has gone from basically nothing on the residential side to becoming a vibrant place to live." 


*A BUILDING BOOM* 

Few predicted such dramatic changes when local commercial occupancy nose-dived in the 1990s. As with all investing, though, a few saw prospects amid the losses. "I told my colleagues it was going to be a gold mine," says Michael Hepinstall, a sales associate at DJK Residential. "While residential people saw an opportunity, commercial people were sitting on their hands. Loans helped developers and it trickled down from there." 

Indeed, in the years since the terror attacks, aggressive building and selling has increased residency twofold. 

*At the start of this decade, the ancient alleys east of Broadway between Park Row and the Battery housed 19,000 souls. While that sounds like an impressive number, current projections suggest that the local population will soon reach 65,000 - a boom so far unmatched in Manhattan.* 

It's not just the numbers that are speaking loudly. High-profile developments like the Cipriani Club Residences at 55 Wall St. (home to Naomi Campbell and Harvey Weinstein), 20 Pine (with interiors by Armani), Philippe Starck's dramatic redesign of the former JP Morgan building at 15 Broad St. and the restored 90 West St. have earned the attention of New York's elite. "A few years ago," says Hepinstall, "it was difficult to convince individuals to go to the area. Now it's in great demand." 

And while those with extra scratch can regularly enjoy expensive eateries (Bayard's, Haru Sushi, Bobby Van's Steakhouse) and the gaggle of forthcoming luxury retail choices (HermŠs, Tiffany & Co.), for the average resident, it doesn't help that it's easier to buy a string of pearls than a carton of milk. 

Former area resident Barrie Mandel, senior vice president of the Corcoran Group and in charge of sales for the new South Star condos on John Street, remembers the lack of staple amenities. "It wasn't convenient for everyday necessities like groceries or drugstores. Those things were there, you just needed to discover them - you felt like you had a secret." 

While options have improved, today's tenants are demanding more. A Downtown Alliance survey indicates local retail options failed to meet the standards of 45 percent of residents. Also, 40 percent of those polled cited the lack of retail choices as a reason to move. Measured against the fact that 70 percent do their day-to-day shopping in the area, it suggests there's a need for retail diversity rather than upscale stores - something the new BMW and Hickey Freeman shops don't address. 

Nonetheless, change abounds. For the gourmet, there's the South Street Seaport greenmarket, Zeytuna on William Street, Bell Bates on Reade and a Whole Foods planned for TriBeCa. There's also a spate of everyday restaurants and bars, such as Bin No. 220 on Front Street and the soon-to-open Table Tales Café on Water. 

Says Chris Bossert, 24, of Hanover Square, "There are great restaurants here and you don't have to wait two hours to get in." 

Other top-flight amenities include the Crunch Gym in Broadway's old Cunard Building and Pasanella and Son Vintners on South Street. There's the recently opened Claremont Preparatory School. And the multiple subway lines make getting around the city easy. 

"Creating a community and enhancing services is a challenge," says Joe Lombardo, an agent at Manhattan Apartments Inc. "Many people still view the District as being offices and happy-hour bars." 

As Zohra Atash, 25, found out after she moved into her Maiden Lane apartment, there's a reason that Wall Street's 9-to-5 reputation persists. "I spent most of the time exploring and looking for at least one 24-hour deli or diner," she says. "I didn't have much luck." 


*A FAMILY AFFAIR *

Atash's luck is likely to change as more families arrive. Already, the Maclarens and Bugaboo strollers on the sidewalks are transforming this Type A hood into a family community. 

Just ask management consultant and Nassau Street condo owner David Cooper. "My wife, Charis, got involved with two mother's groups nearby shortly after the birth of our son, Max, two years ago. We now have five to 10 couples with whom we are close friends and have kids his age." He says what first attracted them to the area was "a palpable sense that things were going to change for the better." 

But not everyone views the stunning renaissance on Wall Street in the same way. Politicians and private citizens alike have observed that the economic incentives created to rebuild downtown after 9/11 have assisted primarily in the construction of upper-income housing. *According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the median household income for the area is $87,000, or about twice the average New York City salary, so it's not surprising that the vast majority of new listings fall into the "luxury" category.* 

*Still, according to figures from Prudential Douglas Elliman, the average rent in the Financial District for 2005 was around $2,600 a month - well below the Manhattan average of $3,191.* Moreover, some future openings - including the Historic Front Street project abutting Peck Slip, and 15 William St. - contain set-asides for affordable housing. 

Whatever one's opinion for this re-imagined Wall Street, the building can only continue for so long and, considering the constant 95 percent residential occupancy rate and the upcoming end of funding programs, investors - so to speak - may have little time left to buy in on the ground floor. Though still bullish on the Financial, Mandel cautions, "as the schools, parks and shopping improve, people are going to wonder why they didn't come when prices were lower." 


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Trading places*
Even though Wall Street favors the tycoon who is in business to buy, there are still plenty of blue-chip properties available for the savvy renter. 

*130 Water St.:* Newly converted 2-BR with granite kitchen countertops in a doorman building, $3,150/mo. Available Sept. 1. Agent: Richard N. Rothbloom, Brown Harris Stevens, (212) 452-4485. 

*10 Hanover Square: *2-BR, 2-bath penthouse duplex with terrace; building has fitness center and roof deck, $6,100/mo. Available now. Agent: Alexander Acevedo, Citi Habitats, (212) 619-1212. 

*15 Broad St. (Downtown by Philippe Starck): *1-BR with private terrace, full health center, Jenn-Air and Bosch applicances, $4,000/mo. Available now. Agent: Yuri Lobachevsky, Citi Habitats, (212) 619-1212. 

*41 John St.: *1-BR/flex-2, 1,111 square feet, marble bath, $4,250/mo. Available September. Agent: Martin Rowan, (212) 206-6044, Times Equities Inc. 

*220 Front St.: *2-BR, 2-bath with beamed ceilings and brick walls in 18th-century building near South Street Seaport, $5,800. Available Aug. 15. Historic Front Street rental office, (212) 566-2780. 


Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc.


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## LeCom

7 WTC is gaining fame fast.

"Law and Order" is being filmed in front of the building at this very moment


----------



## krull

*Far West Side Development Critics Line Up*


BY DAVID LOMBINO - Staff Reporter of the Sun
August 3, 2006

At a hearing scheduled for today, critics will try to poke holes in the city's plan to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks to help develop a new office district on the far West Side of Manhattan.

The Bloomberg administration says Midtown is full and the incentives are needed to draw office developers into the area, now a low-rise expanse stretching from about Eighth to Eleventh avenues and from 31st to 43rd streets.

Critics, who include fiscal watchdog groups, say improving the area's transportation by extending the no. 7 subway line and the recent rezoning of the neighborhood should be enough to entice developers to the far West Side.

A development consultant, Brian Hatch, said the city's economy was strong enough to avoid handing out tax breaks.

"They say there is no place left to build in Midtown, but they need to give massive subsidies to get this thing going? That doesn't make sense," Mr. Hatch said.

"What we have is a demand side problem, not supply side. As soon as there is a tenant that wants to build, bang, they will find a site," he said.

*The rents in the area, the city suspects, will be 20% to 25% lower than Midtown, but construction costs will be the same, making it less profitable to build. City Hall says the incentives will help direct $17.2 billion in private sector investment to the area through 2035, 24 million square feet of office space, thousands of apartments, 225,000 new permanent jobs, and 217,000 construction jobs.*

Last June, Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver killed Mayor Bloomberg's vision for a West Side stadium in the Hudson Yards district, saying that it would compete against the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan, which is contained in the speaker's district.

Yesterday, a spokesman for Mr. Silver, Charles Carrier, said the speaker had similar concerns over the Hudson Yards tax breaks. "We have a concern that the depth of the subsidies not place a greater advantage to development on the West Side than in Lower Manhattan," Mr. Carrier said.

Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff said tax incentives are common in most new commercial buildings across the city, and that the level of Hudson Yards incentives was justified to attract the "pioneer" developers who venture into the far West Side. He noted that the tax incentives were roughly half as big as those designed to boost redevelopment around the former World Trade Center site.

"The first movers are not exactly moving into the heart of Midtown," Mr. Doctoroff said. "We feel that that makes it appropriate to give them some benefit."

Today's public hearing in front of the city's Industrial Development Agency is largely a formality since the agency is expected to approve an amendment that will allow the tax breaks on Tuesday. The City Council approved the Hudson Yards plan in October.

Critics say the tax breaks are meant to accelerate the development of the area to help float what they call a highly ambitious and speculative financing plan by the city.

*Developers in the Hudson Yards district, instead of paying property taxes and mortgage recording taxes to the city's general fund, will give payments in lieu of taxes to a city-created corporation. The corporation will use that money to pay down debt on about $3 billion in bonds it hopes to issue this fall. The proceeds from the bond sale will be used to pay for the extension of the no. 7 subway line, as well as other area improvements like parks and new streets.The city will pay the debt service on the bonds for about three years, but if the project is a total failure, the loss will be borne by the bondholders.*

A contributing editor of City Journal, Nicole Gelinas, who specializes in municipal finance, questioned whether the bonds would be attractive to investors.

"They are basically taking on all of the risk of speculative development," Ms. Gelinas said.

Proponents of the city's financing plan say an extra tax incentive is necessary to offset the added cost of building in the Hudson Yards district. Based on the city's rezoning of the area, developers have to pay a fee to use the expanded air rights.

The president of the Partnership for New York City, Kathryn Wylde, said there is "some nervousness" that the extra costs for the expanded air rights would have "a chilling effect" on demand to build in the area. "That is balanced out by a discount" on property taxes, she said.


© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## AndySocks

krull said:


> Critics, who include fiscal watchdog groups, say improving the area's transportation by extending the no. 7 subway line and the recent rezoning of the neighborhood should be enough to entice developers to the far West Side.


Dream on, watchdog groups, dream on.


----------



## AndySocks

TalB said:


> The new luxury development currently under construction will come equipped with a bucolic grove of 101 Austrian pine trees set atop the building’s third floor terrace. The building’s sports center will open out on the grove, and all the residents in the 227 condo units will have access to the trees.


ARCOLOGY!


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## Nout

Wow! All project together in a 'imagine-skyline' would make a complete new city a impressive skyline! Nice and unbelievable!


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## hkskyline

*10 West End Avenue*


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## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_169/towerloomingaslaw.html
Volume 19 • Issue 12 | August 4 - 10, 2006

*Tower looming as law school breaks library ground in Tribeca*

By Ronda Kaysen









_New York Law School just broke ground on its new library on Leonard St. and W. Broadway. The school released this rendering of what the new building will look like. With the sale of its Mendik Library, neighbors worry about the size of the building being planned at the old library site._

New York Law School sold its Tribeca library building, making way for a new high-rise residential tower and shoring up its endowment, now one of the 10 largest in the country.

The school sold the Mendik Library site on Church and Leonard Sts. in June to the Alexico Group, a development and management company known for building luxury residential towers and hotels around the city. The proceeds from the sale — estimated at about $140 million, according to the New York Post— and the sale of $135 million in triple-tax free bonds from the city filled the law school’s coffers. Its endowment is now worth about $190 million, rivaling the nation’s best-endowed law schools including Harvard, Yale, Columbia and New York University.

“It’s a very elite category,” Richard Matasar, dean of the 1,400-student Tribeca law school, said in a telephone interview. “Endowments signify that the school has reached a certain stature.”

Flush with the newfound funds, the school broke ground on a new nine-story library and classroom building to rise on the site of a Leonard St. parking lot and a former residential building at 54 Leonard St. The new 200,000 sq. ft. glass-enclosed building, designed by the SmithGroup, will rise five stories above ground and have four stories below grade, and include a cafeteria, auditorium, classrooms and a new library. The school also plans to finish renovating existing buildings by 2010.

But the development that will most dramatically impact the neighborhood will be the new 240 Church St. tower, a 306,000 sq. ft. luxury residential building developed by Izak Senbahar and Simon Elias of Alexico.

The team has developed several luxury projects in recent years, including the Alex Hotel in Midtown. The two recently developed 165 Charles St., a 16-story residential condo designed by Richard Meier. That West Village tower with Hudson River views was lauded by the architectural community, but evoked the ire of local residents who insisted that it and two other nearby Meier buildings changed the character of the neighborhood and cut the area off from the waterfront. Alexico is currently at work on a 30-story luxury tower on the Upper East Side designed by Costas Kondylis.

The Mendik sale has been the subject of speculation since the school first announced last summer that the parcel was on the market. Last fall, a deal with Tishman Speyer Properties fell through and since then the school has been mostly silent about who might buy the property and what a potential buyer might develop there. Even after the sale, school officials declined to say who purchased the building and for how much, despite the information being a matter of public record.

“My responsibility is to generate the resources we need to be able to exist into the future,” said Matasar. “You have to have a process where a potential buyer feels they can have a confidential conversation.”

Some neighbors have voiced outrage at the possibility of a high-rise tower landing in their sleepy, Tribeca neighborhood, worrying that a new influx of residents will further burden an already strained public school system. The neighborhood’s only zoned elementary school, P.S. 234, is already at 120 percent capacity.

The area is mostly zoned for low-rise buildings, with heights capped at 120 feet. But the Mendik site has much looser zoning restrictions. A developer could build a 306,000 sq. ft. tower on the 12,500 sq. ft. parcel, an equation that could translate to a 50-story building, some speculate.

“Whatever beef that exists is a beef with the zoning laws of New York City,” said Matasar, noting that the sale is “as-of-right,” or within the zoning laws. “We should be able to maximize the value of our property.”

Community Board 1, which represents the neighborhood, often struggles with developers to reduce the scale of new developments. But in this case, the board has taken a quieter approach, arguing that it has little room to influence a development that will not need to go through any kind of public review process.

“We are not pleased about this at all, but the decision was made years ago to rezone that area… and put the large buildings along Church St. and that leaves us in a very unfortunate situation,” said Julie Menin, C.B. 1 chairperson. The neighborhood’s efforts would be better spent fighting for more public schools to absorb all the new children in the neighborhood, she added.

Not everyone agrees that the options are so limited on an as-of-right development. Former C.B. 1 chairperson Madelyn Wils insists that developers can be influenced and she has organized a group of Leonard St. residents to fight the development.

“When I was chair of the [community] board, I had my head to the ground and I generally knew which developers were being talked to,” she said. “Many times I talked to the developers and I warned them. I tried to take a more proactive approach to it. It’s just a matter of style.”

The law school could have been pressured to restrict the terms of its sale because its endowment was enriched with $135 million in public bonds, said Wils. “Given that the public is basically endowing New York Law School… it seems to me they’re taking advantage of the community,” she said.

In 1995, Wils chaired the C.B. 1 committee that worked to rezone the neighborhood. Wils said the school was exempt from the zoning restrictions with the idea that it might one day grow, not so that it could sell off its property to become one of the wealthiest schools in the country. “This isn’t expanding the law school in the spirit of what was given,” she said.

Wils and others in the group of residents started a fundraising campaign and has met with City Councilmember Alan Gerson to discuss their options. Now that the building is sold and the buyer is known, “we can come up with real strategy,” said Leonard St. resident Antonio Convit.

“We are going to explore different avenues of leverage to keep the height to a scale that comports with the community,” said Gerson. “Ultimately, I think they would recognize that with all else being equal, people will want to come in and live in a place where they’re welcome, not where they’re viewed as denigrating a community.”

Alexico will meet with the community board in the fall to discuss its development plans. Senbahar of Alexico did not return a call for comment.

The law school has no plans to further develop the Tribeca campus once the new addition is complete. They will however, continue to look for dormitory space. Last year, the school leased a 13-story East Village dorm, which was a resounding success with students. “It turns out the East Village is more the taste of young people,” said Matasar. “It turns out we’re a bunch of old farts.”

[email protected]


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## treboy

NYC construction projects are coming more and more I imagine. 
Skyscrapers would be built outer borough to turn into Manhattan in due course.


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## krull

*34th St. next 'It' neighborhood
Moynihan Station drives surge in values, high-end projects; bye-bye, schlocky stores *


by Julie Satow 
Published on August 07, 2006 

For 20 years, Alex Adjmi has owned four small buildings on West 34th Street across from Madison Square Garden. Just a few months ago, however, the landlord began preparing to oust the discount stores and the Regency Inn to erect an upscale hotel or rental tower.

"The properties have become so valuable, and we want to maximize that," Mr. Adjmi says. 

As plans for the new Moynihan Station move forward, developers are betting that West 34th Street will be transformed into a tourist and business destination rivaling Times Square. Next door to Mr. Adjmi, owner Andrew Borrok is smartening up the dowdy 14 Penn Plaza. Further east, real estate investment trust SL Green has acquired four run-down buildings and intends a ground-up redevelopment, including state-of-the-art retail space. Rents are already creeping up. 

"Forty-Second Street is a major cross street where almost every big name developer owns a site," says David Noonan, a senior managing director at Newmark Knight Frank. "The same thing is on the verge of happening on 34th Street." 

Like its uptown neighbor, the Herald Square area is full of office workers--about 300,000--and has a web of transportation lines and tourist destinations, including Macy's and the Empire State Building. Tacky discount shops that have been fixtures on the blocks east and west of Macy's are getting pushed out by higher-end stores. Last year, Borders and Kay Jewelers moved in. They followed trendy clothier H&M, which has two stores on the street, and Victoria's Secret, which started the retail momentum in 2002. 

The proposed Moynihan Station--named for late New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who championed the project--is helping to spur the change. Vornado Realty Trust, which owns 7 million square feet of real estate around Madison Square Garden, and The Related Companies have been chosen to expand Pennsylvania Station under Eighth Avenue and into the James A. Farley Post Office to create the station. The project may also include moving the Garden further west and building a commercial complex atop Penn Station. Final approvals are expected in the fall. 


*Drastically different look *


*"Over the next 12 months, you'll see Vornado begin developing their sites, and with the new train station, this area will look drastically different," says Michael Liss, a senior associate at brokerage Trammel Crow Co.*

The office market has begun to reflect these changes. Asking rents at 14 Penn Plaza have jumped 25% in the past year, to $40 a square foot, far outpacing the overall midtown office market, which rose 5% in the period. The occupancy rate at the 550,000-square-foot building has gone to 98% from 92% two years ago. Mr. Borrok has renovated the lobby, replaced the elevators and hired Swanke Hayden Connell Architects to redesign the storefronts. 

"We have seen dramatic changes along 34th street," Mr. Borrok says.

Retail is also booming. Apple Computer recently signed a deal for a 20,000-square-foot store in one of the vacant buildings acquired by SL Green and landlord Jeff Sutton. Asking rent for the space tops $500 a square foot, far above the area average of $400, says Robert Futterman, president of retail brokerage Robert K. Futterman & Associates.

"Retail is leading the way with new, high-level tenants and escalating rents," says Douglas Harmon, a managing director at Eastdil Secured. 


*Walking on air* 


Retail is only part of SL Green's strategy. *The company is considering using the air rights from its low-story buildings on West 34th Street--including 21, 25-27 and 29--to build a hotel or residential development.*

"The purchases reflect our belief that 34th Street is going to be the next great shopping destination in Manhattan," says Andrew Mathias, SL Green's chief investment officer. 

*Mr. Adjmi, who owns 213 through 223 W. 34th St., has similar plans. He's negotiating with two potential joint venture partners to create a 350,000-square-foot hotel or rental tower and 80,000 square feet of retail space on his plot across from the Garden. He's in talks with a department store, which he wouldn't name, for the retail space.* 

Even residential demand has picked up, despite the Manhattan market's general slowdown. At 433 W. 34th St., between Ninth and 10th avenues, for example, a one-bedroom co-op just sold for $627,000--twice its value two years ago.

"With all of the development on the West Side, I hope Manhattan is not going to tilt to the left," says Eric Anton, a senior managing director of brokerage Eastern Consolidated. "The West Side, including 34th Street, is finally coming into its own."


©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


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## krull

*New tall condo tower near Lincoln Center *  


03-AUG-06 

The website of Douglaston Development indicates that it is “in pre-development on a luxury condominium project to be located at 160 West 62nd Street.” 

“The project,” the website continued, “is being developed in conjunction with Continental Properties. The design architect is Cesar Pelli & Associates. Upon completion, the project is anticipated to have 300 luxury condominium homes in a 55+ story glass tower, an outdoor garden for residents and a high-end restaurant. The second floor of the building will be dedicated to an extensive amenity package, including a designer spa, fitness center, screening room, and business center.” 

Jeffrey E. Levine, a principal of Douglaston Development, told CityRealty.com today that project discussions are being held with the City Planning Commission about possible desired modifications to bulk regulations for the site prior to certification into the city's Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP). He said that while the project's development rights are clear, details on the building's massing and number of units and stories have not yet been finalized, adding that devlopment hopefully would begin next year. 

The tower would rise on the southeast corner of 62nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue just to the north of the 38-story Alfred apartment building at 161 West 61st Street, and to the east of a Fordham University campus that is south of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. 

The new building, which conceiveably could be as tall as about 620 feet, would serve as a southern foil to the 60-story apartment building known as 3 Lincoln Center on the northeast corner of 65th Street and Amsterdam Avenue with both towers framing the western boundaries of Lincoln Center. 

Cesar Pelli & Associates, which is now known as Pelli Clarke Pelli Associates, is the architect of the World Financial Center at Battery Park City and One Beacon Court on the former site of Alexander’s Department Store on the full block bounded by Lexington and Third Avenues and 58th and 59th Streets. 

Douglaston Development is nearing completion of a condominium apartment tower at 325 Fifth Avenue and its other projects in Manhattan include the Zinc, a 21-unit residential condominium building planned for 475 Greenwich Street, and a 28-unit dormitory for the School of Visual Arts at 101 East Tenth Street at Third Avenue. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY


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## krull

kay: Expect big things to happen...


*IDA approves tax breaks for Hudson Yards*


by Julie Satow 
August 08, 2006 

Commercial developers are now eligible for $650 million worth of tax breaks, which are expected to generate $1.8 billion in new revenue. 

Commercial developers on the far West Side are now eligible for $650 million worth of tax abatements. 

The city's Industrial Development Agency Board today approved the tax breaks, which are expected to generate $1.8 billion in new revenue by spurring the development of 24 million square feet of office space in the 45-block neighborhood. 

"The Hudson Yards area represents the city's greatest opportunity to create badly-needed space for new office jobs," says Joshua Sirefman, interim chairman of the IDA. "But it will not happen without mitigating rising development costs that would continue to deter development in the area." 

*The city estimates that in 2012 -- the first year an office property is expected to be complete* -- a property owner without any tax abatement will pay $15.27 a square foot. With the breaks, however, that property owner will shell out only $9.16 to $11.45 a square foot, depending on how far west the project is located. 

The IDA today also approved an $11.2 million break on the mortgage recording tax for The Related Cos' development of Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market and a $5.6 million break on the mortgage recording tax for the East River Science Park, to be built by Alexandria Real Estate Equities. 


©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


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## Spooky873

http://newyorkmagazine.com/news/features/18862/


----------



## streetscapeer

>



^:cheers: :cheers: 


hawt!!!


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## Spooky873

krull said:


> kay: Expect big things to happen...
> 
> 
> *IDA approves tax breaks for Hudson Yards*
> 
> 
> by Julie Satow
> August 08, 2006
> 
> Commercial developers are now eligible for $650 million worth of tax breaks, which are expected to generate $1.8 billion in new revenue.
> 
> Commercial developers on the far West Side are now eligible for $650 million worth of tax abatements.
> 
> The city's Industrial Development Agency Board today approved the tax breaks, which are expected to generate $1.8 billion in new revenue by spurring the development of 24 million square feet of office space in the 45-block neighborhood.
> 
> "The Hudson Yards area represents the city's greatest opportunity to create badly-needed space for new office jobs," says Joshua Sirefman, interim chairman of the IDA. "But it will not happen without mitigating rising development costs that would continue to deter development in the area."
> 
> *The city estimates that in 2012 -- the first year an office property is expected to be complete* -- a property owner without any tax abatement will pay $15.27 a square foot. With the breaks, however, that property owner will shell out only $9.16 to $11.45 a square foot, depending on how far west the project is located.
> 
> The IDA today also approved an $11.2 million break on the mortgage recording tax for The Related Cos' development of Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market and a $5.6 million break on the mortgage recording tax for the East River Science Park, to be built by Alexandria Real Estate Equities.
> 
> 
> ©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


hot DAYUM. do any of you realize what the **** that means to that area? expect many proposals in the near future folks, a wave is coming.


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## Spooky873

this is an old rendering of older plans for the site, but to give you an idea.



















with news of this, expect Midtown to expand to the hudson river.


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## Spooky873

billyblanco said it best over at wiredny:

"With the tax breaks, I'm sure you can get someone to start something in the next 2-3 years. Why not? Occupancies and rents are WAY UP. People have to go somewhere. Developers will fill the need. The tax breaks will get them to think about the West Side now, in place of other areas that are already developed. This may be the best thing Bloomie has done since being mayor. Really, the West Side is so underutilized, it's ridiculous. This will encourage real development and make the entire island as great as it should be. I mean, this is some of the best real estate in the world...with parking lots and warehouses. Not the right place for these uses. Plain and simple."


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## Spooky873

*City hopes tax breaks will boost Hudson Yards plan*

by patrick arden / metro new york

AUG 8, 2006

MANHATTAN — The city wants to float $3 billion in bonds to help finance the extension of the 7 subway line and the redevelopment of the Hudson Yards. That debt is supposed to be repaid with future tax revenues generated in the 40-block area west of Midtown, which would include 24 million square feet of new Class A office space and 13,500 apartments.

Yet the first step in the ambitious Hudson Yards scheme involves offering an estimated $650 million in tax breaks to developers over the next 30 years. Today the city’s Industrial Development Agency is expected to approve these exemptions from property, sales and mortgage recording taxes as an “incentive” to prime the pump.

“Rents are going to be lower there,” explained IDA chairman Joshua Sirefman. By spreading out the breaks over time, he said, “we’re actually helping to create certainty in the marketplace. ... The Far West Side is still the Far West Side, and we really need to make sure that we can jumpstart it.”

Tax breaks

But these tax breaks don’t add up for economist James Parrott, deputy director of the nonpartisan Fiscal Policy Institute. “They’re discounting the revenue stream that they’re counting on,” he said.

Parrott likes the idea of developing the Hudson Yards area, but he’s against offering long-term commercial property tax breaks in Manhattan. He calls it the “most unheralded budget action of the year.”

“They’re about to vote on several hundred million dollars’ worth of tax breaks for decades to come on a scale that will affect every other economic development decision the city makes over the next few years,” Parrott said. “The less the city gets in property taxes from large commercial owners, the more it will rely upon other property taxpayers for those revenues. So, in effect, this comes at the expense of smaller businesses, businesses in other parts of the city, and homeowners.”

Selling bonds

The bonds will be sold through the Hudson Yards Infrastructure Corporation, not the city, and their repayment depends on revenue streams not yet established.

As a result, the debt will likely carry a higher rate of interest than city bonds, with a lower rating, making the financing more expensive in the long run.

“They’re doing the tax breaks now because they need to sell the bonds,” Parrott said. “It’s all about the financing, but it’s going to be around for 35 years.

“They have not made a convincing economic rationale that the tax breaks are needed. This is a bad policy decision waiting to be approved.”


MTA financing?

• To repay the Hudson Yards Infrastructure Corporation’s debt, the city will divert mortgage and sales taxes that would normally go to the MTA. The city wants to pay the MTA $500 million to develop over the railyards there, which were appraised at almost $1 billion. “I don’t know what the present dollar value of the lost MTA taxes is,” Parrott said, “but it’s not insignificant and one wonders whether it’s part of the negotiations over the railyards deal.”

© 2006 Metro.


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## krull

*The City Hopes to Double the Size of Manhattan’s No. 2 Convention Center, in the West 50’s *










*The Bloomberg administration hopes to expand the convention space in Pier 94, above right, into Pier 92, 
now part of a cruise ship terminal. *


By JOSEPH P. FRIED
Published: August 13, 2006

As the state acts to expand New York City’s largest convention center, the Bloomberg administration is moving to double the size of the city’s second-largest exhibition and trade show space, saying the step is needed to capture additional midsize shows.

*The administration is seeking proposals from private developers to enlarge that space, the trade show facility on Pier 94 on the Hudson River, by extending it to the adjacent Pier 92, which is now part of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. *

In three years or so, the administration says, Pier 92 will no longer be needed for berthing ocean liners, because the city plans to reduce the terminal to two piers from three, now that another cruise ship terminal has been built in Brooklyn.

The space on Pier 94, off West 54th Street, has operated since 1998 under the name UnConvention Center, a play on the name of the largest exhibition site in the city, the state-run Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, near the river in the West 30’s. 

The smaller site is run by a private company, UnConvention Center Inc., which has been renting Pier 94 from the city under a series of short-term arrangements that will end when a developer for the larger, two-pier site is chosen and signs a long-term lease, the city’s Economic Development Corporation says. The city also owns Pier 92. 

Greatly expanding that trade show site, even as the Javits Center is significantly enlarged, will not create an oversupply of exhibition space in the city, said Paul Januszewski, a vice president of the Economic Development Corporation. 

“We really see it as two separate markets, large trade shows and midsize trade shows,” he said. The Bloomberg administration says each market needs more space in the city. 

*NYC & Company, the city’s convention and visitors bureau, estimates that during the last three years it has had to turn away more than 50 midsize shows, and says all of them could have been accommodated if a facility as big as what is being planned on the two piers had been available.* 

According to NYC & Company, Pier 94 offers more space for exhibitions and trade shows than any hotel or other site in the city. 

The 50 shows, the group said, could have produced $210 million in spending in the city — on hotels, restaurants, entertainment and other purchases — by those attending the shows.

The idea of using Piers 92 and 94 together for some purpose is not new. In the 1990’s, the Giuliani administration sought to combine them for conversion to a large television and film production complex, but the proposal died. 

And using Pier 92 for trade shows would not be without precedent. On occasions when cruise ships have not been at that pier, it has been used as additional space for shows needing more room than Pier 94 has. Indeed, both piers are currently being used, along with the Javits Center, as sites for the six-day New York International Gift Fair, which opened yesterday.. 

But with Pier 92’s primary use as part of the cruise ship terminal, it most often cannot be employed for a trade show. 

Midsize trade shows are generally considered “shows that are too small to view the Javits Center as an attractive venue but too big to be accommodated at existing facilities in area hotels,” says the request for developers’ proposals that the Economic Development Corporation issued in May, with a submission deadline of Sept. 13. 

Convention industry experts said midsize shows were events requiring up to 400,000 square feet of space.

Pier 94 has a total of 175,000 square feet in its 750-foot-long pier shed and in an attached shoreline structure, both one story high. In combining Piers 94 and 92, officials say, the city envisions a total of about 400,000 square feet, which is possible because the two-story structure on Pier 92 has about 200,000. 

*The first phase of the Javits Center expansion, which state officials approved last month, includes increasing that location’s exhibition space to 1.1 million square feet by 2010, from the current 760,000 square feet. *Like Mr. Januszewski of the Economic Development Corporation, Joseph E. Spinnato, the board chairman of the Javits Center Operating Corporation, said he did not believe that an expanded space occupying Piers 92 and 94 would be competing for business with an expanded Javits Center.

The menswear, children’s apparel and home design industries are among other industries that have held shows at Pier 94, which averages about 25 shows a year, said Elyse N. Kroll, the president of UnConvention Center Inc. In June, Pier 94 was the scene of a trade show for the erotica industry, called the Exotic Erotic Ball and Exposition.

The cost of developing a permanent two-pier facility will not be known until the city receives proposals, but the developer chosen is expected to finance the project, said Andrew Brent, a spokesman for the Economic Development Corporation. 

The selected plan is subject to approval by the City Planning Commission. If it involves work in the water, like adding piles or filling in any space between the piers, approval will also be needed from the Army Corps of Engineers and from state environmental officials, Mr. Januszewski said.

The city says a goal of the project, though “not a strict requirement,” is that public access to the waterfront be expanded through amenities like viewing areas on the piers’ perimeters. Such amenities were suggested by civic groups, including Manhattan Community Board 4 and Friends of Hudson River Park, a park being developed along the shoreline from Lower Manhattan to 59th Street.

John Doswell, a co-chairman of the board’s waterfront and parks committee, said, “We would like to have gotten more, but we think we got as much as we could.” He and Albert K. Butzel, the president of the park group, said their groups would be “unhappy” if the element of public access were dropped.

Marcy Benstock, the executive director of the Clean Air Campaign, said her group unconditionally opposed the project, for reasons including “the heavier traffic and increased gridlock and air pollution” that a larger trade show facility would bring.

Although UnConvention Center Inc. would lose its tenancy at Pier 94 under the plan, Ms. Kroll said she was determined to continue operating at the site and was working with a major development organization, the Related Companies, on a proposal to develop the double-pier project.

In 2000, the Giuliani administration said it was prepared to give a development group that Ms. Kroll then headed a 49-year lease for Pier 94, but the 2001 terrorist attack halted many such plans in the city, and the Bloomberg administration later decided to take its current approach.


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


----------



## krull

Big Tunnels in NYC! 


*Tunnelers Hit Something Big: A Milestone *










*Chris Casatelli, a maintenance engineer, in Water Tunnel No. 3 on Wednesday, as excavation ended on an 
8.5-mile Manhattan segment that was begun in 2003. *


By SEWELL CHAN
Published: August 10, 2006

*It is the biggest public works project in New York City’s history: a $6 billion water tunnel that has claimed 24 lives, endured under six mayors and survived three city fiscal crises, along with the falling and rising fortunes of the metropolis above it.*

Yesterday, the city’s Water Tunnel No. 3 reached a major milestone, as workers completed the excavation of an 8.5-mile section that connects Midtown and Lower Manhattan to an earlier section under Central Park. The tunnel is a multi-decade effort spanning four stages; yesterday’s announcement signifies the end of excavation for the second of those stages. 

*It was a major step forward for the tunnel, which was authorized in 1954, begun in 1970 and then halted several times for lack of money. The completion of the second stage will nearly double the capacity of the city’s water supply, currently 1.2 billion gallons a day, and provide a backup to two other aging water tunnels, allowing them to be closed, inspected and repaired for the first time since they opened, in 1917 and 1936.*

“Future generations of New Yorkers will have the clean and reliable supply of drinking water essential for our growing city,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, before he descended 550 feet into the city’s lower bedrock and sat at the controls of a 70-foot-long tunnel-boring machine, as it excavated the last eight inches of quartz, granite and silica.

Since 2003, the giant excavating machine’s 27 rotating steel cutters, each weighing 350 pounds, have chipped through the bedrock at a rate of 55 to 100 feet a day, more than double the 25 to 40 feet that could be excavated each day under the old drill-and-blast method. 

The Third Water Tunnel originates at the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, just across the border between the Bronx and Westchester County. The reservoir is fed by aqueducts that carry water from the Catskill and Delaware water systems, which usually provide 90 percent of the city’s water supply.

From the reservoir, the first stage of the tunnel reached south into the center of the Bronx, then west across the Harlem River into Upper Manhattan and then down the west side of Manhattan and east into Central Park, crossing under the East River and into Astoria, Queens. That 13-mile first stage cost about $1 billion. It was begun in 1970, completed in 1993 and opened in 1998.

The second stage, which extends the first stage south into Midtown and Lower Manhattan and east and south into Queens and Brooklyn, is complicated. 

The Brooklyn-Queens section — actually two separate tunnels, linking Red Hook, Brooklyn, to Astoria — was completed by 1999. It is to be activated by 2009.

The new 8.5-mile Manhattan section, begun in October 2003, resembles three spokes radiating from a central point roughly below the intersection of West 30th Street and 11th Avenue. One spoke traveled north to Central Park, the second went to Lower Manhattan, and the third spoke, 2.5 miles long, traveled east to Second Avenue and then north to East 59th Street and First Avenue. That third section was the last to be fully excavated, a step completed yesterday. 

*The new section must be lined with concrete, and tested and sterilized before water can gush through it, which is scheduled for 2012. The city is also installing at least 10 shafts that will link the tunnel with the water-distribution grid. 

Even after 2012, two more stages of the project will remain. Stage 3, a 16-mile segment called the Kensico-City Tunnel, will join the Kensico Reservoir in Westchester County with the Van Cortlandt valve chamber in the Bronx. It is in the final planning stages. A proposed Stage 4, extending south from the Hillview Reservoir, through the Bronx and under the East River into Queens, is still under review.*

Although Mr. Bloomberg usually avoids direct comparisons with his predecessors, he boasted yesterday about his commitment to the Third Water Tunnel. 

“Part of the reason that work on it has stretched through six administrations is that the city’s funding for this project has sometimes dropped off during tough financial times,” he said. “But not on our watch. Even in the first years of our administration, when we faced record multibillion-dollar, back-to-back budget shortfalls, we refused to shortchange this essential project.” 

He said his administration had committed nearly $4 billion to the project, or “doubled what’s been invested by the last five administrations combined.” 

Around 10:40 a.m., after a news conference at the main construction site in western Midtown, Mr. Bloomberg went down a shaft in a narrow cage-like elevator that fits up to 26 people. He was joined by Emily Lloyd, commissioner of the city’s Department of Environmental Protection; a coterie of aides and police officers; and officials from the contractor in charge of the Manhattan section, a joint venture of the Schiavone Construction Company, J. F. Shea Construction and Frontier-Kemper Constructors.

At the base of the elevator was an enormous tunnel — dark, cool and humid — with wet ground coated in a murky gray mixture of mud and sand. The temperature was cool, around 60 degrees. 

After a smooth ride of 15 minutes, the officials left and walked alongside much of the 700 feet of equipment that trails the tunnel-boring machine. About 200 feet from the front of the machine, they entered an operating cab, where Mr. Bloomberg and Ms. Lloyd sat. Vinny Crimeni, the main operator, showed them the guidance system that keeps the machine on course and keeps the tunnel straight and smooth.

“I pushed a bunch of buttons, but the real professional was sitting next to me,” the mayor said afterward.

Around 11:20 a.m., Mr. Bloomberg and Ms. Lloyd left the cab. Using big black felt-tip markers, they signed their names on the wall of the tunnel. Then they posed for pictures with the sandhogs, as the tunnel diggers are called.

One sandhog, Jim O’Donnell, a brakeman on the small train, said the event filled him with pride. Many of the workers are Irish or West Indians, and many are carrying on a family tradition of working underground.

“At least half the guys who work down here, I’ve worked with their fathers,” said Mr. O’Donnell, 44, whose older brother, 47, also works on the tunnel.


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## krull

Another tunnel coming soon! 


*Plan for New Rail Tunnel Takes Turn Toward Reality* 


By JONATHAN MILLER
August 13, 2006

It was just a few years ago that New Jersey Transit’s executive director would try to explain — to anyone who would listen — the wonders of building another commuter train tunnel under the Hudson River. And every time, he would see eyes glaze over.

“People would say, ‘Great idea,’ ” George D. Warrington, the executive director, said in a recent interview. “ ‘Maybe my grandchildren will see it.’ ”

But a series of events in the last few weeks have made it more likely that it will not just be grandchildren, but their grandparents, too, who will see the completion of what is being *called the Trans-Hudson Express tunnel, which would link New Jersey with Midtown.* 

*The 9.3-mile project would cost an estimated $7.2 billion, create as many as 44,000 jobs and more than double the number of trains that cross the Hudson River during rush hour. Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey says the second rail tunnel, with its target completion date of 2016, is “vital to the state’s economic future.” *

The first action to brighten the project’s prospects came last month when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey committed up to $2 billion toward the tunnel’s completion — a move that would have been considered highly unlikely several years ago. 

Weeks earlier, the Federal Transit Administration authorized $82.5 million to conduct preliminary engineering. And two weeks ago, the New Jersey Transit board approved preliminary work on the reconstruction of an aging bridge in the Meadowlands that is vital to the tunnel project.

In a potential side benefit to New York residents, said one high-ranking Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official who declined to be identified, the authority has begun talking about help to finance a project in New York that would link Grand Central Terminal to the Long Island Rail Road.

All of which, leaders in both states say, means the project has reached a turning point.

*“The big hurdles will be technical — like tunneling — rather than political,” *said Jon Orcutt, the executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, an advocacy group. When asked, on a scale of one to 10 (10 being the highest) whether he thought the tunnel would become a reality, he said, “I think we’re around 7 or 8.” 

Just how the tunnel project was rescued from the scrapheap of grand ideas is a decade-long tale of cross-state rivals laying down their swords and embracing the realities of regional economics, and of a Democrat-controlled state convincing a Republican-dominated Congress of the economic necessity of the costly project.

*For the last 96 years, one two-track tunnel has run under the Hudson River into Pennsylvania Station in New York, and now carries 40,000 commuters a day. During peak travel hours there are about 23 trains, including Amtrak, coming and going through the tunnel, and a second tunnel — that would end 100 feet below 34th Street below the basement of Macy’s flagship store — would bring that number to 48. The project would create a loop south of Secaucus Junction, giving riders on the Bergen, Main and Pascack Valley Lines a direct ride into Manhattan without having to switch trains in Secaucus or Hoboken.*

The plan’s most forceful advocate has been Mr. Warrington, a former president and chief executive of Amtrak, who was appointed to run New Jersey Transit in 2002. Almost immediately after taking the job, he began trying to resurrect the notion of a second tunnel, taking over the stalled initiative that had been started by the Port Authority. 

Along the way, he persuaded the Port Authority’s chairman, Anthony Coscia, to get behind the project.

Together they began proselytizing among politicians, real estate developers and business leaders in New York, contending that the entire region and not just New Jersey would profit from building a second tunnel.

It was hard finding believers.

Kathryn Wylde, president and chief executive of the Partnership for New York City, an advocacy group for New York businesses, says this is the first project since the 1962 agreement to build the World Trade Center in which New York and New Jersey seem to have come together. There had been tension between the two states over New Jersey trying to lure businesses across the river.

“It reverses a generation in which we were accusing New Jersey of piracy,” Ms. Wylde said in a recent interview, “but it represents the reality of post-9/11 New York, that we are trying to keep businesses in the region.” 

In addition, both New York senators, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles E. Schumer, have endorsed the project, as has Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

The solidarity was crucial in persuading federal authorities to take the project seriously.

For Mr. Coscia, the project returns the agency to its roots and a mission that he said “we have sometimes not lived up to.” 

“If our mission is to move people between two states,” he said, “adding another lane to the Lincoln Tunnel won’t do it.” 

He and others point to studies that suggest the greatest growth in the area will come west of the Hudson. “An increasing proportion of our workforce can only afford to own a home in New Jersey, and have basically relocated there,’’ Ms. Wylde said. “Twenty-five, thirty years ago the safety valve was Long Island, twenty years ago it was Rockland and Orange. Last decade, it’s been New Jersey and even Pennsylvania.”

Governor Corzine is perhaps one of the project’s highest-profile advocates. As a United States senator in 2005, he took what most observers say was a crucial step when he helped insert language into a transportation bill stipulating that the secretary of transportation “shall give strong consideration to the project for a full funding grant agreement.” 

And as governor, Mr. Corzine has promised that New Jersey will commit at least $500 million to the project. Some New York officials, once hostile to the tunnel project, now laud it, and, transportation officials say behind the scenes, are using it to exert pressure to deliver projects that are perceived as more beneficial to the city and state. 

In a speech before the Regional Plan Association in May, Eliot Spitzer, the attorney general who is running as a Democrat for governor of New York, strongly hinted that several projects in New York should be worthy of Port Authority money, including the Second Avenue Subway line and a link from the Long Island Railroad to Grand Central Terminal.

For now, it seems like the Port Authority is willing to go along. When asked about the worthiness of such projects, Mr. Coscia agreed that the $6.3 billion Long Island Rail Road project, called East Side Access, was worthy of financing.

“I think East Side Access is a very strong project, and I can see the Port Authority consider participating in it,” he said. “If you look at East Side Access and the tunnel, it’s two sides of the coin. They’re literally different pieces of the same project.” 

Another Port Authority official agreed with Mr. Coscia, but scoffed at another favored project of New York politicians, a link to Kennedy Airport from Lower Manhattan, calling it “ridiculous.”

*As for the tunnel project, finding the $5 billion or so needed to complete the project remains the primary obstacle. * 

While the federal government could finance about 60 percent of the project, New Jersey’s financial difficulties have been well-documented, and the state’s Transportation Trust Fund, the pot of money that goes toward highway repairs and that narrowly averted bankruptcy this year, will need a more permanent fix down the line.

In addition, it is unlikely that the Port Authority will spend its $2 billion without getting any return on such an investment. Mr. Warrington said that he has suggested a financial arrangement in which the Port Authority could share revenue with New Jersey Transit from commercial and retail development at the proposed Moynihan Station at 34th Street, which New Jersey Transit would control. 

“This is a conceptual offer that we’ve made,” he said, “and it’s more than reasonable to allow the Port Authority to participate in any of those commercial opportunities.”

Transit advocates warn that with so many big-ticket items planned, a fare or toll increase may be necessary for Port Authority-owned properties, although agency officials say the $2 billion committed thus far to the tunnel project is within the agency’s resources. 

For now, optimism remains high, but Mr. Corzine warned against assuming the deal is sealed. “The die is not cast yet,” he said. “We’ve made real progress. New Jersey is putting its dough down and you see what the Port Authority’s doing. We still have hurdles to overcome and we will continue to make the case very strongly that this is a project of crucial regional and national significance.”


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


----------



## krull

*11 Times Square:*











*Planned Tower Would Cap Off Revitalization of Times Square *


By CHARLES V. BAGLI
August 15, 2006

A New Jersey developer plans to build a $1 billion office tower on the last parcel in the 13-acre Times Square redevelopment district, bringing an end to the 26-year effort to clean up an area that was known as the Deuce when it was a motley collection of movie houses, sex shops, T-shirt stores, pimps and drug dealers.

If in the past many people feared strolling down 42nd Street, now the block between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, and Times Square itself, are safe for investment bankers, accountants, MTV fans and tourists alike. The theaters, skyscrapers, theme restaurants and nightclubs that have opened in recent years under pulsating neon signs and giant electronic billboards are often packed.

But the decision by the developer, SJP Properties, to build a 40-story tower at the southeast corner of Eighth Avenue and 42nd Street is remarkable on several fronts. Not only would it complete a major public revitalization project, but urban planners and real estate executives say another first-class tower would also establish Eighth Avenue as a legitimate boulevard for corporate offices.

“This is the last piece of the puzzle,” said Charles A. Gargano, the chairman of the 42nd Street Development Project and the state’s top economic development official.

SJP’s 1 million-square-foot building would join two other major office towers on Eighth Avenue: the Worldwide Plaza tower at 49th Street and The New York Times headquarters under construction at 41st Street. Until now, few companies have been willing to locate west of Seventh Avenue or Broadway.

*If the project goes forward as planned, the SJP tower will also be the first major speculative office building — one built without an anchor tenant — in a decade and another sign of a resurgent commercial market in Midtown. Builders have erected apartment houses by the dozens over the past five years, but office developers have bemoaned that rents did not justify the cost of building a new tower.*

*But commercial rents are now going up quickly, with some tenants paying as much as $150 a square foot per year in prime Midtown buildings, and large blocks of available space are hard to find.*

“This is the first time in 25 years that we’ve seen the Midtown market this strong for Class A office space,” said Steven J. Pozycki, SJP’s chairman. “We’re excited about both the opportunity and the timing.”

SJP Properties has been largely known as a developer of suburban office parks in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. But the company has been eager to get into the Manhattan market. It has begun excavation for a 42-story apartment building at 46th Street and Eighth Avenue and plans to build a condominium tower on Park Avenue.

Mr. Pozycki bought the 42nd Street property last month for $305 million from Howard and Edward Milstein. The Milstein family had acquired the property early in the redevelopment project, in 1983, for $5 million. The Milsteins announced in 2002 that they planned to build a 35-story tower there, but never got beyond erecting a blue construction fence.

*The 42nd Street Development Project gave tentative approval yesterday to SJP’s plan for a 40-story tower and a deal to buy additional development rights for $23.2 million. Mr. Pozycki, whose firm hired FX Fowle Architects to design the building, said the office tower would sit above two floors of stores at what would be known as 11 Times Square. Construction should begin in about 10 months, he said. Final approval is expected later this year.*

“It’s ironic that this site, which we thought might be the first one to be developed, ends up being the last one to complete the Times Square project,” said Carl Weisbrod, who worked on the redevelopment plan as both a state and city official from 1980 to 1995. “It’s turned out to be a highly successful venture, but I don’t think any of us thought it would take 26 years.”

Despite a string of news conferences and much fanfare during the 1980’s, the redevelopment of 42nd Street and Times Square was hobbled by 47 lawsuits, opposition from civic groups and a deep recession in the early 1990’s. A merchandise mart was originally planned for the two blocks between 40th and 42nd Street, where the Times building is now under construction and SJP’s property sits. In 1980, the city had actually passed on an opportunity to buy the SJP property for a couple of million dollars.

Mr. Gargano said there were two key breakthroughs, the first in late 1993, when the Walt Disney Company signed a tentative agreement to renovate the landmark New Amsterdam Theater on 42nd Street. Then in 1996, he said, the developer Douglas Durst began building a skyscraper at 4 Times Square, the first of what would eventually be four office towers in the middle of Times Square. As SJP is doing, the Durst family took the relatively rare step of starting construction without an anchor tenant.

Ten years later, Mr. Pozycki says the time is right to build another speculative office tower, this time on Eighth Avenue. Oddly enough, his partner is Prudential, the giant insurer that was selected by the state in the 1980’s to buy 13 acres between Seventh and Eighth Avenues and develop four office towers in Times Square. But Prudential sold the land for the towers during the 1990’s recession.

The market is hot now, Mr. Pozycki said. The average asking rent in Midtown has climbed to $58.26 a square foot, while the vacancy rate dropped to 8.7 percent last month from 13.1 percent in late 2003, according to Newmark Knight Frank, a real estate broker. 

And there is little new office space available. Mr. Durst, who is building the Bank of America Tower at 42nd Street and Avenue of the Americas, has signed leases for virtually the entire 2.1 million-square-foot building, including one for $100 a square foot. 

At The New York Times Building, across Eighth Avenue from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, the newspaper company plans to occupy half the tower next year, and its partner, Forest City Ratner, has leased much of the rest of the building to three law firms and a financial services company.

*Recently, Vornado Realty opened talks with the Port Authority about reviving plans to build an office tower over the bus terminal, across Eighth Avenue from the SJP project.*

Mr. Pozycki said his broker, Stephen B. Siegel of CB Richard Ellis, took him to Howard Milstein earlier this year to talk about a deal. He said Mr. Milstein responded, “This is my price, take it or leave it.” Despite the relatively high cost of the land, Mr. Pozycki said it should not be too risky to build without a tenant.

“The market and confirmation of the Eighth Avenue neighborhood itself takes a lot of the ‘spec’ out of speculative,” Mr. Siegel said. “What’s going on in Midtown is fueled by real job growth and a lack of supply.”


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## Skyscrapercitizen

I don't like the design and the height (looks like a litte Conde Nast). Looks a bit like a 90's post modern tower, so a bit outdated. Not good enough for such a prime location!

I say: wait for a better design. I loved the old, green glass design a few years old for this location, with the round corner. That one was magnificent! If about 15 streets north Hearst Tower is possible, then this location on 42nd street must be able to get something even better!


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## streetscapeer

well the rendering itself isn't too great...

we need better renderings.


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## Ebola

September 7, 2006 / 11:00 AM 

ROLLOUT EVENT FOR CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS OF WTC TOWERS 2, 3, & 4 
Event Location: 52nd Floor, Seven World Trade Center


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/13/realestate/13post.html?ref=realestate
*This Time, Some Stonework, Too*

By C. J. HUGHES
Published: August 13, 2006









_Bridger Conway

GOING UP A rendering of the Veneto, which will have limestone in the lower-floor facades. Apartments are priced at $955,000 to nearly $6 million._

DON’T expect the Veneto, the newest luxury condo from the Related Companies, to look too much like its recent siblings — the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle, designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill, or 455 Lafayette Street, near Astor Place, designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates.

Instead of those steel-and-glass spaceships, both also developed by Related, the Veneto, a condominium rising at 250 East 53rd Street, at the corner of Second Avenue, will incorporate stone surfaces along with steel and glass and will have more traditional interiors that emphasize earth tones and wood surfaces, said David Wine, Related’s vice chairman.

The first eight stories of the building, designed by Davis Brody Bond, will be clad in brick and limestone on the Second Avenue side, and only in limestone along 53rd Street. The facade of the upper floors will also be atypical.

Inside, the Veneto will have 137 apartments on 34 floors. Buyers can choose from 11 different layouts that range from 763-square-foot one-bedrooms to 2,548-square-foot three bedrooms. Half the apartments, priced from $955,000 to $5.95 million, have been sold since the sales office opened in late April. The apartments will not be ready for another year, Mr. Wine said.

All the apartments will have the same touches: Sub-Zero wine refrigerators and Bosch dishwashers in the kitchens and Watermark shower heads and Kohler soaking tubs in the bathrooms.

The apartments in the Veneto will also have a similar color palette, a mix of beiges, burgundies and taupes, echoed in the chestnut kitchen cabinets and the walnut-colored polished Travertine marble bathroom floors. The interiors have been designed by Adam Tihany, perhaps better known for his work in restaurants like Per Se and Jean Georges in New York, and hotels, primarily in Europe.

“We wanted the style to whisper, not to shout,” Mr. Tihany said. “It will feel like the interior of a beautiful luxury car without being streamlined or pushy.”

A similar motif will be repeated in the Veneto’s common areas, including the 1,275-square-foot fitness center, to be managed by Equinox, the gym chain — which Related owns. Tenants will also be given membership in an Equinox gym a block away on East 54th Street.

The building will also feature a 500-square-foot party room, opening to a 700-square-foot terrace, as well as a 300-square-foot children’s playroom.

Mr. Tihany’s design credits also include the interior of the current Le Cirque, which moved this summer to 151 East 58th Street, on the ground floor of 1 Beacon Court, better known as the Bloomberg Building.

The presence of that restaurant, along with a handful of others, has given the East 50’s new cachet, said Marie Bianco, a senior vice president of Prudential Douglas Elliman, who has sold many apartments in that area.

Other new luxury condos in the neighborhood are Three Ten, at 310 East 53rd Street, across from the Veneto, and the Milan, at 300 East 55th Street.

Ms. Bianco said many buyers in the area can walk to their Midtown offices.

“A few years ago, people didn’t even want to consider the neighborhood, because it was too far east, but now it’s very fashionable,” she said. “And Bloomingdale’s is close, which is a big plus.”


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## krull

*(New) Yankee Stadium:*












*Yankees Will Break Ground for Their New Stadium *


By CHARLES V. BAGLI
August 16, 2006

The Yankees plan to break ground today on their new $1.2 billion open-air stadium in the Bronx, less than 24 hours after a state judge rejected an attempt by a community group to block construction.

*The new 51,000-seat stadium, with echoes of the distinctive copper frieze and limestone walls of the original ballpark, will go up in Macombs Dam and John Mullaly Parks, across 161st Street from the team’s historic home. Various elected officials are expected to join George Steinbrenner, the team’s principal owner, at a ceremony today signifying the start of construction.*

“The courts have now ruled that the review process was thorough and complete,” said Randy Levine, president of the Yankees. “We’re excited to be breaking ground for what we think will be the best stadium in the country.”

Opponents of the project will also be on hand. “We’ll be out there demonstrating,’’ said Joyce Hogi, a member of Save Our Parks, who lives nearby. “We need to let people know how their rights have been trampled on. There’s nowhere else they can get the kind of economic bonanza they have in the Bronx. But the Yankees have not always been good neighbors.”

Save Our Parks, a community group, and a number of environmental organizations objected to plans to eliminate most of the popular Macombs Dam and Mullaly Parks and replace them with smaller parks scattered across the neighborhood. *Some of the new parks, as well as ball fields, a running track and basketball courts, would be built on the roofs of new garages for stadium parking.*

Save Our Parks had unsuccessfully sought an injunction barring construction, saying that the city’s environmental review failed to gauge the true impact of the new stadium on the neighborhood parks, open spaces and schoolchildren. The group also objected to plans to remove 377 mature shade trees from one of the poorest communities in the city.

“We’re not opposed to the Yankees having a new stadium,” Ms. Hogi said. “We always felt they could have done better by the community by reaching out and getting input into how they were proceeding with their plan.”

But Justice Herman Kahn of State Supreme Court refused to issue an injunction, saying *the city would replace 22.42 acres of lost parkland with new parks totaling 24.56 acres.* He cited a team statement in saying that a delay could cost the Yankees more than $80 million and scuttle the project. He said the team estimated that 1,000 people could lose their jobs if the team left the city.

Although the team has in the past flirted with the idea of moving to New Jersey or Manhattan, it has no plans to move out of the largest media market in the country, where it draws four million fans a year, more than any other team in Major League Baseball.

*The Yankees will pay the $800 million cost to build the stadium, while the state and the city will invest nearly $400 million in garages, parks and tax breaks. The team will not pay rent to play on publicly owned land. The original stadium, built in 1923, will be demolished to make way for three baseball fields.*


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## krull

*World Trade Center Memorial:*











*DIG STARTS AT WTC SHRINE*


By STEPHANIE GASKELL
August 16, 2006

*Despite still needing to raise more than $170 million to complete the project, construction workers finally began building the World Trade Center memorial yesterday.* 

WTC Memorial Foundation officials confirmed to The Post that crews from New Jersey-based E. E. Cruz Heavy Construction began work on the foundation of the $510 million memorial and museum. 

WTC Foundation officials said they hoped the hustle and bustle of construction crews in the area would encourage more people to donate to the project. 

So far, $131 million has been raised. 

Fund-raising has slowed after it became clear that the memorial had to be redesigned. 

"This is proof that the memorial is being realized," said WTC Foundation spokeswoman Lynn Rasic. 

"It shows that the project is moving forward. This is a great step." 

Rasic said completion of the project was still on track for September 2009.


Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc.


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## urbanaturalist

NY Times article on building "Green" skyscrapers that are high-end and/or affordable but most importantly have green attributes.

"Its Getting Easier to Be Green" NYTimes Aug 13, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/13/r...e04500104&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss


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## krull

*City Expands Its Role in Brooklyn Cultural District*  











*A computer rendering of Enrique Norten’s design for the Brooklyn Visual and Performing Arts Library.* 


By ROBIN POGREBIN
August 15, 2006

Responding to repeated delays, the city is taking a more aggressive role in developing the BAM Cultural District in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, removing control from a nonprofit planning group and shifting the site of a theater designed by Hugh Hardy and Frank Gehry.

Deputy Mayor Daniel L. Doctoroff said the city began moving to jump-start the cultural district last spring. 

“Projects have languished for a while, and we have taken things forward,” he said in an interview. “We’ve created new structures within the city to better implement plans. We are moving very aggressively.” “Having a world-class series of institutions at the heart of the revitalization of downtown Brooklyn is absolutely critical,” Mr. Doctoroff said of the area surrounding the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

The BAM Local Development Corporation, which had overseen the art district’s budget and planning for its new cultural buildings, will now be subsumed within a new umbrella organization, the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, which also includes the Downtown Brooklyn Council, the Fulton Mall Improvement Association and the MetroTech Business Improvement District. 

Joseph Chan will leave his post as a senior policy adviser in Mr. Doctoroff’s office to serve as president of the partnership. It will have its own board of directors. Jeanne Lutfy, the president of the BAM Local Development Corporation, said she did not feel threatened by the city’s expanded role. “We think it’s a great thing,” she said. “The city has always been a partner in this.’’ 

“They’re just bringing more resources to the table, so we can get it into the ground faster,” she added. Currently the city has $74 million in financing allocated for the cultural district for fiscal 2006 through 2009.

Ms. Lutfy said she and Harvey Lichtenstein, chairman of the corporation, would still take part in the planning. (Mr. Lichtenstein, citing a family illness, referred calls to Ms. Lutfy.) 

The city has approached the Theater for a New Audience, an Off Broadway troupe known for productions of Shakespearean and classical drama, and asked it to cede its planned site at Flatbush and Lafayette Avenues and build across the street instead. The site it originally hoped to occupy, next to a planned Brooklyn Visual and Performing Arts Library, is being reconceived as a kind of public gateway to the cultural district. “It’s the ninth-inning good idea,” said Kate D. Levin, the city’s Cultural Affairs Commissioner. “We could configure this differently.”

City officials note that the theater’s new proposed location is slightly larger and might allow the theater to avoid building an underground parking garage, which was part of the original plan. 

A spokeswoman for Mr. Hardy, the main architect on the theater project, said he was unavailable for comment. Mr. Gehry said he was amenable to a new location. “I think it’s fine,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt anything. It means a little bit of reworking. It gives you some opportunities we didn’t have on the other site.”

*The glass-and-stainless-steel building will be the theater’s first permanent home. It will house a 299-seat theater, a rehearsal room and a studio that will seat 50. 

Ms. Levin said the change in site would not delay the project. “We’re hoping to break ground in the next year or so,” she said.* 

The city has also taken the lead in negotiating with various organizations about sharing a building with the library, designed by Enrique Norten. A partner would help the library pay for construction costs and overhead. Candidates include an international foundation that deals with art and education, officials involved in the talks said, but they refused to identify it. 

The library is currently without a leader. Two directors have come and gone since planning for the new building began, which has delayed fund-raising.

The BAM Cultural District was conceived as a $650 million effort to revitalize the area by converting vacant and underused properties into spaces for arts organizations. 

*Yet six years after the district was proposed, ground has not been broken on either of the signature projects. And the master plan for the district has meanwhile passed from Rem Koolhaas and Diller, Scofidio & Renfro to Dan Wood of Work Architecture Company. * 

The $36 million theater project, announced in March 2004, was the first major undertaking of the new district. When Mr. Hardy’s design was unveiled a year later, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said the city was committing $6.2 million to the project, and Kate D. Levin, the cultural affairs commissioner, said she expected the theater to be built within two years*. Now officials estimate that the theater will be completed around sometime before 2009.* 

Jeffrey Horowitz, the theater’s founder, said his institution had raised an additional $6 million in private money, which he saw as notable progress, given the theater’s modest level of support. “We don’t have a huge roster of people with deep pockets,” he said, adding, “We’re confident that we’re going to meet our goal.”

Mr. Horowitz said the new location might better serve the theater because it offers improved loading access. “It’s a very attractive alternative,” he said. The theater hopes to reach a formal agreement with the city on the new site by the fall. 

The Brooklyn Visual and Performing Arts Library has faced similar delays. When Mr. Norten’s design was unveiled in May 2002, officials predicted a groundbreaking in 2005 and a grand opening in 2007. Herbert Muschamp, who was then the architecture critic for The New York Times, hailed the project as the city’s “first full-fledged masterwork for the information age.” 

Initially the library said it hoped to raise $120 million for the project, $75 million of which would be for construction. It has said that 10 to 15 percent of the overall cost would be met by the local development corporation by using capital funds allocated by the mayor, the borough president and the City Council. For fiscal 2006 and 2007 the city has allocated $8 million for the library.

Carol Linn, the library’s coordinator of special projects and policy analysis, said the cost estimate was likely to be revised, but she declined to be more specific. “This is still a project that is very much in the forefront for us,” she said. Mr. Norten, who designed the library, was also upbeat. “I’m very positive,” he said. 










*Theater planners hope to break 
ground “in the next year or so.” *  


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## krull

*Silvercup West:*











*City Council gives nod to Silvercup West*


by Catherine Tymkiw 
August 16, 2006 

The City Council gave its okay, as expected, for one the largest film and television production centers to start construction in Long Island City, Queens. 

Silvercup Studios, production home of The Sopranos and other television programs, plans to build a $1 billion, 2.7 million square-foot TV and film complex, comprising eight soundstages, 665,000 square feet of commercial space and 1,000 units of housing. Silvercup expects the project to create 3,900 permanent jobs and 2,500 indirect jobs. 

The City Council's approval follows recommendations made by the City Planning Commission, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and local Community Board 2, all of which endorsed the project, slated for completion by 2010. 

*Plans also call for a publicly accessible roof terrace overlooking the Manhattan skyline, public plazas along Vernon Boulevard and eventually a new street end public open space where 43rd Avenue meets the East River.* 

"In addition to the obvious benefits for this renowned studio, Queens residents will benefit from the building of affordable housing, space for cultural and recreational uses and a waterfront esplanade in the shadow of the Queensboro Bridge," said Ms.Marshall in a statement. 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the production industry generates $5 billion annually for the city. "We are committed to expanding our share of this vital industry," he said. 

With its expansion of Silvercup Studios East in 1999, Silvercup Studios operates more than 400,000 square feet of space and has 18 studios, on-site production offices and extensive set, prop and wardrobe storage areas. 


©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


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## krull

*City Council To Vote on Landmark Zoning Change in Queens*


By LEORA FALK
August 16, 2006

The City Council will vote today on a new zoning plan for the Woodside neighborhood along Queens Boulevard that would be the first use in Queens of inclusionary zoning, which mandates that developers create affordable housing units.

Created by a council member who represents part of Queens, Eric Gioia, *the plan would offer private developers the right to construct larger buildings if they designated 20% of all residential units as affordable housing for the middle class.* Although developers would be required to apply for the zoning change and therefore it is not yet known how much affordable housing Mr. Gioia's plan would create, he said that it could open up hundreds of affordable units within an area that covers 20 city blocks and bring construction to an underdeveloped area.

The focus on middle-income housing is an attempt to help a demographic that Mr. Gioia sees in his own family. "I think my model in my mind has been my sister and her fiancé," he said. Mr. Gioia's sister is a teacher, and her fiancé is in law enforcement. "A cop married to a school teacher should be able to live in our city, and right now too many people are being squeezed by the high prices of New York City," he said.

While he said he knows that the plan will not solve the city-wide housing shortage, he said he hopes that the precedents it sets — denser development as incentive for creation of affordable housing, and inclusionary zoning in Queens — will be "a model here that can be replicated city-wide and across the country."

Allowing denser development along Queens Boulevard might not bring the revitalization Mr. Gioia said he is hoping for, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute who specializes in development, Julia Vitullo-Martin, said. She said she thought the rezoning was "a pretty good direction to be going in," and that the proximity to public transportation and the need to make Woodside more attractive to developers made the area "a pretty good neighborhood for this kind of thing." But she said she was worried that the rezoning plan was a "piecemeal" approach that addressed the immediate problem — lack of affordable housing — without looking at the wider implications for city planning throughout Queens.

"This section of Queens Boulevard is going to end up with pretty substantial towers that are going to prevent any other use for the neighborhood," she said.


© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## krull

kay: Follow up story...


*City OKs inclusionary zoning in Queens*


By Tom Acitelli 
August 16, 2006

The City Council also on Wednesday approved the first inclusionary zoning for Queens, rezoning 110 blocks in the neighborhoods of Woodside and Maspeth. The rezoning allows property owners along these Queens Boulevard blocks to build 33 percent more housing in exchange for creating or preserving 20 percent of the floor area they develop as permanently affordable housing. 


Copyright © 2003-2005 The Real Deal.


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## Cov Boy

Some fab buildings.


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## Spooky873

ah well, more proof emporis isnt as up to date as they claim.


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## krull

*Tracking Progress in Lower Manhattan*


By Tom Sosnowski
August 21, 2006 

NEW YORK CITY-As we approach the fifth anniversary of 9/11, The Alliance for Downtown New York has identified several indicators of the significant progress made in Lower Manhattan over the past five years, including the revitalized office market, the growing residential community, the expanding retail and tourist activities and the improved quality of life. While much work remains, the recovery achieved thus far has been remarkable.


** Business and Office Market Indicators*


After struggling in the wake of the devastation of 9/11/01, the Lower Manhattan office market is undergoing a steady recovery. Office leasing activity has gathered strength in Lower Manhattan since the post-9/11 slowdown, and leasing in 2006 continues this positive momentum with 1.34 million sf signed as of the second quarter. Strong leasing activity has led to increases in absorption every year for the past five years, including more than a million sf of positive net absorption in 2005.


** Office Vacancy Rate*


After shooting up 7.3 percentage points to a high of 13.7%, the vacancy rate among office properties in Lower Manhattan began a slow, steady decline. As of 2Q 2006, the vacancy rate has fallen to 11.2%, a decline of 2.5 percentage points from the post-9/11 peak. This trend is due in part to firms taking space off the market for their own use. According to CB Richard Ellis, since the beginning of 2006 more than 1.2 million sf of space has been withdrawn from the market by JP Morgan Chase, General Electric, Merrill Lynch, Guardian Life Insurance, TD Waterhouse and others.


** Office Rents*


After 9/11, average rents in Lower Manhattan declined steadily until early 2005. The entry of 7 WTC into the market in February 2005 caused Downtown rental rates to increase $4.55 per sf. Since that time, strong demand has led to a steady upward climb in rental rates, which increased every month from November 2005 to July 2006 to reach $38.57 per sf the highest average pricing since May 2002.


** Employee Perception in Lower Manhattan*


Employees are expressing positive views of progress in Lower Manhattan. A recent Downtown Alliance snap poll of more than 1,700 area workers revealed that more than 60% of those surveyed feel that Lower Manhattan is a better place to work than it was three years ago, and 91% are optimistic about Lower Manhattan’s future. Additionally, 65% of respondents indicated that they have noticed an improvement in the shopping and dining options Downtown in recent years, and 39% stated that they would consider living in Lower Manhattan in the future.


** Business relocations to Lower Manhattan*


Since the beginning of 2005, at least 72 companies have committed to relocate their businesses from Midtown, Midtown South and elsewhere in the metropolitan region to Lower Manhattan. Together, these businesses account for more than 1.5 million sf of new leases south of Murray Street. * Academic Institutions in Lower Manhattan

Since 9/11, three new institutions of higher learning—NYU School of Continuing Education, the CCNY Center for Worker Education, and Berkeley College—have opened in Lower Manhattan, with a combined enrollment of 12,400 as of 2005. These additions raise the number of Downtown’s colleges and universities to a total of six and increased the number of students attending class in Lower Manhattan by 37%.


** Residential Market Indicators*


In recent years, Lower Manhattan has become the fastest growing residential neighborhood in New York City. In the years since 9/11, the housing stock in Lower Manhattan has grown by 5,804 units—a 38% increase. This translates into approximately 10,200 additional residents over the past 5 years.

At least six new residential buildings are slated to open in the next several months. When the 4,700 units currently under construction are completed, they will attract approximately 8,200 additional residents to the Lower Manhattan community.

Also, Lower Manhattan residents have long been underserved in terms of schools. However, since 9/11, two new schools have opened in Lower Manhattan—the New York City Millennium High School and the private Claremont Preparatory. * Retail

Closing temporarily after 9/11, Downtown’s two destination retailers—Century 21 and J&R Music & Computer World—have not only reopened for business, but have expanded in size and capacity. Retailers displaced by the collapse of the WTC towers have relocated elsewhere in Lower Manhattan and enjoy strong sales in their new locations. Borders Books and Music, Nine West and Papyrus have relocated from the WTC to 100 Broadway, 179 Broadway, and 233 Broadway, respectively. The Amish Market, formerly at 130 Cedar Street, has opened two new locations at 17 Battery Pl. and 53 Park Pl..

The recovering office market and surging residential growth have attracted new luxury retailers to Lower Manhattan, including Hickey Freeman and BMW. Leases signed in the past few months will bring Hermes, Tiffany & Co. and Whole Foods to Lower Manhattan in 2007. Quality retailers such as Christopher Norman Chocolates, Sephora, and Equinox have also opened locations in Lower Manhattan over the past several years.


** Restaurants*


Since 9/11, 31 new sit-down restaurants have opened in Lower Manhattan, most recently Bobby Van’s Steakhouse, Trinity Place and PJ Clarke’s. Zen Palette, the upscale vegetarian restaurant in Union Square, is under construction and will open on John St. next year .Once a collection of derelict storefronts, historic Stone St. has been transformed into Lower Manhattan’s very own restaurant row. After a dramatic revitalization over the past several years, the area is now known for its numerous restaurants and cafes with outdoor seating. Harry’s Steak, Adrienne’s Pizza Bar and Brouwer’s are just a few of the successful new offerings on Stone Street.


** Tourism*


Tourism in Lower Manhattan was down in the years following 9/11/01, but has rebounded with positive growth in 2004, 2005, and YTD 2006. In 2005, attendance at selected Lower Manhattan attractions reached 4.5 million, the highest level since 9/11/01.


** Transportation*


Transportation infrastructure and use have improved greatly since the destruction suffered on 9/11. In the last five years the temporary PATH station opened, easing the commute of some 45,300 riders between New Jersey and Lower Manhattan every day. Construction has begun on the Fulton Transit Center and the new underground connector, which will improve the connections and circulation of more than 300,000 daily subway riders on 12 subway lines.

The Staten Island Ferry Terminal has undergone a $130 million renovation, enhancing the trip of 65,000 daily commuters. The ferry terminal at the World Financial Center is also currently under renovation. Subway ridership in Lower Manhattan has continued to climb since 9/11. After holding steady between 2002 and 2003, the number of daily subway riders Downtown has increased 6% to reach 296,000 in 2005.

The Downtown Connection bus, a free service sponsored by the Downtown Alliance, connects Lower Manhattan’s key business, cultural and retail locations. The bus service has carried more than 1 million riders since its inception in the spring of 2003. As of June 2006, the Downtown Connection has grown to a monthly average of over 63,000 riders.


** Declining Crime*


The rate of crime in Lower Manhattan continued to decline after 9/11. Crimes against persons decreased sharply between 2002 and 2003 and have continued to fall steadily since 2003. Crimes against property have also decreased in the past five years, with a sharp drop-off between 2001 and 2002 and a steady decline through 2005. In the past five years, the Downtown Alliance has improved at least 11 blocks of Broadway and Park Row as part of a streetscape improvement program. The enhancements include the installation of the Canyon of Heroes outdoor museum, which features 200 granite markers along Lower Broadway commemorating Downtown’s ticker-tape parades. The addition of trash baskets, bollards, and more than 100 street lamps have also greatly enhanced the appearance and security of Downtown’s streets.


Copyright © 2006 ALM Properties, Inc.


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## Scruffy88

by the way Krull, thank you for keeping this thread going and all the news you bring us. Very appreciated


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## TowerPower

Spooky873 said:


> (emporis) buildings proposed/approved over 500ft:
> 
> NYC - 23
> Chicago - 23
> Shanghai - 13
> Dubai - 12
> Hong Kong - 5


???????????? 
I'm very skeptical of the Dubai figure. I think it's misleading as most approved buildings don't yet have a known height in Dubai. If you counted approved buildings over 40 floors the figure would be over 50. As well, there are 60 or 70 u/c with known heights over 500 ft. 
(These figures are just out of my own head so don't quote me. I am estimating on the conservitive side however.)


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## rockaway

no other city beats NYC!!!!


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## Spooky873

TowerPower said:


> ????????????
> I'm very skeptical of the Dubai figure. I think it's misleading as most approved buildings don't yet have a known height in Dubai. If you counted approved buildings over 40 floors the figure would be over 50. As well, there are 60 or 70 u/c with known heights over 500 ft.
> (These figures are just out of my own head so don't quote me. I am estimating on the conservitive side however.)


i just counted and relayed it. if you wanna know for yourself go there.


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## TowerPower

^^ Yes, I checked and the figure is indeed 12 approved over 500 ft. for Dubai. I still find it misleading though ( possibly for the other cities as well ). I checked on emporis and 7 of the 12 buildings are 320m +. As well I found an additional 39 approved buildings that are 45 floors or more with unknown height. 

To clarify my earlier u/c figures for Dubai, there were 57 over 500 ft/153 m u/c, and 40 with unknown height and 45+ floors u/c.


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## Spooky873

Yeah Emporis isnt completely up to date. Theres some new WTC stuff missing on there, etc.


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## krull

*It’s Alex Garvin’s Town; You’ll Never Live In It *


By: Matthew Schuerman
Date: 8/23/2006 


Alex Garvin has been Dan Doctoroff’s favorite urban planner for about seven years now, ever since the deputy mayor came across Mr. Garvin’s book, The American City: What Works, What Doesn’t, in a Barnes & Noble.

His brand of urbanism with a free-market conscience appealed to Mr. Doctoroff, who was then just another investment manager with an Olympic dream. The two got together and worked out a way to bring the games to New York.

First it was NYC2012. Now it’s NYC2025.

With the Olympic bid by the wayside, Mr. Garvin has been working on a report on housing and infrastructure investments for the Strategic Land Use Plan, a nearly covert effort by the Bloomberg administration on what should be done to accommodate the nine million New Yorkers of the future (up from 8.1 million today). It is believed to be just one of a handful of reports that various consultants are preparing for the strategic plan, and was secret until Aug. 16, when Aaron Naparstek, a writer, posted it on StreetsBlog, a transportation Web site. Mr. Naparstek, whose own book, Honku: The Zen Antidote to Road Rage, may at one time or another may also have been found in Barnes & Noble, said that he had obtained the finished report in June from “a City Hall insider.”

Some of the ideas included in the report were mentioned in an Aug. 21 Observer article on the strategic plan, but the 87-page document delves into copious detail. *The introduction cites “opportunities to build between 160,000 and 325,000 housing units, with virtually no residential displacement, and to dramatically improve city’s public realm through strategic capital investment.” Chief among them is a platform over Sunnyside Yards, the 166-acre commuter and passenger train yard in Queens, which would, when built out over three phases, provide space for up to 35,300 apartments.* A more controversial idea that The Observer said is under consideration--congestion pricing, or charging cars for entering lower Manhattan and midtown weekdays--is not mentioned in the report.

“If housing production does not accelerate to match the growing population, housing prices will climb still higher,” the report states. “Such an expensive housing market will make it difficult for New York to attract the world’s top companies and employees, to retain an economically and culturally diverse population, and to continue expanding opportunities for every New Yorker.”

Of course, Mr. Garvin could have put his pen down right there. How much of an overpopulation problem would we have if no one wanted to live here?

But it becomes clear that Mr. Garvin wants the city to grow: increasing housing, he writes, “absorbs the city’s growth,” while improving the “public realm … helps ensure that growth occurs in the first place.”

And so, while the first part of the report is about creating housing, *the report is illustrated with charming photos of tree-lined streets in Paris, bicycle lanes in Vienna and trolleys in Minneapolis, giving the impression that Mr. Garvin actually believes that just a little more urban planning will make New York City a civilized place to live!*

“Alex is one of the pros in the business, and he’s raised a lot of interesting ideas about development potential,” said Robert Yaro, the president of the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit planning group. “It’s particularly useful if it’s going to be a catalyst for public discussion, and I think that’s the key, that it needs to be seen as a beginning for dialog.”

It is unclear just what Mayor Bloomberg thinks of the report and how much of it will end up in his final plan, but outside consultants typically submit numerous drafts, get feedback, and shape their final versions to make them more or less acceptable to their clients. Mr. Garvin, a Yale professor as well as head of his own planning firm in New York, referred questions about the report to the Mayor’s office, which refused to comment. Mr. Doctoroff, reached separately, said he was tied up in meetings, but previously he has promised that the public would have a chance to provide input during the creation of the plan.

*The idea of building platforms is nothing new for New York: Park Avenue was created over the New York Central rails; the Bloomberg administration is trying to build a deck on the West Side; and developer Bruce Ratner is proposing to cover Long Island Rail Road tracks in Brooklyn. Developers have likewise eyed the Sunnyside Yards for a long time, but no one has jumped.*

“We’ve been looking at these sorts of opportunities, but as a private developer, it is very hard to figure out how to get involved,” said Jon McMillan, the planning director for Rockrose Development Corp., which is developing part of Queens West nearby. “There are several layers of ownership: the city, the M.T.A., and there’s even a private owner that has an option on part of it. Opportunities like this really have to be competitively bid.”

The trick to making it work economically is to figure out how many apartments developers are allowed to build on top of the platform in order to pay for the cost of the platform. At some point, Mr. McMillan said, “you turn the dial” and find the density that is at once acceptable to the community and also profitable for developers.

“If it’s not there already, it is almost there,” he said.

Another experienced developer in the outer boroughs, though, doubted it could be done without government subsidizing the cost of the platform.

“The concept is an excellent concept, the concept of building housing wherever it may be built,” he told The Observer. “The problem is that the infrastructure costs of a site like that are so enormous.”

*Mr. Garvin estimates that maybe R8 zoning (roughly eight- to 10-story buildings, depending on its footprint) and definitely R9 zoning (roughly 12- to 18-story buildings) would be sufficient to make the platform worthwhile, but he does not spell out the specifics.*

“Sunnyside Yards probably has more potential than any area in New York,” said Councilman Eric Gioia, who represents the area. “Platforming would give us an opportunity to build schools, homes that the middle class can afford, and create a vibrant new neighborhood.”

*The idea of building over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Cobble Hill appears to be more controversial, however. The local congresswoman, Representative Nydia Velázquez, recently secured more than $300,000 to study how to cover the expressway, which runs in a ditch along the neighborhood’s western edge.* But community members are leaning in favor of cantilevering a broad sidewalk over either side of the ditch, narrowing the gap but leaving a slit through which car exhaust could escape.

“I don’t understand how putting housing over the highway will still let the highway breathe,” said Murray Adams, president of the Cobble Hill Association. “What that does is put all of the burden on either end of the platform instead of dissipating fumes throughout.”

*Mr. Garvin’s ideas may run into other difficulties as well: He recommends rezoning 21 blocks of Sunset Park for housing while the Bloomberg administration set them aside earlier this year as part of an “Industrial Business Zone,”* a designation meant to keep manufacturing companies from getting pushed out of New York City because of rising real-estate prices. “For housing to be built in these areas, the city must make a policy decision--as recommended by this report--that each site holds greater benefit to the city as a residential or mixed-use community than under its current uses,” the Garvin report states.

Other ideas are innocuous by comparison, and Mr. Garvin argues that they are relatively cheap. Planting trees along streets, for example, can be accomplished for the bargain-basement price of $650,000 a mile. (Keeping them alive is another issue.)

Mr. Garvin also suggests closing more major streets on Sundays as now is the practice in Central and Prospect Parks, and “pedestrian reclamations,” which means getting rid of parked cars along one side of the street, and broadening the sidewalk to create a sort of mall, with trees and benches along the side. In general, cars, especially parked cars, do not come off very well.


copyright © 2005 the new york observer, L.P.


----------



## krull

*Under-Construction Update:*


*Manhattan:*


*1095 Avenue Of The Americas (Redevelopment):* 630 ft - 40 floors











*Chelsea Gran West I:* 297 ft - 33 floors











*Chelsea Gran West II:* 297 ft - 33 floors











*200 West End Avenue:* 28 floors











*The Caledonia (450 West 17th Street):* 250 ft - 24 floors











*11 Central Park North:* 19 floors











*426 West 58th Street:* 11 floors










*163 Charles Street:* 8 floors 











*475 Greenwich Avenue:* 7 floors











*Lenox Grand (381 Lenox Avenue):* 7 floors











*La Casa Brava (232 East 118th Street):* 7 floors











*Lincoln Center West 65th Street (Redevelopment):* 












*Brooklyn:*


*The Edge I:* 40 floors
*The Edge II:* 30 floors











*The Edge III:* 15 floors











*Oceana At Brighton:* 12 floors











*Park Slope Tower (343-53 & 4th Avenue):* 12 floors











*The Green Huron:* 7 floors











*North 10th Street Building:* 7 floors











*Medgar Evers College (New Academic Building):* 6 floors











*174 Vanderbilt Avenue (Building 1):* 6 floors











*174 Vanderbilt Avenue (Building 2):* 6 floors











*The Edge Housing I:* 6 floors
*The Edge Housing II:* 6 floors


----------



## Talbot

Nice buildings, but I don't really care for the Chelsea Gran buildings, especially the Gran 1.


----------



## krull

*Building downturn*
*City issues fewer housing permits; developers cut back *


By Tom Fredrickson 
Published on August 28, 2006 

Residential construction in New York City is headed for its first annual decline in more than a decade.

*In the first seven months of the year, the city has issued permits to developers to build 3% fewer residential units than in the same period of 2005, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. *

*While the number of units in Brooklyn and Queens continued to rise--although at a fraction of last year's pace--the other boroughs all recorded dips. In Manhattan, the numbers slumped 13% for the period to a total of 4,986, which translates to 12 fewer buildings going up.* 

Many observers say the latest numbers mark a major turning point after years of robust growth in residential construction in the city. The rising cost of land, materials and construction has made many large construction projects uneconomical--especially in the face of a softening in sale prices. 

"The supply of condos over the next several years is going to be a lot less than people thought six months ago," says Gary Barnett, president of Extell Development Corp., one of the city's largest residential developers. 


*Not since Bill Clinton *


Forecasting company McGraw-Hill Construction anticipates that the value of large apartment building construction in the New York City area will rise this year by 4%, down steeply from last year's 23% jump. The company predicts a 7% fall in the total value for next year. 

The last time the city saw a decline in the number of permits issued for residential units was in 1994, early in Bill Clinton's first term of office. By last year, the totals had increased by a factor of seven.

"I think we are seeing a natural slowdown in construction because there is less land available, and the land that is out there continues to rise in price," says Stephen Kliegerman, executive director of development and marketing at Halstead Property.

Many developers are looking at pieces of property and deciding against building on them because the numbers no longer make sense in a market where developers cannot count on further steep rises in sales prices. A Halstead client Mr. Kliegerman declined to identify recently passed on developing a 20-unit condo building in the West Village. The units would have to sell at $2,000 a square foot, reflecting a high-watermark price that may not hold.

"It wouldn't be impossible to attain those numbers, but no reasonable investor would bank on it," Mr. Kliegerman says.

*Construction costs have only exacerbated developers' woes. In the last three years, construction costs, including labor, have risen about 35% in New York City. An index based on the cost for three key building materials--Portland cement, 2-by-4 lumber and structural steel--has increased 9% in the city in the last 12 months alone, according to Engineering News-Record.*

"Construction costs have exploded," Mr. Barnett says. 


©2006 Crain Communications Inc.


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## krull

*GARDEN-VARIETY B'KLYN
PARK PLAN A WATERFRONT WONDER*










*GREEN QUEEN: Proposed park would see Greenpoint 
live up to its name. *


By ANGELA MONTEFINISE
August 27, 2006

The scenes seem more Greenwich than Greenpoint: pedestrians strolling along a shorefront esplanade, kayakers paddling through placid waters, people gathering at an outdoor performance shell. 

But if city park planners have their way, it will come true. 

*As part of a $100 million refurbishment of the Greenpoint waterfront, planners are proposing soccer and softball fields, a visitors center, a boathouse, a beach and a boardwalk for the 25-acre Bushwick Inlet Park. 

Also planned is a museum and memorial plaza dedicated to the USS Monitor, the first ironclad ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy, built and launched in Greenpoint during the Civil War. 

There will also be a community center, a performance space in the footprint of the soon-to-be-removed Bayside fuel tanks and a floating movie screen on the inlet.* 

The Parks Department's preliminary and still-evolving designs were unveiled last week at Community Board 1, where reactions were mixed. 

While most seem pleased with the design, some complained that planners are simply thinking too big. 

Others were angry that the Monitor museum's proposed location has been moved to Kent Avenue, the northernmost part of the park. 

The museum, which is now a traveling exhibit, was given land for a permanent home on the inlet's waterfront in 2003. It used a $50,000 state grant to clean the site, which will now be used for other park uses. 

"No one's against the park," said Janice Weinmann of the museum. "We just want the museum prominently displayed on the waterfront where the ship was actually launched." 

The city is still in the process of acquiring the Bushwick Inlet from five private developers.


Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc.


----------



## krull

*The Staten Island NASCAR stadium 
would be similar in scope to the 
Richmond International Speedway 
in Virginia. *


*RACEWAY YIELDS ON PARKING*


By RICH CALDER
August 28, 2006

Facing a road filled with potholes, the developer seeking to build an 82,500-seat NASCAR raceway on Staten Island is revising plans in a bid to limit traffic impact on the borough's already jammed highways. 

Michael Printup, project manager of the Daytona, Fla.-based International Speedway Corp., said the company "would love" to reduce the number of parking spots for raceway events from the proposed 8,400 to 1,000 and is "confident" it could get it at least below 5,000. 

"Our goal is to get as many people coming here by bus and ferry as possible," Printup told The Post, adding that the delayed $600 million project won't be completed until at least 2011. 


Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc.


----------



## krull

*Smokestacks’ Demolition Will Mean New B’klyn Skyline
But Don’t Expect a Big, Dramatic Implosion Here*










*You’ll still see “smoke on the water,” 
but it will only come through one of 
these four 350-foot smokestacks. 
The other three atop Con Edison’s 
Vinegar Hill plant are scheduled to 
be demolished by the end of the year.*


By Raanan Geberer
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
published 08-26-2006

BROOKLYN — Residents of Vinegar Hill and nearby areas are hoping that the dismantling of three of the huge smokestacks atop the Con Edison plant there will be done in a safe way. 

At any rate, the stacks will go down with a whimper, not with a bang. 

Don’t look for these smokestacks to be imploded dramatically, the way the old KeySpan gas tanks in Williamsburg were blown up a few years ago, to the delight of photographers. Instead, they’ll be taken apart little by little. 

*“Demolition should begin soon — we are just waiting for final permits,” said Joe Petta, a spokesperson for Con Edison. “As soon as we get those, the work will begin. They should probably come down by late fall.”*

At the heart of the demolition of three of the building’s four smokestacks are ongoing changes in technology and in the way Con Edison works. 

The building dates back to 1932, and at one time, there were 32 boilers going night and day, necessitating four stacks on top of the building, with an extra stack nearby. Today, says Petta, the plant no longer generates electricity, just steam for the Manhattan steam loop. 

Only four boilers still operate, and the inactive stacks cost a lot to maintain. Thus, their destruction makes sense from an economic point of view. 

*Many real estate observers, such as the writers of the well-known blog Brownstoner, have said that the giant Con Ed plant remains a barrier to more development in the neighborhood. *

Tucker Reed, executive of the Dumbo Improvement Association representing the area next door to Vinegar Hill, said, “The creation of more open space because the plant is not being utilized is a welcome step.” 

“As far as Vinegar Hill is concerned, this is nothing but an aesthetic change,” said Nicholas Evans-Cato, vice president of the Vinegar Hill Association. 

As far as the Con Ed plant is concerned, he said, “They’ve been good neighbors,” but added that “the remaining boilers are the dirtiest power plant in New York City. Still, he said, “This is a good example of Con Ed doing its maintenance before the fact. Better these stacks be taken down than fall down.” 

Deborah Masters, a Williamsburg/Vinegar Hill environmentalist, said, “I discussed this plan for two years with Con Edison, and I’m glad they’re going to do it. 

“Every time you start dismantling something that has heavy metals and PCBs on the inside, it’s good they’re taking them down. I’m pretty confident in Con Ed’s department that takes care of environmental toxins.” 

The alteration of the power plant’s industrial skyline will also have implications for nearby Brooklyn Bridge Park, but officials from the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy did not return phone calls to this newspaper by press time. Several officials who were called for this article did not return phone calls, probably because of yesterday’s meeting on the Atlantic Yards project. 

As for the steam, it travels through a tunnel under the East River and then into two “loops” in Manhattan, where it heats, and sometimes cools, office and residential buildings, thus saving them the expense of having their own boilers. 


© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2006


----------



## krull

*Pressure Mounts to Curb the Size of Atlantic Yards*


By DAVID LOMBINO - Staff Reporter of the Sun
August 29, 2006

The developer of the $4.2 billion Atlantic Yards project is coming under pressure to downsize, The New York Sun has learned.

State officials have discussed with the developer, Forest City Ratner, a reduction in the size of the project, a source said. *The officials have said the downsizing should come in the next few weeks, before September 22, the end of the public comment period regarding the draft environmental impact statement, the source said. As proposed, Atlantic Yards would be the largest development project in Brooklyn's history and create the densest census tract in America.*

*Forest City Ratner is seeking to build a basketball arena and 16 towers containing 6,860 apartments on 22 acres in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, but the project has come under fire from some members of the community who say the project is too dense, will destroy the low-rise neighborhood, and further ensnarl the borough in traffic.*

Many supporters of Atlantic Yards hail the project's affordable housing component. The developer has promised that half of the project's rental units, about 2,250 apartments, will be made available to low- and middle-income families.

The support of the Pataki administration and its leading development agency, the Empire State Development Corporation, is critical to the project's success.The proposal is being shepherded through the approval process by the ESDC, whose board must approve the plans before they head for final approval from the Public Authorities Control Board.

City officials said yesterday that the Department of City Planning is drafting written testimony that it will submit to the ESDC that will include comments about the proposed height and how the project fits in the context of the low-rise neighborhood.

Previously, the Bloomberg administration has supported the plan without reservation based on its job creation and affordable housing components. City Hall does not have an official vote on the matter, because the proposal circumvents the city's uniform land use review process.

Last Wednesday, hundreds of supporters and opponents clashed verbally during and outside a public hearing over the developer's draft environmental impact statement. At the hearing, the president of Brooklyn, Marty Markowitz, tweaked his previously robust support for the project to include some new demands. He asked the state and developer to reduce the project's scale, build a school, add a police substation, improve potential traffic problems and parking, and make sure that the project's open space is public and accessible.

A spokesman for Forest City Ratner told the New York Post last week that it would consider the suggestions by Mr. Markowitz. The developer would not comment yesterday.

*If the developer reduces the project's size, it should not expect instant community approval of the new plan. A spokesman for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, an umbrella organization of opposition groups, Daniel Goldstein, said a size reduction would not halt a legal challenge over the proposed use of eminent domain.

Mr. Goldstein said the organization would oppose the project until the developer changes the 22-acre project footprint, considers not building the basketball arena, and takes eminent domain off the table. He said he expected a size reduction as part of the developer's strategy to seek approval.*

"They shoot for the sun so they can get the moon. When they get the moon, they act like they have listened to the criticism and responded," Mr. Goldstein said.

*Mr. Goldstein said the latest proposal is about 700,000 square feet bigger than the 8 million square feet that was originally proposed in December 2003. Opponents contend that the developer increased the total square footage to about 9.1 million square feet last September, and then in March scaled back plans by about 5%, or 475,000 square feet, to its current total size of about 8.7 million square feet.*

The developer has said that the size of the project, and its thousands of market rate housing units, is necessary to subsidize the affordable units. Forest City Ratner has not said how much it stands to profit from the project.

If the developer downsizes, as expected, any decrease in the number of affordable housing units could threaten a main source of support, which includes the housing activist Bertha Lewis. A well-timed size reduction could, however, placate some politicians whose support has been conditional on changes to the current plan.

A spokesman for City Council Member David Yassky, Evan Thies, said a decrease in size would be a significant development. Mr. Yassky supports the project, but has called for a size reduction and traffic improvements.

"Finally, someone seem to be listening on the other side," Mr. Thies said. "This is a real opportunity for the developer and the ESDC to prove to the community that they are listening to their concerns."

Several elected officials have asked that the size and density of the project be reduced. In May, a bill introduced by Assemblyman James Brennan, a Democrat of Brooklyn, would have forced the developer to reduce the amount of square footage by about one-third. The state, in return for a reduction, would give more money to subsidize the project's affordable housing units and for land acquisition costs. Five members of the Assembly from Brooklyn supported the bill.

Yesterday, the Empire State Development Corporation scheduled an additional public community forum for September 18. A forum is also scheduled for September 12.

If minor changes are made to the current plan, the developer would not necessarily have to submit a new supplemental environmental impact statement and the state could give its final approval soon after the public comment period concludes.


© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


----------



## krull

*110-Building Site in New York City Goes on Market *










*The sale of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, shown in 
1947, would transform a complex build for World War II veterans.*


By CHARLES V. BAGLI and JANNY SCOTT
August 30, 2006

Metropolitan Life is putting a stretch of 110 apartment buildings along the East River in Manhattan on the auction block.

*With a target price of nearly $5 billion, the sale of the developments, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, would be the biggest deal for a single American property in modern times. It would undoubtedly transform an affordable redoubt for generations of Manhattan’s middle class: teachers and nurses, firefighters and police officers, office clerks and construction workers.*

MetLife, one of the largest life insurers in North America, said in July that it might sell the two complexes, which it built nearly 60 years ago with government help. It has hired a broker, who started registering bidders last week for the 80-acre property along First Avenue between 14th and 23rd Streets.

Behind the scenes, the sale has already drawn interest from dozens of prospective buyers, including New York’s top real estate families, pension funds, international investment banks and investors from Dubai, according to real estate executives, even though the marketing book will not be released to bidders until next week.

*The deal is likely to lead to profound changes for many of the 25,000 residents of the two complexes, where two-thirds of the apartments have regulated rents at roughly half the market rate. Any new owner paying the equivalent of $450,000 per apartment is going to be eager to create a money-making luxury enclave, real estate executives say.*

The sale would only add to the seismic cultural shifts already under way in New York City and especially in Manhattan, where soaring housing costs have made the borough increasingly inhospitable to working class and middle class residents. It would be another challenge to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s effort to stabilize and expand the number of affordable apartments in the city.

“It’s really sad,” said Suzanne Wasserman, a historian and filmmaker who has lived in Stuyvesant Town since 1989. “New York has always attracted people who aren’t just interested in money — people interested in culture and poetry and music and dance and those young people who are the creative capital of the city. They aren’t going to have a place here and probably really don’t already. I think it affects everything about city life.”

Rumors of an impending sale began circulating among residents several years ago when MetLife was in the midst of a $300 million in upgrades that included new landscaping and playgrounds, spruced-up fountains, new wiring, air conditioning, carpeting and lights. Rose Associates took over management three years ago.

At the same time, MetLife sought to oust tenants not listed on leases. And rents for more apartments hit the legal threshold of $2,000 a month, MetLife has been able to charge new tenants market rates for those apartments when they become vacant. Under that threshold, the rent stabilization law limits increases to a fixed percentage each year for about a million apartments. About 27 percent of the tenants at Peter Cooper and Stuyvesant Town are now exempt from it and pay market rents.

But most, like Marilyn Phillips, 52, a nurse who has lived in Stuyvesant Town for 14 years, are under the threshold. She and her husband, a social worker, pay $1,700 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. News of the sale worried her. “It may mean we may no longer be able to live here,” she said. “The management is intent on making this luxury apartments and driving the working class out.”

MetLife and real estate investors view the sale far differently.

“It’ll be the largest sale of a single property in U.S. history,” said Dan Fasulo of Real Capital Analytics, a real estate research and consulting firm. “No doubt in my mind. It’s truly an unprecedented offering and an irreplaceable property. It would be impossible today to get a property of that scale in an urban location. And that neighborhood has become so desirable.”

*Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village together are nearly as large as the biggest single residential development in the country: Co-Op City in the Bronx, which has 15,372 units in 35 towers and 236 two-family houses. The land itself is about one-tenth the size of Central Park.* 

To market the properties, MetLife has hired Darcy Stacom, a broker at CB Richard Ellis. According to real estate executives, the company began registering potential bidders last week, telling them that MetLife hoped to select a winner by November.

The company reserves the right not to sell if the offers fall short, but Robert Merck, who oversees real estate investments for MetLife, said, “We think the current market conditions are very favorable.”

*Already there are signs that bidding will be feverish. As one executive involved in the sale put it, “This is the ego dream of the world: 80 acres, 110 buildings, 11,000 apartments, covering 10 city blocks in Manhattan.”*

According to several bidders, the list of buyers who have signed up includes the most active developer in New York City, The Related Companies; one of the largest landlords, Glenwood Management; Tishman Speyer, which controls Rockefeller Center; two publicly traded real estate companies, Archstone and Vornado; the international bank UBS; the Blackstone investment firm, as well as the Rudin, Durst and LeFrak real estate families.

Given the enormousness of the deal, buyers are expected to team up.” You’ll see some interesting people stepping up to the plate for this one,” said William Rudin, whose family owns about 2,000 apartments in New York.

This is the latest big transaction for MetLife. Last year the insurer sold its landmark tower at 1 Madison Avenue and the skyscraper at 200 Park Avenue, the former Pan Am building, for more than $2.6 billion. But it is not getting out of the real estate business. It has a $40 billion portfolio of properties around the globe. But its presence in New York City is far smaller today than when its headquarters, with its signature clock tower, lorded over Madison Avenue. 

The company played a major civic role in the last century, building and running vast housing complexes like Parkchester in the Bronx and Riverton in Harlem, as well as Peter Cooper and Stuyvesant Town. Parkchester and Riverton were sold long ago. Last year, the company sold its landmark tower at 1 Madison Avenue and the skyscraper at 200 Park Avenue, the former Pan Am Building, for more than $2.6 billion.

At the urging of the public works czar Robert Moses, MetLife built Stuyvesant Town and its slightly more affluent sister, Peter Cooper Village, in 1947, as housing for returning veterans where the city’s Gashouse District once stood. The company excluded blacks and unmarried people at first, until protests and lawsuits in the 1950’s and 1960’s forced it to drop the barriers.

The city acquired some of the land for the project through eminent domain and gave MetLife all the streets in the 18-block area. The city also froze property taxes for 25 years at the value of the land before redevelopment, according to Samuel Zipp, a historian who wrote his Ph.D. dissertation on urban renewal in New York City.

Mr. Zipp, a visiting assistant professor of history at the University of California at Irvine, said that Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village served as a kind of urban Levittown, an early model for a new sort of city landscape that inspired later efforts in the 1950’s and 1960’s aimed at keeping city life affordable to the middle class. Among them was Lefrak City, a complex of 20 18-story buildings on 40 acres in Corona, Queens.

Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper are already undergoing great changes. Older residents are dying off. Young well-heeled professionals are willing to pay the higher rents. There are students from New York University — here one year, gone the next. There are fewer families and more single people, some of them subdividing one-bedroom apartments with partitions. A seven-story banner hanging down the side of a building on 14th Street announces, “Luxury rentals.”

Old traditions are also disappearing. The corny Christmas music and antiquated ornaments are gone, said Ms. Wasserman, the filmmaker who moved into Stuyvesant Town with her husband and son. Gone, too, is what she used to call the “friendly fascism” of the place: rules against playing on the grass, against sunbathing, against eating in the playgrounds, against running through sprinklers without shoes. 

“It’s becoming two different communities here — those that have the rent stabilization and those that don’t,” said David Weiss, a 34-year-old writer who lives in a rent-stabilized one-bedroom apartment with his wife and young son. The turnover among new arrivals is so high, he said, “My wife and I kind of joke that when we make friends with people we’ll ask if they’re in a rent-stabilized apartment.”

*Still, about 8,000 apartments remain under the city’s rent stabilization system. Even three-bedroom apartments remain in the hands of longtime residents still paying well under $2,000 a month.* 

Investors will want a return. “They have to raise the rents or convert it to a condo,” said Leonard Grunstein, a lawyer who specializes in deals involving multifamily affordable housing. “Either event removes this as affordable housing stock. If this were removed, there are probably 22,000 workers who live there, most are two-family incomes, probably 15,000 employees are there. Where are they going to go?”

Real estate executives are already poring over demographic information about the current tenants and considering long-term strategies, such as turning Peter Cooper Village into a condominium complex. That development sits on a rectangular piece of land bisected by a private road and the 3,000 apartments there tend to be larger, with more than one bathroom.

In interviews yesterday, some older tenants living in rent-stabilized apartments said they were not worried about being priced out of their homes right away. “I’m not really that concerned about it,” said Elliott Landen, 77, who said he pays slightly over $1,000 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. “I don’t think they’ll throw me out.”

But many said the people who will suffer most will be younger tenants holding out hope of raising children in Manhattan. One man, a 42-year-old computer programmer, said he and his wife had given up their rent stabilized one-bedroom unit in Stuyvesant Town when their daughter was born and had moved into a market-rate two-bedroom. He said he figured that in about two years his family would “wind up in the suburbs.”

“We’re at about $1,400 now,” said a woman who named Evelyn, who declined to give her last name but described herself as a 77-year-old retired teacher who has lived with her husband in a three-bedroom apartment in Stuyvesant Town for 43 years. “If we die, whoever comes in will pay $3,500 or $4,000. This used to be a nice middle-income place. It’s no longer that.”












Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## krull

*Appraisal Puts West Side Railyards’ Value at 3 Times the City’s Offer* 


By CHARLES V. BAGLI
September 1, 2006

The Bloomberg administration’s plan to buy the development rights to the 26-acre railyards on the Far West Side of Manhattan has hit another snag: money.

*The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns the railyards on both sides of 11th Avenue between 30th and 33rd Streets, received an appraisal this week that pegged the value at $1.5 billion, according to authority board members and city officials.*

*That is three times the $500 million offered by the Bloomberg administration in a surprise bid in July. The appraisal further complicates a deal that the administration had hoped to wrap up quickly. The city’s offer has already come under fire from Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who is running for governor, as “grossly under market value.”*

City officials said the gap between the city’s offer and the new appraisal was not as large as it seemed, but it also appeared that the Bloomberg administration would almost certainly have to sweeten its offer.

“Clearly, this is a new wrinkle in the deal,” said Peter S. Kalikow, chairman of the transportation authority. He said that board members would begin evaluating the document after the Labor Day weekend.

Mr. Kalikow expressed support for the city’s proposal last month, though he said he wanted a new appraisal.

Tom Kelly, a spokesman for the authority, confirmed that the appraisal was complete, but declined comment.

According to officials who have been briefed on the appraisal by Jerome Haims Realty, it sets the value of the development rights for the railyard on the west side of 11th Avenue at more than $1.2 billion, based on the ability to develop a large residential and commercial complex. A smaller block of development rights on the east side of 11th Avenue is worth about $300 million, the officials said.

Even if the authority subtracted the estimated $400 million cost of building a platform over the western railyard, the appraised value would still be more than twice the city’s offer.

“We continue to negotiate with the M.T.A.,” said Stu Loeser, a spokesman for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “We think our offer is fair. We’re not looking to make a profit here.” Back in July, Deputy Mayor Daniel L. Doctoroff said the city hoped to use the offer to catalyze development in this neighborhood of factories, warehouses and parking lots. *Buying the development rights, he said, would ensure that any development would be consistent with a comprehensive zoning plan adopted last year by the city.*

The city is also selling development rights under its rezoning plan and did not want to compete with the transportation authority.

The Bloomberg administration had discounted its offer based on the cost of building a platform over the railyards and on a provision for subsidized housing, which is required in the surrounding neighborhood.

Still, Mr. Spitzer said yesterday, there is a substantial gap between the city’s offer and the appraisal.

“If this report is accurate, it suggests that the value of the Hudson Yards, even after making deductions for the cost of a platform and adjustments for affordable housing and other amenities, is significantly greater than the price the city has offered,” he said in a statement released yesterday.

Mr. Spitzer has suggested that the development rights should be put up for auction, or the city could give the authority most of the profit it makes on any resale to developers, and that the proceeds, in turn, should go into the authority’s capital budget.

The appraisal highlights the difficulty of evaluating a property, like the railyards, that offers waterfront views of the Hudson River but requires an elaborate and costly platform before any buildings can be erected. The city’s offer is also based on a different set of assumptions from those used in the Haims appraisal.

The Jets, who had sought unsuccessfully to build a stadium over the western railyard last year, estimated the cost of a platform at $357.1 million. With construction costs rising quickly in New York, the Bloomberg administration now puts the cost at $400 million.

But architects and engineers say that building a platform for high-rise towers, as opposed to a stadium, will be more expensive and more of a logistical challenge. The taller buildings would be buffeted by river winds, requiring a more substantial platform and thicker stanchions to hold it up.

Most developers say they would subtract the cost of a platform from the value of the development rights. But the Haims appraisal does not assess the cost of a platform, one of the reasons city officials say the gap is not so large.

Given the current zoning at the railyards, very little could be built there. The Haims appraisal assumes a major rezoning that would allow for 7.87 million square feet of residential and commercial buildings. It is based on the same kind of zoning the city recently approved for an adjacent parcel.

But the city’s offer envisions a project that is 20 percent smaller, at 6.2 million square feet, although it also assumes a mix of residential and commercial towers.


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## bustero

Wow, in spite of the market downturn, NY property looks hot. Of course these are once in a lifetime opportunities. Man I wonder what the terms of the stuvesant/cooper deal will be , how extensive the changes and densities allowed.


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## krull

*Coney Island: Revival For the ‘People’s Playground’
Historian Michael Immerso Calls Redevelopment ‘Long Overdue’*


by Brooklyn Eagle
published online 09-01-2006

CONEY ISLAND — America’s most famous seaside amusement resort is preparing for a billion-dollar makeover. 

“A century ago Coney Island was the epicenter of America’s mass amusement industry,” according to Michael Immerso, author of Coney Island, The People’s Playground. “It was the home of Luna Park, Dreamland, and Steeplechase Park, the birthplace of the hot dog and the roller coaster. But it long ago fell into decline. After decades of neglect New York has at long last committed itself to Coney’s revival.” *This past year, the City of New York unveiled plans for a billion-dollar revitalization of Coney Island’s amusement district and surrounding neighborhoods. The city wants to transform Coney Island into a “year-round visitor destination.”* 

*The plan outlined by the Coney Island Development Corporation (CIDC) anticipates a billion dollars in private investment over the next ten years that is expected to generate 2,000 permanent jobs and 10,000 construction jobs over the next 20 years. The redevelopment envisions new amusement and entertainment venues along Surf Avenue, an amusement park midway on Stillwell Avenue, and an expansion of the New York Aquarium.* 

The focal point of the redevelopment is Coney Island’s historic amusement district. As the Eagle has mentioned in the past, Thor Equities has acquired $100 million in property in the heart of the amusement zone. Its chairman, Brooklyn native Joe Sitt, wants to build a year-round resort and amusement complex with a luxury hotel, a water park and other rides and attractions. Sitt envisions a 100-foot-tall waterslide, a giant carousel, amusement arcades and a landing pad for blimps atop the complex. Another developer, Taconic Investment Partners, has acquired property along Surf Avenue and hopes to spearhead redevelopment beyond the amusement district. Both developers must conform to the city’s redevelopment master plan.


*Ferry Service a Possibility*


One of many ambitious ideas under consideration is a proposal advanced by the New York Aquarium to rebuild the historic Iron Pier and initiate ferry service to Coney Island. At one time Coney Island had two piers extending 1,200 feet out into the ocean where steamboats docked bringing tourists to the beach.

“Coney’s piers were engineering marvels and were attractions in their own right,” according to Immerso. “The new Coney Island will require additional means of transportation for the many new visitors the city hopes to lure. A state-of-the-art amusement pier at Coney makes perfect sense.” The CIDC is presently conducting a feasibility study to determine whether ferry service to the resort is viable from an engineering and marketing standpoint.

The city’s redevelopment plan marks the third time Coney Island has undergone a nearly complete makeover. Coney Island was first transformed in 1875 and in the years immediately thereafter when Manhattan Beach and Brighton Beach opened, and the Iron Piers, Ocean Parkway and Coney Island Concourse were built. 

Two decades later (1903-1904), it underwent another transformation when Luna Park and Dreamland opened, prompting many to dub it the New Coney. 

“The Coney Island landmarks most of us are familiar with — the Boardwalk, the Cyclone roller coaster, the Wonder Wheel and Parachute Jump — are in fact vestiges of the Coney Island that existed between the two World Wars when the resort had already begun to fall upon hard times,” Immerso explains. 

Despite years of decline, Coney Island continues to attract large crowds that come to walk its beach, ride the historic Cyclone roller coaster, and dine on a hot dog at Nathan’s. As many as ten million people visit each year, and the city hopes that the redevelopment will greatly increase that number.

Others worry that redevelopment threatens to trade away the honky-tonk that has long defined Coney Island for a flashy new resort. 

“Redevelopment is long overdue,” according to Immerso, “but it must respect Coney Island’s legacy as the people’s resort and preserve some of the features that made it so unique.” 


© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2006


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## Travis007

Spooky873 said:


> (emporis) buildings proposed/approved over 500ft:
> 
> NYC - 23
> Chicago - 23
> Shanghai - 13
> Dubai - 12
> Hong Kong - 5


Emporis' numbers are always misleading and most of the time not as up to date as they usually claim. Outside of North American cities, the editors do not keep that good of a track record of all buildings in the city, thus accounting for such unexact numbers. Especially for Asian cities such as Shanghai which they say has only about 800 buildings but they also claim that "At the end of 2004, Shanghai had 6,704 buildings of 11 or more stories which were completed since 1990, according to reports by the city of Shanghai."

Dubai is another city that is also going through a huge construction boom but the editors at Emporis are not keeping up to date with every exact project available because there is simply too much going on and not every project has the height number available.

A reason for the "low" number for Hong Kong is that most residential projects go through the process of Propposed>Approved to Construction pretty fast due to the market demand of housing. THus explaining the high number of constructions but the uneven number of Approved/Proposed buildings.


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## ZZ-II

some infos about the "80 South Street" Tower? Construction Start or other details??

http://www.emporis.com/ge/il/im/?id=338838


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## Spooky873

I figured I make a diagram so its easier for ppl to understand. It shows the locations and details of certain development areas. 

The Zebra type building (Verizon) to the south of the BoA is being reclad, and is in progress I believe:










West Side Expansion is a hot real estate market. There are tons of new condos and residentials going up pushing to the Hudson.

The Con Edison Redevelopment site is currently ongoing, with plans of 6 mix used towers all ranging 500 to 800 feet in height. Its being delayed over NIMBY bullshit.


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## Spooky873

theres a bunch of new towers that are proposed like 610 Lexington, which is around 700ft. I believe but im just too lazy to include them.


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## krull

- edit


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## krull

- edit


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## krull

- edit


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## SaRaJeVo-City

I love the west side expansion will improve the look of the area, since now it isnt that great.


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## TalB

Just like how I was against the recladding of 2 Columbus Circle, I also feel that midtown Switching Ctr shouldn't be recladded either.


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## Spooky873

idk, i think its better than the current zebra look.


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## ggmm

^^ That's way much better than the current one..


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## krull

*Developer Is Expected to Snip Away at High-Rise Project in Brooklyn* 


By CHARLES V. BAGLI and DIANE CARDWELL
September 5, 2006

Facing mounting criticism of its $4.2 billion Atlantic Yards project, *the developer Forest City Ratner plans to reduce the size of the complex by 6 to 8 percent, eliminating hundreds of apartments from the largest development proposal in the city*, according to government officials and executives working with the developer.

*Forest City is also considering reducing the height of the project’s tallest tower, which is known as Miss Brooklyn, to get it under the height of the borough’s tallest building, the nearby Williamsburgh Savings Bank*, according to real estate executives. 

The Atlantic Yards project, which includes a Frank Gehry-designed arena for the New Jersey Nets basketball team, more than 6,000 apartments, high-rise towers and a hotel on 22 acres near Downtown Brooklyn, has drawn a torrent of criticism as it nears the end of its public approval process. Critics fear that it would overwhelm the nearby brownstone neighborhoods and clog an already congested area with traffic.

The development, anchored at Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues, has a number of powerful supporters, including Gov. George E. Pataki, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, some local politicians and advocates for subsidized housing. And a recent Crain’s New York Business poll shows that most New Yorkers approve of the project, although opposition is strongest in Brooklyn. 

But both supporters and critics have expected Forest City to reduce the size and density of Atlantic Yards, which has been the focus of a series of raucous, standing-room-only public hearings, most recently on Aug. 24. *The stage appeared to be set when the Brooklyn borough president, Marty Markowitz, the project’s chief cheerleader, proclaimed at that hearing that no tower at Atlantic Yards should be taller than the 512-foot Williamsburgh Savings Bank building.*

*Forest City has been working with city officials on a revised plan after some officials raised questions about the project’s overall density and the design of Miss Brooklyn, which was supposed to rise 620 feet. *Officials say the developer will announce the reduction later this month.

“I’ve been told they will modify the project in order to address some of the concerns about the development,” said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who has supported the project. “I’m not sure all the criticisms will be addressed or that all the critics will be happy. But I understand there will be modifications.”

Officials say that Forest City has not settled on the final numbers for the project, but that it plans to reduce the size by 500,000 to 700,000 square feet by eliminating hundreds of market-rate apartments. That would enable the developer to cut the height of some of the towers, including a 350-foot building on what is known as Site 5, on the west side of Flatbush Avenue, and possibly at Miss Brooklyn.

*But according to executives briefed by the developer, Mr. Gehry has objected to any changes in his design for Miss Brooklyn. Forest City, they say, will continue to set aside 2,250 apartments for low, moderate and middle-income tenants, even as it seeks additional subsidies for that part of the development.*

A spokesman for Bruce Ratner, the president of Forest City Ratner, declined to comment. Forest City is also The New York Times Company’s development partner on its new headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.

“I’m sure the developer is looking at ways to reduce the size of the project,” said Charles A. Gargano, chairman of the Empire State Development Corporation, which has granted initial approval of Atlantic Yards. “It would be a good thing for everyone. It’s an important project for Downtown Brooklyn.” 

Whatever happens, the planned cutbacks are unlikely to satisfy the most severe critics.

“I don’t think the bottom-line community concern is really about aesthetics, which is what shaving a few stories off the heights of the buildings is about,” said James F. Brennan, a Brooklyn assemblyman. “I don’t think this flies.”

Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, added, “They could chop Miss Brooklyn in half in terms of the height and that won’t change our position.” Mr. Goldstein’s group opposes the arena, the project’s density and the state’s use of eminent domain to acquire some of the property.

Mr. Goldstein said he suspects that the developer has had this proposal “in their closet for a long time.”

Mr. Ratner and his supporters are hoping that the changes will appease residents of the surrounding areas concerned about the impact of such a large-scale project and take the heat off the politicians who represent them. 

“A lot of us who support it believe that it should be scaled back,” said City Councilman Bill de Blasio, who represents Park Slope. “But the amount of affordable housing has go to remain the same.”

A small portion of the project, Site 5, dips into the district of Assemblywoman Joan Millman, who has been critical of the project’s height and density, as well as its effect on traffic at the busy intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues. But she favors the arena, the large block of lower-priced housing and the developer’s commitment to union jobs.

“I’ve always praised Ratner,” she said. “He’s one of the few, if not the only one, who uses union labor. I’m just very concerned about the overall impact.”

Mr. Ratner’s project won widespread support in December 2003, when he first announced plans to build a glass-walled arena for the Nets and to erect 4,500 apartments, half of them subsidized. For the romantics, there was the appeal of the borough having its first major professional sports team since the agonizing departure of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1957.

But over the following two years, the size of the project swelled to 7,300 apartments and the high-rise towers — 19 to 58 stories — took shape, looming over the four- to six-story buildings in the adjoining neighborhoods. In March, Forest City reduced the project by 475,000 square feet by cutting 440 market-rate condominiums, but that went largely unnoticed.

The reduction in the project’s scope comes as the Empire State Development Corporation prepares to hold two more public hearings later this month before voting on the project in October. *Officials say the developer is likely to unveil the changes around Sept. 25, when the City Planning Commission is expected to issue design guidelines for the project and recommend changes, including a reduction in density.*

At that point, there could be a long line of politicians and activists hoping to take credit, including the Bloomberg administration, Mr. Silver, Ms. Millman and Mr. Markowitz.

“Everyone’s going to take credit for something that everyone knew would happen,” said an executive who works with Forest City. “For these guys, it’s very important.”


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## TalB

> Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, added, “They could chop Miss Brooklyn in half in terms of the height and that won’t change our position.” Mr. Goldstein’s group opposes the arena, the project’s density and the state’s use of eminent domain to acquire some of the property.


I agree with Daniel Goldstein on saying that the Atlantic Yds shouldn't be amended but ended.


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## krull

*From rental to condo and back again
Condo owners renting out units in tight market; some conversion projects returning to rentals*


By Lauren Elkies
September 2006

A cooling condo market and a dwindling number of available rental properties in New York City are prompting developers and owners of newly built apartments to rent out their units.

"New condos are being rented out because they're taking the place of rental properties," said Daniel Baum, chief operating officer at brokerage the Real Estate Group. "They're in lieu of traditional rental properties."

In the burgeoning rental market in which demand exceeds supply, condo buyers are finding a good source of income in renting their apartments. And the competition for those apartments has become tight.

For every unit available on the market, Baum has at least three interested and qualified prospective renters. "We have a lot of clients offering more per month to secure the lease. If the rent is $4,000 to start, prospective tenants will offer $4,200 and as high as $4,500," he said.

Andrew Heiberger, who founded the rental firm Citi Habitats and now heads development company Buttonwood Real Estate, said he is seeing about 20 clients for each available rental property.

"It's an absolutely desperate situation, especially for studios and one-bedrooms," Heiberger said. "I predict in the next two years a 20 percent [rent] increase per year."

Still, rental income in most cases is not yet covering the expenditures required to own a condo.

"We are not at a point now where you could just walk in to buy a condo with 10 percent down and see positive cash flow right off the bat," Baum said. "Rentals have not caught up with sales where that makes sense."

Besides the shrinking number of rentals, owners of new condos can command top dollar from renters because the services and finishes are top of the line.

Heiberger purchased an investment property at 260 Park Avenue South, close to 20th Street, for $820,000. He received offers to sell the brand-new 850-square-foot condo in the new luxury doorman building for more than $1 million, he said. He also got a bid from an investment banker to pay $5,000 a month in rent. Since it only cost $3,500 to carry, Heiberger opted to rent out the apartment, netting $1,500 per month. The leaseholder signed a two-year lease with a no kick-out clause.

The scarcity of rentals is an unsurprising consequence of a hot condo market. New York isn't a magnet for speculative investors, but many developers have converted rentals to condos, then found it's more profitable to rent them out once again.

If new condo projects get into trouble, they could go temporarily rental if they wind up in the hands of lenders.

Ofer Yardeni, managing partner of Stonehenge Partners, a company that owns and manages multifamily buildings in Manhattan, says high-profile rental properties acquired for conversion to condos will end up in the hands of lenders "as the banks begin to realize that the condo exit strategy will not be able repay the original debt."

Lenders will then have to write off underperforming loans and sell the properties at a reduced price, Yardeni said. "The new owners will then be able to operate the properties as rentals for the time being until the condo market picks up again and the exit strategy of condos becomes practical again."

In order to hold on to their condo developments, some developers are selling enough of the building to pay off the financing, then renting out the remaining units.

"A new thing that's happening right now because of the tight rental market, [is that] sponsors are not in such a rush to unload all of their apartments when some of them make sense as rentals," Heiberger said.

While some developers are planning mixed-use developments, once condo projects are already under way, developers do not appear to be scrapping their plans midway to build rental buildings. "The cost inherent in building a condo makes it cost prohibitive to turn it into a rental," said Jeffrey Levine, president of Levine Builders.

One can always take a rental -- which lacks the pricey finishes of a sale unit -- and dress it up by changing, among other things, the appliances and then deliver it for sale. But, Levine added, "a condo costs more to create, so the costs work against your turning it into a viable rental." In some cases, however, developers who shelled out too much money for land are tabling condo plans and/or are assessing a rental option, Levine noted.

But because of the way financing arrangements work, the bank requires the sponsor to actually follow through with the condominium offering plan for a building conceived as a condominium, Heiberger said. "So it's very difficult to abort a condominium plan when you have condominium financing," he said.

Baum from the Real Estate Group said constructing a rental building in Manhattan would make more sense than a condominium in the current market. "There really isn't a downside," he said. "You can always sell the units as condominiums later."

Yardeni of Stonehenge Partners agrees.

"With residential rents rising over 25 percent in the last six months -- reaching over $60 per square foot in many cases -- and vacancy rates approaching 0 percent," Yardeni said, rental properties "are becoming safer and better investments than owning Treasury bills." 


Copyright © 2003-2005 The Real Deal.


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## krull

*Rentals are back -- if you're a Durst
Only longtime landowners able to make rental development work*


By Steve Cutler
September 2006

Rental development pencils out in New York in the current market -- if you are a member of a real estate dynasty.

Developers say it doesn't make economic sense to start a project from scratch today, but many rental projects can be found on sites owned for decades by well-established and legendary outfits such as Rose Associates, Silverstein Properties, the Durst Organization and Skyline Developers. The hot rental market, marked by plummeting vacancy rates and higher rents, is putting long-term plans into action.

"The numbers still don't work for rentals if somebody's purchasing land at today's prices," says Cliff Finn, director of new development marketing for Citi Habitats. Most large-scale rental projects are the domain of "real estate entities, families that have been around a long time and own land at prices from five and 10 years ago."

At 37 Wall Street, Skyline Developers is undertaking the conversion of the 26-story building to more than 370 studios and one and two-bedroom apartments.

The project made sense because of the low acquisition cost of the property. "We've owned that building for about 20 years," says Orin Wilf, chairman of Skyline Developers.

Garden Homes, Skyline's parent company based in New Jersey, owns and manages 50,000 apartments across the country and was founded in 1954.

"It was part of the package the stock exchange was going to acquire a few years back. After quite a few years of negotiations, September 11 occurred, and the deal fell through," says Wilf. The long-term lease JP Morgan had on the property ran out and "we were left with a beautiful building to convert to rentals."

The building, designed by architect Costas Kondylis, is slated for fall occupancy, and is shooting for high-end finishes, with a Tiffany's store on the ground floor (see below).

"If you're trying to pencil out numbers for rentals today," says Wilf, "you can't do it. But even if it costs you $500 a square foot to build a rental, won't you make that up if you own the property for 20 years?"

While rents Downtown trail the rest of the city, which is pushing $65 a square foot in some areas, they're beating Skyline's initial projections. "When we started the project a year ago," says Wilf, "we projected about $40 a square foot. Now it's at $45 to $48 a foot."

*Farther uptown, World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein is planning a mammoth rental project scheduled to hit the market in early 2009. His new venture sits next to his River Place I on 42nd Street and 11th Avenue.

"Silverstein owned the property since 1984," says Finn, "so he didn't have to spend $800 a square foot for the land and doesn't have to do high-end condos."*

*In the Flatiron District, Roseland Property Company, a major developer based in Short Hills, N.J., is planning its second rental in New York City, at 35-38 West 21st Street. Designed by SLCE, the project includes a 16-story structure and an adjoining eight-story structure. The luxury project will have about 100 rental units, seven of them full-floor two-bedroom apartments, and should be ready by early 2008.*

"Rentals are designed very much like condos these days," says architect Kondylis. "They're in direct competition with condominiums. If the quality of the rental is inferior, people will buy an apartment."

The budget for new rental buildings is almost as much as condos, according to Kondylis -- within 5 percent. "Rents are so high now, developers have to justify the rent," he says. "You can't ask people to pay $5,000 for a two-bedroom and give them a cookie-cutter apartment. You have to have something to show to be able to ask top dollar."

Kondylis says he now uses more expensive finishes and materials in designing rentals and is allowed a freer hand with the layouts. "We do rentals that look like lofts, with totally open layouts without partitions."

Kondylis & Partners has designed a slew of rental high-rises coming onto the market. The 20-story Melar at 250 West 93rd Street and Broadway, developed by Friedland Properties, opened for occupancy early last month. Remaining apartments include studios from $2,650, one-bedrooms from $3,835, two-bedrooms from $5,995 and a convertible three-bedroom for $7,800. A two-bedroom with dining room and large wraparound terrace goes for $10,500 a month.

Rose Associates' 33-story Chelsea Landmark at 55 West 25th Street will be the latest addition to the large collection of new rental buildings along Sixth Avenue in Chelsea. Scheduled for completion in early 2007, the building will have 406 apartments. *Also opening in early 2007, Leviev Boymelgreen's 23-story 88 Leonard Street will have 334 rentals.*

*Kondylis also designed a 57-story hybrid condo/rental tower for the Moinian Group at 605 West 42nd Street, just east of Moinian's Atelier condo. The building will have 938 units, with rentals from the base to the midsection.*

Designed by FXFowle, with interiors by SLCE, the Epic, at 125 West 31st Street, is a 58-story glass-sheathed tower with 458 rentals and unobstructed views starting from the 12th floor. Developed by a partnership of the Durst and Fetner families, the building is expected to earn a LEED silver rating for its energy saving systems and indoor environmental quality. The Epic should be ready for occupancy by May 2007.

Other new rental buildings include 10 Barclay Street, a 57-story tower with 396 units, developed by Glenwood Management, to open in 2007. Also, Edward J. Minskoff is building a luxury condo project, 101 Warren Street, with a rental component with a separate entrance at 89 Murray Street. The rental side has 163 apartments, 77 of which are affordable housing. The condos, ranging from $1.2 million for a one-bedroom to $16 million for the penthouse duplexes, have been selling strongly, according to brokers. The project will be complete by the end of 2007.

Gary Malin, COO of Citi Habitats, reports some signs that developers who are newer to the game -- and who haven't owned the land they are building on for decades -- are beginning to think rental, too.

"I'm hearing of more developers taking a [condo] job in the pipeline and perhaps converting to rentals." Developers with rental building in their portfolios report that some of their apartments get 20 percent over last month's rent when they become vacant, he noted. "Acquisition costs of land are leveling out," adds Malin. "If rentals remain very strong, we'll probably see more people doing rental jobs." TRD


*New Wall Street project banks on rental future*


One of the classiest new residential buildings in the city will be -- gasp! -- a rental. How classy is it? Its street-level storefront is a Tiffany's.

The amenities at 37 Wall Street, a conversion of a historic Beaux Arts-style high-rise, match the cream of the new luxury condos opening Downtown: a professionally run gym, basketball court, juice bar, screening room and billiards lounge.

Designed by Costas Kondylis with interiors by McCartan Design, the 26-story building will have 373 studios and one- and two-bedrooms with high ceilings, plus a glass-enclosed penthouse added to the roof.

"Thirty-seven Wall Street will be nicer than half the condominium developments being built in Manhattan now," says Orin Wilf, chairman of Skyline Developers, the rental's builder.

Skyline's most recent project in Manhattan is a luxury condo at 170 East End Avenue, a new tower by architect Peter Marino on the Upper East Side. Why not throw up a condo at 37 Wall for a quick, profitable sellout?

"The future of Manhattan is in rental apartments," says Wilf.

With 37 Wall Street, he says, he'll secure "400 apartments in an evolving market down there. It's changing day by day -- more developers are going down there -- and we want to be a part of that." 


Copyright © 2003-2005 The Real Deal.


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## centreoftheuniverse

TalB said:


> I agree with Daniel Goldstein on saying that the Atlantic Yds shouldn't be amended but ended.


Goldstein is both a fool and a moron. Like they say, there's one born every minute.


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## daniel322

wonderfull projects!! :drool: i must go to NY someday!


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## Virenque

Are you sure Freedom Tower is already under construction? I know, it writes on Wikipedia and few other sites, but as I`ve heard is not official. There`s a wtc rebuild rally in Central Park on 9/10.


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## krull

^ Yes it is. I have seen construction activity already.


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## krull

I am seeing Red X's on all the renderings I have posted... I don't know what happened but I have to re-post every picture again.


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## TalB

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10242006/business/another_times_sq__hit_business_steve_cuozzo.htm
*ANOTHER TIMES SQ. HIT*

*ISTITHMAR PURCHASES PRIME 42ND STREET LOT FOR $76M*

October 24, 2006 -- BIG doings on 42nd Street: Mawan Dalloul's American Properties sold the spectacularly situated empty lot at 140 W. 42nd St. for $76 million to Dubai-based Istithmar, which plans to build a hotel/condo. Istithmar also owns 6 Times Square, the former Knickerbocker Hotel, next door. 

Dalloul shuttered the site's longtime flea market a few months ago. But he decided to sell the land rather than develop a speculative office project he'd long planned at No. 140, which is just west of his Bush Tower at No. 130. 

The deal paves the way for Istithmar - which has been on a local buying spree - to fill in the street wall on the south side. 

At one point, Dalloul said, "We considered a joint venture with Istithmar, but things got accelerated." The site can support a project of about 180,000 square feet.


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## ZZ-II

a new tower?


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## Spooky873

no this is NY, nothing goes on here anymore remember?! 

hno:


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/27/nyregion/27yards.html
*Suit Against Atlantic Yards Challenges Eminent Domain*

By THOMAS J. LUECK
Published: October 27, 2006

In a widely anticipated legal maneuver, opponents of the Atlantic Yards project filed suit in federal court yesterday, challenging the state’s authority to use its eminent-domain powers to acquire property and make way for the $4.2 billion development near Downtown Brooklyn.

The plaintiffs in the case were 10 people who the developer, Forest City Ratner, said have refused offers or resisted negotiations to buy their homes or businesses, or to be relocated to other rental apartments. The suit was filed in United States District Court in Brooklyn.

The plaintiffs’ lawyers, from firms in Manhattan and Albany and from South Brooklyn Legal Services, said the use of eminent domain would be unconstitutional because it would result in the transfer of private property to a developer without the public benefit that eminent domain is intended to bestow.

“The Atlantic Yards proposal is premised on the abuse of eminent domain,” said Matthew D. Brinckerhoff, the plaintiffs’ lead lawyer. It would mean “the taking of one citizen’s property to benefit a powerful and influential private citizen,” he said.

That citizen, Bruce Ratner, the president of Forest City Ratner, was named as a defendant, along with Gov. George E. Pataki and his chief development official, Charles A. Gargano, the chairman of the Empire State Development Corporation. Other defendants include Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Daniel L. Doctoroff, the deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding.

Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday that opponents of the Atlantic Yards project, who have long protested the use of eminent domain, were “misguided” and called the suit a “delaying tactic.”

“This is a project whose time has come,” Mr. Bloomberg said.

Jessica Copen, a spokeswoman for Mr. Gargano, declined to comment, saying that Mr. Gargano’s staff had not received a copy of the suit.

Joe DePlasco, a spokesman for Forest City Ratner, said the lawsuit was disappointing, but not unexpected. “We have tried everything in our power to negotiate fair and beneficial transactions,” he said. “However, a small group of people have either refused to speak with us or, for whatever reason, we have been unable to reach an agreement.”

The Atlantic Yards project would include 8.7 million square feet of housing, office and retail space and a basketball arena for the Nets.

If eminent domain were used by the state, it would be intended to complete the process of assembling property needed for the project, some of which the developer has negotiated to buy from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Forest City Ratner said yesterday that it controls 89 percent of the land needed to complete the project. Forest City said it has control of 93 percent of the condominiums and co-ops on the site and 66 percent of the commercial property.

Forest City is also the development partner in building a new Midtown headquarters for The New York Times Company.

The lawsuit comes at a time of heightened public scrutiny around the country of the use of eminent domain, with a groundswell of sentiment in some regions that it has been used too often to unfairly seize private property.

Mr. Brinckerhoff said yesterday that the plaintiffs’ case was supported by a United States Supreme Court ruling in 2005 that said the city of New London, Conn., could proceed with a large-scale plan to replace a faded residential neighborhood with offices and commercial development, over the objections of 15 homeowners, who refused offers for their homes and wanted to stay.

Even though those plaintiffs lost, Mr. Brinckerhoff said the case, Kelo v. New London, buttressed the arguments of the plaintiffs in Brooklyn because of what the Supreme Court said the government could not do, including using eminent domain simply to transfer property from one individual to another without sufficient public benefits.

Daniel Goldstein, one of the plaintiffs and a member of Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, said yesterday that the suit may heighten nationwide awareness of the conflict in Brooklyn and help raise money for the group’s legal bills.


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## krull

*NEW-WAVE CONEY *












By RICH CALDER 
October 31, 2006 

Here's a sneak peek at Coney Island's glamorous future. 

Architectural renderings obtained by The Post show a grand vision of the famed summer amusement area's rundown streets being transformed into a glitzy year-round playground and public attraction. 

In one image, Stillwell Avenue becomes a fantasy-filled boulevard marked by larger-than-life street furniture, such as a mermaid swimming in a martini glass and a gigantic tattooed elephant. 

The landmark Cyclone roller coaster can still be seen from down Bowery Street - which itself is reinvented as a permanent festival and sideshow area. 

Thor Equities has purchased 10 acres of boardwalk land in the hope of building a $1.5 billion entertainment destination. 

*The project is awaiting city approval, but the company hopes to break ground in 18 months and wrap up in about five years.*












Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc.


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## lokinyc

what the hell are Batman and Superman doing at Coney Island and why is that girl wearing a pumpkin on her booty? that rendering is awful.


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## TalB

I say that we should let Coney Island stay itself before any other eye-in-the-sky plan causes it to loose face just like what is happening to other neighborhoods.


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## NewYork-wala

I think Coney Island should have a new looko to it.. This isistance on keeping things looking like "itself" is counterproductive. Coney hasnt been "itself" for years and what we defines as "itself" hasnt been what people pay to see for years... To realize the potential of Coney Island, there has to be a new look to it, something to bring back the excitement of the past.


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## wiki

great projects in new york


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## krull

More on Coney Island...


*More Coney Island Aquarium Redo Renderings*












Wednesday, November 1, 2006

After yesterday's publication of a couple of more "visions" of the future Coney Island in all of its odd dystopian glory, the additional renderings and models from one of the finalists vying to redesign the butt ugly utilitarian New York Aquarium are almost a breath of fresh air. (At least, there are no mermaids with pumpkins on their asses.) It may or may not win and get built, but they're pretty cool. This is the propsal from WRT and Cloud9. More images after the jump if you click through.

Aquarium Design Proposal

*BONUS: *The city digs the Thor Coney vision. Coney Island Development Corp. interim president Joshua Sirefman tells the Post their latest renderings "show the right kind of energy that we've always talked about for Coney Island." But, Coney blogger Kinetic Carnival says they look like "lesser quality rejects" of drawings mistakenly released this summer and a "rehash."


Copyright © 2006 Curbed


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## nygirl

^^uhhh whoa, big whoa. ^^


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## colemonkee

At first glance it looks like a giant whale about to swallow it's prey. Strangely appropriate for a seaside attraction.


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## pberz

I love NY, i never was in NY, i wish to vizit NY while in it no damaged all old buildings. Forgive for feelings)...


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## TroyBoy

New York has all old buildings?


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## nygirl

pberz said:


> I love NY, i never was in NY, i wish to vizit NY while in it no damaged all old buildings. Forgive for feelings)...


 Borat?


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## Guest

What's with the delay at the development of Coney Island anyhow?


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## Don Omar

That Whale/Fish looking proposal looks amazing. How much of Conney would it actually cover? I know it says he has 10 arcs but it looks like it could cover a lot more than that. I also agree that it is better that a tattooed elephant.


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## nygirl

Pobre diabla se dice que se te a visto por la calle vagando...


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## godblessbotox

...even in spanish that is confusing.
the aquafish building... is interesting, but is that just a metal frame over some generic box buildings?


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## Guest

*Developers Are Poised for Projects in Midtown *

*By CHARLES V. BAGLI
Published: November 2, 2006*
Brookfield Financial Properties bought a development parcel on Ninth Avenue last week for well over $100 million in the latest sign, developers say, that the market is finally ripe for building new office towers in Midtown.

For two decades, Brookfield has owned an adjacent site, across Ninth Avenue from the Farley Post Office building, between 31st and 33rd Streets, but was unable to lure a corporate tenant that far west during real estate booms in the 1980s and the late 1990s.

Now, with rents soaring and few large blocks of space available in Midtown, Brookfield, one of the largest commercial landlords in the city, decided that the time was right to acquire the adjacent parcel from Harvey Schulweis to build two, or possibly three, office towers. Combined, the properties cover five acres, about the size of Bryant Park. Under the current zoning, the company could build up to 4.6 million square feet of space, the equivalent of two Empire State Buildings.

In addition, SJP Properties, Vornado Realty Trust and Boston Properties are considering new commercial towers on the West Side after a six-year lull in office development.

“I’m extremely bullish,” said Josh Kuriloff, an executive vice president at Cushman & Wakefield, a commercial broker. “There is a window to build new office buildings on spec and be enormously successful as rents continue to spike. Financial institutions and global law firms will pay a premium for high-end space.”

According to Cushman & Wakefield, the vacancy rate for prime Midtown office space has fallen to its lowest point since 2000, 4.8 percent, while the average annual rent has climbed to more than $60 per square foot.

And two buildings that are already under construction, including the headquarters for The New York Times, have leased nearly all their space at rents that were unthinkable two years ago. The developer Douglas Durst and the Bank of America are building a 54-story, 2.1 million-square-foot tower at 42nd Street and Avenue of the Americas, where a law firm recently signed a deal for $100 per square foot. 

So far this year, 31 companies have signed deals with rents of $100 or more per square foot, which is about what a developer needs today to justify building a new tower.

So unlike Mr. Durst, who started his project with an anchor tenant, SJP Properties plans to break ground soon on a 40-story, 1.1 million-square-foot office tower at the southeast corner of 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue without a tenant.

“This is the first time in 25 years that we’ve seen the Midtown market this strong for Class A office space,” Steven J. Pozycki, SJP’s chairman, said when the company bought the land in August for $305 million.

Across Eighth Avenue from SJP’s site, Vornado Realty Trust and the Lawrence Ruben Company recently revived talks with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to build a 1.3 million-square-foot office tower over the north wing of the bus terminal. The developers agreed in 1999 to pay the Port Authority more than $110 million for the development rights, and there were talks about building a headquarters for Cisco Systems. But the dot-com boom collapsed in 2000, along with the chances of landing a tenant.

Since then, the two sides have been in litigation, though they now seem eager to get the project moving again.

Vornado also owns another potential development site, the Pennsylvania Hotel, across Seventh Avenue from Madison Square Garden.

Related Companies and Boston Properties are putting together a commercial development site on the east side of Eighth Avenue at 45th Street, according to real estate executives, that would involve using air rights from nearby Broadway theaters.

But it can take years to obtain government approvals and erect a tower. The New York market can be fast-moving and treacherous. In 2000, when the Midtown vacancy rate was 2.2 percent, the developer Jules Demchick planned a 17-story office building for the north side of 42nd Street near 12th Avenue. But New York soon plunged into a recession, and the vacancy rate jumped, although housing prices continued to rise. 

Mr. Demchick, a shrewd builder, switched back to his original plan, a 49-story apartment tower, which is now nearing completion, by a different developer.


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## Spooky873

in other words, 'we are expanding midtown buildings to the hudson river.' 

finally river to river, a massive skyline. cant wait to see what buildings we end up with.


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## Guest

^^ Yes, it's becoming a reality, along with the #7 line expansion.

If we are lucky, the West side could become another Rockefeller Center filled with sky high office towers.









A bonus would be some major retail stores, perhaps another Bloomingdale's, Barney's, etc.

If you think Madison Ave, 5th Ave, etc., you could probably picture the idea.


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## nygirl

Development will do that to that rather deserving area.


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## Saigoneseguy

In 50 years there won't be any fish left...

...we need this project now!


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## nygirl

Yea man? No fish? That sucks. I'll miss Chilean Sea Bass.  . Wait what the??????


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/05/realestate/05post.html?ref=realestate
*From Odd Lot to Upscale*

By C. J. HUGHES
Published: November 5, 2006









_Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times
NEW TO THE EAST VILLAGE One Avenue B, on the corner of East Houston Street and Avenue B._

WIDENING Houston Street in the 1950s left lots of jagged edges where a neat east-west alignment used to be. In the decades since, the odd-shaped lots along those edges have seemed suitable only for parked cars and billboards.

More recently, however, developers have zeroed in on the castoff parcels. Sneaker stores, hotels and a large complex of rental apartments now form part of a parade of ambitious new commercial and residential buildings along this high-traffic and high-visibility corridor.

A luxury condominium is about to join them, on the corner of East Houston Street and Avenue B in the East Village.

Rising from a triangular slice of land where a gas station used to be, the seven-story building, called One Avenue B, will by next March have 24 apartments. These will range from 465-square-foot studios to 1,260-square-foot two-bedrooms, though most will be one-bedrooms offering 600 to 800 square feet. 

Prices for the units, which went on sale on Oct. 13, start at $525,000 and reach $1.75 million, according to Marcello Porcelli, president of the LargaVista Companies, a developer based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, whose portfolio includes office buildings and franchise restaurants in the Bronx and Brooklyn.

Large windows, now installed, set the building in sharp contrast to the dowdy 19th-century tenements nearby — and to Houston Street itself, which is still a relative workhorse, a heavily used path across Manhattan for streams of cars and trucks. 

Yet those involved in the project say an effort was made to match the architectural styles of the neighborhood, which is near the Lower East Side.

“We didn’t want to build a big tower in the sky that sticks up,” said Mr. Porcelli, whose family owns Gaseteria, one of whose outlets used to stand on the property. “We wanted to respect what’s been there for a long time.”

The daytime doorman at One Avenue B, however, may well stand out, in an area with only a handful of them. David Schefer, the project’s designer, whose portfolio includes restaurants like Commune and Fred’s at Barney’s, will shield the lobby’s windows with heavy wood blinds, and line its narrow passageway with a full-wall photo of palmetto trees.

“We want you to be able to come in off the street and decompress,” Mr. Schefer said. “It will have a boutique hotel feel.”

The building will house an 800-square-foot fitness center with treadmills, elliptical machines and a yoga studio, in the basement, where there will also be storage units and a bicycle room.

The 4,000-square-foot ground-floor retail space will be leased by a branch of Banco Popular.

Apartment kitchens will have walnut cabinets, marble counters and stacked Bosch washing machines and dryers. Bathrooms will have slate floors and Toto toilets. 

Upstairs windows are casement rather than double-hung. Panes are double-glazed, to help muffle the sound of honking horns, according to Mr. Porcelli.

But he sees Houston’s Street’s ugly-duckling status as temporary. 

“Change has already happened,” he explained, alluding to the new buildings along the stretch of East Houston between Broadway and Second Avenue. “Now it’s just migrating east.”


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/05/nyregion/05diamond.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin
*In Manhattan’s Diamond District, a Turf Battle Looms*

By CHARLES V. BAGLI
Published: November 5, 2006









_Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times

A developer hopes to revitalize West 47th Street with a new tower devoted to the diamond and jewelry trade._

The billboard above the blue construction fence on 47th Street west of Fifth Avenue announces the “Future Home of the Global Diamond and Jewelry Trade,” including modern office space, underground parking, a maximum-security vault and a museum.

The project, and the city Economic Development Corporation’s decision to provide a $37.5 million subsidy package over 10 years, has touched off an angry debate in the secretive Diamond District. And the outcome may very well determine the future of the dowdy 60-year-old Midtown enclave, which continues to draw tourists and New Yorkers looking for a good deal on a ring or a necklace.

The developer of the $433.5 million project, Gary Barnett, a former Belgian diamond trader, promises that his tower, like similar complexes in Antwerp, Shanghai, Dubai and Ramat Gan, Israel, housing diamond cutters, traders, brokers and jewelry retailers in a modern upscale setting, will restore the district as a world center for the trade.

But some longtime landlords and tenants on 47th Street have mobilized against the proposed tax incentives, hiring lobbyists and publicists to go against those employed by the developer at a city Industrial Development Agency hearing on Thursday.

They say that the city’s subsidies will not draw new business, but will only enable the developer to poach existing tenants and destroy the block’s delicate symbiosis between small dealers in the booths and the big shots at the Diamond Dealers Club. The 47th Street Business Improvement District opposed the deal at first, but is now neutral.

“He’s going to build the building no matter what,” said Jeffrey Levin, the district’s chairman. “It’s not going to be all jewelers. He’s going to pay a lot of money to the BID. I think that’s good.”

But Bettina Damiani, director of Good Jobs New York, questioned the rationale for favoring one landlord over another. “The industry might need some upgrading, but there’s not a desperate need for taxpayer assistance,” she said.

Mr. Barnett dismissed the criticism, saying the aging buildings on the block between Fifth Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas are outdated. About 90 percent of the diamonds coming into the United States flow through New York, he said, but the district must improve or lose ground to other cities. The competition is getting closer: In October, a 50-story “World Jewelry Center” with modern amenities was proposed for Las Vegas.

New York’s district has been in decline for 20 years, said Mr. Barnett, chairman of the Extell Development Company. He added, “There is no modern facility like they have in all the other diamond and jewelry centers in the world.”

The opposition is led by Kenneth Kahn and Arthur Margolin, who own two prominent buildings in the diamond district, and Philip A. Mactaggart, the owner of three others. Mr. Barnett has been wooing many of Mr. Kahn’s and Mr. Margolin’s tenants, including the Diamond Dealers Club, one of 20 diamond bourses in the world, and the Gemological Institute of America, which grades and certifies precious stones.

According to club members, Mr. Barnett has offered state-of-the-art space for little or no rent, at least in the early years. The club would lure distributors, retailers and manufacturers. The Gemological Institute has long been unhappy at its location and is said to be considering moving some operations to New Jersey.

Mr. Margolin said he was not afraid of competition, but resented the city’s providing tax breaks for one owner. He and his partner complained that the tower would lure the leading retailers that draw customers into the exchanges, while leaving behind the smaller stores and some distributors to fend for themselves.

“Barnett will have a diamond building and the rest of the block will become something else,” Mr. Margolin said. “It’s almost as if the city is helping him steal tenants.”

But Seth Pinsky, executive vice president of the city’s development corporation, said, “The city feels it’s important to preserve 47th Street as a center of one of the few soup-to-nuts industries still in Midtown.”

Mr. Barnett was at an impasse with the city this year over his request for a hefty subsidy package, but several weeks ago the development corporation agreed to a new proposal — backed by some City Hall officials — that tied the exemptions to new jobs in the industry.

The more new jobs, the larger the exemptions on property, sales and mortgage recording taxes, according to officials and executives briefed on the talks. Mr. Barnett would lose the benefits altogether if less than two-thirds of the building was occupied by tenants from outside the industry, or if less than a fifth of the occupants were new or expanding businesses.

The New York industry has been buffeted in recent years by competition from India and, more recently, from China, as well as by dealers on the Internet and in suburban exchanges. Thousands of cutters and polishers have been put out of work or forced to retire. But the city remains a hub, specializing in the larger and most expensive stones — five or more carats — which are cut and polished behind a set of triple-locked doors at high-end manufacturers like the William Goldberg Diamond Corporation nearby on 48th Street.

Industry experts say that manufacturing will not return to New York — not when it costs about $110 to cut a one-carat diamond in New York and $10 to do so in India.

Mr. Barnett said his building would attract high-end retailers, distributors and manufacturers polishing diamonds “worth many thousands of dollars a carat,” because it would have well-designed space, high-speed elevators and underground parking for secure deliveries. He said that some tenants might come from Mr. Kahn’s building for the modern space, but that most would come from outside the city.

Two possible tenants are Isaac E. Musighi, president of Pacific M International, a Los Angeles diamond wholesaler and manufacturer, and Jacob Kristal, chief executive of Royal Diamond Cutters in Antwerp, a major manufacturer that employs 3,000 diamond cutters in Belgium, India and Russia.

Mr. Musighi and Mr. Kristal each said he might buy a 6,000-square-foot condominium in the 750,000-square-foot tower and employ a half-dozen people. They also said they might sublease some of their space.

“Forty-Seventh Street is a mess,” Mr. Kristal said. “I’m not J. C. Penney or 7-Eleven. People who are coming to me are looking for an image. This building will be the center of the industry and the other buildings will be like satellites.”

Critics say it may be hard to fill the tower with many small tenants who require just 600 square feet or less, and even more difficult to create the 520 to 1,320 new jobs promised by the developer.

“The idea that he’s going to fill the building with fresh blood sounds great,” said Saul Goldberg, chairman of William Goldberg. “It’s a frighteningly large amount of square footage for our industry. Most of the important players are already here.”


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## ZZ-II

great tower. is that a pyramid on the board?


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## krull

ZZ-II said:


> great tower. is that a pyramid on the board?


I am afraid is not going to be a pyramid tower. That is a diamond on the board.

This is the rendering so far...


----------



## krull

*Visions of Manhattan: For the City, 100-Year Makeovers *










*In Grand Central Terminal, History Channel design competitors presented New Yorks for 2106. 
Terreform’s included a ban on private cars. *


By ROBIN POGREBIN
November 4, 2006

Imagine a Manhattan given over to a new Central Park, with a crystalline city floating above it. 

Or a series of self-propelled islands floating around Manhattan, docking as needed and providing extra space for concerts and green markets (or cordoning off visiting dignitaries so that their caravans don’t disrupt traffic). 

Or that the populations of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx have been moved into Manhattan and stacked 65 stories high, so that those four boroughs could be used purely as green space. 

These were among the 10 radical, sometimes quirky, visions of New York 100 years from now, presented by teams of architects and engineers in a competition that ended on Thursday.

*Organized in connection with “Engineering an Empire,” a History Channel series that examines the achievements of ancient civilizations, the competition called for each team to design a 22nd-century “City of the Future” for a prize of $10,000. Similar competitions are to be held in Chicago on Nov. 17 and in Los Angeles on Dec. 8. A national champion will ultimately be selected from among the three winning teams and awarded another $10,000.

In New York the firms, all local ones, were handed their challenge on Oct. 26 at 5:30 a.m. Their brief was to envision the city in 2106, striving for a high level of innovation and technological sophistication. Polished presentations were due a week later, at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday. Assembling at 8:30 a.m., the teams had four hours to put the presentations together in the Vanderbilt Room of Grand Central Terminal.* 

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, and I’m now pretty sure New York can’t be built in a week,” said one of the competing architects, Craig Konyk. 

At 12:30 p.m., time ran out. “Teams, please stop building,” ordered the architect Casey Jones, who with Reed Kroloff, his partner, was a competition adviser. “Time is up.”

Then the judges filed in: the architects David Rockwell and Billie Tsien; Ray Gastil, the Manhattan office director of the city’s Department of City Planning; Terrence O’Neal, president of the New York State chapter of the American Institute of Architects; and Paul Goldberger, architecture critic at The New Yorker. 

During the next three hours, the judges moved from one project to another, asking questions. “What is happening in the other boroughs?” Ms. Tsien asked the Urban Research Group, the team that suggested emptying every borough except Manhattan of its inhabitants. “Whatever the city needs to support itself,” replied Moji Baratloo, one of the group’s architects. “It’s a conceptual idea to understand what it would mean to free up land.” 

As Laurie Hawkinson of Smith-Miller & Hawkinson Architects sought to defend her team’s presentation, Mr. Goldberger suggested that it wasn’t architectural: a series of postcards depicting New York as the architects hoped or expected it would be. The computer-generated images included a giant pool in place of Central Park; an all-night golf course; a yellow cab that would take a passenger from New York to Boston in 45 minutes (at $7 a mile); a hot dog served by a mechanical arm; street signs in Chinese as well as English.

Diane Lewis and colleagues at Diane Lewis Architect drew on a History Channel program on ancient Rome, “not to see history as something past, but as a structural example,” she said. (That segment won an Emmy Award for picture editing this year, and each team in this competition was sent a copy as possible inspiration.) 

She created what she called a “quadrata,” with major streets going down one mile and up one mile, forming an overall cube. “The Romans looked at infrastructure as architectural,” Ms. Lewis said in an interview. “Quadrants were connected into the grid of the city.”

The Lewis team also created its own social institutions in place of Roman models — instead of the Forum, a United Nations for Freedom of the Press; rather than a Pantheon, an international peace institute. “We are interested in a postphilanthropic Manhattan,” Ms. Lewis said. (In deliberating later, the judges agreed that this was an intriguing idea that had not been sufficiently developed.)

The team from Konyk Architecture came up with “Cloud 09,” a city floating in air. It included a vertical subway system of high-speed lifts, or “vrams”; annexed Hudson and eastern Bergen counties in New Jersey; and envisioned office buildings as so technologically advanced that “business travel would cease to exist,” Mr. Konyk said. “Travel would be strictly for recreational purposes.” 

Mr. O’Neal asked: “Where do you see the common man in your vision?” 

With computers in every school, Mr. Konyk replied, “I think the common man is technically advanced.”

Sustainability was a common theme. “How can we use New York as a model for the rest of the world to create a sustainable environment?” asked Jonathan Marvel of Rogers Marvel Architects. His team conceived of parkland that would create a green ribbon around the edge of Manhattan and a system of pneumatic tubes that would collect and tag sorted household waste for recycling. These are “all ways you as an inhabitant take an active role in solving problems of sustainability on an active scale,” Mr. Marvel said.

*The top prize went to the team from the Architecture Research Office firm, which, acknowledging global warming and climactic change, explored the idea of harnessing the water that would ultimately flood the streets. Avenues would become “vanes,” watery channels with buildings above them, a team member, Adam Yarinsky, suggested. *

The group’s formal proposal invoked modern and ancient architectural precedents. “If the Miesian skyscraper and the Parisian arcade can account for one-half of the vane’s pedigree,” the team said in its presentation materials, “the aqueduct and the Roman baths answer for the other.” 

After the judges’ hasty deliberations, Daniel L. Doctoroff, the city’s deputy mayor for economic development, presented the prizes. He said his office was preoccupied by many of the same concerns as the contestants — “parks and open space and pedestrianization and transportation” — though it might not be looking quite as far ahead. 

“It’s so exciting for me to see this group of architects and designers think so creatively about the future,” he said. 

*Mr. Marvel’s team won the honorary mention for technological advancement. The Terreform group won the mention for best presentation, with a proposal that involved eliminating privately owned cars in Manhattan; it predicted that 60 percent of the city’s population would be walking to work by 2038. *

Over all, the proposals conveyed a confidence that amid energy shortages, population increases and global warming, New York’s urban problems could be addressed and even solved. 

Surveying the flooded streets in the Architecture Research Office proposal, Ms. Tsien asked, “Do you see it as optimistic or elegiac?” 

Mr. Yarinsky replied: “I see it as optimistic. The way a city transforms.”










*The Urban Research Group team assembled its model 
in Grand Central Terminal. *









*Rogers Marvel’s model had a green belt around Manhattan.*









*The Architect Research Office members built their model, then showed it, top.*


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## krull

*Damp visions of a post-apocalyptic Manhattan*


BY JUSTIN DAVIDSON
Newsday Staff Writer
November 6, 2006

After power has withered and the glories are buried in sand, what remains are the tough structures, the temples and aqueducts and stadiums that loom over daily life. In its series "Engineering an Empire," the History Channel has been telling the story of antiquity's vast relics. Now it has asked architects to imagine the relics of the future. It's a child's question, or a visionary's: What will cities look like when today's skyline has become obsolete?

To get some answers - and to promote its brand - *the channel organized a pyramid of competitions, which got under way last week and will culminate early next month. Teams of architects - 10 each in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles - are given a week to propose visions for the city of 2106.* One group in each city wins $10,000 and can double it by beating the two other finalists. The result is purely virtual: no new city, no TV show, just something for posterity to smile about.

Whatever kind of place New Yorkers will inhabit a century from now, it will probably not look much like the hallucinations that went on display briefly in Grand Central Station on Thursday and will reappear on the History Channel's Web site (history.com) sometime next month. *Since incremental change is too difficult to conceive, most designers imagined a post-apocalyptic Manhattan half-drowned by rising oceans. *

The catastrophe of choice was not a nuclear explosion, against which even architects have to admit they have few antidotes, but global warming. The exhibits displayed a certain buoyant inventiveness. *The competitors suggested levitating Manhattan, ringing it with pontoon islands or lacing the harbor with floating causeways.*

Hurricane Katrina seemed to be on everybody's mind, and the challenge of raising a city, both literally and in its architectural aspirations. Let the floodwaters come, these teams proclaimed: We can fix that.

The quickie show demonstrated why architects should never be given too much power. The Urban Research Group, guided by the slogan "No Manhattan is an Island," proposed cramming New York City's entire population into one fortress borough and giving the rest over to greenery. In this neo-medieval burg, you could get to the fields by subway.

A group called Konyk took the opposite tack: Let wilderness overrun Manhattan and turn it into one vast park of moss-covered towers, while the data-crunchers of the 22nd century commute via high-tech beanstalks to a honeycomb of translucent cubicles in the sky.

The firm of Smith-Miller + Hawkinson doctored real postcards to evoke transformations, one of which showed the Lower Manhattan skyline beneath a glass dome. What better way to deal with greenhouse gases than by building an actual greenhouse? 

The jury picked the Architecture Research Group, which figured that New York's best hope in a high-water world would be to become New Venice. Its aqueous metropolis bristles with "vanes": supertall structures that would rise far, far above today's stumpy towers. The notion that Manhattan will one day be far more vertical than it is today seems plausible.

The question is whether today's skyline will be tomorrow's flooded basement. 


Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.


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## ZZ-II

krull said:


> I am afraid is not going to be a pyramid tower. That is a diamond on the board.
> 
> This is the rendering so far...


thank god


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## krull

*20-story condo building planned for West 78th Street*












06-NOV-06

A 20-story residential condominium building with 35 units is planned for 230 West 78th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue by Amsterdam 78, LLC, in care of Urban Residential LLC at 599 Broadway. 

An offering plan was filed with the New York State Attorney General’s office April 27, 2006 with a total offering price of $109,525,000. 

Handel Architects is the architect but Lauren Hlavenka of Handel Architects, responding to a query from CityRealty.com, said in an e-mail message that “unfortunately, we are not releasing information of this project just yet.” 

The offering plan did not provide many details about the proposed new building but it indicated that part of it would be cantilevered at the 4th and 6th floors. 

The building would have 75 feet frontage on 78th Street. The building would have bicycle storage, a fitness center, an attended lobby and a roof deck. A four-bedroom apartment with three-and-a-half baths on the 18th floor with 3,156 square feet of space plus 611 square feet of terrace is priced at $6,950,000. A one-bedroom, one-bath unit with 949 square feet is priced at $975,000. 

The site is presently occupied by a four-story building with an 11-step stoop entrance and a rusticated stone facade. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## krull

*20-story condo building planned for 531 West End Avenue*












06-NOV-06

Demolition has started at 531 West End Avenue between 85th and 86th Streets where IMICO West End LLC., of which David Rothstein is an executive vice president, plans a new 20-story residential condominium building. 

The new building, which is a project of Extell Development, will have 34 units and 30 parking spaces in an attended garage. 

According to an offering plan filed in July for testing purposes with the New York State Attorney General’s Office, the project would have a purchase price offering of $274,105,000. 

There would be four studio units of 615 to 725 square feet on the second floor, larger units above the second floor and “penthouse” units on floors 16 through 21 which would seven-bedroom units with seven-and-a-half baths with 6,275 square feet priced at $11,600,000 to $12,100,000. 

The building will have a landscaped courtyard, a recreation room a fitness center with a swimming pool, and a game room. It would have 100 feet of frontage on 86th Street. 

Mr. Rothstein did not return a call from CityRealty.com for further details. 

Part of the site is occupied by an orange-brick clad low-rise residential building, shown at the right. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## krull

*Start Your Engines!*












02-NOV-06

Marketing has begun for 15 William Street, *a 47-story residential condominium development in the Financial District.* 

The marketing mascot for the project is a tuxedo-clad beaver holding a martini glass and the first, rather racy rendering of the project, shown at the right, indicates that stylistically the building falls into the “racing car/flying cab/Fith Element” category of spirited but spiffy mayhem, or, as a press release on the building states, "a departure from the mundane and the minimal." 

Tsao & McKown is the architectural firm for the project. The building, which will contain 319 apartments, is being developed by SDS Investments, of which Tamir and Alex Sapir and S. Lawrence Davis are principals, and André Balazs. 

The project is known as the William Beaver House because it is located at the intersection of William Street and Beaver Street. It is across the street from Delmonico’s. 

The tower will be clad in "subtly contrasting fields" of bronze and gray brick and yellow-glazed brick and it will have a street-level base covered in ipe, a reddish-brown wood. 

SDS Investments acquired the site last year from the Manocherian family for about $90 million. 

The building will have 258 simplex residences, 10 duplex “townhouses” with terraces, three penthouses with terraces, 48 custom furnished units as well as many studio and one- and two-bedroom units. 

Apartments will have 9-foot-8-inch-high ceilings, windows, Burmese teak floors and Bosch washers and dryers. Living room ceilings in the duplex units will have 18-foot-high ceilings. 

Mr. Balazs developed the Mercer Hotel and 40 Mercer Street in SoHo and One Kenmare Square. 

The building will have an outdoor dog-walking garden, a 30-person screening room/disco lounge with lavender chaise “cinema beds” and wet bar, and a Penthouse Sky Lounge with catering kitchen and private dining room and sun deck. 

The lobby entrance will have a see-through ceiling supporting a glass-encased, lighted outdoor Jacuzzi that is part of a second floor amenity center. The notion of looking up as one enters the building at the bottom of people sitting in a Jacuzzi has amused some posters on some websites. The amenity center will also have a 60-foot lap pool, outdoor basketball court with bleachers, a squash court, a gym and handball and tetherball courts. 

The building has a driveway paved with the same marble used in the lobby, which will have a large, oval, sunken “conversation pit” with fireplace, and the lobby will be open to the public and offer prepared foods. 

Kitchens will have sliding backsplashes that conceal the facet and sliding butcher-block panels that conceal the sink or cooktop. 

Bedroom apartments have bathrooms that open fully into the bedrooms. 

*The building is expected to be completed in early 2008.* Prices are expected to start at about $890,000 for a one-bedroom and range up to about $2.5 million for a penthouse with terrace. 

Mr. Balazs was quoted in an article by Steve Cutler in The Real Deal as saying that “We wanted to back off of an all-glass building and make it contextual, yet fun and somewhat distinguished at the same time.” 

An article by Julie V. Iovine in The New York Times yesterday quoted Mr. Balazs as sayng “If you have children, go to Battery Park City.” 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## krull

*City presents draft of Lower East Side rezoning plan*












07-NOV-06

The Department of City Planning held a community meeting last night in the Engineering Building of Cooper Union at 51 Astor Place on a draft of a rezoning proposal for a large part of the Lower East Side and the East Village. 
An environmental impact statement for the proposed rezoning will begin next year and the department hopes to certify the rezoning proposal into the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Process in the fall of 2007. 

The area affected by the proposed zoning is bounded by the north side of East 13th Street, the west side of Avenue D, the north side of Houston Street, the west side of Pitt Street, the north side of Delancey Street, the east side of Essex Street, the north side of Grand Street and 100 feet in from the east side of the Bowery and 100 feet in from the west side of Third Avenue. *Approximately 100 blocks are included in the area. *

Last year, the community board proposed a contextual rezoning for the area between East 13th and Houston Streets, east of Third Avenue and the Bowery in the East Village area and between East Houston and Grand Streets from Essex to Allen Streets and from Houston Street to the north side of Delancey Street east of Essex Street. 

The city presentation was for the same East Village area but its mapping for the Lower East Side area was the blocks bounded by Houston St. Pitt Street, Delancey Street and Ludlow Street and Grand Street and the west side of Christie Street. 

The city’s presentation indicated that the area in the proposed zoning that would be eligible for the inclusionary zoning problem would be along Houston and Delancey Streets, the west side of Christie Street and the west side of Avenue D. 

Under the new zoning the maxium bulk of a building in the area north of Houston Street would be limited to a F.A.R. (floor-to-area ratio) of 4 whereas existing zoning permits a F.A.R. of 3.44 for residential projects and 6.5 for community facility projects. *The new zoning would also impose a building height limit of 80 feet whereas the existing zoning had no building height limit as long as a project complied with sky exposure plane regulations.* 

*Along Delancey and parts of Houston Street in the area to be rezoned, the proposed zoning would permit buildings to be up to 120 feet high with a F.A.R. of 7.2 if the projects have inclusionary affordable housing.* 

David McWater, chairman of Community Board 3, told the standing-room only gathering that the city’s proposed rezoning does not include anti-harrassment and anti-demolition provisions that the community board has requested and that the proposed rezoning also does not include Third and Fourth Avenues as the community board has requested. A spokesperson for the Department of City Planning reiterated the department’s position that Third and Fourth Avenue should not be included in this rezoning as they have a different character, but she noted that the community board was separately studying those areas for rezoning. 

Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and a member of the 197-A Task Force Committee of Community Board 3, said that the exclusion of Third and Fourth Avenue’s from the city’s proposed rezoning was “a terrible mistake” because the current zoning “not only allows but encouorages monstrously out-of-scale developments (like the currently planned 26-story NYU dormitory-on-a-plaza at 120 East 12th Street) which are destructive to the scale and character of the neighborhood.” 

Several speakers at the hearing expressed concerns that the timetable for implementing a rezoning is too long and that a moratorium on new development should be included and others noted that many area residents have incomes too low to qualify for the proposed “affordable” housing. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## Spooky873

moviin onnnn uppppp


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## TalB

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11082006/business/larrys_new_plan_business_lois_weiss.htm
*LARRY'S NEW PLAN*

*SILVERSTEIN PLOTS WEST SIDE TOWERS*

November 8, 2006 -- LARRY Silverstein will soon be developing another set of twin towers.

This time, however, the project, worth nearly $1 billion, will not rise from the World Trade Center site downtown but instead farther north at his River Place site between 41st and 42nd streets near the Javits Convention Center.

Located exactly at 600 W. 42nd St., Silverstein's $917.6 million project will involve constructing a common base that will serve as the foundation for two 57-story towers.

Inside will be 1,157 residential units, 18,277 feet of commercial space and a 194-car underground garage.

A Silverstein spokesperson declined to comment.

Silverstein is applying to use $656 million in Multi-Family Housing Revenue Bonds from the New York State Housing Finance Agency in return for offering 20 percent of the housing units to lower income families.

His daughter, Lisa Silverstein, has been overseeing this development for many years.

A snaking tower with Hudson River and city views was previously planned for the most westerly portion of the site, but development got held up by Gov. George Pataki, who was leaning on Silverstein to make the land the site of an official Javits Center hotel.

Condemnation plans for a sky bridge over 41st Street that was to connect to a new hotel to an expanded Javits Center had begun but weren't finished in part because the additional expansion of the convention center has run into roadblocks.

Chief among them is figuring out where to relocate an MTA bus garage that currently takes up the block between 40th and 41st street.

[email protected]


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## likely

i love new york!


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/realestate/12post.html?_r=1&ref=realestate&oref=login
*New Condos Inspired by Africa*

By DAVID SCHARFENBERG
Published: November 12, 2006









_AFROCENTRIC DESIGN A rendering of the Kalahari condo complex, which is set to open in December 2007._

TUCKED between a rickety African market and a gleaming new luxury apartment building, the construction site on West 116th Street that will eventually be the Kalahari condominium complex is a kind of symbol for the social and economic forces shaping Harlem.

The building, set to open in December 2007, signals encroaching gentrification: bamboo flooring, glass-enclosed showers and an on-site gym will separate the building from the Martin Luther King Jr. Towers, a public housing project across the street.

But for all its bourgeois touches, the Kalahari also makes serious gestures toward an older Harlem. 

Nearly half of the 249 condos planned for the $119 million building have been set aside for moderate-income buyers. A family of four with a household income of $63,800 to $131,165 would qualify for one of the subsidized units. StreetSquash, a nonprofit organization that provides Harlem children with academic tutoring and squash instruction, is to spend $9 million on a community center in the rear of the building. And an independent film center at the site, to be called My Image, will focus on Latino and African diaspora movies.

The developers — Full Spectrum of NY in Harlem, and L & M Equity Participants in Larchmont, N.Y. — have emphasized African-themed design for the structure, named after the desert in southern Africa.

The facade will be covered in decorations inspired by South African Ndebele tribal designs. Adinkra symbols, West African icons representing concepts like wisdom, unity and perseverance, will adorn the columns. And a sculpture by El Anatsui, a Ghanaian artist, is to hang in the lobby.

Carlton Brown, chief operating officer for Full Spectrum, said culturally appropriate design is important in a place like Harlem, which he calls the “intellectual center” of black America. “A lot of what has been built in what is sometimes called the Second Harlem Renaissance has not addressed the cultural elements,” he said.

Jack Travis, a cultural design consultant who worked with Fred Schwartz, the lead architect, on the African decorative flourishes, sees them as part of a search for an “Afrocentric” design.

“It is an environment,” he said. “It is a small urban plan. And it is in a black community, which begs, desperately, for a cultural identity of buildings and spaces that reflect the notions and intentions of the people in the community.”

But for all his enthusiasm, Mr. Travis acknowledges a certain irony in the appearance of Afrocentric design on a luxury condominium that represents, at least in part, a neighborhood’s gravitation beyond the means of blue-collar African-Americans.

The irony is not lost on the locals, either. John Nelson, 54, an unemployed construction worker walking past the building recently, said he had little use for the Kalahari and its African stylings. “They going to do that for what?” he asked. “To get black people to come in the apartments?”

“People in our category,” he said, “we can’t afford that.”


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/15/nyregion/15stables.html?ref=nyregion
*2 Former Stables on the Upper West Side Get Opposite Verdicts on Landmark Status*

By THOMAS J. LUECK
Published: November 15, 2006









_James Estrin/The New York Times

Landmark status was denied to the old Dakota Stable, left, at Amsterdam Avenue and 77th Street, but was extended to the New York Cab Company building at Amsterdam and 75th._

In a case watched closely by New York City builders and preservationists, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted yesterday not to extend landmark status to a late-19th-century stable building on the Upper West Side from which the architectural detail has been removed. The building is to be demolished for condominiums.

In an 8-to-2 vote that followed contentious debate, the commission acknowledged that the owners of the former Dakota Stable, at Amsterdam Avenue and 77th Street, had obtained the necessary building permits to alter the building. The Related Companies, a large development concern, has a contract to buy the building from an investment group and plans to demolish it by the end of the year.

But several members of the commission said they were angered that the alterations had been made while the building was under consideration as a landmark. They said the case underscored the ability of some builders to remove what is most valued from historic buildings to avoid landmark designations.

Robert B. Tierney, the commission chairman, said the work taking place on the former stable was “very disappointing” and “pre-empts fuller consideration” of preserving it as a landmark. But he said the commission had no legal recourse, and he rejected calls by other members to declare the former stable a landmark even as it is being prepared for demolition. Such a decision, they said, would put other builders in the city on notice not to speed up their construction schedules to sidestep landmarks consideration.

“We need to draw a line in the sand here,” said Christopher Moore, a commission member who said he wanted the landmark designation approved.

The decision about the former stable building, a five-story Romanesque Revival-style structure that for most of its history has been used as a parking garage, came as the commission voted unanimously to extend landmark status to another former stable two blocks away, the New York Cab Company, at 75th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

Both buildings were constructed in the 1890s as part of “Stable Row” on Amsterdam Avenue, which provided horses and carriages for hire to residents of the brownstones and apartment buildings that were springing up on the Upper West Side.

The Dakota Stable was a candidate for landmark designation in the 1980s, but was rejected because its ground floor had been altered. Bryan Cho, a vice president of the Related Companies, said the past rejection had given the building’s current owners, Sylgar Properties, confidence that the site could be developed.

Mr. Cho said the Related Companies, which has retained the architect Robert A. M. Stern to design a 14-story condominium on the site, would take title from Sylgar and demolish what remains of the former stable before the end of the year.

Mr. Tierney said he had urged the Related Companies to incorporate part or all of the former stable into the design of its condominium, even though he described what remained as “a stucco box.” He said Mr. Stern, who is widely regarded for his work in historic preservation, should be called on for “creative architecture.”

But Mr. Cho said yesterday that the Related Companies had explored the possibility suggested by Mr. Tierney and found it implausible. He said Sylgar had obtained its permits to alter the exterior of the building months before the commission signaled its intention in September to reconsider a landmark designation by putting the matter on its public calendar.

Members of the commission said city laws give priority to valid building permits over proposals for landmark designation, but the case of the former Dakota Stable reflects a longstanding problem. Once a proposal is placed on its calendar, they said, it can take months or years before a landmark vote is taken, and during that time builders can speed up their construction schedules.

Mr. Tierney said he was in “active discussions” with the Department of Buildings, urging it to develop a system that would delay rulings on building permit applications for buildings that are historic, but not designated as landmarks, allowing the commission time to consider stepping in.

Jennifer Givner, a spokeswoman for the Department of Buildings, said late yesterday that Patricia J. Lancaster, the buildings commissioner, was involved in the discussions with the landmarks officials. But she said it was unclear if a new policy would be developed.


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/471418p-396731c.html
*Diamond tower tax deal getting an icy reception*

The city and state handed out nearly $50 million in tax breaks yesterday to ensure that the Diamond District is forever - but not everyone is happy about it.

The big bucks benefit is going to Extell Corp., which plans to break ground next year on a new 50-story tower on 47th St., to open in 2010.

City officials say the incentives were needed to make sure the Extell Diamond Tower is devoted to the gem business, but other landlords along the fabled strip worry they'll lose tenants. 

"The real danger of giving incentives to Extell is that they will be used to poach tenants from existing buildings along 47th St., not bring in new jobs and businesses," the Coalition to Save the Diamond District wrote Mayor Bloomberg.

The full incentives only kick in if Extell leases most of the $434 million building to gem businesses and a portion of those businesses must be new to the city.

"Our goal is to preserve and expand the district, which faces increasing national and international competition," said Interim Industrial Development Agency Chair Joshua Sirefman.

Greg Wilson

Originally published on November 15, 2006


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## krull

*Plans to convert 15 Union Square West*












15-NOV-06

Brack Capital Real Estate USA has acquired the six-story, 80,000-square foot Amalgamated Bank Building at 15 Union Square West on the southwest corner at 15th Street for $80 million and reportedly plans to erect a residential condominium building on the site. 

Bill Shanahan of CB Richard Ellis was the broker in the transaction. 

According to an article in today’s edition of The New York Post by Lois Weiss, “Perkins Eastman Architects have been hired to handle the architecture while Vicente Wolf will work on the modern interior flairs.” 

The article included a statement from Brack Capital that the building “will be woven into the urban tapestry of Union Square Park, evoking its colorful lie and history.” A call to Brack Capital seeking further details today was not returned. 

The bank is relocating and the building can be demolished or expanded by 20,000 square feet under existing zoning. 

In an article in the July 2, 2006 edition of The New York Times, Christopher Gray wrote that “the politest thing to say about the blocky white blob of a building at the south corner of 15th Street and Union Square West is that it’s homely,” adding that “buried beneath the 1953 façade is the 1870 building of Tiffany & Company,” a cast-iron building designed by John Kellum. Tiffany moved from this location in 1903 to 401 Fifth Avenue at 37th Street and is now at 57th Street and Fifth Avenue. 

Perkins Eastman’s other New York projects have included 455 Central Park West. 

Brack Capital Real Estate’s other New York projects have included the Element, the Olcott on West 72nd Street, 90 West Street and 230 Riverside Drive. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## krull

*Manhattan Tunnel Structure Is Built for the Long Term*










*Tunnel being built now may someday replace 
viaduct but it will be years.*


By Aileen Cho
11/13/06 

Wedged up against high-end, unfinished buildings on New York City’s west side, crews are building the northern half of a “tunnel to nowhere.” But private advocates are betting that by building the 0.8- mile-long box structure now, the city will benefit in the long run.

The goal of this tunnel, which represents the 15-year-old efforts of the Riverside South Planning Corp., is to someday replace the Miller Highway viaduct along the Hudson River. Along this stretch of waterfront, private developers Extell Development Co. and the Carlyle Group are constructing a 77-acre complex of office buildings and condominiums. They acquired the land from Donald Trump and his Hong Kong partners last year. Two buildings are under construction and eight are completed. 

Because of RSPC’s successful arguments, the city asked Extell in 2004 to take advantage of existing excavation for tower foundations to build the tunnel structure’s northbound half. *The original plan had been to build a support structure for a future 28-acre park and new Riverside Boulevard. But by building the box structure instead, builders won’t have to rip up the park atop it later in order to relocate the highway.* Michael Bradley, RSPC’s executive director, says *this will save at least $25 million.* The viaduct would have had to be rehabilitated again someday, but by building the tunnel box now, the city can reroute traffic to it when that day comes, he points out.

Highway relocation had not been a top priority for the developer or city. The city spent $89 million in the early 1990s to rehabilitate the viaduct. “It was an example of making an investment without foresight,” says Alex Garvin, former New York City Planning Commissioner. “If in the future, money is available to rebuild the highway, it can go underground and the money will have been spent well. The quality of life will be enormously improved.”

*Samson Construction Co., Hicksville, N.Y., is working on the $12-million first phase of the northbound box structure, about 250 ft long, 45 ft wide and with a 30-ft elevation.*

*Samson will complete the job by spring 2007*, says Joe Montano, Extell’s director of construction. It required steel piles to be driven as deep as 60 ft into bedrock, says Montano. The concrete walls, up to 3 ft thick, were built to two-thirds the total elevation. Samson now is building customized formwork to pour the top third of the walls and the ceiling monolithically, says Joe Cursio, Samson’s chief operating officer. 

Crews have only 20 ft between the tunnel wall and new buildings to work with as they relocate scores of utilities, including a 20-in. water main, a 48-in. storm sewer and future conduits for future buildings. Because of work done to build tower foundations, Samson only had to excavate about 10 ft for the box. 

*Before the end of this year, Extell will begin soliciting bids for the rest of the northbound tunnel, to be done in phases. One block-long segment will be done in late 2007, the next by late 2008 and the last in 2009. The total cost of the northbound half is estimated at $30 million.*

The state Dept. of Transportation, using $15 million in federal earmarks, will build the southbound half once Extell is done. However, it is still awaiting federal approval of the financial plan and does not know when that will occur, due to the possible reactivation of a 2002 lawsuit contesting the environmental impact statement for the tunnel project, says a state DOT spokesperson. 


















*Advocates hope viaduct along Hudosn will be replaced by tunnel built underneath park. *


© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.


----------



## krull

*MetLife real estate deal could be derailed*
*The $5.5 billion sale of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village could be derailed by a provision that limits owner MetLife to make no more than a 6% annual profit on the deal.*


By: Anne Michaud
Published: November 15, 2006 

The $5.4 billion sale of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village could be derailed by a little-known provision that limits owner MetLife Inc. to make no more than a 6% annual profit on the vast Manhattan apartment complex.

*Trautman Sanders, a law firm representing the tenant group that lost its bid to purchase the complex, discovered the condition in a 1942 agreement with New York City. According to the agreement, Met Life said it would keep its rents low, earning no more than 6%, in exchange for a 25-year city tax break.*

City Councilman Daniel Garodnick, who opposed the sale of the complex to developer Tishman Speyer, has sent a letter to city Comptroller William Thompson, asking him to investigate. Mr. Thompson's office is reviewing the letter.

"We received the councilmember's letter and are taking a hard look at it," said a spokesman for Mr. Thompson. "As you know, in recent months the comptroller has expressed serious concerns about the future of Stuyvesant Town."

John Calagna, a MetLife spokesman, says that Mr. Garodnick's allegations have no merit. "What this is is a last-minute, desperate attempt to interfere with a legitimate sale."

The sale, which is the largest real estate deal in American history, was scheduled to close later this week. A tenants' group had organized to try to buy the 110-tower complex along the East River, in the hope of keeping rents affordable. Residents expect Tishman Speyer to deregulate as many apartments as possible.

Tishman Speyer could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Garodnick says in his letter that MetLife must, by law, dissolve its subsidiary development company that built the apartment complex before it can sell. No dissolution is on record with the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the letter says.

Until the agreement is dissolved, Mr. Garodnick writes, any excess profit would belong to the City of New York.


Entire contents © 2006 Crain Communications, Inc.


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## krull

TalB said:


> *New Condos Inspired by Africa*



*October 27, 2006:*


----------



## krull

*Macklowe changes plans for 20 East 53rd Street to offices*


15-NOV-06

Macklowe Properties has changed its plans for the development of its site at the southwest corner of 53rd Street and Madison Avenue *from a hotel and residential condominium tower to an office building*, according to an article by Lois Weiss in today’s edition of The New York Post. 

A call from CityRealty.com to Macklowe Properties this afternoon was not returned. 

CityRealty.com recently reported that* Macklowe had filed plans with the city October 24 for a 648-foot-high, 50-story building with hotel suites on floors 3 through 6 and 107 apartments on higher floors.* 

The Post article indicated that Moed De Armas & Shannon will be “collaborating on the design with Harry Macklowe, just as they did at 540 Madison Avenue,” adding that the new boutique building will house about 350,000 square feet of office space.” 

In the plans filed with the city last month, Peter Claman of SLCE, was listed as the architect and his firm had designed the 716-foot-high Metropolitan Tower at 136 West 57th Street and 145 East 76th Street for Macklowe Properties, which also recently acquired the Drake Hotel on the northwest corner of Park Avenue and 56th Street, where scaffolding has recently begun to be erected. 

Macklowe Properties also owns the GM Building on Madison Avenue between 58th and 59th Streets. 

In recent months, a few new residential condominium projects have also changed their plans reflecting rapidly changing apartment, hotel and office markets. The latter two have seen vacancy rates shrink dramatically while the inventory of new residential condominium apartments has been rising. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## krull

*City reported ready to give permits for Trump hotel in SoHo* 


16-NOV-06

The Department of Buildings is planning to issue a permit to Bayrock/Sapir LLC, a partnership of the Bayrock Group, Tamir Sapir and Donald Trump for a 45-story “condo hotel” at 246 Spring Street, according to Andrew Berman, the executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. 

Mr. Berman’s organization has been campaigning against the 400-unit project on the grounds that the city’s zoning permits a “transient” hotel at the location, but not a “condo hotel.” 

Mr. Berman said he learned of the pending decision by the Department of Buildings from locally elected officials who have been in discussions with the department and involved in negotiations over a “restrictive covenant” for the property that would require the developers to agree that owners would stay in their “condo hotel units” for 100 to 150 days a year. 

Mr. Berman said that the convenant is “just a fig leaf to cover-up the decision” that he said does not translate to transient hotel “on its face.” He indicated that his organization “is looking at all options, including legal.” 

*The partnership contends that the development of the project, which will be known as Trump International Hotel and Tower SoHo, is “as-of-right,” that is, that it conforms to existing building and zoning regulations. *

The Zoning and Housing Committee of Community Board 2 voted unanimously last July to urge the city not to issue permits for the project. 

The project’s site is zoning for manufacturing, which permits “transient” hotels, but not “residential” hotels. 

At the July meeting, Mr. Berman described the project as a “Trojan horse” and circulated a city map with manufacturing zones similar to the one in which the project is located. 

*If built, the tower would be the tallest between Lower Manhattan and Madison Square Park.* 

Julius R. Schwarz, executive vice president of the Bayrock Group, has told CityRealty.Com previously that the green-glass tower will rise on a low-rise base with a five-sided, wedge plan. It will have an outdoor swimming pool on the 5th floor, a Cornelia Spa, a restaurant and full-floor catering facility, he said, adding that it should be completed within 18 months of the start of construction. 

The project is using air-rights transferred from 145 Sixth Avenue, which it adjoins, a condominium building that is headed by Peter Moore. 

The project has frontage on Spring, Varick and Dominick Streets and is not far from the Holland Tunnel and the Hudson River Park. 

Sarah Crean, executive director of the Garment Industry Development Corporation, wrote a letter to several city officials July 13, 2006 stating that allowing the Spring Street project to “progress would send a signal that residential uses are acceptable in manufacturing districts in spite of the zoning,” adding that “This could be disastrous for the Garment District.” 

Mr. Berman issued a statement today that declared that “The City has bent over backwards to accommodate one of the richest developers in the world at the expense of blue-collar jobs and businesses in New York City and their promises to protect the character of our neighborhoods.” “This is a terrible decision. The city is changing zoning rules to suit Trump’s need with this closed-door decision,” he continued, adding that the decision would “encourage luxury high-rise development in formerly low-scale neighborhoods which currently have little new development. 

*The proposed project is close to several new residential condominium projects to the west on Spring Street. *

A phone call from CityRealty.com to Jennifer Givner, the head of the press office of the Department of Buildings, was not returned this afternoon. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## ZZ-II

nice project, looking good


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## Don Omar

*trump*

trump is such a prick. all of his buildings look the same and he ruins the communities where his towers go up.


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## Guest

Sore losers. :lol:

I love skyscrapers!

Build more! 

Oh, can you imagine Manhattan with skyscraper density stretching from Downtown to Harlem?


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## krull

*Sleepy Hudson plans 21-story condo building in TriBeCa*


17-NOV-06

Sleepy Hudson LLC has gotten a $28.3 million senior bridge loan to acquire two adjacent parcels of land on Broadway between White and Franklin Streets and Franklin Place in TriBeCa where it plans to erect a 21-story residential condominium building. 

The financing was provided by Canyon Capital Realty Advisors and Pantheon Financial. 

Sleepy Hudson LLC is the developer of Highline 519, a residential condominium development adjacent to the High Line at 519 West 23rd Street. That project had been designed by Lindy Roy and is distinguished by its cloud-like scrims on its balconies. Alexander Campagno is now the architect for that project, which has added one floor to its height and recently has been topped out and is scheduled for occupancy in the first quarter of next year, according to Paul Bonnar of Sleepy Hudson. 

Dave Kislin and Leo Tsimmer are the principals of Sleepy Hudson LLC. 

Details about the number of apartments planned for the building and which architect is designing it have not been finalized, according to Mr. Bonnar, who added that the number of apartments will probably be in the range of 65 to 70. 

The building is an "as-of-right" project, according to Mr. Bonnar, meaning that it will be erected within existing zoning and building department regulations and not require public review. 

The new project will probably have its residential entrance on Franklin Place and retail frontage of Broadway. It is a mid-block project and does not have frontages on White and Frankln Street. 

Franklin Place runs one block from White and to Franklin Street. 

The site is one block south of the proposed conversion into 90 residential condominium apartments of the 29-story office tower at 401 Broadway on the northwest corner of Walker Street. 

The site is convenient to SoHo and Chinatown and there is good public transportation in this area. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## krull

*And it’s all legal!
Myrtle tower tops out above limits*


By Ariella Cohen
November 18, 2006

*A glitzy tower now in the works for Downtown Brooklyn will be even larger than its 400-foot-tall neighbors*, thanks to a city subsidy to builders of affordable housing.

Developer Donald Capoccia, of BFC Partners, unveiled plans this week to build 48 units of affordable housing on the eastern edge of Fort Greene in exchange for a zoning bonus that will allow him to build bigger than would be permitted otherwise on the Downtown site at Myrtle Avenue near Prince Street and Flatbush Avenue Extension.

*His Flatbush Avenue tower, one block south of the Manhattan Bridge, will soar 40 stories and include 240 condos, 48 of which will be reserved for moderate-income residents.*

Affordable housing advocates have said that this inclusionary bonus promotes class segregation by allowing developers to receive valuable air rights at a luxury site while building the affordable housing elsewhere within the Community Board.

In this case, the developer will build the affordable units nearly two miles away, on Quincy Street at the intersection of Classon Avenue and Downing Street at Community Board 2’s easternmost boundary near Bedford-Stuyvesant. The Pratt Area Community Council [PACC] will manage the six-story building.

PACC executive director Deb Howard said that she and the developer both regretted the need to build the affordable housing off-site.

“But this particular developer made every effort to have the inclusionary housing right on site,” she said. “He could not, so we had to go looking for sites farther afield in the Community Board.”

According to PACC, the developer had tried to negotiate to buy an adjacent lot but lost the parcel to another developer who is now building a mixed-income building on the site.

A spokesman for the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, which is spearheading the implementation of the city’s Downtown Brooklyn Plan, dismissed the notion that off-site affordable housing promoted segregation.

“This development is creating more housing for all levels of income,” said spokesman Shane Kavanagh.

The Quincy Street units will be rentals. Thirty-eight of the 48 will be available for people with incomes under $35,450 — the area’s median income. Nine units will be reserved for residents with incomes that fall below $21,270, or 30 percent of the AMI, and the final apartment will be reserved for a super.

The developer will also receive state and federal low-income tax credits for creating the 96 affordable units as well as lucrative transferable air rights building certificates — which will allow him or other developers to build outside of zoning rules.

Capoccia plans to sell the certificates that he didn’t already put towards his Myrtle Avenue project to another developer, according to Gary Rodney, a spokesman for BFC.


@ Brooklyn Papers


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## ZZ-II

taller than it should be ^^


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## krull

ZZ-II said:


> taller than it should be ^^



I was in the area yesterday and I already saw activity on the site. I think they were still doing some demolishing.


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## krull

*Changing Course to Avert a Glut*












By CHRISTINE HAUGHNEY
Published: November 19, 2006

IN the last few years, renowned architects and enterprising developers have rushed to put their stamp on Manhattan with contemporary condominium buildings that have seemed far more inventive than the staid old co-ops of the Upper East Side. But now, they are looking at the horizon and fearing that there will soon be a glut. They are trying to figure out how to avoid flooding the market they once fought to build in.

*There are currently 28,258 new condominium units either under construction or being planned in Manhattan*, according to Cushman & Wakefield, the commercial real estate brokerage.

*Of these, 14,430 units are in buildings that have already broken ground, and 13,928 units are in buildings that are being planned. If they are all built, the total will approach the borough’s current stock of 36,000 condo units and will be equivalent to a fifth of Manhattan’s 138,000 co-op units*, according to census data supplied by the Real Estate Board of New York.

But with a softer real estate market in New York and a growing inventory of co-ops, condos and houses in the region, real estate experts do not believe that all of these projects will be built, or at least built as condos. 

In some cases, developers are trying to sell their lots before they start construction. “I’m getting five calls a week from people who own sites and want to sell them,” says Michael Forrest, a senior associate who works in the New York office of Marcus & Millichap, a real estate investment brokerage based in Encino, Calif. “I’m surprised at how many developers are running for the hills.”

Many other developers are saying that they will go forward with buildings only in the parts of Manhattan that they see as fail-safe, like certain blocks in Midtown and on the Upper East Side and Upper West Side, and at the highest end of the market. 

Real estate brokers are advising developers to turn some of these projects into anything other than condominiums: rental apartments, hotels or office buildings. And some major banks that lend to condo developers are cutting back on loans for proposed projects or for land that developers want to buy. Before granting loans, they are requiring developers to put more of their own money into their projects, to lower their prices or to sell more units in advance. 

Some condominium projects already on the market have been shifted to other uses. The developers of a condo conversion project at 485 Fifth Avenue (41st Street) returned deposits to prospective buyers and sold the project to the Global Hyatt Corporation, which will convert the office building into a hotel. The Related Companies has turned seven apartments in its new 39-unit building called Astor Place into rental apartments — partly because of a complicated tax structure and not just the state of the condo market.

*Still, the inventory of unsold Manhattan condos has jumped by more than 70 percent in the last year. As of Oct. 31, Manhattan had 4,115 condos available for sale, compared with 2,381 a year earlier*, according to data from the Miller Samuel appraisal company. 

Jonathan J. Miller, its president, pointed out that in many cases these numbers were conservative because developers often release apartments gradually onto the market to limit the perception of oversupply.

“There are more units that could hit the market,” Mr. Miller said, “but they will be brought in at a pace that won’t flood the market because it’s not in the developer’s best interest.

National housing and finance experts say while an oversupply of apartments may be good news for condo buyers, they do not believe the oversupply will grow so large that it could actually drag down the overall housing market in New York City. Stephen Blank, a senior fellow at the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit planning and research group in Washington and a specialist in real estate capital markets, said that while he thinks there may be some overbuilding in Manhattan, it may not be excessive because banks won’t lend to developers the way they did a year ago.

“While prices may flatten or even decline slightly, there are other markets that the real estate community thinks are at greater risk for larger price declines,” Mr. Blank said. “Many people point to Miami, Las Vegas and San Diego, where there has been a lot of speculative buying.” 

Mr. Blank said that in New York, he wasn’t “worried about planned condominiums because it’s going to become increasingly more difficult to finance new construction.”

*Academics tracking the national markets don’t think that the Manhattan market will ever have the inventory problems that Miami and Las Vegas are currently facing. *

*Las Vegas has 83,400 condos that are under construction or proposed, and plans for building 12,200 more have been canceled or suspended*, according to data collected by Applied Analysis, a Las Vegas research group. 

*The Miami market now has 82,486 condo units under construction or planned, and plans for 3,246 have been canceled*, according to data from the city’s Planning Department. 

John McIlwain, a senior fellow for housing at the Urban Land Institute, predicts that there may be some deals for buyers in the boroughs outside Manhattan and in Manhattan neighborhoods where banks and developers are pulling back — Harlem or the financial district, for example. 

“If you wanted to move into Manhattan, this is probably a good time to buy in a second-tier neighborhood,” he said. “They may not be the top performers. But they are the entry points for a lot of people who want to get into Manhattan or who simply want a bigger space.”

Miki Naftali, the chief executive of El Ad Properties, encourages buyers to jump on deals in these parts of the market now, so they won’t have to compete with Wall Street bankers and their annual bonuses early next year. 

For projects that will not be completed for several years, developers say they are becoming much more selective about what and where they will build. 

Gary Barnett, the chairman of the Extell Development Company, said that for some of his projects, he was still figuring out how many units he might turn into hotel rooms or rental apartments.

One building that he is planning to construct on Riverside Boulevard between West 62nd and 63rd Streets may have some rental apartments. He is planning to turn the lower half of his project at 135 West 45th Street into a hotel, and part of his project at 151 East 85th Street into rentals.

Jules Demchick, the chairman of the J. D. Carlisle Development Company, who is building 290 apartments at 23rd Street and Third Avenue, said he would decide within the next month what the breakdown would be between rentals and condominiums.

*Converting projects to rental apartments is starting to make more sense because this sector has strengthened. The vacancy rate for rental apartments in Manhattan is a very low 0.8 percent*, according to Citi Habitats, a Manhattan real estate brokerage. The borough hasn’t had such a small percentage of rental vacancies since before Sept. 11, according to Gordon Golub, Citi Habitats’ senior managing director of Citi Habitats. 

But some developers are also persevering with their condo plans.

Earlier this year, Veronica Hackett, the managing partner in the Clarett Group, bought the lot where a supermarket once stood at West End Avenue and 70th Street. Clarett is building nearly 200 condo units there now. 

Ms. Hackett said that the deal seemed right because she paid an affordable price — less than $300 a square foot for the land — in a location where buyers will be willing to pay a premium.

The Hypo Real Estate Capital Corporation, which has avoided projects in the financial district, wrote the loan for Ms. Hackett’s deal because it had confidence in the site. 

“We liked the family location,” said Evan Denner, Hypo’s deputy chief executive. “We liked that it had a long history of being a stable neighborhood. We’ve done no residential development in the financial district. We were concerned because of the lack of services down there. We have not been able to get comfortable that that could be a sustainable market.”

For the most part, Ms. Hackett said, she says no to the weekly calls and e-mails she gets from other developers trying to sell her their problematic condominium projects.

“I think today people are having enormous difficulty getting their costs in line,” she said. 

*One important factor is the price of land.*

The record number of new condos planned in Manhattan is making developers far more cautious about buying any new parcels for projects that won’t be finished until 2009. While they will pay record amounts for prime locations, developers are paying 5 percent to 20 percent less than they did a year ago for any land that is not in a prime location, said Robert Knakal, the chairman of Massey Knakal Realty Services Inc. 

He defines prime as “on the park, the waterfront, West Broadway in SoHo, Midtown, on one of the major avenues.” 

Developers are considering other sites only if they can profitably use them for something other than condominiums, Mr. Knakal said. As he put it: “Some developers are not willing to build condos anymore unless they really get a great deal on the land.” 

Still, there are developers who are continuing to build for the highest end of the market, which they say buyers will always covet. In many cases, developers are paying more than ever just for the land in the most desirable locations. 

Data collected by Real Capital Analytics Inc., a real estate research company, shows that developers paid an average of $428 a square foot for sites to build on in Manhattan, far higher than the average of $297 a square foot they paid in 2005 or $260 a square foot in 2004. That means developers are going to have to add these high prices to increasing construction costs, making new projects much costlier over all. 

In one case, Macklowe Properties paid $655 a square foot for the site of a combination hotel and condominium project at 53rd Street and Madison Avenue. That price doesn’t include construction costs or any other expenses associated with building. Now the developer has decided to put up an office tower instead. 

High-end developers are betting that the current streak of job growth, record Wall Street bonuses and high hedge-fund performance will continue well into 2009. If Wall Street runs into any problems in the next few years, Mr. Barnett of Extell predicts that retirees and foreign buyers will have enough money to make up the difference. 

“It’s not just Wall Street,” he said. “There’s a tremendous pool of buyers from the business world, the financial world and empty nesters.”

Mr. Naftali of El Ad Properties, which is redeveloping the Plaza Hotel into 182 condominiums and 125 condo-hotel units, is now betting only on the most expensive condos, with prices starting at $1.5 million for a one-bedroom. 

He says that the roughly 125 condominiums that have been sold at the Plaza are commanding $3,500 to $6,000 a square foot, and many buyers have paid cash. 

But he said that it had been harder to sell one-bedroom condos at $800,000 to $1 million because there is far more inventory. Based on that experience, Mr. Naftali paid $142 million for 250 West Street in TriBeCa, a price that translates to $355 a square foot.

He plans to turn the office building there into condominiums that cater to buyers who will pay for Hudson River views. The project won’t be completed until 2009.

“The top end of the market is extremely, extremely strong,” Mr. Naftali said. “You clearly see a slowdown in properties that are in the lesser locations.”

*Banks are now more inclined to use their leverage when it comes to what gets built. *

Credit Suisse First Boston has become so cautious that it is generally not lending to developers who want to build condos on midblock sites in Manhattan or on sites that do not have a supermarket or dry cleaner within three blocks. The loans it makes are typically on projects that have already been submitted to the attorney general’s office, and when the developers have already assembled a construction budget and sold a significant percentage of apartments. 

“We’ve turned down several projects based on their location, whether it’s a certain part of town or a certain location on the street,” said Robert Brennan, a managing director. 

*Some real estate brokers are encouraging uneasy building owners to abandon the condominium market entirely. *

Mr. Forrest of Marcus & Millichap was hired last month to advise the seller of a 20-story office building five blocks north of Madison Square Park who was considering selling the building and marketing it for potential condominiums. But Mr. Forrest quickly saw that there was too much competition from other projects: developers are building nearly 4,000 condo units within a three-block radius of Madison Square Park, according to Cushman & Wakefield. 

“I’m telling him to sell it as an office,” Mr. Forrest said.

In the financial district, Mr. Forrest finds few buyers for building sites. One of his clients — a developer who was buying a five-story office building on Stone Street — wanted to sell it before he even closed on it. After six months of shopping the location for $16.5 million and not getting offers he liked, the owner decided to convert it to condos himself, although he’s entering a neighborhood heavy with inventory.

“He paid a price that won’t allow him to keep it simply as a five-story commercial building,” Mr. Forrest said. “He will lose money if he doesn’t build.”





















Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


----------



## krull

Anyway NYC is having a new construction boom....



*The new building boom
Manhattan's tight commercial market and renewed focus on outer boroughs spawns office, retail projects*


By Tom Acitelli
November 2006

The list could go on and on in New York City right now... Yankee Stadium. Mets stadium. Freedom Tower. Goldman Sachs headquarters. One Bryant Park. Silvercup West. Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market. Shops at Atlas Park.

The commercial development market is in the midst of a certified boom, as projects big and bigger redefine the city's skyline while non-residential development reaches areas once unthinkable as major building sites.

*At the current pace, more commercial square feet will have been built -- or construction on more started -- in 2006 in Manhattan alone than in any other year but one going back to the late 1980s, according to data from brokerage Colliers ABR. Also, developers this year have announced plans for several million more commercial square feet in Manhattan, with construction and completion in the near future.*

But, beyond the square footage, the sheer number of commercial projects reinforces the scope and scale of this boom.

The Real Deal collected data on commercial projects started since the beginning of 2005, as well on projects that were announced but on which construction has yet to start, such as the Freedom Tower. The collection did not include mixed-use projects that were mostly residential nor hotels, hotel-condos or dormitories.

*It did include the more than 80 commercial developments -- malls, stadiums, skyscrapers, and a myriad of smaller projects *-- that freshly dot Gotham's commercial development landscape or hover just over its horizon.


*Growth, obsolescence spur demand*


Daniel Doctoroff, the deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding in the Bloomberg administration, says strong job growth spurs the demand for new commercial space. The city's unemployment rate dipped to 4.5 percent in September, an 18-year low. New York, unlike many major cities, keeps adding residents.

And the resulting demand for employee space has given developers the confidence to move forward with major projects. *The Manhattan office vacancy rate, according to brokerage Cushman & Wakefield, reached a five-year low of 7 percent in the third quarter.*

"We're an increasingly office-based economy, which requires additional commercial space," Doctoroff said. "And the demand's coming from all different sectors -- it's finance, it's service, it's education, it's not-for-profits."

*Also, swathes of commercial space were converted (at least 12 million square feet in Downtown alone from 1995 through 2005) into residential space.* In addition, lots of current commercial space simply doesn't meet corporate needs for top-flight Class A space. Think of the iconic, yet aged Empire State Building.

"I don't think there's a growing demand, but the existing buildings are becoming obsolete," said Douglas Durst, whose firm is developing One Bryant Park in Midtown, a 54-story tower with Bank of America as the anchor tenant.


*Towers for recovering Downtown*


Some of the biggest commercial development is happening in Downtown Manhattan, an area barely five years removed from September 11.

*As many as four towers totaling 8.9 million square feet are planned at the World Trade Center site*, with completion of all slated by 2013. The biggest of these skyscrapers is the 2.6-million-square-foot Freedom Tower. Across from the site, investment behemoth Goldman Sachs plans a 1.9-million-square-foot new headquarters to be completed by early 2009. The 1.7-million-square-foot 7 World Trade Center, also across from the trade center site, opened in February and is already more than half-leased.

But, beyond Ground Zero, commercial development thrives Downtown. Smaller projects are under way across the submarket, where the office vacancy rate in the third quarter dipped below 10 percent, its lowest level since September 11, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

Time Equities this year developed a 350,000-square-foot commercial condo at 125 Maiden Lane, one of the few such hybrids in the city. Also, the City University of New York plans a 400,000-square-foot building for 74 classrooms and laboratories and a student lounge at 30 West Broadway.


*Tighter Midtown dominates*


There's not much space to build new commercial projects in Midtown, one of the most built-up business districts on earth. But SJP Properties found space for a speculative office tower, buying an empty site -- some called it a gaping hole -- at 11 Times Square on the southeast corner of 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue.

There, the New Jersey-based firm plans to build a 1.1-million-square-foot tower even though it has no tenants lined up first, a sign of confidence in the New York commercial market. The tower's construction is set to start in 2007.

"For an owner and a lender to make that kind of commitment on a speculative basis, that tells me the environment is ripe for construction," said Gus Field, an executive vice president at Cushman & Wakefield who specializes in Midtown.

Eleven Times Square is far from the only upscale tower slated for Midtown, where the vacancy rate for Class A space was 6.2 percent in the third quarter, its lowest since 2001.

The 1.6-million-square-foot New York Times headquarters at 620 Eighth Avenue, developed by Forest City Ratner and to be half occupied by the newspaper, is slated for completion in April 2007. More than three long blocks away, the 2.1-million-square-foot One Bryant Park, overlooking what was only 10 years ago a crime-ridden park, should open in early 2008.

The Hearst Corporation headquarters on West 57th Street, developed by Tishman Speyer, opened in late summer, bringing 856,000 square feet of fully leased space into the Midtown submarket. Also, the 300,000-square-foot 505 Fifth Avenue, with financial firm CIT as anchor tenant, opened last April.


*"Ahead of the curve"*


The commercial development boom in New York echoes across the city, including the outer boroughs. In fact, market realities should make development beyond Downtown and Midtown a must for the future.

"We have looked ahead 25 years and see a need for roughly 75 million square feet of space, only a minority of which we can accommodate with an existing capacity," Doctoroff said. "As a result, we're furiously trying to get ahead of the curve."

Doctoroff said the lack of space for new commercial development in parts of Manhattan helped spur zoning changes to create more commercial space in areas like Long Island City, the Hudson Yards on the far West Side, and downtown Brooklyn.

Trinity Real Estate, which owns nearly 6 million square feet of commercial space in Hudson Square in Manhattan, is considering new projects at 4, 6 and 7 Hudson Square that could bring nearly 2 million square feet to the long-struggling area. Hudson Square has had some of the highest vacancy rates of any Manhattan submarket this decade but a rising market has lifted the square's boat.

Its third-quarter vacancy rate was 22.9 percent, according to Colliers ABR, about identical as the same time in 2005. Asking rents, however, have shot upward in Hudson Square. "Two years ago, we'd be lucky to get mid-high $20s [per square foot]," said Jason Pizer, Trinity's leasing director. "Now, we're doing deals in the low $40s."

Hudson Square falls in a larger Midtown South submarket that hasn't been the site of any major new commercial development completed in 2006. But the potential's there for the future: *The Real Deal's survey counted at least nine sites that brokerages like Colliers ABR and CB Richard Ellis have touted as potential development sites. The nine could host as much as 6.7 million feet of fresh commercial space.*

"We never really had the demand for them," Pizer said of the three Hudson Square development sites. "Now, we're getting serious looks from people -- just a lot of different choices, because of the hot market, that were never available to us."


*Bed, bath & beyond Manhattan*


Commercial projects spill into outer boroughs as developers move past the familiar

Think of the South Bronx. Do you think of Bed Bath & Beyond? Soon, you may.

Bed Bath & Beyond will take space in a 1-million-square-foot mall on the South Bronx waterfront developed by the Related Companies called Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market. The mall, to be completed in the fall of 2009, will unfold over a formerly blighted stretch of dilapidated warehouses, a transformation indicative of the creep of commercial development into areas of the city once overlooked by developers.

*A survey last month by The Real Deal found that in the outer boroughs, at least 20 primarily commercial projects are now under way, planned or have been completed this year.*

The four other major commercial projects now under construction in the Bronx besides the Gateway Center are also in the borough's southern half. These include the 170,000-square-foot Hub and Retail Office Center between 153rd and 156th streets on Third Avenue, also a Related Companies project; and the new 51,800-seat Yankee Stadium nearby. Two more commercial spreads are planned, among them a 100,000-square-foot building at 854 Westchester Avenue.

In Brooklyn, much of the new commercial development clusters around downtown. A recent rezoning opened up developable space for at least 4.5 million square feet of Class A office space and 900,000 square feet of retail. Much of this surrounds the newer Willoughby Square, a 1.5-acre park between downtown and Fort Greene.

And, if the Atlantic Yards project does move forward, it would cover 16 acres southeast of downtown Brooklyn. The $4.2 billion project, backed by developer Forest City Ratner, would include more than 600,000 square feet of office space and nearly 250,000 square feet of retail as well as a new basketball arena for the New Jersey Nets.

The New York Mets are working on a 45,000-seat stadium on a parking lot next to Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens. Like the new Yankee Stadium, the team should take to its new diamond by the summer of 2009. Elsewhere in Flushing, TDC Development International completed this year a mixed-use commercial project with more than 190,000 square feet of office space and 80 commercial condos. And Muss Development, partnering with Onex Real Estate, plans 800,000 square feet of retail in its new Flushing Town Center, with occupancy by 2009.

Several projects are planned in Queens, including the 2.5 million square feet of commercial space slated as part of the Queens West development on the East River waterfront.

Fresh space is slated for Staten Island as well. As much as 1.5 million square feet of retail space is under construction on the borough's South Shore, with two malls scheduled for completion in the next two years. Also, Chicago-based General Growth Partners, owner of the Staten Island Mall, plans to add 110,000 square feet to the indoor shopping center.


Go to chart: Commercial development in New York City


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## krull

*Nonprofits Not Shy About Cashing In on Real Estate Gems*


BY MICHAEL STOLER
November 16, 2006

Christmas is arriving early for nonprofit organizations that are seizing the opportunity of cashing in on the sale of real estate assets.

"With the extraordinary run up in values we've experienced over the past couple of years all non-profits and religious organizations are, by necessity, carefully examining their portfolios to cash in on unprecedented profit opportunities," the executive vice president and global head of valuation services at Cushman & Wakefield, Brian Corcoran, said."Downsizing, relocating to less expensive locations, the sale of air rights, and other strategies are all being considered by nonprofit directors and oversight boards to take advantage of the perfect storm to sell well-located New York real estate."

As reported in the Sun last month, the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society is planning to sell its headquarters building at 122 E. 58th St. for $24 million. The purchaser is New York Synagogue, an affiliate of the Hampton Synagogue. That's just part of the trend.

The First Baptist Church moved to 265 W. 79th St. on the northwest corner at Broadway, from Park Avenue, in 1891. The trustees are evaluating whether to remain at the site or explore the redevelopment of the site. This magnificent edifice can be demolished because it is not an official New York City landmark.

Seven blocks north of the church is the West Park Presbyterian Church on the northeast corner of 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. The church moved to its present location in 1890. It is in negotiations with Richman Housing Services for a redevelopment of the site that would preserve the main sanctuary and tower and erect a mid-block 21-story apartment building with 70 affordable rental and condominium apartments.

Perhaps the highest price ever recorded for the sale of developable land in the city may be realized by the New-York Historical Society for the land and air rights at an adjacent lot at 7-13 W. 76th St.

According to the trade, a developer might be able to build a residential tower with community facility space for the Historical Society. Trade reports indicate that 140,000 square feet of developable space might be available and could fetch a price of $800 to $900 a developable foot, providing the institution in excess of $120 million.

Touro College has been an owner of real estate on the West Side. The 40,000-square-foot, five-level facilIty for Lander College for Women of Touro College opened this fall at the base of the Hudson Condominium, located at 255 W. 60th St.

Last month Touro College purchased a one-story garage at 250 W. 61st St. On the site it can build a 75,000-squarefoot building. It paid approximately $18 million for the site. Touro plans to open a medical and pharmacy school on West 125th Street in Harlem. The Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone has executed a $4.7 million deal to develop a college campus for Touro.

One major beneficiary of the increase in values in Harlem is the local churches. A new residential condominium is expected to be completed on the former site of the Gospel Temple Church of God in Christ at 2056 Fifth Ave., which is being converted to Riverbridge Court.

Now the adjacent Mount Moriah Baptist Church is currently looking for a joint venture partner to build a mixed-use development that would have a church and condominium tower, and utilize existing air rights. The Second Tabernacle Baptist Church decided to sell in order to minimize its operations and moved its operations to Brooklyn. The Association to Benefit Children recently sold its premises at 206 E. 124th St.

"Nonprofit institutions that own real estate are now taking advantage of the liquidity in the market by selling real estate and relocating to less expensive neighborhoods," a partner at Massey Knakal Realty Services, Shimon Shkury, said.

"Investors and developers, even those who were historically not sellers, have taken advantage of the market to sell their assets rather than refinance or allow cash flow to accumulate," the president of Adellco, Matthew Adell, said. "Nonprofits have followed suit, many feeling that the value of some longstanding locations are replaceable by other locations combined with consolidation of services and residences is a positive arbitrage that results in a stronger balance sheet."

In 2004, Beth Israel Medical Center sold the 14-story Beth Israel Hospital Singer Division building at 170 East End Ave. and two adjacent apartment buildings to Skyline Developers, an affiliate of Garden Homes Development. The price was about $700 a square foot, one of the highest on record for a residential project. Earlier this month, the Continuum Health Partners, parent of Beth Israel Medical Center, sold the 32-story, 166-unit residential rental apartment building in the heart of Gramercy Park on the west side of Third Avenue between 22nd and 23rd streets.

Also in Gramercy Park is the Parkside Evangeline Residence for Young Women, owned by the Salvation Army. The nonprofit has retained a sales broker to sell the 83,000-squarefoot building at 18 Gramercy Park South.

Industry leaders expect the property to fetch close to $100 million, where a new owner might renovate the tower or demolish to make way for a residential condominium. The Salvation Army purchased the former Parkside Hotel in October 1961 for $1.1 million and spent approximately $600,000 to renovate the 17-story building into housing for women.

New York Downtown Hospital sold its parking lot adjacent to the hospital in Lower Manhattan for $84 million. The hospital has retained an investment banker to sell the 12-story, mixeduse residential building at 318 E. 15th St. The 104,000-square-foot building, erected in 1965, is expected to fetch in excess of $500 a square foot.

St. Vincent's Medical Center last year closed three hospitals, including St. Mary's Hospital in central Brooklyn. The site has been sold to a developer who might build residential or a mixed use development. Early next year, St. Vincent's Midtown (formerly St. Claire's Hospital and Health Center) is expected to put up for sale some of its valuable real estate on West 51st Street.

Collegiate Asset Management Corp. has assembled and is marketing a development site on West 30th Street that will accommodate a 277,000-squarefoot hotel and timeshare development. It recently sold an office building at 45 John St. as well as a development site on West 67th Street.

Last month, the St. David's School sold a parcel of land it owned at 212-214 East 95th St. for $10.75 million. In Brooklyn, the Jehovah's Witnesses' Watchtower Bible & Tract Co. of New York sold a building at 89 Hicks St. to Brooklyn Law School. A few months ago it sold a 48-unit elevator apartment building for $14 million.

"Nonprofits are usually users for their space, so rarely have they been sellers," the director of Eastern Consolidated Properties, Alan Miller, said. "This unprecedented sellers market which we are in the midst of has accelerated some nonprofits plans and the pricing that they can achieve for their underutilized real estate has promoted them to dispose of their assets and find alternative locations which better serve them."

I have to concur with Mr. Miller when he said, "Many nonprofits are not aware of the incredible pricing achievable in today's marketplace. In some cases hidden value can be achieved that can be explained to them will behoove the non profit to sell and redeploy their funds in a more efficient manner."


© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## krull

*In West Harlem Land Dispute, It’s Columbia vs. Residents *










*Columbia University is planning to expand its campus on 17 acres of land along the Hudson River, from 
125th Street to 133rd Street. *


By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
November 20, 2006

When Columbia University announced plans three years ago to expand by building on 17 acres in West Harlem, the university stressed that it would work with its neighbors rather than risk stirring up long-held animosities.

But before the release of an environmental report for the $7 billion project, opponents say Columbia has antagonized Harlem residents by insisting that it has the right to seek eminent domain to force property owners out.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, Columbia is a minus 5 in terms of trust,” said Jordi Reyes-Montblanc, chairman of the local community board. “I honestly believe that Columbia has made a tremendous effort to overcome its history, but in the process, they’ve made so many snafus that it hasn’t really helped them.” 

In recent months, the misunderstandings have only intensified. 

Last week, for example, as Columbia and the city Department of Education worked to complete plans for a new public school in the neighborhood with an emphasis on math and science, parents held a demonstration, saying that the school’s proposed temporary location at an existing public school would be disruptive. Columbia is helping the school establish a curriculum, and the final home of the school will be on Columbia-owned property. 

Columbia, however, said it had nothing to do with choosing the temporary site.

And during the past several weeks, some residents have become incensed as inspectors hired by the state have surveyed the neighborhood as part of a study to determine if the area should be considered blighted, a finding that could allow the state to use eminent domain to acquire property for the expansion.

With big demographic and economic changes occurring in Harlem as a backdrop, each side sees the expansion as critical to its future. For Columbia, it would allow an elite but cramped university to build additional academic and residential buildings, including new facilities for its arts and business schools and dozens of modern science research labs it needs to keep pace with other Ivy League universities. 

Harvard University, for example, is seeking a new campus on 200 acres in Boston, and the University of Pennsylvania plans to expand on 40 acres in Philadelphia.

But for residents of West Harlem, Columbia’s expansion threatens the survival of their neighborhood. Columbia has already bought 65 percent of the properties in the area, and if the project is approved, all but three buildings in the 17-acre tract would be razed. 

*The low-rise neighborhood of apartment buildings, warehouses and auto-repair shops would be replaced by a cityscape designed by Renzo Piano and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, in which glass-walled buildings would rise as high as 25 stories.* (Mr. Piano also designed a new headquarters for The New York Times.) Because of the project’s potential to drive up nearby property values, many in the neighborhood say they fear widespread displacement if the necessary rezoning for the campus is approved, which could happen as early as next summer.

While university officials play down the simmering tension, longtime residents say the relationship between campus and community is at its most fraught since 1968. 

That year, violent protests erupted after the university proposed building a university gymnasium in Morningside Park with separate entrances for students and residents of the predominantly poor, African-American neighborhood.

The two sides are at such odds that they cannot even agree on a name for the area: The university calls it Manhattanville, while most residents refer to it as West Harlem.

“I was real hopeful at the beginning of the process, but over the last few years things have really broken down,” said the Rev. Earl Kooperkamp, rector at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.

Lee C. Bollinger, president of Columbia, and a law school student there in 1968, said the university had come a long way since the 1960s. The new campus, he said, would benefit both the university and the neighborhood. 

“Everybody who lives there will be better off,” he said last summer. “Everyone is pleased with the way Columbia has dealt with them.”

*The new campus, which would be built over 25 years on a narrow strip of land parallel to the Hudson River, from 125th Street to 133rd Street, would be among the largest developments in recent city history.* It would also be Columbia’s largest expansion since it moved from Midtown Manhattan to Morningside Heights in 1897.

*The first of two construction phases for the campus would be completed by 2015 and include the new science, arts and business buildings.

Plans for the second stage are less clear, but could include new dormitories and academic buildings, as well as swimming and diving pools. In all, the campus would have 17 new buildings.*

West Harlem residents say they are not opposed to Columbia’s expansion, but have a competing plan that emphasizes building more affordable housing and retaining the area’s light industry. 

Columbia’s proposal does not include affordable housing and would eliminate all of the light industry.

Since the Industrial Revolution, the area has been dominated by industry — in the mid-19th century it had a mill and a brewery, and later, the neighborhood contained dairy and automobile plants, including an old Studebaker factory, which Columbia plans to preserve. 

*Currently, meat packing plants, car repair shops, moving and storage warehouses, and a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus depot are on the site. About 400 people also live in apartment buildings there.* 

Columbia has said it intends to pay their relocation costs if the area is rezoned and it is allowed to start its expansion project. 

Though the university has been buying property in the area for years, several large commercial landowners have refused to sell. In response, Columbia has said it might seek to have eminent domain invoked. 

That prospect has caused alarm in the area, where opposition to eminent domain runs deep among many African-Americans because it was used for urban renewal projects in the 1960s that demolished entire neighborhoods and replaced them with public housing towers.

“Any neighborhood wants to see improvements, but not at the risk of people being driven out,” said Nellie Bailey, executive director of the Harlem Tenants Council.

But Mr. Bollinger said the issue is not negotiable. 

“I would be irresponsible as president of Columbia to give up eminent domain,” he said. “We have done nothing to initiate eminent domain, and I hope not to have to use eminent domain.” 

However, he added, “We should be prepared to use it.” 

To that end, in a 2004 letter to the Empire State Development Corporation, Columbia asked the state agency to “consider the condemnation of portions of the property not under Columbia control.”

The community board has signaled its discontent by voting unanimously to oppose the use of eminent domain, and several members have said they will oppose the project unless Columbia pledges not to seek those powers. 

While the board’s role is only advisory, the expansion’s rejection by the panel would probably weigh heavily on the City Planning Commission and the City Council, which must approve the project.

Anne Z. Whitman, the owner of Hudson Moving and Storage, said Columbia had offered $4 million for her six-story, 35,000-square-foot building — though she has repeatedly told the university she has no plans to move. 

Ms. Whitman believes the university will eventually try to condemn her building through eminent domain.

In a 2004 letter to Ms. Whitman, the university said it would be “impossible” for her business to remain, given Columbia’s expansion plans. 

“No way Columbia is going to steal this property right out from underneath me,” she said. “Remember that man who stood in front of the tank at Tiananmen Square? That’s me.”

Nicholas Sprayregen, president of Tuck-It-Away Self-Storage, is the largest property owner in the area with five buildings and almost 300,000 square feet of space. He said he has spent several hundred thousand dollars fighting Columbia and is willing to spend more.

He has hired Norman Siegel, a civil rights lawyer, and has pledged to take the case to the United States Supreme Court if Columbia seeks to use eminent domain.

“No one is saying to Columbia, ‘You can’t have a campus here,’ ” he said. “They say they have to have everything and they won’t give a reason why — because there is no reason.” 

Mr. Bollinger said the university is seeking ownership of the entire 17 acres because it wants a contiguous campus.

Other university officials said that once they sign a community benefits agreement with West Harlem, much of the opposition will dissipate.

This fall, the community board organized a local development corporation to conduct negotiations with Columbia for a benefits package.

The eventual agreement could include items like establishing a fund to prevent displacement because of rising rents or building an asthma clinic.

But opponents said a benefits package would not resolve several points of disagreement with Columbia, including the possibility of hazardous chemical and biological research and animal testing at the proposed science laboratories. 

While Columbia has said the expansion would create 7,000 jobs, Mr. Reyes-Montblanc, the chairman of the community board, said he was skeptical about the sort of employment that would be offered.

“Most of the people in our community do not come close to the requirements for lab jobs,” he said. “What’s left are less desirable types of work, like janitorial jobs.” 

Columbia officials said that the university would do what it could to help meet West Harlem’s needs, but said that there were limits to what it could do.

“We’ve got to make sure we do the right thing,” said Robert Kasdin, a senior executive vice president at the university, who is overseeing the expansion. “And whatever we do, we will be subject to criticism because we can’t fix the underlying problems.” 












Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## krull

*Brooklyn Bridge?Park? opponents lose lawsuit*


By Ariella Cohen
November 28, 2006

Brooklyn Heights residents who sued to block the state?s plan to include condos in the proposed Brooklyn Bridge Park waterfront development have lost, The Brooklyn Papers has learned.

In a 22-page decision handed down Tuesday, Brooklyn State Supreme Court Justice Lawrence Knipel dismissed the opponents? charge that the Empire State Development Corporation broke the law when it added shops, restaurants, a hotel and 1,210 condos to a plan for a 1.3-mile public park stretching 1.3 miles along the waterfront from the Manhattan Bridge to the foot of Atlantic Avenue.

The state says it needs private development to generate $15 million annually to pay for upkeep of the development?s 77-acres.

The ruling is not unexpected. At a pre-trial hearing in August Knipel had questioned the legal merits of the suit.

?I can see policy reasons for not putting these buildings next to a park. But why legally?? he asked.

In Tuesday?s decision, Knipel also dismissed the claim that the state?s plan didn?t take a ?a hard look? at the impact the new residential development would have on traffic and infrastructure in the area.

Judi Francis, one of several Brooklyn Heights residents who filed the suit, said Tuesday that she planned to appeal.

?As we have said from the beginning the critical fight is in the appellate division is sitting in Brooklyn a few blocks away from this site ? the so-called ?park?,? she said.


@ The Brooklyn Papers


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## krull

*Walkway Between Subways Is Promised for Transit Hub* 


By WILLIAM NEUMAN
November 30, 2006

*An underground walkway connecting the R and W subway lines to the E line in Lower Manhattan will be built along with a new downtown subway hub*, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said yesterday. But it was not clear what would be cut from the station project to free up the $15 million needed for the connector. 

The authority?s chairman, Peter S. Kalikow, revived the half-block connector between the E line and the two other lines two days after members of the agency?s board complained that it was being left out of plans for the Fulton Street Transit Center, which includes an architecturally ambitious glass building with a conical roof.

*The center, which will streamline connections among about a dozen subway lines, has a budget of $884 million, and officials have said that to allow for the connector, $15 million will have to be cut from another part of the project. Board members said on Monday that they did not want ?a fancy building and a fancy roof? at the expense of riders? convenience.*

Mysore Nagaraja, the authority?s president of capital construction, said he was working on identifying cuts that would make the connector possible. 

Mr. Kalikow spoke yesterday at a meeting of the authority?s board, at which officials announced that a tax windfall from the sale of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village would help pay for new paint jobs in 200 subway stations. 

The $52 million needed to paint the stations will come from a total of $81.6 million that the transportation authority will receive in mortgage and transfer taxes from the sale, which totaled nearly $5.4 billion. The authority receives a percentage of the transfer and mortgage taxes collected on real estate sales in New York City, and the taxes have become an important part of the agency?s financing.

Real estate tax revenues that were higher than expected and growing ridership will contribute to a budget surplus of $938 million for the transportation authority this year, according to new estimates. Next year, the agency expects to run a surplus of $272 million, which will eliminate the need for a fare and toll increase. 

The authority had previously said it would increase fares and tolls by 5 percent every two years, but yesterday officials also eliminated an increase that had been planned for 2009 from their financial projections. Mr. Kalikow said that was done to give a clearer picture of the agency?s financial needs. 

Its needs are severe because of escalating interest payments on billions of dollars in debt the authority has taken on in recent years to buy new buses and rail cars and to finance major projects like a link between the Long Island Rail Road and Grand Central Terminal. The new projections show operating deficits of $805 million in 2008, $1.46 billion in 2009 and $1.79 billion in 2010. 

But the authority?s projections have been wrong before. As recently as February 2005, the agency said it expected to run a budget deficit of $607 million this year. If the latest predictions for this year prove correct, the authority?s planners will have been off by about $1.5 billion. 


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## Mastodon Goard

*New Design for Rebuilding the Twin Towers*

[edited by moderation for content]


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## krull

^^ Please edit (delete) your post and make a new thread somewhere else. hno:


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## krull

*Manhattan Housing Cycle Turns Toward Rentals*


BY MICHAEL STOLER
November 30, 2006

With the vacancy rate for rental apartments at less than 1% in Manhattan and sales of condominiums slowing, a number of developers have turned their focus to construction of residential rental apartments.

"Developers today are increasingly looking to build rental units for two main supply side reasons and one demand side reason," the chairman of Massey Knakal Realty Services, Robert Knakal, said via e-mail."On the supply side, the number of condominium units is increasing rapidly while ? the velocity of sales in this segment is slowing," meaning there is no reason to add to the inventory unless a project has significant, unique characteristics, he said."That being said, the inventory of available units is minimal and rents ? now approach ? $80 per square foot for well-located new construction. Trends in demand are exacerbating these supply side issues as the number of people looking to move into New York continues to increase."

*A 34-story, 370-unit 80/20 residential tower is to be constructed at 316 Eleventh Ave. in Chelsea.* The developer is Douglaston Development LLC and Jeffrey Levine. Earlier this month, the New York State Housing Finance Agency approved the issuance of $191.5 million in bonds for the tower.

Twenty percent of the units will be available to families earning no more than 50% of the New York City area median income (approximately $70,000), and 15% of the units will be reserved for families earning no more than 40% of the area median income.

"Developers are really investment bankers, since we take 24 to 36 months to begin a project," the chairman of Douglaston Development, Jeffrey Levine, said."We are making a bet that the world is going to be in a better place when we conclude a development. Today, developers are more motivated to acquire a site, and get into the ground sooner."

*The parking garage across from the famous Katz's Delicatessen at 205 E. Houston St. will become a 23-story residential tower with 242 units*, of which 20%, or 49, will be reserved for affordable housing. In addition, households whose gross income does not exceed 150% of the area median income will occupy 5% of the units. Edison Properties is the owner of the former parking lot. It entered into a 99-year land lease for the site at 188 Ludlow St., at the corner of Ludlow and East Houston streets.

More than 50% of the rental units have been leased at Avalon Bowery Place, the second AvalonBay Communities building between Houston and East 1st streets. A total of 25% of the units in this building is reserved for tenants whose income is less than 50% of the area median income. *Construction is under way for a third AvalonBay Communities building in the area, which is expected to be ready for occupancy in the second half of 2007.*

Across the river in Long Island City, Avalon Riverview North, a rental tower, will be ready for occupancy in 2007. The company is also building a 39-story rental tower with 588 rental units in New Rochelle.

*The Housing Finance Agency next month is expected to approve $204 million in bond financing for the Witkoff Organization's 34-story, 309-unit 80/20 rental tower on the southwest corner of 44th Street and Eighth Avenue.* The mixed-use building will also have retail and a garage with 458 parking spaces.

"There are several compelling reasons why we elected to build a rental versus a condominium on the site," the CEO of the Witkoff Organization, Steven Witkoff, said. "We purchased the site years ago at a number that rental makes logical sense. There are substantial after-tax benefits" of owning rental apartment buildings.

"I like owning rental much more than I like selling condominiums," Mr. Witkoff said. "Selling condominiums is not just one trade: It can be hundreds, and each sale is its own transaction. There will not be a lot of rental built in this neighborhood on a going-forward basis, because the land cost is too expensive, and therefore I will have very little competition." Furthermore, he said, rents are up substantially, making the after-tax analysis of rentals versus condominiums more compelling and profitable over the long term.

*Construction is expected to begin within 12 months on Glenwood Management's new rental tower at 331?339 W. 37th St. and Silverstein Properties' second mixed-use 57-story rental tower with 1,157 units at 600 W. 42nd St.*

Meanwhile, the rental office will open in February at the Epic, a 400-unit 80/20 rental tower developed by the Durst Organization and Sidney Fetner Associates at 125?135 W. 31st St. Occupants will arrive starting in April. "We reviewed the condominium option as we finalized plans for the building in February 2005 and determined that the planned rental scenario would both maximize the true value of the site and provide the best fit to our long term hold strategy," the co-president of the Durst Organization, Douglas Durst, said via e-mail."The availability of the New York State Housing Finance Agency Bonds, and the corresponding 421-a tax benefits made this approach economically viable, and in turn, the project contributes to the City's tremendous need for affordable housing."

Owning a condominium "is a pain, while owning a rental building is easy," the principal at the LeFrak Organization, Jaime LeFrak, said. In a rental building, he said, unhappy renters move out, while in a condominium, the buyers "sue the developer for not completing the construction in a manner that the purchaser expects. Condominium construction requires perfection, while a rental building requires functionality. Construction projects are always painful; at least with a rental you keep the fruits of your labor. Don't give a perfectly healthy baby up for adoption, unless you can't afford to raise it."

"With land and construction costs at record levels, a number of developers are taking the strategy to build condominiums on the upper floors for sale and have the profit in the condominium sales applied to lower the basis in the land for the 80/20 rental portion of the project," the chairman of the national real estate practice at Greenberg Traurig, Robert Ivanhoe, said. These projects include Clinton Green, a joint venture of the Dermot Organization and Archstone Smith. The multifamily mixed-use apartment complex will have rental apartments, condominiums, a parking garage, and live performance theaters on the west side of Tenth Avenue at West 51st through West 53rd streets. There will be 687 rental units, of which 20% will be affordable housing.

*In Chelsea, the Related Companies and Taconic Investment Partners are constructing a mixed-use building in a continuous structure on the block bounded by Ninth and Tenth avenues and 16th and 17th streets. A total of 288 rental units will be built, 20% of which will be reserved for affordable housing at 50% of the area median income. The top portion of the tower will have residential condominiums.*

On the Upper West Side, a new mixed-use residential rental tower will be available for occupancy in 2008. *The site, at 808 Columbus Ave., is a development of Stellar Management and will include 220,000 square feet of retail. The site covers 97th to 100th streets on three contiguous blocks.*

In Lower Manhattan, construction is in various stages of progress for rental apartments financed by Liberty Bonds and tax-exempt bonds financed by the New York City Housing Development Corporation and the state Housing Finance Agency.

Earlier this month, the New York City Housing Development Corporation approved $90 million in Liberty Bonds to finance construction of the Rockrose Organization's *mixed-use building at 201 Pearl St., a 29-story, mixed-use building with 189 rental apartments.*

Another project is an Edward J. Minskoff rental apartment building at 89 Murray St. This building is adjacent to the 101 Warren St. condominium tower and mixed-use site that will house Lower Manhattan's first Whole Foods outlet. The rental building will have 288 units, of which 163 will be reserved for an affordable component.

I concur with Mr. Knakal when he says: "We are seeing the quintessentially cyclical nature of the residential market. As rents increased in 2002 and 2003, everyone wanted to purchase a unit. As consumer condominium prices rose, more consumers wanted to rent and as more people want to rent, rents increased again and are continuing to do so presently. When residential rents hit $80 per square foot, purchasing will seem relatively attractive again and sale prices will once again rise."


? 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## Scruffy88

I understand they are short on money and all, but don't lose the fulton street dome. Come on, none of our subway stations have anything cool looking about them, at least for pride's sake they have to keep the dome. Nearly every other megalopolis has cooler looking sub stations than us.


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## krull

Scruffy88 said:


> I understand they are short on money and all, but don't lose the fulton street dome. Come on, none of our subway stations have anything cool looking about them, at least for pride's sake they have to keep the dome. Nearly every other megalopolis has cooler looking sub stations than us.


I totally agree. I hope that somehow they can find that extra $15 million that is needed. Having the connection is also very important. But they can actually do the connection at a later time for all I care. The dome is a big improvement for this world class city.


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## Ebola

Ross Predicts A 2008 Start For New MSG


By DAVID LOMBINO
November 30, 2006


*A developer involved in the recently scuttled Moynihan Station project said he is confident that construction will soon begin on an even larger alternative plan that involves building a new Madison Square Garden inside the Farley Post Office building, renovating Penn Station, and erecting office towers in the surrounding area.*

At a real estate conference yesterday, billionaire developer Stephen Ross of the Related Companies said strong support from Mayor Bloomberg's office and the incoming Spitzer administration would lead to final approval of the megaproject next year, and that construction on a new arena would begin in *early 2008*. Mr. Ross would partner with Vornado Realty Trust. The project is expected to cost billions, including more than an estimated $1 billion in public subsidies, and take years to complete.

*The 10 million square feet of office space in the plan is more than is planned for ground zero and would dramatically refashion a Manhattan neighborhood that, with the exception of One Penn Plaza, has long been known more for retail and fast food than for class A office space.*

After nearly a decade of planning, Governor Pataki's $900 million Moynihan Station project, which would have transformed the eastern half of the landmarked Farley Post Office building into a transit hub to relieve congestion at Penn Station, was effectively killed last month by the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver.

Mr. Silver, a Democrat, said that he preferred Vornado and Related's more ambitious plan, but top state officials said that Mr. Silver's rejection was politically motivated, to give the incoming Spitzer administration the chance to take credit for the project. Pataki officials, mad at Mr. Silver, threatened to scuttle existing agreements with the developers and force the next administration to start from scratch, but so far they have not moved to do so. They said that any reincarnation would take years to complete.

Pataki administration officials said yesterday that Mr. Ross's projections for beginning redevelopment of about four full city blocks about are wildly optimistic. They said that negotiating an agreement between public and private entities, producing concrete design and financing plans, arranging for public subsidies, conducting additional environmental tests and acquiring necessary approvals would take a lot longer than Mr. Ross predicted.

The president of the Moynihan Development Corporation, Robin Stout, said in a statement that the delay caused by Mr. Silver's vote "injected considerable risk and uncertainty both legally and financially to a project that in no way precluded the larger goal of incorporating Madison Square Garden into the plans."

Another hurdle to the project is an ongoing impasse between the city and Madison Square Garden about a $10 million a year tax break that the Garden wants to transfer across the street to their new location. The Bloomberg administration has said they are unwilling to transfer the tax break, which was doled out in the early 1980s when the arena's owners threatened to move the venue out of the city.

A spokesman for Madison Square Garden, Barry Watkins, said in a statement yesterday that there has been "considerable activity regarding the possibility of Madison Square Garden moving to the Farley building in order to determine if it is preferable to our completed renovation plan."

Governor-elect Spitzer is now active in moving the Penn Station project forward, and sources said that he could seek a resolution to the current impasse in his first 100 days in office. Mr. Spitzer has named a member of his transition team, Patrick Foye, a lawyer, to work on the plan and convene meetings with the major players, according to sources familiar with the project.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Spitzer, Christine Anderson, said yesterday, "Eliot has asked his transition team to review options for Moynihan Station and other infrastructure projects."

The president of the Partnership for New York City, Kathryn Wylde, said that Mr. Ross's timetable was reasonable because the project enjoys widespread support among the government and civic groups.

"Aside from very few naysayers that are worried in the preservation community about MSG overshadowing the Post Office building, there is very broad based support for the plan going forward," Ms. Wylde said.

Yesterday, Mr. Ross, of Related, rejected the idea that there would be a shortage of office space anytime soon in Manhattan. He said that there would be about 10 million square feet of new office space developed around Penn Station, *more *than is currently planned for the former World Trade Center site.

Vornado has bought up much of the real estate around the Garden over the past 10 years. The company's chairman, Steven Roth, has said the plan would generate "$1.2 billion in value creation," from the higher rents Vornado would command on nearly 7 million square feet of property in the near vicinity.


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## Lee

Scruffy88 said:


> I understand they are short on money and all, but don't lose the fulton street dome. Come on, none of our subway stations have anything cool looking about them, at least for pride's sake they have to keep the dome. Nearly every other megalopolis has cooler looking sub stations than us.


Why is it that NYC hasn't invested in renovating the subway stations? Obviously the money is there.


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## Spooky873

161 Maiden Lane
architect: Rogers Marvel
proposed
525+ feet











this is going right next to 80 South Street.


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## TroyBoy

Can someone make a pic with it and 80?


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## Guest

Update: 12/3/2006
*Queens Skyline Under Construction*







*Times Square Development*


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## ZZ-II

great new tower


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## Spooky873

the last remaining plot of land to be developed in TXSQ. shitty design or not, its better than a hole in the ground.

you know how many lots there are like this around manhattan?


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## Guest

Spooky873 said:


> the last remaining plot of land to be developed in TXSQ. shitty design or not, its better than a hole in the ground.
> 
> you know how many lots there are like this around manhattan?


There's that eyesore at 42nd & Dyre.


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## Indyman

Spooky873 said:


> 161 Maiden Lane
> architect: Rogers Marvel
> proposed
> 525+ feet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> this is going right next to 80 South Street.


I think that is one studly building!


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## TalB

krull said:


> ^^ Please edit (delete) your post and make a new thread somewhere else. hno:


That pic does not deserve to be posted at all.


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## krull

Spooky873 said:


> 161 Maiden Lane
> architect: Rogers Marvel
> proposed
> 525+ feet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> this is going right next to 80 South Street.



*Sleek mixed-use tower planned for 161 Maiden Lane*


04-DEC-06

A sleek, mixed-use tower is planned for 161 Maiden Lane, a site directly south of the proposed residential tower designed by Santiago Calatrava for Sciame Construction Company at 80 South Street. 

The new mixed-use tower, which overlooks the East River a few blocks south of the South Street Seaport, has been designed by Rogers Marvel Architects. 

It is north of the 41-story dark glass office building with an angled base and a space-frame lobby at 180 Maiden Lane that was designed by Der Scutt, then at Swanke Hayden Connell. 

The Calatrava tower, a stack of 10 four-story residential “cubes,” has received wide critical acclaim but its status in uncertain as construction has not started and apparently no units have yet been sold. 

Mr. Calatrava was quoted in a Fortune Magazine article last month as stating that he was “full of hope we will start it,” although an article by Gabby Warshawer in this month’s edition of The Real Deal noted that the marketing firm for the project, I. Kahn Inc., & Company, was “no longer associated with the building’s marketing and sales,” and that the project’s building plans, which were approved January 28, 2005, may need to be resubmitted next month to avoid being considered “dormant.” 

The Calatrava tower and another major tower nearby designed by Frank O. Gehry for Forest City Rattner on Beekman Street near City Hall were widely seen as greatly enhancing Lower Manhattan especially during the long uncertainties and controversies over the redevelopment of Ground Zero. 

Construction has started on the Gehry-designed tower and recently plans for its public plazas have been unveiled. Rob Rogers, a partner in Rogers Marvel, told CityRealty.com today that the *161 Maiden Lane project, which would probably be about 500 feet tall, is still in preliminary design, which should be finalized by early next year. *

His firm’s design won a design competition for the project, which, Mr. Rogers said, will be the first project in New York City for a major developer. 

*Renderings of the project on the architectural firm’s website indicate that it would have a light-colored façade with a top ratcheted at the corners by inset balconies. *

Mr. Rogers said that the developer for his project has had discussions with Mr. Calatrava’s developer, adding that the 80 South Street project is “having marketing challenges but is very exciting and great for New York.” 

Rogers Marvel Architects PLLC recently designed the very handsome Theory Corporate Headquarters low-rise office building near the Gansevoort Hotel and Pastis restaurant in the Meatpacking District, the Studio Museum in Harlem, One Seventh Avenue South and 350 West Broadway. 


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## krull

More renderings (*161 Maiden Lane*)...


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## NovaWolverine

I love it, only if it were like 200 ft taller, it would be fantastic. I would like buildings of other colors in NYC's skyline, that don't look stupid of course, b/c we have older buildings of various colors, but not as much these days.


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## krull

*Plan for Nascar Speedway Is Scrapped on Staten Island *


By ALAN FEUER
December 5, 2006

Faced with unyielding opposition from residents who complained that Staten Island’s roads were already too congested, a Florida company dropped plans for a 82,000-seat Nascar speedway on the island, officials said yesterday.

*After two years, plans for the speedway — a three-quarter-mile track to have been built on an abandoned oil tank farm near the Goethals Bridge *— were scuttled on Thursday by the board of directors of the International Speedway Corporation, said Wes Harris, a company spokesman.

“The reality of it is the board came to the conclusion that the politics was going to be such that we could not be successful,” Mr. Harris said.

*In May 2004, officials of the company, a Nascar affiliate based in Daytona Beach, Fla., announced plans to transform 450 acres of unused industrial land on the northwest tip of Staten Island into the New York base for the country’s most popular sport.* 

*In order to relieve the inevitable traffic, they had proposed a complex network of ferries, charter buses and park-and-ride lots that would have allowed fans to reach the site during the three race weekends that were expected to be scheduled each year.*

They had also promised more than $350 million in construction wages during the two years it would have taken to build the track and said the track would have contributed $200 million to the economy annually, including ticket sales, food and beverage sales and hotel bookings. To help them navigate the shoals of city politics, they hired Guy V. Molinari, a former borough president, as a lobbyist.

But Mr. Harris acknowledged yesterday that the board finally realized that even Mr. Molinari, who did not return a telephone call seeking comment last night, could not help them overcome Staten Island’s three-man City Council team, which came out in vociferous and early opposition to the track. 

One of the councilmen, James S. Oddo, the Council’s minority leader, called the company’s move “a monumental victory for the people of Staten Island” in a statement released yesterday. Another, Michael E. McMahon, called the development “a huge victory” and “delightful,” saying he had considered the project a “sow’s ear” from the start.

“I am glad that the Nascar people finally understand what I have said all along,” Mr. McMahon said in his statement, “that to put a 100,000-seat Nascar track on the west shore of Staten Island is what my mother would call a schnapps idea.”

Almost from the start, the plan was met with condemnation from a diverse crowd of skeptics, including Manhattan-based environmentalists and Staten Island homemakers.

In April, the Sierra Club issued a report saying the project would pollute the air, require filling in nearly 15 acres of fragile saltwater wetlands and harm several wildlife species.

A few days later, a public hearing on the track devolved into fisticuffs when more than 1,000 people converged on a meeting hall in Staten Island, including a union carpenter who tussled with Staten Island’s third councilman, Andrew J. Lanza.

At the time, Mr. Lanza said he was simply trying to express his views when “a guy put a bear hug on me, threatening me while guys standing in front of him were urging him, ‘Punch him in the face.’ ” After the confrontation, the police shut down the hearing, saying the auditorium’s capacity had been exceeded. There was no other hearing on the matter. 

“We honestly don’t know what happened at that hearing ourselves,” said Michael P. Printup, an International Speedway official. There was support for the track early on, according to Mr. Printup, but after the hearing, “something turned.”

Mr. Harris said the company, which bought the land for $100 million, would now study other ways to use it, though he refused to say last night what those might be.

*He also refused to give up on the idea of bringing Nascar racing to the nation’s largest media market, though he admitted that New York could be a tough town for business.*

*In Chicago, he said, it took several tries for International Speedway to settle on a site for a track, but eventually the company was successful.

“The challenge with New York is everything’s magnified 10 times over,” he said.*

Sewell Chan contributed reporting.


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## TalB

I was never for that racetrack to begin with, so I am glad that it got scrapped.


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## Indyman

krull said:


> More renderings (*161 Maiden Lane*)...


\

It looks like a frosted glass crystal.


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## LeCom

krull said:


> *Plan for Nascar Speedway Is Scrapped on Staten Island *


:cheers1:


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## EtherealMist

Yay!

NASCAR sucks im glad its attempt to infiltrate New York City has failed


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## jacobboyer

Nascar = 1 most boring sport in the history of world.


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## NOLAUSA

I agree!! I really hate to seem close minded, but that sport is dumb and so are most the people that watch it. I have more teeth than all the people in those stadiums combined!


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## LeCom

jacobboyer said:


> Nascar = 1 most boring sport in the history of world.


Sport? How is Nascar a sport to begin with? Where's the physical activity? Moving the wheel left and right? Gotta be careful on that pedal, and don't strain your butt from sitting too much.

Hell, I'm having more physical activity moving my fingers around this keyboard right now than a Nascar driver on the track.


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## NovaWolverine

Haha, not quite. It's not like football, but the cars get pretty hot and the vibrations do fatigue your body. Along with G forces when those come into play. Plus, the racing aspect does take skill. I'm pretty indifferent about having a track in NYC. I think the NYC metro will get a new track in the future though, sooner than later. It's simply too big a market and people will come to watch.


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## Don Omar

*damn you london*

I think that it is good for a city, epically one as big and grand as New York to have a variety of entertainment venues even if does not suit everyone. I really wish the City could have gotten the 2012 Olympics. All of those types of stadiums and venues would have added so much to the City.


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## Spooky873

only in staten island hno:


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## crazyevildude

Spooky873 said:


> 161 Maiden Lane
> architect: Rogers Marvel
> proposed
> 525+ feet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *this is going right next to 80 South Street.*


Is 80 South Street still going to be built, I though it was cancelled because there wasn't enough interest in it?

This design looks great anyway though, will look great on the waterfront.


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## EtherealMist

New York City didnt really need the Olympics and definitely doesnt need a NASCAR track. NASCAR isnt growing nearly as fast it was a few years ago.


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## another_viet

yeah i guess it didnt "NEED" the olympics but it would have been nice...

btw what are they doing about staten island its soo akward
are they planning to build there?


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## Zenith

I hope you guys get the Olympics one day, and soon ! Meanwhile come and see us in London.


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## NovaWolverine

Who's "they". If you mean Nascar, they didn't get the go ahead to build there, so they will have to try again some where else if they want nascar in NYC. 

As far as other developments, who knows, but I don't imagine having a renaissance of development unless they build a resort or something large scale like that over there, but that's doubtful.


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## krull

*Last-Ditch Maneuvering on Atlantic Yards Project *


By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
December 7, 2006

More than two years of costly warfare over the proposed Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn has exhausted and bruised both supporters and opponents. But as the battle enters its proverbial 13th round this month, critics of the $4.2 billion project are mounting a last-ditch political outreach effort to delay final approval until a new administration is in place in Albany.

The project’s sponsors, meanwhile, are rushing to get the project approved before Gov. George E. Pataki leaves office.

*The board of the Empire State Development Corporation, the state agency overseeing the project, is to vote tomorrow on whether to approve the final project plan. They will also vote on authorizing any needed condemnations on the 22-acre site where the developer Forest City Ratner hopes to build an eight-million-square-foot residential, commercial and arena complex.* 

*The board’s approval is practically a foregone conclusion, however, and both sides are already focusing on the final stage of the political battle: a possible vote this month by the Public Authorities Control Board. The votes on that board are controlled by Mr. Pataki, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and the Senate majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno. *

Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, an umbrella organization of groups that want to stop the project, filed suit last month in federal court to challenge the likely condemnation of several properties on the site. On Tuesday, the group delivered thousands of letters from city residents to Mr. Pataki, Mr. Bruno and Mr. Silver urging them not to approve the project until the lawsuit is resolved. 

The group also recently hired a lobbyist to contend with the considerable Albany firepower of Forest City Ratner and the array of New York politicians, unions and business groups allied with the company.

A second coalition, known as Brooklyn Speaks, hopes to force changes to the project, like significantly reducing its size. The coalition includes several national and local civic groups with influence, including the Municipal Arts Society and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

A spokesman for Forest City Ratner, which is also the development partner in a new Midtown headquarters for The New York Times Company, declined to comment on any efforts it has made to influence the upcoming votes.

The Public Authorities Control Board must unanimously approve Atlantic Yards for it to move forward. And though Mr. Pataki, Mr. Bruno and Mr. Silver have all expressed support for the project, it must still traverse the gantlet of Albany power politics.

Mr. Pataki, a likely Republican candidate for president, is said to be eager to establish a physical legacy of his 12 years in office, especially after other major projects, including the West Side stadium, have been killed or delayed. 

More often than not, his antagonist on the board has been Mr. Silver, who last month described Charles A. Gargano, the Empire State Development Corporation chairman, as the “most corrupt member” of Mr. Pataki’s administration. Mr. Silver has often criticized Mr. Pataki as having withheld key information about state projects. Mr. Pataki, in turn, has typically rejected those charges as political posturing. Such debates have delayed a number of projects in the past, and a Pataki aide said a similar fate might await this one.

Officially, however, Mr. Silver supports the project, and the Assembly has already appropriated $33 million for it. In an interview, Mr. Silver said his staff was awaiting details of the project’s long-term financing. 

“We are not looking to be negative,” Mr. Silver said. “We haven’t seen the financials. When we do, we will make a decision.” 

Late last month, three Assembly members from neighborhoods near the project site — James F. Brennan, Joan L. Millman and Annette Robinson — sent a letter urging Mr. Silver to delay the project until it could be modified. Mr. Silver hinted that he would listen closely to their criticisms, describing them as “very effective members.” 

Hakeem Jeffries, an assemblyman-elect whose district would include most of the project, said that he had expressed his concerns to Mr. Silver privately but that he would wait until after tomorrow’s vote to articulate them more formally.

If the project approval were delayed into next year, Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer’s representative would replace Mr. Pataki’s on the board. Aides to Mr. Spitzer have recently begun a more intensive review of the Yards project, among others, which they said was intended chiefly to bring Mr. Spitzer up to speed on the projects’ details. But a senior policy adviser to Mr. Spitzer said last week that an intervention was not out of the question.

“If we thought it were a seriously flawed proposal, we would encourage people to hold it until we had an opportunity to make further review of it,” said the adviser, who was granted anonymity so he could speak openly about Mr. Spitzer’s thinking on the matter.

Though Mr. Spitzer supports development over the railyards, critics of the Atlantic Yards plan believe that he would be more sympathetic than Mr. Pataki to the idea of modifications, should the project fall into his lap. He has spoken in the past about wanting a closer look at financial projections out of concern that the state might be forced to contribute more money than expected.

The project’s sponsors have held such information closely, rejecting numerous requests under freedom of information laws from journalists, politicians and Brooklyn residents.

Critics of the project hope that Mr. Silver and his staff will pry more information out of Forest City and the development corporation before the speaker will approve it. That information, they believe, could reframe public debate on terms more favorable to those who would like to change the project. 

“Disclosure of the finances might reveal that they would make a profit even without the giant density of the project, and that there is no compelling rationale for the current size, and that a downsizing is fully achievable with the developer continuing to earn a generous rate of return,” Assemblyman Brennan said.


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## TalB

I hope that Silver can be hero on the Atlantic Yds just like how he was on the Hudson Yds.


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## TroyBoy

Nascar exciting when theres crashes and people die, so i propose they make it a lot more dangerous, with no seat belts, and the cars go faster, no limits on anything can do what ever you want to the car.


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## jacobboyer

^^ And you have jet engines strapped on the cars and all the cars are soaked in gasoline and lit on fire as they race.


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## krull

*Parke-Bernet Galleries: A Blocky Base for Proposed Towers* 










*Earlier this year, Aby Rosen announced plans to restore the 
Parke-Bernet building to its 1949 appearance, as long as he 
could add a pair of interlocking oval glass apartment towers, 
designed by Norman Foster. The taller would rise to 30 stories.*









*NOW AND THEN The Parke-Bernet building in 1954. *


By CHRISTOPHER GRAY
December 10, 2006

THE pair of curved glass towers proposed for the top of the 1949 Parke-Bernet Galleries building at 980 Madison Avenue have a lot of people talking. But somehow, despite the buzz, scant attention has been paid to the trim little modernist gallery itself. Built low by Robert W. Dowling to protect the light to the 40-story Carlyle Hotel, directly across the avenue, what was once the epicenter of the New York art world is something that most people just pass right by today. 

The story of this peculiar building on Madison at 76th Street — 200 feet long but only six stories high — starts with the Carlyle, whose romantic tower crashed through the Madison Avenue skyline in 1931 like a movie cowboy thrown through a stage-glass saloon window.

Even before the hotel was complete, the Depression had descended on the Upper East Side, indirectly preserving the remaining low-rise buildings like the odd little houses just opposite that would, 17 years later, be razed to make way for the gallery. 

By then, Mr. Dowling owned the Carlyle and planned a complementary structure for the site across Madison. He did not envision another Jazz Age tower, but rather a button-down modernist commercial building — long, lean, low and devoted to the sale of art. He arranged with Parke-Bernet Galleries, barely a decade old but already the dominant art auction house in New York, to be sole tenant of the custom-designed building. 

His architects, A. Stewart Walker and Alfred Easton Poor, arranged retail stores, storage vaults, conservation rooms, photography studios, a big auction sales room and six large exhibition galleries — two of them double-height — behind an impassively spare facade of limestone blocks nearly six feet on a side.

The top two of the six floors were set back, making the building look even shorter from the surrounding sidewalks, and the design allowed the west light to reach the Carlyle. 

The windowless third floor, the site of the galleries, gave the building a certain antiquity, accentuated by the 14-foot-long aluminum sculpture over the doorway by Wheeler Williams: a woman holding a torch floats over a reclining young man. The imagery, according to The New York Times in 1949, is mean to symbolize “Venus awakening Manhattan to the importance of art from overseas.”

Something about Venus also awakened the City of New York: her chest protrudes 18 inches into what is considered public space. That infraction was permitted only with a rental of $25 a year. (That sum has now grown to $3,251 a year, according to Ted Timbers, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Transportation.) 

In 1950, The Journal of the American Institute of Architects reported the remarks of William Adams Delano at the building’s opening the year before. Mr. Delano, a designer of town houses and private clubs, said that on his way uptown, his taxi driver had called Parke-Bernet’s new gallery “the best damn building in New York.” 

Lewis Mumford admired Walker & Poor’s deft, apparently effortless handling of the blocky form. “The slightest error in taste, the faintest blemish in workmanship, would seem like a rattle of static in the midst of a Mozart quartet,” Mumford wrote in The New Yorker in 1950. 

Parke-Bernet was the Grand Central Terminal of the art world, where dealers, collectors, curators, appraisers and just plain voyeurs took in the great auction-dramas of the mid-20th century. It was natural to drop in between a visit to the library of the Frick Collection and an opening at the Metropolitan. 

Sotheby’s acquired Parke-Bernet in 1964, and the new Sotheby Parke-Bernet remained in the Madison Avenue building, even as the art world opened other beachheads in SoHo and elsewhere.

But the center did not hold much past 1980, when Sotheby’s — by that time the Parke-Bernet had dropped out of common usage — started moving into its present building at York Avenue and 72nd Street. 

The big galleries of the 1949 building were then cut up for individual tenants, and windows were cut into the blank facades, sharply undercutting the dignity of the structure. By that time it had been included in the Upper East Side Historic District, and the alterations were approved as appropriate by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The setback fifth floor was fully built out in 1957. 

*Earlier this year, Aby Rosen announced plans to restore the Parke-Bernet building to its 1949 appearance, as long as he could add atop it a pair of interlocking oval-shaped apartment towers of glass, designed by Norman Foster. The taller would rise to 30 stories, several floors lower than the Carlyle. It would be an astonishing addition for Madison Avenue, although not much more so than the Carlyle or the Whitney Museum were in their day.* 

Much of the case before the Landmarks Commission will hinge on whether the restoration of the galleries building is enough of a public benefit to outweigh the negatives of the proposed tower. That depends in part on the critical esteem for Walker & Poor’s design, and to judge from the current record, it is not high. 

The 1949 building is usually omitted from architectural guidebooks, although Norval White and Elliot Willensky included it in their A.I.A. Guide to New York City (Crown, 2000) but called it “an insipid box unrelated to any cultural values.” 










*The Parke-Bernet building today, showing the 14-foot-long aluminum sculpture by Wheeler Williams. *


Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


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## ZZ-II

nice shape, like it


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## Skyscrapercitizen

Yeah that is a cool project on a nice location.


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## hkskyline

The combination looks a little weird.

*New York’s Toniest Residents Clash over Foster Design*
http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/061205foster.asp


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## Dubaiwonders

Typical New york style :S


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## TroyBoy

Typical Dubai style.

This post was extremly childish and so was the one before this.


----------



## wiki

LOVE NYC


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## krull

*2007 New York City Hotel Openings Preview*


Tue Dec 12, 2006 

According to the NYC & Company, New York City is adding nearly *5,000 new hotel rooms to its current inventory of 70,723 by the end of 2007. *That is a lot of hotel rooms, right?

Regardless, we have way too much fun following all the supposed NYC hotel openings, and once in awhile these places even toss us a bone and sell rooms for half price during their opening phase--yeah, that is still about $250 a night in Manhattan. So it is time to rundown the most buzzworthy 2007 New York City hotel openings--according to us, of course. As always, these are scheduled openings, and scheduled can quickly turn into delayed or even dead projects. 

Read more to get our prognostications on six Manhattan hotel openings HotelChatter will be keeping a watchful eye on in 07. We will update the story throughout the year as hoteliers open or delay their NYC openings. 












*The Standard New York
344 Rooms
West 13th Street between Washington and West Streets
Scheduled Opening :: Late 2007*

André Balazs is taking it up a notch. He just opened the Beaver Bar, ahead of the William Beaver House condo project. He is rumored to be thinking about opening his flagship Standard brand hotel in both London and Seattle. However, most impressively, AB is shooting for a late 2007 opening of the Standard NY--an opening that was previously reported for early 2008. AB is hard at work with Polshek Partnership Architects to design his High Line district property and according to the AB website, Standard NY will open soonish. The hotel is also rumored to have a rooftop pool, which is rare for New York but almost compulsory for Meatpacking District hotels. While we still think the start of '08 is a more likely open date for Standard NY, we are not about to doubt Balazs, after all he opened both Standard Miami and QT Hotel on time. That said, we are rooting for a December 2007 opening.

Opening Date Prediction :: December 2007 












*Sanctuary Hotel New York
132 West 47th Street
Scheduled Opening :: Fall 2007*

Major renovations to the Portland Square Hotel are scheduled to turn the property into a "urban lifestyle resort" from hotelier Keith Menin, much like the current Sanctuary resorts in Miami and Arizona. Will its "high style, low service" reputation follow this hotel to NY? If you glance at the reviews of Sanctuary SoBe you will see that the low scoring reviews tend to come from New Yorkers. A foreshadowing? Let's all just give the place a chance first, k? One word of warning to the Sanctuary New York crew: If you institute a "Forbidden City" policy in Manhattan, the i-bankers will buy up the hotel models, er, "work out partners" in no time. Actually, could turn into a regular bidding war.

Opening Date Prediction :: November 2007












*The Downtown Hotel
83 rooms
377-383 Greenwich St
Scheduled Opening :: September 2006 Summer 2007*


Actor/hotelier Robert DeNiro and partner Ira Drukier have built $43 million, six-story luxury hotel in TriBeCa, now they just need to open the damn thing. What is being called "the most hyped hotel in the country" doesn't even have an officially website, that we can find. Why is it that as soon as Hollywood types get involved in hotel projects things go awry?

Despite that the hotel is yet to open, people have complained about the hotel noise, the hotel architecture, and one website even named it one of the "Top 10 New Best Hotels for Romance for 2006". What? It will have 90 rooms, and a restaurant called Ago when it finally opens.

We are still a little scared of Bobby DeNiro so we are just gonna be positive and encouraging here. We should be talking actual guest reviews on this place sometime before the Ides of March.

Opening Date Prediction :: March 2006












*Six Columbus
90 rooms
6 Columbus Circle
Scheduled Opening: 2005 2006 2007*

AKA: "Hotel Big Dig", "Six Columbust", "Chinese Democracy Hotel", "666" "Groundhog Day Hotel"

This place should announce that Axel Rose will play at their opening, just to keep the joke going. First scheduled to open before Britney even married K-Fed, getting "six columbused" is now a verb according to Urban Dictionary.

You know the funniest part? This hotel is no longer even visibly mentioned on the Thompson Hotels website.

We are starting to believe 6 Columbus may try to quietly re-flag itself this year, but do you think we will let that happen?

Opening Date Prediction :: September 2007, but not as a Thompson Hotel.













*The Lamb's Club Hotel
72 rooms
130 West 44th Street
Scheduled Opening: 2007*

Has fatherhood softened Vikram Chatwal? In '06 he stopped hanging out with the Paris Hilton crowd, got married, opened Night Hotel on time, and had a daughter. Here is what Vikram had to say about pregnancy:

Ideally, a pregnant woman puts on weight because she eats for two people. In our case, I look the pregnant one. My appetite has increased, my ankles have swollen and I have put on weight. It's bizarre!

So who was pregnant, Vik or his wife?

As long as he isn't dragged down by a bad case of postpartum depression, the new softer, doughier Vikram should be able to transform the landmark 1904 Sanford White designed Lamb's Club into a luxury hotel on schedule in 2007. Architect Thierry Despont has signed on to design. Who knows, maybe family life will help Vikram focus and actually achieve his dream of becoming the first Sikh billionaire. 

Opening Date Prediction :: October 2007












*Allen Street Hotel
112 rooms
Allen Street (between Houston and Stanton Streets)
Scheduled Opening: September 2006 Summer 2007*

Here is what we said last year: 

Ok, this one is kinda laughable. If Jason Pomeranc is able to open his Lower East Side boutique hotel in the year 2006 we will personally rent out one of the suites and have an open bar party for the entire Allen Street hotel staff.

Oh, and Jason, we are going by the Gregorian calendar, just to clarify.

This opening isn't as laughable this year and we will make no such deals with the Allen Street staff (word is they have already made a couple hires). "Allen Street progress" is now Pomeranc's middle name and development is moving along at a decent clip. We still doubt this property will open by the summer, after all, we have been through this before, but we wouldn't be surprised to be checking this place out sometime in late 2007.

The hotel will feature 32 luxury condominiums plus a spa, and swimming pool--when it is finished.

Opening Date Prediction: December 2007



*Other Hotel Openings List News*


Hotels falling off the list: Loft Hotel Tribeca--changed its name and confused us.

*2006 hotels successfully opened:* Blue Moon Hotel, The Night Hotel

*2006 list hold overs: *Six Columbus, The Downtown Hotel

*Other noteable 2007 scheduled hotel openings: *The Plaza Hotel, Four Points Soho Village, Hotel Mela, Hilton Garden Inn Tribeca


© SFO Media LLC 2004-2006.


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/realestate/10livi.html?ref=realestate
*Sensory Overload as a Way of Life*

By JEFF VANDAM
Published: December 10, 2006









_HIGH DENSITY The intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue typifies a neighborhood made for “experience junkies,” as one fan put it._

FOR all the people who clog the sidewalks, it is at times tough to do much more than crawl through downtown Flushing, the epicenter of the Asian community in Queens. The thoroughfares are crowded with drivers who often seem to honk their horns just for sport. And the sheer number of markets and shops and stands and noodle houses and dumpling stalls can constitute an assault on the senses. 

Yet observing the everyday explosion of cultures that is Flushing — the Latina women wearing yellow sandwich boards hawking free electric toothbrushes, the man seated on a plastic ottoman vending sticks of incense and porcelain turtles and Buddha figurines — soon becomes engrossing. The place is a wide-open Chinatown-plus, with streams of Koreans, Indians, Mexicans, Colombians, Middle Easterners and others filling high-rise co-ops and the new condo buildings that at times appear to have bloomed overnight.

“Flushing is a hot place,” said John Liu, the area’s representative on the City Council, who has watched the shuttered storefronts of 1970’s Main Street cede ground to today’s boomtown. “People are knocking on doors to live, to open businesses,” he said. 

And even though downtown Flushing, at the end of the No. 7 line just east of Shea Stadium and the Flushing River, has reached what some might call high density, builders are looking to bring even more to the mix. One of the neighborhood’s first true condominium towers, Garden View Terrace, opened a few blocks down Main Street from the central business area in 2004, and another called Victoria Towers is almost ready on Sanford Avenue. 

Near Main Street, the Shangri-La #2 on Pople Avenue has five floors of luxury units, said Jason Pang, an agent at Great Team Realty; three-bedrooms with two baths are listed at $579,000 (including appliances); two-bedrooms are $449,000.

New commercial development is part of the package, too; Flushing Town Center on College Point Boulevard and Queens Crossing on Main Street are two of several large projects to bring in more big-box stores. And by 2009, the Town Center complex will add 1,100 residential units as well. 

The new will go up alongside quite a collection of the older: thousands of co-op units in a massing of towers with building dates ranging from the 1920s to the 1980s, as well as a few single- and multifamily houses, which from time to time make way for the designs of condo developers.

With all the people and businesses already in place, the coming growth has some worried about crowding and damage to small businesses.

“It’s a real concern,” said Marilyn Bitterman, district manager for Community Board 7, which includes Flushing. “A lot of people don’t like change. There’s concern for congestion, and concern every time a new construction goes up.”

*What You’ll Find*

The contours of downtown Flushing are somewhat vague. The area includes such a large variety of residential and commercial buildings that it is difficult to tell where the downtown ends and the rest of Flushing begins. But the central bazaar — where people pick up groceries, mei fun noodles, clothing, Vietnamese pho soup, plastic wind-up toys and shabu-shabu — is without question the intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue. There, one can find the No. 7 subway and the Long Island Rail Road stations, in addition to chain stores like Old Navy.

As the major north-south boulevard, Main Street has traditionally been the line of demarcation between smaller single-family houses and apartment buildings to the west and large apartment towers to the east. 

In 1998, however, a zoning change permitted large-scale developments west of Main Street, and since then many of the triangle-roofed houses of the area have disappeared, with condo and rental buildings sprouting up in their place. The change is in clear focus on 41st Road, where an old yellow frame house is flanked by newish balconied apartment buildings.

The local population is primarily Chinese and Korean, both native- and foreign-born, capped by a recent influx of Asian business people who have begun buying pieds-à-terre in the area. Yet the population, too, is in something of a transition. 

As Main Street curves south toward Kissena Park, several Indian and Middle Eastern businesses have opened, anchored by Patel Brothers, a branch of the Indian supermarket in Jackson Heights. With more newcomers to the neighborhood have come banks and brokerage firms, with at least one appearing on each block of Main Street. 

“It’s a financial district now,” said Alex Lau, a sales associate for Century 21 Milestone Realty, only half-jokingly. “We were walking up Main Street before, and we felt like we were in the middle of Midtown Manhattan at rush hour.” 

Rosilyn Overton moved from the East Village to downtown Flushing, into a two-bedroom co-op apartment just a block from the intersection of Main and Roosevelt, in 1986 and has no intention of leaving.

“I’m in the middle of everything,” said Ms. Overton, 64, a financial planner who sits on the board of trustees for the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts. “It’s really a vital, exciting community. You should not come to Flushing, however, if you’re not adaptable. It is a place for people who like to try new things.”

She and her husband, Mardiros Hatsakorzian, occasionally travel into Manhattan for performances at Lincoln Center, but they have found that Flushing serves their cultural needs just fine, with jazz shows at Flushing Town Hall and the Queens Symphony at nearby Queens College. 

And on afternoons spent shopping, Mr. Hatsakorzian, who speaks seven languages, finds that he is able to converse in three or four of them. 

“If you’re an experience junkie,” Ms. Overton said, “it’s a fabulous place to live.”

*What You’ll Pay*

Just as many properties have sold in the downtown Flushing area this year as last, but in general, prices are down 7 to 10 percent, said Judy Markowitz, owner and broker of the Re/Max Millennium Energized Realty Group in Flushing.

“People are getting more for their money,” Ms. Markowitz said. “Depending on the building, you can start to get three-bedroom co-ops for under $300,000, which was not happening last year.”

According to Ms. Markowitz, two-bedroom apartment prices begin in the $180,000 range, with one-bedrooms and studios starting at around $130,000. And according to Kathy Tsao, a broker at Prudential Douglas Elliman, the highest prices for any co-op are in the $300,000s.

As for condos, Ms. Tsao sold a two-bedroom, two-bath prewar apartment in the Yorkshire Gardens building on Kissena Boulevard in the late summer for $603,000, and a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment built in 2000 for $518,000. Prices per square foot in new condominiums range from $400 to the mid-$600s, said Mr. Lau of Century 21 Milestone, explaining that the variations depended on the amenities in the building and its proximity to Main Street shopping and transportation. He said demand remained strong.

As for property tax, Ms. Tsao said, a 2,800-square-foot condo that she now has on the market for $895,000 would cost a buyer $4,992 a year. 

Rental studios are typically under $1,000 a month, with one-bedrooms only slightly more. Even two-bedrooms in luxury doorman buildings rent for less than $2,000 a month.

*The Schools*

Downtown Flushing is part of School District 25, which is well regarded by parents; test scores seem in part to bear this out. At Public School 20, on Barclay Avenue, 81.5 percent of students meet city and state standards on math tests, versus 65.1 percent citywide; in English, 76.4 percent meet standards, versus 60.9 percent citywide. At the nearest middle school, Junior High School 189, 60.7 percent meet standards on math tests versus 40.8 percent citywide; 49.3 percent do so on English tests, versus 43.3 percent citywide. At Flushing High School on Union Street, average SAT scores were 396 on the verbal portion and 464 in math, versus state averages of 493 and 510, respectively.

There is also the Windsor School, a private junior high and high school known for English as a Second Language programs. 

*The Commute*

Few in downtown Flushing complain about getting to and from Manhattan quickly. On express 7 trains in the morning, the trip to Grand Central Terminal from the Main Street station takes 25 minutes; on a local train at rush hour, it is just over 30 minutes. The Long Island Rail Road, which also has a stop on Main Street, is faster, at about 17 minutes to Pennsylvania Station. The X51, a rush-hour express bus, gets to Midtown Manhattan in about 25 minutes.

*What to Do*

Even without the chain stores set to arrive soon, locals certainly never want for shopping options. A walk down Main Street creates the temptation to pick up a few lychees, say, or maybe some dragon fruit.

One primary component of the downtown area’s renewal is the Flushing branch of the Queens Library, a curving green-glass building built in 1998 at the triangular intersection of Kissena Boulevard and Main Street. And farther south on Main Street, the Queens Botanical Garden is experiencing a $12 million transformation, with several new landscape areas and a new “green” administration building. 

There are also the various attractions of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, including Queens Theater in the Park, which is popular and well attended. Then, of course, there are Mets baseball games one stop away from Main Street and, just down the boardwalk from Shea Stadium, the U.S. Open in late summer.

*The History*

In 1657, when the Dutch governed Flushing, citizens angered by official persecution of the Quaker minority joined in signing a petition that came to be known as the Flushing Remonstrance. Local historians today see the document as the first organized defense of religious freedom in the New World. 

Flushing did not take on significant size until the expansion of the railroads into the area in the late 19th century. 

The downtown hit a low point in the 1960s and ’70s, until Asian businesses moved onto Main Street, and Asian residents invested in the community.

*What We Like*

Flushing’s variety is endless, and not just in its choices of food; it is a not-so-micro microcosm of New York, and for that it is celebrated by locals.

*Going Forward*

The dense foot traffic on Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue will only increase as Flushing’s new residential and commercial buildings arrive; sidewalks may need widening to accommodate the coming throngs.


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## NovaWolverine

^^That's where I grew up!


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## krull

*City in Talks on Future of Big Site For Building in Downtown Brooklyn*


BY DAVID LOMBINO - Staff Reporter of the Sun
December 14, 2006

While the city's master plan for downtown Brooklyn was originally spawned to create soaring commercial towers, the city is now negotiating with *two private developers to build a $500 million project that would be predominantly residential and retail.*

It would be the first major site developed in the area since the city rezoned downtown Brooklyn for increased commercial development two and a half years ago.* The project would contain a cavernous retail base that could accommodate a large big-box store such as Wal-Mart*, according to sources familiar with the deal.

If finalized, *the large site known as Albee Square at the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Willoughby Street would contain more than 800 apartments, 20% of which would be "affordable housing"; as much as 100,000 square feet of office space, and 500,000 square feet of retail space designed for an anchor tenant*, according to a source familiar with the plans. The lot is currently occupied by the Gallery at Fulton Street, which is a shopping mall, and a large parking garage.

Developer Joseph Sitt of Thor Equities would flip the site he purchased for a reported $25 million in 2001 to a partnership between PA Associates/Acadia Realty Trust and Avalon Properties, according to a source familiar with the deal. The new owners could construct up to 1.5 million square feet of mixeduse space under the recently up-zoned plans. Financial details of the transaction were unavailable, but real estate experts said Mr. Sitt would stand to make a fortune, as real estate values in the area have skyrocketed.

The city owns the land underneath the site and Mr. Sitt controls the development rights. Sources familiar with the negotiations said the city's Economic Development Corp. is unsatisfied with the offer for the land it owns and had hoped to see more office space in the plan.

The president of the Real Estate Board of New York, Steven Spinola, said negotiations between Mr. Sitt and the city and the buyers are entering the final phases.

"The city is encouraging the office space, and the retail needs to be done," Mr. Spinola said. "The residential obviously is the surest thing."

About two years ago, the Bloomberg administration passed an ambitious rezoning plan for downtown Brooklyn, currently the third largest commercial district in the city, that envisioned as much as 5.4 million square feet of new commercial space and about 1,000 new units of housing, mostly along Livingston Street. While the market for new commercial buildings is red hot in Midtown Manhattan, no private developer has ventured into downtown Brooklyn since the rezoning to build a large office building.

Nearby, at the planned $4 billion Atlantic Yards project in Prospect Heights, developer Forest City Ratner drastically cut back on plans to build office space, and increased the number of planned apartments.

A spokesman for the Economic Development Corporation, Andrew Brent, said yesterday that indications from the private sector seem to favor mixed-use development of residential, retail, and commercial space than large stand-alone office buildings with anchor tenants.

"The negotiations for the Albee Square development are very much ongoing, but we're confident that at the end of the day, while the corporate component may be somewhat less than what was envisioned four years ago, the project will catalyze surrounding office development, and its contribution to Downtown Brooklyn's growing vibrancy will be greater than ever," Mr. Brent said.

In 2004, speculation circulated that Wal-Mart was eyeballing the Albee Square site for its first New York City store. Because the site would be as-of-right, the world's largest retailer would not need approval from the City Council, which has been critical of Wal-Mart's treatment of employees.

The executive director of sales for Halstead Brooklyn, William Ross, said the large retail space with room for a lot of parking would be "the least objectionable space in all of Brooklyn for a Wal-Mart."

Pointing to four large apartment buildings going up nearby along Gold and Myrtle Streets, Mr. Ross said the Albee Square development is the latest sign that Flatbush Avenue is undergoing a residential transformation. The city has committed up to $500 million to improve the area's parks, open space, infrastructure, and to pave the way for the Atlantic Yards project.

"Downtown Brooklyn was rezoned two years ago, and nothing happened. Now, everything is happening at once," Mr. Ross said.

Mr. Ross said developers' calculations in downtown Brooklyn are crystal clear.

"You make twice as much selling condos as you do renting office space," he said.

An executive director for Cushman & Wakefield, Glenn Markman, said the demand for commercial space in downtown Brooklyn is growing, despite the loss of the Albee Square site to mostly apartments.

"I don't think that this is a sign of weakness in the marketplace," Mr. Markman said. "It just takes a while for the commercial market to attract the tenants that we're hoping to get. If that transaction is concludes, it is another positive sign for downtown Brooklyn."

A spokesman for Thor Equities, Lee Silberstein, would not comment for this story.

A spokesman for the president of Brooklyn, Marty Markowitz, said negotiations should be concluded quickly so that Brooklynites could begin enjoy the benefits of new development.


© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_188/cityhaltstrump.html
Volume 19 | Issue 33 | December 15 - 21, 2006

*City halts Trump project*

By Lincoln Anderson

The discovery of human remains at the site of the planned Trump Soho condo-hotel at Spring and Varick Sts. led the Department of Buildings on Tuesday to issue a stop-work order for the project.

Jennifer Givner, a D.O.B. spokesperson, said the remains were removed by the city’s medical examiner for closer inspection. Lisi de Bourbon, Landmarks spokesperson, said Landmarks gave advice to the developers — Trump and Bayrock/Sapir — mainly that they retain their own archaeologist. “Trump’s people have hired an archaeologist and are in the process of figuring out what to do with the remains,” de Bourbon said.

Buildings spokesperson Givner said it was a “unique case.”

Andrew Berman, director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation — who has been a leading critic of the planned 45-story condo-hotel — found that the site was formerly home to the city’s oldest Presbyterian church, which was razed in the 1960s and became a parking lot. Berman said the remains may have been from a cemetery attached to the church or a burial ground predating the church.

On Wednesday, the developers were quoted in the New York Post as saying that the spot where the remains were found would be an open plaza and not covered by the building.

“Whoever’s bodies they are, they deserve a certain level of respect and care — and I don’t think it should be left to Trump to do that,” said Berman. “He has a vested interest in plowing ahead with his construction.”

Berman and other opponents have been fighting the condo-hotel, charging that people will be living in the condos year-round, in violation of the site’s zoning. The city hasn’t issued a permit for the building yet, but has allowed excavation of the site.

Realtors for Trump were marketing the condos on the Web for use as a “primary residence,” and the city’s tourist agency, NYC & Co., also had a listing that the units were for “year-round” occupancy. Both listings have since been pulled.

Asked if this would affect Buildings’ decision, Givner said they were just “marketing” and that Buildings will make its decision based on the application. But she said D.O.B. won’t approve any residential use at the site. “We’re not ignoring these advertisements. We see them,” Givner said. “That’s not the permitted use for this type of neighborhood and the department’s not going to approve plans for long-term residence.”

Berman said he was “appalled” to hear that D.O.B. hasn’t been more alarmed by the Web listings.

“What more evidence do they need to be presented with? Everyone except the city and D.O.B. gets it that this is going to be used as residences,” he said. “Trump’s realtors get it. Trump gets it.”


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## krull

*Condo tower to be Chelsea's tallest*










*Chelsea Stratus will rise 
40 stories *


By Tim Moran
December 18, 2006

Construction is underway in Chelsea on what will be the neighborhood's tallest building.

*Workers from Plaza Construction have already erected about ten floors on the west side of Sixth Avenue between 24th and 25th streets of Chelsea Stratus*, a condominium tower that will soar to a height of 40 stories in a neighborhood dominated by low- and mid-rise developments.

"This will be Chelsea's tallest building and the only full-service condo of its kind in the Sixth Avenue corridor," said David Sigman, senior vice president of LCOR, the project's developer.

Building amenities at Chelsea Stratus will include 24-hour doorman and concierge service, a ground-level entertainment area with media lounge, billiard area, fitness center and basketball court, along with ground-floor and rooftop terraces designed by landscape architect Thomas Balsley. *The rooftop terrace will feature a dog run.*

As for the condo units themselves, they'll range in size from 700 to 800 square feet for one-bedrooms up to 2,000 to 2,200 square feet for convertible spaces on the top floors. Most units will have their own balconies or terraces and sport ceiling heights between 9.5 and 11 feet. Sigman said Chelsea Stratus will likely attract attention from Chelsea renters who are looking to upgrade.

"Rental properties in this neighborhood are averaging close to $70 per square foot, so buying won't financially be a big leap," he said, adding that his group expects to get between $1,200 to $1,250 per square foot at the condos.

Sales at Chelsea Stratus will begin in late winter of next year and the building is expected to open in the spring. Sigman said his group is confident that units at their development will sell, despite a slowing condominium market.

"Right now, we have a lot of sales activity at The Charleston on East 34th Street. As long as things are priced right we've seen plenty of velocity," Sigman said. "I would love for it to be 2005 and sell out the same day I open sales, but that's just not going to happen. Still, we have a unique product and as long as the prices are right, we don't expect any problems." 


Copyright © 2003-2005 The Real Deal.


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## Spooky873

I dont think people realize how many of these buildings are popping up around the city.


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## Spooky873

found this while reading the post today.











*REBUILD YOU MUST
SPITZER'S DUTY: RESTORE ALL GROUND ZERO'S LOST OFFICE SPACE*




December 18, 2006 -- DEAR Gov.-elect Spitzer,

No one can confidently predict what the World Trade Center site will look like by the end of your first term in office.

Everyone expects better results from you than than the empty pit left us by Gov. Pataki. But you have yet to spell out a clear vision of your own.

And you've expressed doubts about the most important issue: the need to rebuild all the office space lost on 9/11.

Despite the renderings and models of the Freedom Tower and other buildings displayed last September, nothing's set in stone. Anthony Shorris, your pick to be the Port Authority's new executive director, made that clear on Friday, saying: "We'll be looking at every aspect of it, both the plan and the execution. We'll take a fresh look at the whole thing."

That has ominous echoes of the views you expressed when you met with The Post's editorial board a few months ago.

Back then, you sounded dubious about leasing prospects for the Freedom Tower and dismissive of Larry Silverstein's campaign to find tenants for 7 WTC. Indeed, you seemed skeptical of demand for Downtown office space, and thus unenthusiastic about full commercial reconstruction at Ground Zero.

Since that meeting, of course, leasing at 7 WTC has taken off. And Lower Manhattan's overall vacancy rate is now barely more than 8 percent; despite those who inexplicably continue to claim the Downtown office market is soft, it is again one of the strongest in the country.

Seeing this as an aberration is the biggest mistake you could make. New York needs more office space.

Sure, real estate is a cyclical business - but it behooves you to take the long view. Just look at the nearby chart, which shows how much commercial office space Manhattan has had since 1970.

I humbly offer a few lessons we may glean from this data:

No. 1: Manhattan can never have too much office space.

The irreversible trend since 1970 is an enormous rise in the amount of Manhattan office space. Today, according to the brokers at Cushman & Wakefield, Manhattan boasts 389 million square feet - an astounding 57 percent growth over the 248 million recorded in 1970.

And today's figure is only slightly below the 395 million square feet just prior to 9/11. In other words, despite governmental bumbling, more than half of the roughly 14 million square feet destroyed in the terrorist attack have already been replaced by new construction beyond Ground Zero.

A different major brokerage, CB Richard Ellis, claims Manhattan today actually has slightly more office space than it did pre-9/11 - 354.5 million today versus 353.7 million pre-9/11.

Either way, the message is the same: The city's remarkable regenerative powers have helped offset the damage.

Your job is to stoke that energy - and the place to do it is at Ground Zero.

No. 2: New York's economy is perpetually healthy enough to fill Manhattan's office inventory no matter how large it grows - and would be permanently stunted if it didn't grow.

Virtually all of Manhattan's office space is full. Companies continue to gobble up every available square foot despite warnings of a "glut" and dumb predictions that the city would never recover from 9/11.

Demand is so great that landlords are achieving record-high rents even after adjustment for inflation - $100-plus per square foot is now common.

Even so, certain landlords and developers will surely try to persuade you that swift reconstruction at Ground Zero will flood the market. Since you come from a real-estate family, they'll appeal to you as if you share a common understanding of the business.

At various points in time since 1970, temporary surpluses in office space drove some landlords and brokers nuts. But their short-term interests are not the long-term interests of the city or state.

None of the spurts in new construction since 1970 had a lasting negative impact on the real-estate market or the economy. Quite the reverse: Without the 142 million square feet of new office space built in Manhattan since 1970, the city would be an also-ran to London, Tokyo and other global capitals..

Not only would New York not have had the capacity to accommodate successive booms, it would have been without the new, state-of-the-art buildings that are the only solution for many firms.

Despite the skyrocketing cost of building or renting new towers, some of our greatest companies prefer the new projects to existing inventory. See who's moved into new towers or planning to since 9/11:

Uptown - Time Warner, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Bank of America, New York Times Co., Hearst Corp., CIT and Bloomberg L.P.

Downtown - Goldman Sachs, Moody's Investor Services and (soon) Amro ABR.

No. 3: New office space belongs at Ground Zero - not in some remote backwater the mayor hopes to magically transform.

It isn't simply that we have an obligation to put back what terrorists took away. The WTC site is the only place in Manhattan where large-scale, staged construction is feasible.

The Midtown sites often touted as large-scale development opportunities all require years of private negotiations and public approvals. Tenants require predictable time frames. How long might it take at Madison Square Garden?

Ever since City Hall turned its back on Downtown commercial redevelopment in favor of the Far West Side, Mayor Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff have tried wooing every company in town on the idea. Not one has shown any zeal for the West 30s.

Big companies want to be with other big companies, in areas well served by mass transit, stores and services. Although Downtown can't yet match Midtown's amenities, it is immeasurably superior to anywhere else and improving rapidly.

As governor, your priority must be clear: to rebuild a great commercial nexus the city urgently needs. The memorial, the new PATH terminal and other necessary site elements will take care of themselves.

But if a new World Trade Center is not well underway by the end of your first term, you'll wind up looking every bit as ineffectual as your predecessor.

[email protected]


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## Spooky873

Adding the WTC could put Office Space in Manhattan over 400 million sqft.


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## Don Omar

*Renew, Rebuild*

New York can fill the space. I feel that the fear about rebuilding the WTC has left the minds of public. We should rebuild something grand at this great site. The designs now are wonderful, but I agree that there should meet or exceed the levels of the twin towers.

And yes Madison Square Garden and Penn Station is taking forever to be redone. Compared to Grand Central, Penn Stations blows. It would be nice to have an actual station rather than a basement. Like Calatrava's breath taking PATH Hub.


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## TalB

The J Condo is nearing completion according to this pic from Flickr, but I find it to be killing the identity of Fulton Ferry.


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## EtherealMist

*Nets' Brooklyn project moves forward*
Updated: Dec.8, 2006, 6:44 pm EST


NEW YORK (AP) -- New Jersey Nets owner Bruce Ratner's much-debated Atlantic Yards development project was approved Friday by the Empire State Development Corp., a major step forward in his bid to move the team to Brooklyn.

planned Brooklyn basketball arenaGehry Partners/APThis is a computer-generated architectural rendering of the proposed arena project that would reshape part of Brooklyn.
The $4 billion project -- which would reshape Brooklyn with a basketball arena, office towers and thousands of apartments -- was approved by EDC in a decision that was hailed by Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The next step is a final review by the state Public Authorities Control Board.

The project, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, would rise above a downtown Brooklyn railyard. It would include a new sports arena for the New Jersey Nets, and 16 surrounding towers with housing, a hotel and office and retail space.

The tallest building would rise 58 stories above the railyard. The project would also bring a major league sports franchise back to the borough for the first time since the Dodgers bolted for Los Angeles in 1957.

"This project is vital to the resurgence of downtown Brooklyn and is unique in its ambition, blending residential, retail, commercial and entertainment on a grand scale," said Dan Doctoroff, the city's deputy mayor for economic development.

Empire's chairman, Charles A. Gargano, announced approval of the project after a Friday afternoon vote by the corporation board. He said the board voted on three aspects of Atlantic Yards, approving the general plan, an environmental impact statement and the use of eminent domain for the property.

Jim Stuckey, an executive vice president with Forest City Ratner Companies and the president of the Atlantic Yards Development Group, hailed the vote.

"We have worked very hard over the last three-plus years to ensure that a large and diverse group of community groups and leaders were included from the start in this exciting project," Stuckey said.

The project is expected to go before the Public Authorities Board for final approval before the end of the year. It was that powerful board that undermined the proposed West Side stadium.

The development, which has spawned contentious public hearings and endless debate, also faces a federal lawsuit from Brooklyn property owners and tenants who charged that the seizure of their property under eminent domain was unconstitutional.

The project is expected to create almost 22,000 jobs during the 10-year construction period. Once finished, it is expected to create more than 5,000 more jobs, while generating $944 million in state tax revenues.

But opponents of the plan said the project's scale and striking design -- with undulating glass towers of varying size and angles -- would transform the image of predominantly low-rise and brownstone Brooklyn neighborhoods while creating a traffic nightmare.

A great deal of the opposition has emerged from neighborhoods bordering on the project -- and if it proceeds, underneath it.

Supporters suggest the opposition is distinctly local and fueled by transplanted Manhattanites. Developers have the backing of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Pataki and the vast majority of the City Council, state Assembly and Senate.

They also have a key partner -- the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now -- a national advocate for low- and middle-income urban families that focuses on such issues as lowering crime, improving schools and creating affordable housing.


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## TalB

I wouldn't celebrate just yet on the Atlantic Yds, b/c the lawsuits by DDDB along with many of the local politicians could derail it along with the NBA Board of Governors voting against it.


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## krull

Photos by Derek2k3 at Wirednewyork.


 Long Island City skyline...


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## another_viet

this is in the queens right?


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## Skyscrapercitizen

Wow that's cool. More and more cluster of skyscrapers pop up all around the rivers in NYC.


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## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_189/hotelsbullishnear.html
Volume 19 | Issue 32 | December 22 - 28, 2006

*Hotels bullish near Wall St.*

By Skye H. McFarlane









_Downtown Express photo by Skye H. McFarlane

The Duane Street Hotel as it looked last week. Some real estate blogs had posted images indicating the hotel was about to open._

Lower Manhattan’s construction surge is no longer limited to condos and commercial office space. Research from New York City’s official tourism agency shows that Downtown is in the midst of a major hotel-athon, with the neighborhoods south of Houston St. now second only to Midtown in new hotel developments.

The hotel boom as a whole is generally welcomed as a mark of the neighborhood’s economic resurgence. Yet like many of the area’s other building projects, both public and private, individual hotel sites have run into a cornucopia of snags — ranging from mundane construction delays to full-out verbal warfare with community groups.

According to research published by NYC & Company, 15 new hotels will open Downtown in the next three years, an up-tick that is second only to the 25 planned in Midtown Manhattan. That total does not include two establishments that opened in 2006 and a number of projects that are slated for 2010 or beyond. In all, more than 3,300 hotel rooms are in the Lower Manhattan pipeline, a number that would more than double Downtown’s capacity for visitors.

Overall, NYC & Company’s Kimberly Spell said in an email, the hotel development is a sign of a robust economy and a healthy tourism industry.

“Really there’s no room at the inn right now,” said Eric Deutsch, president of the Downtown Alliance, which manages Lower Manhattan’s Business Improvement District. According to the Alliance’s third quarter data, Downtown hotels are running at 86.5 percent occupancy. Deutsch said that more rooms are needed to accommodate the influx of business travelers that will result from millions of new square feet of office space, as well as the tourists who will come to visit the World Trade Center memorial.

“Now’s the time to add more rooms and add more services,” said Deutsch.

Deutsch said that by keeping tourists and business travelers — and their money — Downtown, the new hotels will be a boon for local restaurants and retailers. That boon, in turn, will aid the Alliance in its mission to attract more businesses to the neighborhood.

“It adds another population that will be spending,” said Deutsch. “You have the corporate working population that spends fairly consistently and a residential population that spends, but those people [travelers] really spend money. They’re here to enjoy themselves.”

While the hotel picture on paper looks rosy, a number of establishments have encountered, or caused, problems in the real world. A Hampton Inn at 320 Pearl St., within the South Street Seaport historic district, was delayed after its final design irked the Landmarks Preservation Commission (the actual building did not match up with pre-approved plans). A Hilton Garden Inn at 6 York St. has battled both construction delays and community resistance to its liquor license application, although Community Board 1 eventually advised the State Liquor Authority to approve the license. For unknown reasons, Robert DeNiro’s celebrity Downtown Hotel appears complete from the outside but is not yet open, and a Four Points Sheraton, which was scheduled to open on Charlton St. in July 2006, has barely begun construction. In the most bizarre and public snafu to date, Donald Trump’s planned condo-hotel on Varick and Spring Sts. has been endangered, first by Trump’s marketing of the building for residential use, illegal under the area’s zoning laws, and then by the discovery of historic human remains on the site. In this case, the delays have come as welcome news to community members who oppose the development for a third reason — its legal, but out-of-context, 45-story height.

One property that exemplifies both the promise and the pitfalls of the Downtown hotel boom is 130 Duane St., a 45-room boutique hotel at the corner of Church and Duane Sts. The site is owned by Hersha Hospitality, a firm that works with chains like Hilton and Marriott, and was developed by prolific hotelier Sam Chang, who has also been involved with 320 Pearl St., 6 York St. and six other Downtown sites. The Duane Street Hotel, on paper, is an ideal match for its location in trendy Tribeca, just north of the W.T.C. It will offer upscale, loft-like accommodations and cater to corporate travelers, charging an average rate of $350 per night.

However, the property has been under construction for six years and is not scheduled to open until the first week of March 2007, despite a skillfully Photoshopped rendering on the hotel’s Web site that caused several real estate blogs to prematurely herald its completion. Problems with contractors have led to costly delays and created a testy relationship with nearby residents, who say the site has caused flooding and rat infestations in neighboring buildings. The hotel has changed its name twice, from the Hotel Tribeca to the Loft Hotel N.Y. to the Duane Street Hotel and the developers have been slow in showing C.B. 1 their final plans, leading to more distrust in the community.

On Tuesday, citing the development’s checkered history as well as its proximity to a local nursery school and a large number of other alcohol-serving establishments, C.B. 1 overwhelmingly rejected Duane Street’s application for a liquor license in an advisory vote. General manager Jeffrey Stegman told the board that Duane Street’s restaurant, an upscale joint to be named “Beca,” will be crucial in attracting the best clientele. Still, community members feared that licensing a small hotel would set a bad precedent and add to smoke and noise problems in the area.

“It’s not really about the quality of Hersha; it’s about the quality of life on this site,” said C.B. 1 public member Jean Grillo. “The community needs a little peace and quiet on this corner.”

Stegman told Downtown Express that Duane Street would press forward with restaurant plans and make its case before the State Liquor Authority in January. No matter what happens, Stegman is enthusiastic that the hotel is finally close to opening. And despite Duane Street’s difficulties, Stegman remains bullish about both the Downtown hotel market and the neighborhood as a whole.

“It’s an intriguing area. Obviously, there was an unfortunate situation in 2001 that brought a lot of people back up to Midtown, but this is an area that’s now in its resurgence,” he said. “There’s only going to be more hotels coming in.”

[email protected]


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## Chad

Long Island skyline is growing fast!


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## krull

another_viet said:


> this is in the queens right?


Yes it is in Queens. These developments are right across the river from Midtown Manhattan.


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## Don Omar

*Queens is on the rise*

Where is the "vertical Hollywood" of Silvercup Studios West? Isn't it to be built in 2007?


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## Don Omar

On the High Line, Solitude Is Pretty Crowded










By NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF
Published: December 24, 2006

WE New Yorkers have a morbid fascination with pinpointing the death of a neighborhood scene. You wonder, for example, exactly when the seeds were planted for SoHo’s grim destiny as an open-air mall. Was it 1971, when Leo Castelli opened his downtown gallery? The advent of Dean & Deluca’s overpriced cheeses? Victoria’s Secret underwear displays?

But the artists who bemoaned SoHo’s gradual reinvention as a tourist mecca in the 1980s would have been dumbstruck by the pace of gentrification wrought by the High Line, an abandoned stretch of elevated railway tracks that will be transformed into a garden walkway from the meatpacking district to Chelsea.

Even before local activists picked the project’s design team, Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro, two years ago, developers had begun circling the site like vultures. Today, the High Line risks being devoured by a string of developments, including a dozen or more luxury towers, a new branch of the Whitney Museum of American Art and a Standard Hotel. Already the area is a mix of the fashionable and the tacky, with tourists tottering from boutiques to nightclubs across its cobblestone streets, even as they recoil from the occasional whiff of raw meat.

Not all of these are run-of-the-mill development projects: they include potential designs by renowned talents including Renzo Piano and the Polshek Partnership. And even more promising, a few younger, relatively unknown talents like Neil Denari and Work Architecture are getting the opportunity to design major projects.

But the frenzied activity surrounding the High Line shows how radically the development climate in Manhattan has accelerated. No longer content to allow gentrification to proceed at its own tentative pace, developers now view even the humblest civic undertaking as a potential gold mine. City planners who once had to coax developers to build in rundown neighborhoods are groping for strategies to keep them at bay. Pretty much everyone who has walked the length of the weed-choked High Line agrees that its magic arises largely from its isolation. Carving its way through the urban fabric two to three stories above ground, it is framed mostly by the backs of buildings and billboards, with occasional views opening out to the Hudson or across Manhattan.

The battle to preserve that ambience is being waged street corner by street corner, foot by foot. Last summer the city announced its final zoning regulations for the area, a document that is reassuring for its meticulousness. The guidelines require setbacks to protect some major view corridors; at other points, buildings are allowed to shoot straight up to maintain the sense of compression that is part of the High Line’s charm. The core of several blocks, meanwhile, will remain zoned for manufacturing in the hope of maintaining some of the area’s character.

In rare cases, the Department of City Planning has negotiated directly with developers and their architects on a particularly difficult site. In a design by Mr. Denari for a residential tower, city officials allowed him to cantilever his building several feet over the High Line to compensate for his site’s tiny footprint. In the rather dazzling result, the proposed tower gracefully bulges out over the elevated garden, a vertical tear appearing at its center as if the building were straining to squeeze into its allotted space. Views from the apartments would open up and down the length of the High Line. From below, the building would swell out over the garden walkway, adding a sense of vertigo.

But as long as they conform to the new zoning codes, the city will have little control over the form and appearance of most of the designs. And so far, few projects have risen to the standard of Mr. Denari’s. Even more crucial, perhaps, is the question of access. As Richard Scofidio, one of the architects of the High Line, put it: “We don’t want hotels putting wicker chairs and tables all over the garden. We want it to feel that it belongs to everybody.”

Striving to maintain that feel, the city has wisely limited the number of entry points. It will create four public stairways between Gansevoort and 20th Streets in the first phase.

Thankfully, the city has also limited the width of connections to the High Line from adjoining buildings to a maximum of five and a half feet. That way, any entry point from a specific building would function more as a bridge than an extension of the High Line.

With guidelines in place, it will now be up to the Parks Department to determine which of the new buildings will get direct access to the garden. Already, many of the residential developers have sought permission to build lobbies that would open onto the High Line. This would undo the spirit of the project, giving residents of a few luxury towers a connection to the site that others would not share. They should use the public stairs like the rest of us.

So far, there is no reason to doubt that the city will try to do the right thing. The partnership between city planners and High Line advocates has been one of the most sincere efforts in recent memory to protect the public interest from an onslaught of commercialization. And the Parks Department is working in partnership with Friends of the High Line, the nonprofit group that conceived the idea.

But no planner can reverse the social and economic changes that are reconfiguring the city’s identity. And the question next year will be what happens on the ground, as the neighborhood fills up with the usual cellphone stores, health clubs and Starbucks. What kind of sanctuary will the High Line be? Are we simply deluding ourselves into believing we can slow the pace of the inevitable?









Polshek Partnership’s project for a Standard Hotel.









A preliminary design for the garden, with one of its public stairways; above far right, Neil Denari’s cantilevered apartment house design.


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## kenny_in_blue

This is crazy, soon people will talk about Brooklyn and Queens like we talk about Manhattan today, are there any major companies situated there at the moment?


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## another_viet

citibank


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## krull

*City's Building Boom Enters a New Phase*


BY DAVID LOMBINO - Staff Reporter of the Sun
December 29, 2006


Real estate experts expect 2007 to exceed this year's record-setting mark of about $21 billion in construction spending in New York City.

*While a spike in residential construction drove recent record-setting years, real estate experts say the next wave of the building boom will be driven by office projects and unprecedented public spending on infrastructure and transportation.* It is the next phase in a historic building boom — spurred by low interest rates, a healthy economy, low crime, reduced taxes, and zoning changes — that is reshaping the city's skyline.

The deputy mayor for economic development, Daniel Doctoroff, said yesterday that when all is counted, *construction spending will have increased by about 5% in 2006. He predicted it will continue to expand in 2007, 2008, and 2009.*

"It is touching every segment of the construction industry in every part of New York, and I think it is just accelerating now," he said.

*According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of building permits issued in 2006 for new privately owned residential buildings in New York City is on pace to reach last year's number of about 31,600 units*, more than three times the amount issued 10 years ago. In 1995, the city issued 5,135 permits, and in 2000 it issued 15,050 permits.

Mr. Doctoroff said that in 2007 he expects a "leveling off of the market" for residential development, although he doesn't expect New York housing construction to fall off as much as it has elsewhere in the country.

"As a percentage, commercial work and public work is a slightly greater percentage of the total than it has been, and residential would be a little bit smaller," Mr. Doctoroff said. The public sector investment, he said, would create the conditions for increased private sector spending.

*Still, it is the private sector development whose speed is breathtaking, with entire large buildings seeming to rise in just a year.*

A year ago, the building site at the corner of Chambers and West streets was seemingly dormant behind wraparound fencing. Next month, the developer of 200 Chambers St., Jack Resnick & Sons, is aiming to open the 258-unit, 30-story glass building for occupancy. More than 85% of the units have been sold, at prices averaging around $1,300 a square foot, according to managing director, Dennis Brady. The project, he says, has been exceedingly lucrative.

"The project made sense at $1,000 a square foot," Mr. Brady said.

Still, Mr. Brady said that in today's market, it was uncertain whether the same project would be developed again, based on high land costs and rising construction costs.

"There are a number of developers that have delayed projects or pushed them back based on where they see the numbers going these days," he said.

The president of the New York Building Congress, Richard Anderson, said construction spending in New York City in 2006 would exceed $21 billion, and he predicts spending in 2007 will be even greater. *Five years ago, total annual construction spending was about $15 billion.*

"The demand for New York City is at an all-time high,"Mr. Anderson said."It is the strongest demand of any city in the world."

Between 50% and 60% of annual construction spending is taxpayer money funneled through the public sector into infrastructure and transportation projects, Mr. Anderson said.

*"The public sector — outside of the 1930s — has never spent as much money on infrastructure as it is today,"* Mr. Anderson said. Among the projects under way or well into planning is an extension of the no. 7 subway line, the reconstruction of the Fulton Street transit hub, and site preparation at ground zero.

Full funding of public capital plans is a question mark for some government agencies, such as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which could come under pressure to reduce their project expectations if they are caught in a budget crunch.

"It is a balloon — it won't necessarily pop, but it could lose some air," Mr. Anderson said. "The grand plans will be under pressure."

Relatively low interest rates and big donations from the record year on Wall Street are also pushing institutions, like universities and museums, to build, he said. New York University continues to expand, and Columbia University has a large expansion in the works. The Whitney Museum is seeking to expand downtown.

"Every organization feels the pressure to have its largest capital program ever," Mr. Anderson said. "If you are a non-profit without an ambitious capital program, your board is not doing its job."

The president of the Building Trades Employers' Association, Louis Coletti, said most of the contractors he represents have a two or three-year backlog of projects. He said this is the busiest time during his 25-year career in construction. Because the market mix includes a high percentage of infrastructure and transportation projects, Mr. Colletti predicts the construction boom will continue as the public sector lays the foundation for more private sector development.

*"This is the beginning of one of the largest and longest construction booms we have seen in many, many years," *Mr. Coletti said. "Most of the union trades I've spoken with are at or near full employment today. You will see an acceleration of work in the springtime when a lot more projects will put shovels in the ground."

*The construction boom has set off a transformation of neighborhoods across the five boroughs.* Critics say the prolonged growth period has damaged the character of some neighborhoods, and created dangerous construction conditions. They say the city's oversight mechanisms are under-equipped to handle the increase in building.

A City Council member from Queens, Tony Avella, said he would not attend the popular annual banquet hosted next month by the Real Estate Board of New York, the powerful lobbying group representing the real estate industry. Mr. Avella, a Democrat, said that even in a period where the industry is making a lot of money, it has have resisted reforms aimed at increasing oversight and close zoning loopholes.

"Obviously a construction boom is good in many respects. Unfortunately there is an aspect of it that has really been undermining the very nature of neighborhood life in this city," Mr. Avella said. "We can no longer just have business as usual when in fact we are in a crisis mode. Not enough people are paying serious attention to overdevelopment and unsafe construction."

But for construction companies, real estate brokers, and those living and working in the newly constructed buildings, the building boom under way during the Bloomberg administration has had its benefits. And for all New Yorkers, it is changing the face of the city in ways that will be seen for years to come.


© 2006 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## ZZ-II

great news, hope we'll see some new tall towers


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## Ebola

610 Lexington by Foster
61 floors/700'+

Construction should start soon.


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## AfricanWarrior

NYC, Capital of the World.


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## Spooky873

Ebola said:


> 610 Lexington by Foster
> 61 floors/700'+
> 
> Construction should start soon.


finally.


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## Don Omar

January 3, 2007
MoMA to Gain Exhibition Space by Selling Adjacent Lot for $125 Million
*By CAROL VOGEL*
nytimes.com










Capitalizing on Manhattan’s robust real estate prices, the Museum of Modern Art is selling its last vacant parcel of land in Midtown for $125 million to Hines, an international real estate developer based in Houston, the museum’s director said yesterday.

As part of the deal Hines is to construct a mixed-use building on West 54th Street that will connect to the museum’s second- , fourth- and fifth-floor galleries, said the director, Glenn D. Lowry. He said the project would afford about 50,000 square feet of additional exhibition space for the Modern’s painting and sculpture collections.

A Hines spokesman said it was too early to say what the building’s other uses would be.

The property is one of several the Modern acquired during the last decade in mapping out an ambitious expansion. A glass-and-steel addition designed by the architect Yoshio Taniguchi was completed in November 2004.

Hines also plans to provide about 10,000 square feet in the new building’s basement for museum storage.

After construction expenses for the new galleries are covered, the Modern estimates that some $65 million will go to its $650 million endowment.

“This is a Christmas present,” Mr. Lowry said. “It’s a tremendous boon to enhancing what is already an extraordinary collection.” The 10 percent addition to the endowment will go toward caring for the collections and acquisitions. No firm timetable for construction has been set, he added, but he estimated that completion of the new building was at least five years away.

In 1996 the museum bought the Dorset Hotel, a 19-story building from the 1920s next door on West 54th Street, along with two adjacent brownstones in a $50 million transaction. Much of that land was used for Mr. Taniguchi’s addition. That expansion, including an increase in MoMA’s endowment to cover operating expenses, cost $858 million in total.

The museum also quietly purchased other parcels on West 54th Street, including what had been the City Athletic Club, a brownstone and a sliver building next door.

Over the years, Mr. Lowry said, the museum has been inundated with offers from developers interested in buying the land, but did not seriously consider selling until recently.

“But as the market went into overdrive it seemed like the right move to make,” he said. The Modern put out the word that it was open to offers and the response was overwhelming.

Hines was the highest bidder, Mr. Lowry said. “We ultimately settled on Hines because of its financial offer and because it has a good reputation for working with architects,” Mr. Lowry said. He added that no architect had been selected to design the new building or the Modern’s additional galleries.

When Mr. Tanaguchi conceived his design he took into consideration a possible future expansion to the west, Mr. Lowry said, making it structurally easy to break through to what will be the new building and extend each of the three gallery floors by about 17,000 square feet.

Jerry I. Speyer, a Modern trustee and real estate developer who is president and chief executive of Tishman Speyer, helped negotiate the sale. (He was instrumental in the purchase of the Dorset Hotel, too.)

“The museum is not in the real estate business, but in the business of showing art, collecting art and educating people about art,” Mr. Speyer said. “Because of the figuration of the land, there was a limit to the amount of space we could use for galleries.”

He said that the entire board agreed that now was the time to act. “Everyone felt great about the decision,” he said of the sale. “There were no issues in anyone’s mind.”

The parcel as a whole consists of about 200,000 square feet of buildable space, Mr. Lowry said.

The addition also opens the way for the museum to address wide criticism of the exhibition spaces in the Taniguchi building. When the Modern reopened in 2004 many faulted its curators for showing fewer artworks in its expanded galleries than it had before.

“The goal has always been to display the collection better,” Mr. Lowry said. Responding to the criticism, he said the display of art in the museum’s previous incarnation was “overly dense,” which people felt was “too much like a textbook.”

Trying to anticipate the museum’s needs for contemporary art display is not easy. Mr. Lowry said the new galleries would be designed to be flexible.

“We envision them to include space that will deal with the unanticipated changes of the future,” he said.

And whereas MoMA had to close its doors on West 54th Street during the 2002-04 building project, operating a temporary museum in Queens, Mr. Lowry said that would not be necessary this time.

“The construction of these galleries will not entail closing the museum again,” he said.










_I did not know that the top of the MoMA looked like that_


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## Phobos

Ebola said:


> 610 Lexington by Foster
> 61 floors/700'+
> 
> Construction should start soon.


This tower looks so bland hno: 
I bet they will replace some nice brownstones to build it.


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## nygirl

^^ Looks sharp actually.


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## jacobboyer

Nice brownstones, brownstones are ugly and eyesores this building looks GREAT!!!


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## newyorkrunaway1

amazing projects!! I have said it time and time again, I wish I could live in NYC, and I am so jealous!!! lol


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## Don Omar

A Look Ahead at 2007 Construction Milestones
January 22, 2007
lowermanhattan.info










*Over the next five years, approximately $22 billion in public and private construction projects will be in full swing south of Canal Street. In fact, there are many milestones coming just in the next 12 months that mark rebuilding progress across all of Lower Manhattan's neighborhoods. Here are some of the highlights ahead in 2007.*

*Freedom Tower*
The first steel columns were planted at Ground Zero in the final days of 2006, and crews from Tishman Construction have their work cut out for them in 2007. By May 2007, all 27 "mega columns" will form the base perimeter of the 1,776-foot-tall Freedom Tower -- on the way to a total of more than 45,000 tons of steel that will shape the landmark structure. Those columns, along with steel rebar and many thousands of cubic yards of concrete, are main factors in making the Freedom Tower one of the world's safest skyscrapers.

By the time 2007 winds down, visitors to the World Trade Center (WTC) will be getting their first glimpse of the tower as it nears street level from its 65-foot-deep bedrock foundation.


robert said:


>


*World Trade Center Site*
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey crews have been hard at work since fall 2006 building the east bathtub at the WTC's southeast corner. Their progress is critical to the aggressive rebuilding timeline set forth by the state and city to rebuild the site's 16 acres within the next five years.

The plan requires the Port Authority to prepare the bathtub's southern portion -- including excavating, building the permanent slurry walls, and relocating utilities -- by the end of 2007 and the northern portion by the first quarter of 2008. From there, developer Silverstein Properties will take over the east bathtub to begin building World Trade Center Towers Two, Three, and Four. Provided each project stays on schedule, the new towers will open by 2012.

The Port Authority also plans to finish designs for the Vehicular Security Center (VSC) by fall 2007. The VSC will be the security checkpoint for all delivery, service, and other vehicles entering the WTC, as well as the tour-bus parking area. Its entrance is planned for the south side of the site on Liberty Street between West and Greenwich Streets.

*WTC Transportation Hub*
One of the site's most elaborate projects is the $2.2 billion WTC Transportation Hub. Designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, the hub has been in the early stages of construction since fall 2005. Port Authority crews have been working on infrastructure and PATH track relocation and this spring will open a temporary PATH station entrance just south of its current location. The new entrance will allow workers to dismantle the current station entrance. Then in fall 2007, a second temporary "north" entrance will open on Vesey at Greenwich Street while the permanent station, including the landmark oculus, is built.

Another major element of the transportation hub's construction is the "east-west connector" that will link the hub to the Winter Garden via a pedestrian concourse below West Street. Preliminary work on the connector kicks off this month outside Two World Financial Center. There, crews will begin by raising the grade outside the Winter Garden, relocating utilities, and excavating across West Street for secant wall installation.









*WTC Memorial and Museum*
At the site's southwest quadrant, crews have worked already for more than nine months on the memorial foundation and will continue through the first quarter of 2007. The contract for the memorial's steel work should be awarded by mid-2007.

Additionally, in late 2006 World Trade Center Memorial Chairman Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that fundraising for the $500 million project reached $200 million and that a design concept for 9/11 victims' names has been finalized. The program will group names of victims randomly according to the location or flight where they perished, with first responders grouped separately according to department, command, and precinct.

*West Street Promenade*
Beginning in April 2007, New York State Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews will begin the 26-month revamp of West Street (Route 9A). A continuation of "Promenade South," the project extends pedestrian plazas, crossings, and the promenade, and includes several vehicular traffic improvements to West Street between West Thames and Chambers Streets. Upon its 2009 completion, the new design will help accommodate the millions of annual visitors to the WTC site and improve circulation around the memorial plaza.

*Fulton Street Transit Center*
One of the most active projects now taking place downtown is the Fulton Street Transit Center. Since early 2005, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) crews have daily worked diligently on Broadway, Church Street, Maiden Lane/Cortlandt Street, and Dey Street. Each of those main Lower Manhattan thoroughfares are sites of major improvements for commuters bundled with the transit center project.

On January 22nd, Lower Manhattanites began using the new entrance for the 4/5 northbound Fulton Street station platform (located at Broadway and Maiden Lane). Later, in summer 2007, the new southbound-platform entrance will open. The completion of this work will bring the reopening of Cortlandt Street between Broadway and Church Street.

Also in 2007, deconstruction of buildings on Broadway between Fulton and John Street will begin (except the Corbin Building at the north corner of Broadway and John Street, which will be integrated into the new transit center). Those buildings will be replaced by the main transit center entrance, topped by a steel-and-glass oculus.

Across Broadway at Dey Street, the MTA also will deconstruct the two-story 189 Broadway building in early 2007, before starting construction of a new station entrance at that corner.

*South Ferry Subway Terminal*
Construction continues at South Ferry, where crews are wrapping up the bulk of their work within Battery Park. By spring 2007 and through the project's completion in late summer 2008, construction will primarily be active inside Peter Minuit Plaza, just outside of Whitehall Ferry Terminal.









*Street and Utility Improvements*
To keep up with the new construction and conversions taking place from river to river, the city continues its many street-improvement and utility-upgrade projects. After nearly a decade, the Wall Street Area Water Main project will wrap up on its final streets by summer 2007. Similarly, the Engineered Resurfacing project will conclude in early summer, having rebuilt dozens of lane miles south of Canal Street.

However, more street- and utility-improvement projects will begin in 2007, most likely on Peck Slip and on Liberty Street east of William Street. Details about these projects will be posted as they are announced.

*Parks and Open Spaces*
The coming year will see the completion of the British Memorial Garden at Hanover Square, with an official opening ceremony slated for spring 2007. Also in the Financial District, the city plans more streetscape improvements in the New York Stock Exchange area. Work is tentatively scheduled to begin in the first half of 2007 and will build on security, access, and pedestrian-plaza upgrades put in place over the past three years. 









Cavala Park -- newly renamed for its location between Canal, Varick, and Laight Streets -- will undergo a proposed $2.3 million makeover by the New York City Parks and Recreation Department. Work may begin as soon as spring 2007, bringing a landscaped lawn, fountain, seating, and trees to the half-acre triangle in north Tribeca. 









New and improved parks also are being planned thanks to additional grants from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Work on several of them is likely to begin in 2007, including the East River Waterfront and a new playground at Burling Slip, where work could begin as soon as fall 2007.









In the Civic Center area, the $3 million African Burial Ground Memorial will create a space of solace and remembrance at this historic site, including an interactive memorial that honors the 419 African slaves interred here. It is scheduled to open in spring 2007.

*Subway Station Improvements*
This May, in its effort to improve rider access, New York City Transit (NYCT) will complete the installation of a new elevator kiosk at the 4/5 Bowling Green subway station. The project includes repaving the cobblestone surrounding the station entrance to smooth the pavement for better wheelchair access.

For the 2/3 Chambers Street station, NYCT recently mobilized crews to install an elevator kiosk at the northwest corner of Hudson and Chambers Streets. The elevator is planned to open in June 2008.

*Private Construction*
Several private commercial and residential developments are on schedule for completion in 2007, including 1 York Street, 59 John Street, 10-12 Barclay Street, 101 Warren Street (270 Greenwich Street), and Battery Park City's 1 River Terrace. Meanwhile, 2007 also will see major progress on some of downtown's largest private projects, such as the new Goldman Sachs World Headquarters, 15 William Street, and Frank Gehry's Beekman Tower.


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## Don Omar

The New Downtown
_Its the wedge of land defined by the Seaport, the Financial District and everything east of Broadway. In other words, downtown._
Time Out New York / Issue 589: January 11–17, 2007


































*Down is Up*

Of course, you know all about the resurgence of downtown. Since 9/11, you probably feel like you’ve heard nothing but stories about downtown—the Freedom Tower, condo development, the future Fulton Street subway hub. Until now, it’s been mostly a story of potential and promises, but with the first crop of these developments finally ready for occupancy, downtown is poised to be the neighborhood to call your broker about in 2007.

Signs of the district’s new bunnylike real-estate fecundity are everywhere. A casual stroll reveals a staggering two dozen–plus residential projects already in the works. Row houses where fishmongers calculated their daily catches now sport shiny, happy apartments atop glass-fronted cafés, close to parks and a stunning waterfront.

*Developers, mad for a piece of the 65 million square feet of interior space below Chambers Street, are converting dozens of office buildings into luxury condos. *Some have views of the bike-path-ringed harbor. Others show off cavernous marble bathrooms transformed from carpeted boardrooms. Residents of 71 Broadway have a view straight on to Trinity Church. And everything’s up for grabs. The former Cocoa Exchange—a 14-story Flatiron-style edifice on Wall Street Court—will soon sprout renovated condos, while brand-name architects (Gehry, Fox & Fowle and maybe even Calatrava) are adding their signatures to new structures.

But all the new square footage is just part of the story. The neighborhood amenities, all easy to get to, since nearly every subway stops downtown, have also blossomed. Historic Stone Street is rocking with new cafés and bars that remain open after hours for the crowd that stays late and walks home. Young couples with baby strollers and dogs make their presence felt on weekends; wine bars and clubs featuring alt bands are converting street dread into street cred at night. And now that infrastructure improvements — which once turned many of downtown’s sinuous, shadowy blocks into a labyrinthine nightmare — are moving along, look for a spring awakening of local services and retail outlets, to add to the already-useful Century 21 and J&R.

The area’s cultural and entertainment offerings are taking off as well. You probably last visited the South Street Seaport six years ago when your annoying aunt came to town demanding to “see the sights.” Well, it’s time to go back, and you can leave the knowing local’s smirk at home: *The Seaport is about to undergo a massive overhaul. It will feature more shops geared toward locals and expand into two buildings formerly occupied by the Fulton Fish Market.* Schermerhorn Row, along the Seaport’s southern flank, which used to be home to the low-rent, maritime-focused offices that Herman Melville immortalized in “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” is now a series of galleries and shops connected to the South Street Seaport Museum. And South Street may soon become home to Soho’s Drawing Center.

*Building boom*
A slew of residential developments is cropping up downtown.











150 Nassau Street
8 Spruce Street
5 Beekman Street
119 Fulton Street
130 Fulton Street
33 Gold Street
80 John Street
59 John Street
71 Nassau Street
216 Front Street
90 William Street
2 Gold Street
10 Liberty Street
100 Maiden Lane
20 Pine Street
50 Pine Street
63 Wall Street
67 Wall Street
55 Wall Street
45 Wall Street
37 Wall Street
15 Broad Street
20 Exchange Place
15 William Street
10 Hanover Square
1 Wall Street Court
2 Hanover Square
40 Broad Street
21 South William Street
66 Pearl Street
54–56 Stone Street
71 Broadway


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## ZZ-II

NY is booming :banana:


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## Marco Polo

What a wonderful revival.


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## TalB

I wouldn't be cheering for all of these projects.


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## Indyman

You are the biggest doomsdayer ever... :nuts:


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## krull

*Greenwich Village Hospital Opts for Smaller but More Efficient*










*St. Vincent’s plans to demolish the O’Toole Building, build a new facility there and sell most of its old 
buildings across Seventh Avenue.*


By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
Published: February 10, 2007

St. Vincent’s Hospital in Greenwich Village plans to build an entirely new hospital, probably across the street from its current site, and then sell most of its valuable real estate on Seventh Avenue to a developer.

The plan, outlined in papers filed last night with a federal bankruptcy court and in interviews with hospital officials, would create a rare opening for redevelopment of a large chunk of property in the Village, some of the priciest real estate in the country.

The hospital, which filed for bankruptcy in 2005, said the move would be part of an effort to create a smaller, more efficient facility. Like many struggling hospitals in New York City, St. Vincent’s has found that its most valuable asset — the land it sits on — could be the key to its recovery.

St. Vincent’s strategy, which would consolidate several outmoded buildings into a single, more compact one, reflects the transformation of New York’s shrinking hospital industry. Financial problems have prevented needed modernization, and state officials and some hospital executives want to replace aging structures with ones that are more efficient and more attractive to patients and doctors.

Proposing to build a completely new hospital, for an estimated $600 million, is a bold, confident stroke for St. Vincent’s, which has lost money for several years. The company’s plan for emerging from bankruptcy over the next few months, filed with the court yesterday, contained the first public disclosure of its real estate plans.

The hospital would start building its new home before parting with the old one, which could be a calculated risk. It could mean having to spend heavily on construction before cashing in on the real estate.

But Alfred E. Smith IV, who became the St. Vincent’s chairman last fall, said, “I don’t think it’s a stretch in any way.” The greater gamble, he said, would be to keep the existing hospital and try to modernize it. The project, which is only in the preliminary planning stage, will take at least five years to complete.

*There is likely to be neighborhood opposition to the new hospital and to replacing the old one with residential or commercial buildings. Both sites are in a landmark district, and the new hospital would be much bigger than what is allowed under current zoning, so special permissions would be required from multiple city agencies.*

“The last three years have been really hard on this institution in a negative way,” said Guy Sansone, chief executive officer of St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers, the nonprofit company that owns the hospital. “The next three will also be hard on this institution, but in a positive way.”

St. Vincent’s has sold or closed the money-losing hospitals it owned in other boroughs, reduced its administrative staff and renegotiated contracts with health insurers and vendors on more favorable terms. It has operated in the black in recent months, and officials hope to turn a modest profit in the coming years.

The bulk of the hospital, with more than 800,000 square feet of space, occupies much of the block between Seventh and Sixth Avenues and 11th and 12th Streets. It consists of many connected buildings, some dating to the 1930s, with a mazelike layout that is far more expensive to heat, light and cool than newer buildings are.

St. Vincent’s once operated more than 700 inpatient beds, but today it has about 450. Its low ceilings, narrow halls, odd floor plans and outdated building materials, hospital officials say, make it hard to accommodate some new equipment, or to convert wards to new uses. Few patients get private rooms, a common feature in newer hospitals that is seen as essential to drawing patients.

In November, a state commission drafted a plan, which has since become law, to downsize New York’s hospital industry, with orders to close, merge or shrink dozens of hospitals and nursing homes. None of those plans directly involve St. Vincent’s Hospital, but most of them point in the direction St. Vincent’s wants to go — toward fewer, newer, more efficient hospital buildings.

Across Seventh Avenue from the main hospital complex, between 12th and 13th Streets, sits the O’Toole Building, an old union hall that St. Vincent’s acquired in 1973, which now contains more than 180,000 square feet of outpatient clinics and offices. *The most likely proposal, St. Vincent’s officials say, would be to demolish the O’Toole Building, and build a hospital on the site with 500,000 or more square feet of space.*

*The hospital would sell most of the main complex east of Seventh Avenue*, Mr. Sansone said, but probably not all of it.

“To have big sites like that come available in the West Village, where there would be a tremendous demand for residential, it’s extremely rare,” said Daniel F. Sciannameo, president of the Albert Valuation Group, a major Manhattan real estate appraiser.

“In this market, even as shells that someone would knock down, I think they could get $250 or $300 million, at least,” he said.












Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company


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## Don Omar

*photo update on booming Long Island City*










link to article A Bachelor Pad With a View: A Giant Bottle Cap


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## HT

Wow, I diddnt knew there was so much construction at downtown, are there any renderings about the 32 residential Projekts mentioned above ?


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## RandySavage

That number (32) does not reflect under contruction or planned buildings only. It includes buildings that have recently been completed (such as 10 Liberty and 2 Gold) as well as many office-to-residential conversions (such as all the Pine and Wall St. addresses). Only a handful of those 32 are actually brand new, from-scratch skyscrapers (15 William is one of these).


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## Taylorhoge

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/image...w.skyscrapercity.com/images/smilies/guns1.gif


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## Ginza

wow cool projects


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/495639p-417657c.html
*Plan to raze Fulton St. Gallery stuns merchants*

BY RACHEL MONAHAN
DAILY NEWS WRITER 

Downtown Brooklyn's Albee Square Mall could be demolished as early as this year to make way for a new megadevelopment, much to the distress of current merchants.

A partnership headed by Paul Travis and Aaron Malinsky reportedly will pay Thor Equities more than $125 million for control of the mall - officially known as The Gallery at Fulton St.

The city, which owns the land, must approve the deal.

The developer's application for a city tax benefit estimates that 332 jobs at the site will be lost and 1,879 will be added - 500 of them office jobs.

Creating more jobs was little consolation to the current mall tenants, who are set to lose their stores.

"I don't know if I should cry," said Ted Priftakis, owner for the past 26 years of the restaurant Top Potato.

Adding insult to injury, he said, Thor Equities encouraged Priftakis to stay during a remodeling of the mall a few years ago.

The landlord had yet to notify them of the sale, tenants said yesterday. Crain's New York Business published news of the sale late Tuesday on its Web site.

Eric Waltower, who opened Cunora's Accessories just under a year and a half ago, said he didn't even realize the mall was up for sale until this week.

"If my wife and I had known that this place was going to be sold, we would never have invested in here," he said.

He'd snapped up the opportunity after working his way up from being a street vendor on Bridge St. across from Macy's. He and his wife spent retirement savings and borrowed $3,000 from his father to try to get his business up and running.

The city is set to grant benefits on sales and real estate taxes for the office portion of the building, said Andrew Brent, a spokesman for the city Economic Development Corp.

A vote by the agency's subsidiary - the Industrial Development Agency - is scheduled for Tuesday.

Opponents planned to rally at the mall today.

The tax benefit distressed community advocates further.

"If you're going to give money back to someone from the outside, why aren't you going to give something back to the community?" asked Beverly Corbin, co-chairwoman of the advocacy group Families United for Economic and Racial Equality.

The plan for the site includes residential, commercial and office space, according to the developer's application. Travis declined to discuss details. 

The new owner has indicated in a letter to the city that Wal-Mart will not be among the new tenants, Brent said. 

Originally published on February 8, 2007


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/496651p-418577c.html
*BAM plan eyes home for hoofers*

*Dance studios to anchor new tower*

BY RACHEL MONAHAN
DAILY NEWS WRITER 

A new building proposed for Fort Greene will have people dancing - quite literally.

The city opened up bids Friday for the centerpiece of the new Brooklyn Academy of Music Cultural District - a 25-story building that will include at least 150 apartments as well as new studios and a performance space for dance companies.

"This is really the first choreographic center for contemporary dance in the United States," said Adam Bernstein, board president of Danspace Project, which will move from Manhattan into the proposed building at Fulton St. and Ashland Place.

"By having this facility we would be able to serve the contemporary-dance community in New York City in a deeper way," he said.

The high-rise will also include street-level shops, and half of the apartments will be set aside for low- to middle-income New Yorkers.

The city is to sell the property for a nominal fee.

Danspace Project is to move from its current location at St. Mark's Church in the East Village and provide some lucky dance companies the space to create, rehearse and perform their works all at one location.

The 39,000 square feet dedicated to dance is to include at least 10 studios - enough for more than 1,000 groups over the course of a year to use the space in different ways, Bernstein said.

"This new venue will provide a much-needed asset in New York City," said Harvey Lichtenstein, chairman of planning for the BAM Cultural District.

In addition to being a unique project for its inclusion of affordable housing with art space, the project is among the first city-commissioned projects to include new environmental requirements for indoor air quality, energy efficiency, water conservation and environmentally friendly materials.

The winning bid also has to ensure the architectural design blends well with the district.

The Danspace Project is to join more than 40 other BAM-area artistic groups, including the Mark Morris Dance Center and the planned home for The Theater for a New Audience, both of which are on the same block.

"The growth of a cultural district will significantly complement and enhance the growth of downtown Brooklyn," said Joe Chan, head of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, the public-private organization overseeing development of the area. 

Originally published on February 12, 2007


----------



## krull

*Deal Would Triple the Size of the Albee Square Mall in Brooklyn and Add a High-Rise*


By ANDY ******
February 13, 2007

The Downtown Brooklyn shopping plaza formerly known as the Albee Square Mall will soon undergo yet another incarnation: *It will be razed, rebuilt at triple the size and topped with a high-rise with offices and a thousand apartments*, its prospective new owners said yesterday.

The mall is being sold to a partnership of developers for about $125 million, two people with knowledge of the negotiations said. Today, the city’s Industrial Development Agency is expected to approve $3.2 million in tax breaks related to the sale for the new owners, a coalition including a nationally prominent firm, MacFarlane Partners of San Francisco.

The partnership, Albee Development L.L.C., has drawn up a letter of agreement with the current owner, Thor Equities, said Roxanne Donovan, the new team’s spokeswoman. Thor Equities, which bought the mall for $25 million in 2001, would not comment yesterday.

*Albee Development’s plans, Ms. Donovan said, call for nearly half a million square feet of retail space, up from 150,000; about 125,000 square feet of Class A office space; and 1,000 rental apartments*, 20 percent of which would be for tenants of moderate income.

The size of the project was made possible by the rezoning of much of Downtown Brooklyn in 2004, along with a seemingly endless economic boom.

The current mall, the Gallery at Fulton Street, is three stories high. There is no specific height planned for the tower, but *the city’s deputy mayor for economic development, Daniel L. Doctoroff, said that the project would be “one of the tallest buildings in Downtown Brooklyn.”*

The project, to be known as the Center at Albee Square, would have to go through several layers of government approval, but the new zoning allows more than 1 million square feet of development on the site. The pending sale was reported in Crain’s New York Business last week. The city owns the land under the mall, and Mr. Doctoroff said a tentative deal calls for the new owners to pay $28 million in rent over the next four years.

When the Albee Square Mall opened in 1980 at a pivotal spot on the Fulton Street pedestrian plaza, where much of black Brooklyn and Queens shops, it became a fashion destination for the young.

In a 1988 paean to the place called “Albee Square Mall,” the comic rapper Biz Markie described a typical jaunt:

I step in the place and shop around for a while

Buy some jewelry for Treny and Ali, and after that I’ll

Go take a stroll inside of Gibb’s Pups

Then buy some fresh silks, Bally’s too.

But the mall was also beset with problems, including rent strikes by store owners and endless complaints about security and maintenance. In 1990, Forest City Ratner bought the mall, rechristened it the Gallery at MetroTech, promised to bring it upscale, then seemed to lose interest.

In 2001, Joseph L. Sitt of Thor Equities bought the mall, named it the Gallery at Fulton Street and promised to remake it in the image of a palatial Italian villa with granite floors, national retailers like the Gap and tuxedoed greeters.

He got as far as spiffing up the first floor and putting a new awning on the outside. The basement level is a mostly vacant bunker. In place of a greeter in a tuxedo stands a man wearing a sandwich sign over his parka, advertising a sale at a leather coat store inside.

However humble, the mall is home to dozens of merchants, some of whom were upset over the new plans.

Eric Waltower, owner of Cunora Accessories, said he was selling jewelry from a cart on a nearby sidewalk two years ago when he was tempted inside. He sunk $30,000 into the space, which is now filled with necklaces, handbags and shiny belts.

“If they’d told me at the first meeting that they were looking to get rid of the place,” he said, “I’d have stayed out on Bridge Street.”

One of his customers, Janae Woodbury, 14, of Bushwick, said she would be sad to see the mall torn down. She brightened when she learned that a bigger mall was planned.

“That would be better,” she said. “They need more stores.”


Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company


----------



## Don Omar

Spitzer, in Reversal, Is Expected to Approve Freedom Tower, Officials Say

By CHARLES V. BAGLI
Published: February 13, 2007
nytimes.com

With the downtown real estate market improving rapidly, Gov. Eliot Spitzer is expected to *abandon his criticism of the Freedom Tower* as a looming white elephant and to approve construction of the tower, which would rise 1,776 feet at ground zero, according to city, state and Port Authority officials.

When the new governor took office in January, his administration had put the Freedom Tower, one of five towers planned for the downtown site, under review. But with tenants leasing about two-thirds of the newly completed 7 World Trade Center and vacancy rates falling in Lower Manhattan, officials say that *the prospects for the 2.6-million-square-foot Freedom Tower are improving*.

Officials say that the point of no return is fast approaching for the $3 billion tower. Critics of the project, who regard it as poorly designed for corporate tenants and too big and expensive, had hoped that Mr. Spitzer, or his partner at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey, would delay or kill the project.

Mr. Spitzer is expected to make an announcement about the Freedom Tower before a Feb. 22 meeting of the authority, which plans to vote on $460 million in contracts for concrete and electrical and plumbing work on the building. Next month, there will be another $300 million in contracts for curtain walls, elevators and escalators.

A spokeswoman for the governor, Christine Anderson, declined to comment.

The Port Authority, however, was buoyant about both the downtown real estate market and the tower. “*While we are pleased that the market conditions continue to be strong and that the building is on schedule and on budget*,” said Stephen Sigmund, a spokesman for the authority, “*we have not reached any final conclusions or moved to final authorization*.”

The officials said that the governor’s change of heart is not an indication that corporations are suddenly lining up to lease space in the Freedom Tower, which some potential tenants fear is a possible terrorist target. Yet some authority executives say those anxieties are subsiding as the city’s economy improves.

Indeed, a state official and two senior executives at the authority say the authority has received unsolicited inquiries from hedge funds and investment banks about buying the tower, but officials have not taken any formal steps down that road. In the last year, the city has been awash with investors eager to invest billions in real estate, be it office towers or large residential complexes. For example, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, adjoining apartment complexes in Manhattan, sold for a record-breaking $5.4 billion in November.

A senior Port Authority executive said that a sale or lease to a private owner would entail the buyer’s guaranteeing that the tower would be completed on schedule. It would also mean that the authority would not have to finance nearly $1 billion to build the skyscraper, and it would not suffer continuing losses until the building was fully leased. The buyer, in turn, would enjoy the future appreciation on the property.

Still, some real estate experts questioned why the Freedom Tower was being built at the same time that the developer Larry A. Silverstein was getting ready to build three office towers with more than six million square feet of space. They complained that it had attracted only government tenants who were being forced to pay higher rents than they should.

The developer Douglas Durst and the real estate investor Anthony E. Malkin say the tower is ill conceived, the result of a hasty six-week “redesign” after the police raised security concerns.

Mr. Durst said *that the value of the tower would increase over time, but added that it made little sense to build everything at once*.

“People want to see an economically viable building in a resurging downtown,” Mr. Malkin said. “Why is government building a skyscraper for government tenants in what should be the most valuable cornerstone of the project, and maybe all of downtown? Private capital has shown a willingness to build, but perhaps not with this design.”

Mr. Durst and Mr. Malkin say they are continuing in the footsteps of their families.

Mr. Durst’s father, Seymour, and Mr. Malkin’s grandfather, Lawrence A. Wein, were ardent opponents of the original plan for the World Trade Center. In 1964, they formed the Committee for a Reasonable World Trade Center, which argued that the complex would flood the real estate market with subsidized space and compete unfairly with private landlords. By some accounts, the complex was not fully occupied and successful until shortly before it was destroyed.

Under the terms of a deal struck last fall, the Port Authority has taken over financial responsibility for the Freedom Tower from Mr. Silverstein. At $3 billion, the tower will cost $1,155 per square foot, which real estate experts said would require a net annual rent of as much as $80 a square foot.

The authority expects to get about $1.2 billion in insurance proceeds, $250 million from New York State and nearly $1 billion in tax-free bonds. That still leaves a considerable shortfall, although the state and federal governments have signed nonbinding agreements to lease one million square feet, or 38 percent of the skyscraper, for initial rent of $59 a square foot.

In order to get construction financing, lenders usually require private developers to secure leases for about half the space in a proposed office building. In addition, investment banks, companies often paying the highest rents in the market, have no interest in the tower, principally because the floors would be too small for trading operations.

State, city and Port Authority officials, even some who had been critical of the Freedom Tower in the past, say that the downtown market is improving faster than anyone expected. Mr. Silverstein is getting rents as high as $70 a square foot for 7 World Trade Center, they say.

JPMorgan Chase is talking with the authority about the possibility of acquiring the site of the former Deutsche Bank building near ground zero, soon to be demolished, and Midtown corporations and law firms are beginning to move downtown, drawn by rents that are 30 percent cheaper than those uptown.

Port Authority officials say that if the Freedom Tower is delayed, they will be unable to capitalize on the current market.

According to Newmark Knight Frank, a real estate firm, the vacancy rate for office space downtown has fallen to 10.3 percent, from 13.9 percent only a year ago. The Dutch bank ABN Amro recently signed a lease for 140,000 square feet at Mr. Silverstein’s 7 World Trade Center, at the northwest corner of Vesey and Greenwich Streets. But Goldman Sachs plans to vacate as much as 2 million square feet in several office buildings when it moves to its new headquarters at Battery Park City.

Barry M. Gosin, the chief executive of Newmark and a former critic of the Freedom Tower, said that he could now go “either way” on the project. “There’s some merit to building it later,” he said. “You’d get the full benefit of the created value. On the other hand, building now is fine.”


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## TalB

The Freedom Tower has its own thread, so please post any further articles there and not here.


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## Don Omar

well the world trade center is apart of New York, so....


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## nygirl

It's ok TalB kinda thinks he's the boss around here. Pay him no mind.


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## Indyman

Ha not only that but he really is a WTC killjoy.


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## Don Omar

Tall and Thin, Back in Fashion

By JOSH BARBANEL
Published: March 18, 2007
nytimes.com









_A rendering of the new sliver condo tower at 785 Eighth Avenue_

THE sliver building is making a comeback in Midtown Manhattan. The version that Ismael Leyva has designed will soon soar above Eighth Avenue and West 48th Street like a bird made of blue glass, with narrow balconies rising 42 stories high along the neck.

During an earlier residential building boom in the 1980s, New York City rushed to ban what were called “slivers” — condominium towers rising high above narrow lots in residential neighborhoods — in response to community protests. In 1983, even as the last vote was taken, developers were still running crews on overtime to try to get their foundations finished on the Upper East Side, before it was too late.

At the time, the City Planning Commission attributed the slivers to what are again familiar trends: rising real estate values, the demand for luxury housing and the difficulties developers were having assembling large lots.

But now with residential condominiums going up all over Manhattan — in commercial districts like this one on Eighth Avenue as well as residential neighborhoods — the sliver is back, and Mr. Leyva’s version is singularly tall, thin and contemporary. It has a needlelike tower rising above a 23-foot-8-inch-wide street front.

In all, the condominium tower, at 785 Eighth Avenue, will rise 566 feet high, according to the building permit, and cantilever over an adjacent building to provide additional floor space. Balconies facing Eighth Avenue will be spaced to create a sense of motion like a bird in flight — because they shift from one side of the building to the other as they rise along the facade.

“When developers are forced to deal with small sites, we architects have to come up with clever solutions to make the building more efficient and economically feasible,” said Mr. Leyva, who designed the residential interiors at the Time Warner Center, and has been involved in dozens of other residential and commercial projects in the region.

“We have to shape the building to maximize the use of space, create drama with dynamic solutions,” he said.

The project, being developed by Esplanade Capital, a New York real estate and investment company, calls for 122 condominiums, with two to four apartments per floor, a residential lobby and entrance on West 48th Street, a rooftop terrace, amenities space, and a retail space in the ground floor and basement. There will be two elevators stopping at each floor.

The building uses air rights from several adjacent properties and is built on an irregularly shaped lot. So while it is 23 feet wide in front, it widens out to 44 feet at the rear, providing large balconies and corner living rooms facing the Hudson River. It is scheduled to be completed in mid-2008.

The limits on sliver buildings apply to structures in residential zoning districts with street fronts of 45 feet or less. A review of building dimensions in property tax records shows two 20-story buildings with only 25 feet of street frontage in Midtown, but no other building as tall as this new project with as little street frontage.

Jay Eisenstadt, who runs Esplanade with his partner, David Scharf, said he was aware of other projects being planned on relatively narrow lots in Manhattan, and he noted that other very tall condominiums have been built or are being built along Eighth Avenue.

“It is a unique and challenging site, and it will be a unique building,” he said.

But Kent L. Barwick, the president of the Municipal Art Society, which opposed the sliver buildings in the 1980s, said he remained concerned about their resurgence in commercial areas.

“This should be a big red flag for anybody who thought the sliver buildings had disappeared from New York,” he said. “We hope this will get city planning and property owners in this part of town together to make sure that this is what everybody had in mind.”


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## krull

^ I am really excited to see that one go up!


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## ZZ-II

hopefully we'll see much more than one of these towers


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/queens/2007/03/16/2007-03-16_building_iron_triangle_plan-1.html
*Building Iron Triangle plan*

*Ex-beep Shulman sets up development corp. to oversee city's effort*

BY JOHN LAUINGER
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Friday, March 16th 2007, 9:08 AM 

Former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman has formed a local development corporation to oversee the city's proposed redevelopment of the so-called Iron Triangle at Willets Point, a spokesperson for the newly formed organization said.

Shulman will lead the organization, which will be called the Flushing/Willets Point Corona Local Development Corp., said spokesman Evan Stavisky.

"It's in its very early stages," Stavisky said, adding that the organization's mission is "to work with the city to advance a shared vision of a better, more modern Willets PointFlushing community.

"This is about reaching out to bring people into the process," he said.

Meanwhile, at a public meeting Wednesday night organized by City Councilman Hiram Monserrate (D-Corona), city economic development officials discussed the proposed redevelopment of the Iron Triangle, a tangle of gritty businesses on a 60-acre former ash heap in the shadow of Shea Stadium.

The 75 or so people who attended the forum were told the city wants to transform the dense warren of car repair shops, junkyards and heavy industry into "a vibrant, mixed use community," with retail and entertainment space, a hotel and convention center and 55,000 units of housing.

The yet-to-be-finalized redevelopment model would turn what is now a destination for motorists seeking secondhand auto parts and bargain repairs into a hot spot for tourists, shoppers and residents, said Bill Walsh, vice president of real estate development for the city's Economic Development Corp.

"We not only see this as a destination, but also as a very livable community," he said. "What started off as an ash dump could really become a national model for environmental stewardship and responsibility."

But third-generation Iron Triangle business owner Jake Bono, 31, whose family has owned and operated Bono Sawdust Supply since 1933, doesn't buy Walsh's argument.

"It's a ploy," he said Wednesday night. "It's all ... smoke and mirrors. Basically, we're all being taken and we're all going to be out of business. It's disgraceful. We're the type of people who built America."

Mark Jenkins of East Elmhurst expressed fears to Walsh that a redeveloped Willets Point would be flooded with people and traffic for Mets games, but would be all too quiet when the ballpark was dark.

Walsh responded that "this place has to be a great community on days other than when there is a baseball game."

Tom Agnotti, a professor in urban affairs and planning at Hunter College and the principal author of a study of land use in Willets Point, said the city plan is needlessly far-reaching and would uproot viable businesses and rob workers of their jobs.

However, Walsh said the project will include programs to help businesses relocate and help workers find new jobs and develop new skills.

Agnotti said such measures are useless. "You can give all the relocation assistance you want, but there is no other place to put them," he said.


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs...07-03-14_boroughs_in_with_the_inn_crowd_.html
*Borough's in with the inn crowd*

*Hotel construction on rise*

By MELISSA GRACE 

Friday, March 16th 2007, 2:23 PM 

Queens is undergoing a room boom.

From Long Island City to Forest Hills, Flushing to Maspeth and Jamaica, hotels are popping up across the borough.

The area around Kennedy Airport has seen five new hotels open - a sixth is under construction - in the last several years, according to the Hotel Association of New York City.

While much of the construction is aimed at business travelers, Queens hotel developers are giddy over what they see as sky-high hotel prices across the East River.

"Here, [guests] all stay at a discount rate and only 10 minutes away from the city," said Mark Farruqui, co-owner of the 16-story, 137-room Holiday Inn under construction in Long Island City.

The average cost of a hotel room in the city was $271 last year. The occupancy rate was 86%, according to NYC & Co., the city's tourism bureau.

"Hotel occupancy in Manhattan is so high that there is a market for these hotels," association president Joseph Spinnato said. "We're starting to see hotels where five years ago nobody would dream of putting a hotel."

Besides the lure of cheaper rooms, easy access to a Manhattan-bound subway and the closeup views of the Manhattan skyline attract developers.

"We're not going to have a pool on the roof," says Peter Casini, the architect to Farruqui's project. "But we may have a bar and lounge. You can see all the way to the Triboro Bridge."

Even so, hotels further out in Queens are attracting tourists.

Nine members of the Rogers family, from Runaway, Tex., spent a week at the Fairfield Inn Marriott in Astoria - which opened in November - during their kids' spring break last week.

"It's about a third cheaper than it is to stay in Times Square," said Sharon Rogers as she waited for a complimentary shuttle bus to Manhattan.

A mile from LaGuardia Airport and 20 minutes from Manhattan on the N or R train, the 87-room hotel offers rooms from $129 to $159.

The Queens hotel rush - something locals said they haven't seen since the World's Fair came in 1964 - has, in part, been driven by neighborhood rezonings. "The rezoning of 1998 encouraged some of the hotel construction," said City Councilman John Liu (DFlushing), who listed four hotels that have opened in his district and a four-star business-class hotel planned as part of the $1 billion redevelopment of downtown Flushing.

"The main thing I'm interested in is [that] we have hotels of desirable quality," said Liu. "No seediness of any kind."

New building rules around the borough have allowed condominiums - and now hotels - to replace strip clubs.

Another driving force might be what looks to developers like a saturated condo market.

"The residential market is slowing down," Farruqui said of his company's decision to build a hotel. "We're looking into other areas as developers, to diversify."

At least two boutique hotels are planned for the south side of Queens Plaza, an area thick with cab companies and body shops.

Of the upscale hotels coming to a neighborhood long-overshadowed by the Queensborough Bridge, a local said, "They're trying to make it a second, mini-Manhattan."


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## Taylorhoge

I saw the sapce where they were gonna build this crazy building like its the size of a brownstone.


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## Scruffy88

ZZ-II said:


> are 4 mio sqft. much for two towers?


Yes huge. given that the plot isn't that huge, and that these are office buildings. pretty much promises a 900 foot minimum.


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## NovaWolverine

^^That's really nice, we could be looking at like 80+ floors, let's hope we get something even taller. And they're at an interesting location near all the action. Could towers like these push the midtown skyline further south in the somewhat near future?


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/a...rss&adxnnlx=1174565529-5PFFUmhPUsqo4zZFCRxijg
*Gehry’s New York Debut: Subdued Tower of Light*

By NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF
Published: March 22, 2007









_Albert Vecerka/Esto

Frank Gehry designed this Manhattan building, the home to Barry Diller’s media and Internet business._









_Albert Vecerka/Esto

The ground-floor lobby._









_Eric Levin/IAC
The new IAC headquarters, not quite complete, is Frank Gehry’s first building in New York. It is on the West Side Highway in Manhattan._









_Eric Levin/IAC

Detail of the building's exterior in the evening._

In the year since the concrete frame of Frank Gehry’s first New York building began to rise along the West Side Highway in Chelsea, architecture fans have been quarrelling over its design. Are the curvaceous glass forms of the IAC headquarters building, evoking the crisp pleats of a skirt, a bold departure from Manhattan’s hard-edged corporate towers? Or are they proof that Mr. Gehry’s radical days are behind him?

Well, both. Mr. Gehry is adding a much-needed touch of lightness to the Manhattan skyline just as the city finally emerges from a period of mourning. The IAC building, serving as world headquarters for Barry Diller’s media and Internet empire, joins a growing list of new projects that reflect how mainstream developers in the city are significantly raising the creative stakes after decades of settling for bland, soul-sapping office buildings. 

Yet the building, which is not quite complete, also feels oddly tame. For those who have followed Mr. Gehry’s creative career, these easy, fluid forms are a marked departure from the complex, fragmented structures of his youth. Rather than mining rich new creative territory, Mr. Gehry, now 78, seems to be holding back. 

The results — almost pristine by Mr. Gehry’s standards — suggest the casual confidence of an aging virtuoso rather than the brash innovation of a rowdy outsider. 

New York has long been a frustrating place for Mr. Gehry. It has taken him decades to land a major commission here, and now the IAC building joins a string of high-profile towers, all part of an effort to transform a noisy strip of the West Side Highway into a glamorous waterfront promenade for the kind of wealthy socialites who once scorned him. Three luxury high-rise apartment buildings by Richard Meier, with tenants like Martha Stewart and Calvin Klein, are a 10-minute walk to the south. A much-anticipated residential tower by the French architect Jean Nouvel is beginning to rise just across West 19th Street. 

Mr. Gehry’s structure, the most fanciful of these, looks best when approached from a distance. Glimpsed between Chelsea’s weathered brick buildings, its strangely chiseled forms reflect the surrounding sky, so that its surfaces can seem to be dissolving. As you circle to the north, however, its forms become more symmetrical and sharp-edged, evoking rows of overlapping sails or knifelike pleats. Viewed from the south, the forms appear more blocky. This constantly changing character imbues the building’s exterior with an enigmatic beauty. And it reflects Mr. Gehry’s subtle understanding of context. Rather than parodying the architectural style of the surrounding buildings, he plays against them, drawing them into a bigger urban composition. The sail-like curves of the west facade seem to be braced against the roar of the passing cars. The blockier forms in back lock the composition into the lower brick buildings that extend to the east.

But far too many of the rough edges have been smoothed over. As a young architect Mr. Gehry often said that he tried to capture the raw energy of a construction site in his finished buildings; he was actually taking aim at a complacent status quo. Forms collide, materials clash, buildings tear open to reveal the crude steel structures beneath. Later in his career, as the work became more surreal, sexual imagery performed the same function: forms pull apart to suggest a hiked dress or gently parting legs.

The lobby entries of the IAC headquarters are discreetly located on the two side streets, giving the building’s main facade a smooth, uniform appearance. Horizontal, fritted white bands line the windows, an oddly decorative element meant to control the flow of light inside. The windows’ prefabricated panels meet the ground abruptly, their aluminum frames lining up end to end in a neat grid. They have neither the compulsive precision of a Meier building nor the raw, exposed quality of Mr. Gehry’s early work. Instead they look, well, tasteful.

This toned-down, more accessible approach continues into the lobby, conceived as a public living room for the neighborhood. Its back wall is dominated by an 118-foot-long video wall, which will project video art or abstract color compositions. A sinuous maple bench snakes its way around one end of the room. A staggered row of titled columns runs along the zigzagging glass facade overlooking the highway, giving the room a slight air of instability. The effect conjures up a luxurious fish tank, a nice metaphor for our narcissistic era.

As you travel deeper into the building, what first seems tame becomes more rigid. The floors that house the main corporate offices are dominated by a two-story atrium that overlooks the roof of the Chelsea Piers and the Hudson River, the kind of tough waterfront view from which Mr. Gehry once drew his inspiration. But the room is bloodless. The translucent glass partitions that surround the atrium are stiff and flat. A curved staircase, clad in pretentious tigerwood with brushed stainless steel handrails, looks imported from a Park Avenue office building. It may qualify as the most blandly corporate space Mr. Gehry has created.

Compare this with the service stairwell at the back of the building. Made of rough exposed concrete, the 10-story staircase is pulled back from the glass facade, creating a narrow, vertigo-inducing slot that allows you to peer down into an outdoor courtyard. The staircase overlooks a romantic, perfectly framed view of the Empire State Building, but the clash of raw concrete, glass and aluminum has more in sympathy with the surrounding rooftops: a clear indication of where Mr. Gehry’s heart lies. It may be the most gorgeous service staircase anywhere in New York. (It has now been painted various shades of yellow, however, dulling the effect.)

But it is when you step onto the sixth-floor corporate terrace that you glean what’s missing from the design. Leaning back against the rail, you get your first close look at the glass cladding on the upper floors, at a point where the building narrows. The faceted geometry here is more extreme, the connections between the glass panels more awkward. 

Joints don’t line up perfectly; corners look hurriedly patched together. At certain points the unusual curvature of a window, created by the building’s odd geometry, makes it impossible to span the opening with a single piece of glass, and the additional mullion creates an odd, patchwork pattern.

The effect bristles with energy, as if the building were beginning to crack at the seams. It brings to mind early Gehry projects like the 1972 Ron Davis Studio in Malibu or the 1989 Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Reim, Germany. Neither work is perfect, but their imperfections are important. What you feel is someone struggling to make sense of something he has yet to fully grasp — the incompleteness of the creative struggle. 

It is a reminder that Mr. Gehry’s courage as an architect has stemmed in part from his distaste for perfection, for architectural purity — which in his mind comes perilously close to oppression. His aim has been to redeem the corners of the world that we often dismiss as crude, cheap and ugly. He intuitively understood that what seems ugly now may be only unfamiliar. If the ideas underlying a design are strong enough, its beauty would eventually reveal itself.

The IAC building is elegant architecture. But it doesn’t make us rethink who we are.


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/2007/03/14/2007-03-14_highrise_is_scaled_back.html
*High-rise is scaled back*

*Residents of Sunset Park win over developer*

By RACHEL MONAHAN

Wednesday, March 14th 2007, 4:35 PM 

A grass-roots campaign to preserve Sunset Park's spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline has stopped a developer in his tracks.

A controversial high-rise building has been cut down to size, thanks to a voluntary agreement by the owners of 420 42nd St., Councilwoman Sara Gonzalez announced Saturday.

The apartment building was to be Sunset Park's first high-rise, at 125 feet. But plans now call for a building half as high - just 5 1/2 stories.

"It is certainly unusual in my experience," Gonzalez said, of the develop-er's agreeing to build less than is allowed under current city zoning.

"He wants to work with the community," said Terry Narvaez, a representative of developer Johnny Chan.

Gonzalez and concerned community members had shown renderings of the view from the neighborhood park to the owners of the property, said Michael Schweinsburg, Gonzalez's spokesman.

Members of the community were celebrating their victory and their new neighbors.

"They should be applauded for their consideration. It's an amazing thing," said Father Patrick Burns, pastor of St. Michael's Church.

The church's landmarked brick and stone bell tower at Fourth Ave. and 42nd St. is now the dominant feature of the neighborhood's modest skyline.

Neighborhood residents had panicked over their two- and three-story homes being overwhelmed by high-rises - as well as the obstruction of views from the neighborhood park.

"There may be 10 more buildings

being contemplated like this one, and we just don't know," said Tom Murphy, 61, who started out as a "oneman yelling machine" trying to protect the streets where he has lived since he was a boy.

But he and his wife had held out hope, even though zoning rules were not on their side. "I said, 'Just watch us,' " said Ginny Murphy, 57.

They were soon joined by others. And now Sunset Park residents want what Bay Ridge and Park Slope achieved before them - a zoning change to protect their two- and three-story homes from towering high-rises.

"This is just the beginning. We have to rezone Sunset Park, so we don't have to go through something like this again," promised Ivette Cabrera, who has lived in the neighborhood all of her 35 years.


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## FROM LOS ANGELES

785 Eight Av. has such small street frontage, will the bulldozers have enough room? It will magnificent to see this one go up.


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## krull

*The Mother Ship Has Landed*












March 27, 2007

It won't be completed during the studies of any current Columbia undergrad, but the lucky prefrosh admitted to the Class of 2011 will, at least, be able to feast their eyes on this sight by their senior year. Behold, the José Rafael Moneo-designed Northwest Science Building, to be constructed over the erstwhile tennis courts between Havemeyer and Pupin: the rendering at right, among others, was recently placed on the University's construction updates site, allowing for an early sneak peak.

Bwog isn't a stickler for traditionalist architecture, but we wonder what happened to Moneo's "extreme sensitivity to context," a factor PrezBo highlighted when the designer was selected to help fill this key gap in McKim, Mead, & White's historic plan. And even if a little architectural pizazz is what this part of campus needs, one wonders at the scale of a structure that overwhelms even prodigious Pupin. Of course, the architect faced significant challenges while designing the structure - building over the gym, insulating labs from the subway, and dealing with the drop-off between the campus and the street. And at least we know now that construction of the building won't, in fact, close Dodge. Still, we're sure at least some are bound to think that Barnard's Nexus will have some Columbia competition for "ugliest building on Broadway" when the next decade dawns.


http://www.bwog.net/index.php?publicate=5945dedd28bde94ebd34e60f8fef4871


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## krull

*Lots for tots at 255 East 74th Street*












26-MAR-07

The World-Wide Holdings Corporation is developing a 30-story residential condominium building with large apartments on the northwest corner of Second Avenue at 74th Street. 

The tower's entrance will be at 255 East 74th Street. 

H3 Architects, of which Hugh Hardy is a principal, is designing the building, which will have 87 apartments. 

The lower floors will have loft-like duplex units and several units will have "in-residence playrooms just for the kiddies." "These residences are custom designed for both empty nesters as well as growing families who need more space and crave a wide range of kid and adult-oriented amenities," according to Richard Lebow, director of marketing and sales for the World-Wide Group. 

The building, which replaced several low-rise buildings that had popular restaurants, will have a 42,000-square-foot Equinox facility on the ground and second floors. 

It will also have more than 2,400 square feet of facilities for "tots, tweens and teenagers, such as a toddler room with a cruising wall, a climbing tree house, a play zone for crafts and a reading area" and a game room "designed for tweens and teens will include an arcade with pin ball machines, extreme dance and basketball arcade games, as well as foosball, air hockey and table tennis" and a "1,500-square-foot outdoor 'Tot Lot' and indoor lounge, kitchenette and party room will also be available." 

*The building, whose plan has some slight angles, will be clad in glass and metal panels and will be 338 feet tall.* 

The top floor will have three penthouses and a common roof deck. The building will have a 24-hour doorman, valet/concierge services, Sub-Zero refrigerators and Miele appliances, 10-foot-high ceilings, Toto toilets, radiant heating in the master bath floors, a private outdoor garden, and some apartments will have fireplaces, balconies and terraces. 

*Completion is anticipated for late 2008* and prices are estimated to range from $2,500,000 to $7,000,000. 

James Stanton is a member of Casa 74th Development LLC, which is part of World-Wide Holdings, the developer, which is also planned to erect an apartment house and school on on the southwest corner of Second Avenue and 57th Street. Victor Elmaleh, a well-known artist and squash player, is chairman of World-Wide, which has in recent years been involved in numerous residential conversion projects including the Steiner Building in Chelsea and 50 Murray Street, 53 Park Place, 88 Greenwich Street and 71 Broadway in Lower Manhattan and 137 Reade Street in TriBeCa. 


Copyright © 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## krull

*High Line Park Spurs Remaking Of Formerly Grotty Chelsea*


By: John Koblin
Date: 4/2/2007 
Page: 40

The mission of the High Line, the future park that will rest on an elevated train platform slicing across 22 Manhattan blocks, is to slow down. The park’s designers want the experience of it to be meditative, a break from hustling urban life.

But just beyond its limits—which stretch only as wide as the skinny platform, at 30 to 60 feet—there is a frenzied contrast. *Up and down the High Line’s mile-and-a-half stretch, dozens of sites are readying for construction.*

*At least 27 projects—mostly luxury condos and hotels—are in various stages of development: Some are being constructed, others have just broken ground, and a few are in the design stages. And many more are expected.*

*All of the projects will have an intimate relationship with the park: Some buildings will have private access points that lead to walkways into the park; three will actually have the High Line tucked inside the buildings; many will loom over the park, with high-end retailers serving as a backdrop*; and all will be capitalizing on a rare chance to develop directly next to—or, in some cases, within—Manhattan’s newest public park.

“I think it’s remarkable,” said Andre Balazs, whose two developments both have the High Line running through them. “It’s like having a building in Central Park.”

Many of the planned buildings include a ridiculously well-muscled list of architects: Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Renzo Piano and Annabelle Selldorf, just to name a few. The formerly hardscrabble part of West Chelsea, already on its way out, will soon be no more.

“Every parking lot and every derelict building in that neighborhood will be redeveloped,” said Ron Solarz, a broker at Eastern Consolidated, which is representing at least three sites in the area. “It will be all hotels, condos, rentals and restaurants with super-high-level users.”

But what will it mean when it’s all added up? The architects, the developers and, ultimately, the new dwellers have the chance to influence something so routine, yet so hard to achieve in New York: reorienting the identity of a neighborhood.

And who exactly are these people clamoring to move into the new West Chelsea?


ON MARCH 22, A NEW LUXURY CONDO named the Chelsea Modern, located on 18th Street off 10th Avenue, held a launch party. Prices for each of the 47 condos starts at $1 million. The party’s high-wattage attendees included Ivanka Trump, Spanish supermodel Eugenia Silva, and socialites Emma Snowdon Jones and Tracy Stern.

Matthew Betmaleck, a 39-year-old who owns his own fashion-photography company, spent $1.25 million on his unit in the building. He said the building’s proximity to the High Line is why he bought in.

“It’s Manhattan, so outdoor space is at a prime,” he said, wearing glasses with a Club Monaco scarf wrapped around his blazer. “If you live on the Upper East Side or the Upper West Side, Central Park is at your front door. Right now, I live on Bank and Washington, so I go to the West Side Highway all the time for rides or to walk my dog, and I think it’ll be the same thing at the High Line. It’ll be a destination, and people will come and check it out and say, ‘Wow! What’s that? I wanna see it.’ But I think ultimately the people who live here will be the people who use it.”

Greg Casto, a 26-year-old working in public relations, hopes to move into one of these shiny new condos when he can afford it. That’s because West Chelsea defines what Chelsea means to him already.

“Chelsea is becoming a very focused, very smart community,” he said. “That’s what you’re seeing here—not only in living arrangements, but in shops and restaurants, too. Everything that is around Chelsea is becoming very sexy and very sophisticated. And that’s the key message everyone is bringing to Chelsea: smart and sexy.”

He said he’s lived in New York for nine months.

The High Line streaks from Gansevoort Street in the meatpacking district to 34th Street. The entire train platform, which is made out of a very 1930’s combo of steel and reinforced concrete, will become a park, except for the portion between 30th and 34th streets that’s shaped like a sideways J—the city is still figuring out what to do with that section.

*The park is scheduled to open in the summer of 2008, with a projected cost of $165 million.* The city has raised $85 million, the federal government has given $22 million, and private funding has raised more than $17 million. The Friends of the High Line, the nonprofit arm that has pushed this project forward, has launched a campaign to raise an additional $40 million.

“I’m very excited about the project,” Congressman Jerry Nadler told The Observer. He took a tour of the High Line in 2005 with Senator Hillary Clinton and City Councilwoman (now Speaker) Christine Quinn to boost support for its redesign. “It certainly says something about the power of the West Side.”

The park, designed by Field Operations and Diller, Scofidio & Renfro, is unique in that it will be open around the same time as the dozens of luxury developments skirting it.


IT'S THIS LUXURY, WHICH LITERALLY OVERSHADOWS a park birthed through hefty public support, that raises the question: *Will the High Line become a stylized playground for the rich only?

The Friends of the High Line loudly say no.

“We care passionately about this being a place for all people in the neighborhood and all New Yorkers,” said Joshua David, who co-founded Friends of the High Line in 1999. “And if there are some expensive buildings in the High Line neighborhood, then that’s true of neighborhoods throughout Manhattan. But this remains an incredibly diverse neighborhood, and we’re committed to its diversity.”*

At the least, the people who move into these condos will have a comfy lifestyle. Mr. Balazs’ 14th Street High Line Building, for instance, will actually include the High Line, even though the Parks Department will still manage the part that’s inside. Mr. Balazs described the 15-story property as a “private club” that will be for “members only,” who will buy into the building and rent out rooms as a hotel.

According to one source, the High Line Building may also ask the city for a private entrance from the building that leads to a passage to the park—in essence, a direct passage from the building to the park itself. Connection to the park, said developer Charles Bendit, will be a main selling point for all landlords who can get access to it.

“It’s like living two houses off Central Park, and you have access to the park right around the corner,” he said. “You will have the same benefit here.”

Several more developers are expected to make a request for this sort of private entrance once their buildings come closer to completion, the source said.

The one building that has made the request is the Caledonia, which is owned by Mr. Bendit’s Taconic Investment Partners and mega-developer the Related Companies. The tower’s approximately 185 luxury condos are sold out, Mr. Bendit said. The building has already signed Equinox, which will have a second-floor view that will overlook the High Line.

Mr. Bendit said he expects other developers to follow suit—to bring in high-end retailers to overlook the High Line from their second- or third-story windows. Even if there aren’t direct connections to the stores themselves, if a person strolling in the park has a wandering eye for the Bed Bath & Beyond right next-door, then he can shuffle down the High Line’s stairs and buy that shower curtain he always wanted at a moment’s notice.

Naturally, the marketing machines are already moving with a swift pace. High Line 519, a condo being constructed on 23rd Street, markets its units as a “fusion of contemporary architecture, European opulence and raw Chelsea charm.”

But what exactly is “raw Chelsea charm”? Does it recall the authenticity of Chelsea and the meatpacking district in the 1970’s and 1980’s, when S&M and gay leather bars like the Eagle, the Mineshaft and the Lure pervaded the area? Or is it the gritty urban setting that’s currently in its last throes?

Whatever the appeal, it’s now being smoothed over with that burnished architecture. The New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff recently called Mr. Gehry’s development, between 18th and 19th streets near the High Line, a strong—if safe—project and lavishly praised a stairwell in the building, saying it might be the city’s best.

Indeed, it’s projects like Mr. Gehry’s that make for few, if any, detractors of the re-imagined West Chelsea. Even classic naysayers for most projects, like Florent Morellet, the owner of the meatpacking mainstay diner Florent, approve of it.

“I believe the change is positive,” he said. “You have to live with change. When I took over the restaurant, there were people who moved in the neighborhood in the 1970’s, and people said, ‘That’s it. It’s gentrification; it’s over.’ Then more moved in during the 80’s, and they thought it was the end, and the same in the 90’s. Every month, someone says to me the neighborhood is finished.”

So with a new element about to wind its way through the area, there’s naturally one thing to do: plan a big party. Even though the High Line is more than a year away from opening, tickets are on sale on March 30 for the official H&M-sponsored High Line Festival to help raise additional funds for Friends of the High Line. The party will be in May, though it won’t take place on the High Line, since it’s still illegal to enter it. But that’s beside the point.

For a project and an area that places such a premium on famous luminaries like Mr. Gehry and Mr. Nouvel, this event fits the bill. The famous gay party planner, Josh Wood, and Broadway producer David Binder are organizing it. David Bowie will curate the festival. High-profile artists like Laurie Anderson and Arcade Fire are among those that will perform.

Of course, the H&M-sponsored event, which will also get some sponsorship help from Garnier, Jet Blue and Grolsch, looks a lot like the High Line and all the developments around it—a little edgy, but something that is definitely established.


copyright © 2006 the new york observer, llc


----------



## Don Omar

Seductive Machines for City Living









_Jean Nouvel’s residential building in SoHo updates the cast-iron structures of that neighborhood._

By NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF
Published: April 2, 2007
nytimes.com

In today’s Manhattan, there are few better ways to assume the mantle of sophistication than shelling out millions to live in a building designed by a famous architect. The result is a surfeit of architects pumping out emblems of conspicuous consumption.

But on occasion the result is also exquisite architecture.

Two new residential buildings designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel even raise the possibility that hedonistic materialism is good for the soul. Both buildings — one nearing completion in SoHo, the other just getting under way in Chelsea — are being marketed as collectibles for the ultra-rich, but they are more than baubles.

Their dreamy lobbies and sleek apartments conjure the kind of voyeuristic fantasy that, as Hitchcock understood, makes city life so tantalizing. At the same time they take their cues from the rough edges — empty lots, blank brick walls, rooftop graffiti — that express New York’s essential gritty identity.

Of the two the SoHo building is the more restrained. Its muscular steel frame rises on Grand Street between Broadway and Mercer, formerly a light-manufacturing area, later an art mecca and now a trendy shopping district overrun with tourists. The neighborhood’s once-derelict cast iron-frame buildings are now prized real estate.

Mr. Nouvel doesn’t reject this history; he tips his hat to it, showing us what can be accomplished through ingenious planning and calculated consideration of the setting. The building’s heavy steel frame, for instance, can be read as an updated version of those cast-iron structures that give SoHo its industrial character. The height of its five-story base loosely follows the cornice line of the masonry buildings along Broadway, and the upper floors are set back from the street to make room for large terraces, at eye level with the nearby rooftops.

Architects will doubtless notice how the steel I-beams framing the exterior play on the formal elegance of Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building uptown, perhaps the city’s greatest Modernist landmark. They also bring to mind the glass-and-steel grids of Richard Meier’s recent residential towers on the West Side Highway at Perry Street and Charles Street.

Mr. Meier’s finely detailed creations suggest the cool precision of a Swiss watch, but Mr. Nouvel is after something more slyly playful. Mr. Meier likes his steel white; Mr. Nouvel, battleship gray. The I-beams in Mr. Nouvel’s SoHo building are set flush with the glass, giving it a taut profile. The rear, overlooking a narrow empty lot that will be transformed into a private garden, is treated as a raw concrete wall punctured by unadorned windows: the kind of blank side wall we associate with humdrum tenements.

There are other signs that this building is not ready to conform. In a rather strained note, an odd trellis-like structure decorated with blue glass louvers wraps over the building’s top corner, a kind of contemporary cupola meant to contrast with the dome of the 1909 Police Building a few blocks away. Horizontal bands of dark blue and red glass interrupt the purity of the street facades. On warm days big mechanized glass panels set into the facade — essentially moving walls — will slide open, transforming the apartments into covered terraces and giving the building the appearance of an elaborate machine.

Mr. Nouvel has played this trick before — most notably in his Nemausus housing project in Nîmes, France — to allow the messiness of the apartments to spill into view, breaking down the distance between the building’s inner life and the life of the street. (Picture, if you will, how much livelier the SoHo building would be with satellite antennas and clotheslines strung between the windows.)

It’s only when you step inside that you experience the building’s underlying hedonism. The lobby, not yet finished, is conceived as a vertical slot, extremely high and narrow, framed by windows overlooking a leafy tree-filled garden on one side; on the other, panels of reflective glass are superimposed with black-and-white images of a forest.

As you proceed through the lobby, the images will dissolve into spectral scenes, a haunting fairy tale landscape of trees, real and fake, and shadowy figures. A slot of glass laid into the lobby floor allows you to peek down at an underground pool in which residents will be visible bathing surrounded by white marble.

Real estate agents, no doubt, have promised glimpses of a dripping wet Uma Thurman (who has been dating André Balazs, the building’s developer), although you’re more likely to spot an overweight bond trader. But who cares? The point is titillation. And once you enter the apartments, the views are truly stupendous: elaborate cornices, wrought iron facades, wood water towers and rooftop graffiti.

By comparison Mr. Nouvel’s building on the West Side Highway has an unvarnished, raucous quality. Scheduled for completion in late 2008, it will rise on 19th Street across from Frank Gehry’s sparkling new IAC building, which might well have inspired Mr. Nouvel to pump up the glitz factor.

As with the SoHo Building, Mr. Nouvel makes a starkly classical distinction between the back and the formal public facade. The north and east exterior walls, which don’t face the street, will be fashioned out of crude black concrete blocks punctured by irregularly sized windows. The full beauty of the building doesn’t reveal itself until you circle around to the front, a gleaming glass-and-steel mask that wraps around its southwest corner.

That beauty emerges from the complexity of the glass facade. The 1,650 window panes in its glass-and-steel grid are set at different angles, so that each will be imbued with subtly different qualities of light and reflection. Portions of the facade will seem to shimmer like the surface of water at times, and at others be more opaque. The silhouette will glow like a torch one minute and dissolve into the surrounding skyline the next.

Heightening the sense of surprise is the facade’s relationship to the interior. At ground level a protective glass barrier creates a transitional zone between the street and the restaurant and lobby. Terraces will bridge the space overhead. Down below, the back of the lobby is anchored by a tranquil garden, luring you deeper into the space.

Over all it’s a heady alternative to the austere, buttoned-down tone of, say, Park Avenue’s residential buildings. For those who can afford it, why not? For the rest of us Mr. Nouvel’s buildings make fetching architectural eye candy.









_An interior of the West 19th Street building designed by Jean Nouvel, showing the variation in the windows._









_A rendering of Mr. Nouvel’s West 19th Street apartment building, with windowpanes set at different angles._


----------



## krull

Just a Vision. But I like the idea...


*Skyfarming*
*A Columbia professor believes that converting skyscrapers into crop farms could help reduce global warming and make New York cleaner. It’s a vision straight out of Futurama—but here’s how it might work.*












By Lisa Chamberlain

Urban farming has always been a slightly quixotic endeavor. From the small animal farm that was perched on the roof of the Upper West Side’s Ansonia apartment building in the early 1900s (fresh eggs delivered by bellhop!) to community gardens threatened by real-estate development, the dream of preserving a little of the country in the city is a utopian one. But nobody has ever dreamed as big as Dr. Dickson Despommier, a professor of environmental sciences and microbiology at Columbia University, who believes that “vertical farm” skyscrapers could help fight global warming.

Imagine a cluster of 30-story towers on Governors Island or in Hudson Yards producing fruit, vegetables, and grains while also generating clean energy and purifying wastewater. *Roughly 150 such buildings, Despommier estimates, could feed the entire city of New York for a year. Using current green building systems, a vertical farm could be self-sustaining and even produce a net output of clean water and energy.*

Despommier began developing the vertical-farming concept six years ago (his research can be found at verticalfarm.com), and he has been contacted by scientists and venture capitalists from the Netherlands to Dubai who are interested in establishing a Center for Urban Sustainable Agriculture, either independently or within Columbia. *He estimates it could take a working group of agricultural economists, architects, engineers, agronomists, and urban planners five to ten years to figure out how to marry high-tech agricultural practices with the latest sustainable building technology.*

What does this have to do with climate change? The professor believes that only by allowing significant portions of the Earth’s farmland to return to forest do we have a real chance of stabilizing climate and weather patterns. Merely reducing energy consumption—the centerpiece of the proposal Al Gore recently presented to Congress—will at best slow global warming. Allowing forests to regrow where crops are now cultivated, he believes, would reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as least as much as more-efficient energy consumption.

There is another reason to develop indoor farming: exploding population growth. *By 2050, demographers estimate there will be an additional 3 billion people (a global total of 9.2 billion). If current farming practices are maintained, extra landmass as large as Brazil would have to be cultivated to feed them. Yet nearly all the land that can produce food is already being farmed*—even without accounting for the possibility of losing more to rising sea levels and climate change (which could turn arable land into dust bowls).

Depending on the crops being grown, a single vertical farm could allow thousands of farmland acres to be permanently reforested. For the moment, these calculations remain highly speculative, but a real-life example offers a clue: After a strawberry farm in Florida was wiped out by Hurricane Andrew, the owners built a hydroponic farm. By growing strawberries indoors and stacking layers on top of each other, they now produce on one acre of land what used to require 30 acres.

Why build vertical farms in cities? Growing crops in a controlled environment has benefits: no animals to transfer disease through untreated waste; no massive crop failures as a result of weather-related disasters; less likelihood of genetically modified “rogue” strains entering the “natural” plant world. All food could be grown organically, without herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers, eliminating agricultural runoff. And *80 percent of the world’s population will be living in urban areas by 2050. Cities already have the density and infrastructure needed to support vertical farms, and super-green skyscrapers could supply not just food but energy, creating a truly self-sustaining environment.*

Like the Biosphere 2 project in Arizona, a real vertical farm will probably require a utopian philanthropist with deep pockets. In the eighties, Edward Bass spent $200 million of his own money to construct the Biosphere. A smaller and less complex vertical farm would probably cost that much to build today and could be funded by someone from a country where arable land is already in short supply, such as Japan, Iceland, or more likely Dubai. Despommier is convinced the first vertical farm will exist within fifteen years—and the irony is, oil money could very well build it.












*1. The Solar Panel* 
Most of the vertical farm’s energy is supplied by the pellet power system (see over). This solar panel rotates to follow the sun and would drive the interior cooling system, which is used most when the sun’s heat is greatest.


*2. The Wind Spire*
An alternative (or a complement) to solar power, conceived by an engineering professor at Cleveland State University. Conventional windmills are too large for cities; the wind spire uses small blades to turn air upward, like a screw.


*3. The Glass Panels*
A clear coating of titanium oxide collects pollutants and prevents rain from beading; the rain slides down the glass, maximizing light and cleaning the pollutants. Troughs collect runoff for filtration.


*4. The Control Room*
The vertical-farm environment is regulated from here, allowing for year-round, 24-hour crop cultivation.


*5. The Architecture* 
Inspired by the Capitol Records building in Hollywood. Circular design uses space most efficiently and allows maximum light into the center. Modular floors stack like poker chips for flexibility.


*6. The Crops*
The vertical farm could grow fruits, vegetables, grains, and even fish, poultry, and pigs. Enough, Despommier estimates, to feed 50,000 people annually.












The vertical farm doesn’t just grow crops indoors; it also generates its own power from waste and cleans up sewage water.


*1. The Evapotranspiration Recovery System*
Nestled inside the ceiling of each floor, its pipes collect moisture, which can be bottled and sold.


*2. The Pipes*
Work much like a cold bottle of Coke that “sweats” on a hot day: Super-cool fluid attracts plant water vapors, which are then collected as they drip off (similar systems are in use on a small scale). Despommier estimates that one vertical farm could capture 60 million gallons of water a year.


*3. Black-Water Treatment System*
Wastewater taken from the city’s sewage system is treated through a series of filters, then sterilized, yielding gray water—which is not drinkable but can be used for irrigation. (Currently, the city throws 1.4 billion gallons of treated wastewater into the rivers each day.) The Solaire building in Battery Park City already uses a system like this.












*4. The Crop Picker*
Monitors fruits and vegetables with an electronic eye. Current technology, called a Reflectometer, uses color detection to test ripeness.


*5. The Field*
Maximization of space is critical, so in this rendering there are two layers of crops (and some hanging tomatoes). If small crops are planted, there might be up to ten layers per floor.


*6. The Pool*
Runoff from irrigation is collected here and piped to a filtration system.


*7. The Feeder*
Like an ink-jet printer, this dual-purpose mechanism directs programmed amounts of water and light to individual crops.












*8. The Pellet Power System*

Another source of power for the vertical farm, it turns nonedible plant matter (like corn husks, for example) into fuel. Could also process waste from New York’s 18,000 restaurants.


*9 to 11. The Pellets*
Plant waste is processed into powder (9), then condensed into clean-burning fuel pellets (10), which become steam power (11). At least 60 pellet mills in North America already produce more than 600,000 tons of fuel annually, and a 3,400-square-foot house in Idaho uses pellets to generate its own electricity.


Copyright © 2007, New York Magazine Holdings LLC.


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## eddie88

i wanna be a part of it New York, New York


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## Don Omar

The Second Ave Subway project
a nice map of the new planned subway line, which is set to have a ground breaking ceremony in the up coming days. See New York Times article










the Q and T planned subway lines










link to regional thread on the 2nd ave subway


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## streetscapeer

YESS


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## TalB

Some updates of minor buildings found while searching the web.

6-12 Barclay St









1 York Tribeca









200 Chambers St









101 Warren St









Skyhouse









Chelsea Strauss









Beekman Pl









4 Albany St









The William









15 CPW









Forte Condo









Flushing Town Ctr









99 Gold St









Beacon Tower and J Condo









Kent Ave Apt









Oro Condos









Bridgeview Tower









1 Prospect Pk









The Platinum









Ariel East and West









Standard Hotel









New Musuem of Contemporary Art









25 Bond









10 WEA









The Saya









The Avery









Gramercy Star









The Veneto









Visionare









Parker site









Cooper Sq Hotel









1 River Terr









469 West St









Archstone Clinton









1 Ten Thrid









385 3rd Ave









330 E 57th St









Gramercy Green


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## Don Omar

Standard Hotel (848 Washington Street)









Out of all the proposes that are popping up around the High Line, this one is one the most imposing. 








Great building, but will have a impact on the High Line.


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## Insane alex

More towers! This is getting insane!


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/realestate/15livi.html?_r=1&ref=realestate&oref=login
*Now Open for Living, as Well as Business*

By JENNIFER BLEYER
Published: April 15, 2007









_Uli Seit for The New York Times
URBAN RETAIL The Fulton Street Mall, a destination for hip-hop music and electronics, is in a neighborhood on the cusp of population growth._

MATTHEW AND LORI RICHMOND were newly married and living in Greenpoint when they began looking for a home to buy in 2005. They yearned to be near multiple subway lines, having spent several years relegated almost exclusively to the L train, and with busy careers as designers and little time to renovate, they wanted a new building that they could move into right away.

They were familiar with Brooklyn’s stylish brownstone neighborhoods, but less so with its downtown, a shabby-fringed commercial district that bustles during the day with 100,000 workers but is nearly deserted at night. Still, when they were shown an apartment in Boulevard East, an 11-story tawny-brick condominium on Boerum Place on downtown Brooklyn’s border, they quickly perceived the area’s residential possibilities. 

Ms. Richmond’s father, Domenic Mozzone, had worked in the nearby MetroTech office complex and advised the couple that with a staggering 12 subway lines within six blocks of Boulevard East, the apartment was most likely a solid investment. They put a deposit on a 900-square-foot unit with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open kitchen the same day they saw it. They have been thrilled with their choice ever since. 

“We’re in the crux of all these amazing neighborhoods,” said Ms. Richmond, 30, who gave birth to their first child, Cooper, in January. “I walk two blocks this way, I’m in the heart of Brooklyn Heights. I walk two blocks that way, I’m in Carroll Gardens. And because of the close proximity to all the trains, it was kind of like, ‘Why haven’t people been living here?’ ”

Downtown Brooklyn has long been a civic center, retail destination and, with the development of the 16-acre MetroTech complex beginning in 1989, a home for Wall Street back offices.

It hasn’t really been known as a place where people live, but a rezoning that took effect in 2004 is poised to change that, because it gave a green light to the construction of larger residential buildings. 

The area now teeters on the edge of a building boom, which officials and developers predict will transform it into what they deem a “24 hour” neighborhood. 

“If you walk down a street in the commercial core now at 7:30 at night, it’s very quiet,” said Joseph Chan, the president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, an umbrella group overseeing the area’s renewal. 

“That lack of activity does not convey the sense of a vibrant downtown, and that’s going to change extraordinarily quickly with the development here.”

By Mr. Chan’s estimate, more than 7,000 residential units are in planning stages or under construction in downtown Brooklyn, not including the nearby Atlantic Yards proposal — which calls for eight million square feet of high-rise housing, office space and a basketball arena on 22 acres.

He noted that his organization was working with the Real Estate Board of New York and local property owners to fill in the neighborhood’s retail gaps. 

Hal Henenson, the executive director of the development marketing group at Prudential Douglas Elliman, agreed that downtown Brooklyn is on the verge of change, attractive for its transportation options, relative affordability and proximity to borough shopping strips. 

“For people who are looking for the next new neighborhood, if you will,” he said, “I think in Brooklyn, it’s downtown.” 

*What You’ll Find*

The neighborhood stretches from the rumble of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway south to Schermerhorn Street, and from the busy shops along Court Street and Cadman Plaza West toward Flatbush Avenue to the east, where cars head toward the Manhattan Bridge. 

At the area’s heart is Borough Hall, a stately Greek Revival structure facing a handsomely landscaped plaza where a farmer’s market is available two days a week year round. Farther north, Cadman Plaza Park offers a 10-acre swath of green space popular with dog walkers and office workers. 

The neighborhood’s civic and commercial character remains prominent, with a heavy concentration of courts and other municipal facilities as well as the boxy MetroTech center, its modern buildings arranged around a manicured commons. Abutting MetroTech is the Fulton Street Mall area, a rollicking destination for electronics, jewelry, hip-hop music and urban street wear.

Housing at this point is limited to scattered rentals and a handful of co-ops and condominiums. An exception is Concord Village, a co-op development of more than 1,000 apartments on the edge of downtown beside the Brooklyn Bridge. 

But one need only follow the trail of cranes and cement trucks to see what’s in store for the area, much of it within what Mr. Chan identifies as three nodes of development. 

The first is a pocket east of the Flatbush Avenue Extension that was included in the 2004 rezoning, where several major high-rises are planned. The Oro, a glassy 40-story condominium with 303 apartments, a 50-foot swimming pool and an indoor basketball court, is already well under way there. 

Next are the Schermerhorn and Livingston Street corridors. The former Board of Education headquarters at 110 Livingston is being transformed into a 299-unit condo by David Walentas, who originally envisioned the neighborhood now known as Dumbo. There is also the 158-unit State Renaissance Court on Schermerhorn Street, a mixed-income project financed by the city’s Housing Development Corporation. Both are set to open this spring.

Finally, there is a cluster of buildings being planned around the commercial core, including the BellTel Lofts, in the former Verizon Building on Willoughby Street. The residential future of the Fulton Street Mall itself was confirmed in February with the announcement that its three-story Albee Square Mall will be demolished and rebuilt, topped with 1,000 apartments. 

*What You’ll Pay*

Although downtown Brooklyn is in its infant stages as a residential neighborhood, prices can generally be discerned from apartments sold but not yet occupied.

At 110 Livingston, the Walentas condo, 262 units have sold since last summer — from studios starting in the high $300,000s to three-bedrooms starting above $900,000. Earlier this month, a three-bedroom penthouse with an 800-square-foot terrace sold for $1.35 million. Common charges average $500 a month.

“We found that the more expensive product was what was selling quickly,” said Asher Abehsera, vice president for residential sales at the Two Trees Management Company, the building’s developer, noting that the larger three-bedrooms were almost gone. “It shows that downtown Brooklyn can handle and would like to see more high-end large condominium homes.”

Mr. Henenson of Prudential Douglas Elliman said that the commercial core, where BellTel Lofts are, offered Manhattan-style luxury at a lower cost. As he put it, “You could buy a loft in Chelsea, and the same loft in downtown Brooklyn would be literally half the price.” 

Last month, Mr. Henenson noted, two apartments were bought together in BellTel for $2.5 million, to be combined into five bedrooms with four and a half bathrooms, with nearly 3,000 square feet of space. 

How long prices will remain at this level, however, is a question. “We’re in the echelon of $1,000 a square foot,” said Jerry Minsky, a senior vice president at the Corcoran Group in nearby Fort Greene. “There’s enough evidence to prove that it’s not turning back.” 

*What to Do*

Like gems in a necklace, some of the borough’s best-known amenities ring downtown. Just beyond its perimeter in Fort Greene is the Brooklyn Academy of Music; nearby, a theater and an arts library are to join what is being called the BAM Cultural District. 

A stroll south along Smith Street in Carroll Gardens reveals dozens of restaurants, including the Grocery and Saul, as well as bars that brim with life on summer evenings. To the west is Brooklyn Heights, with its promenade.

Closer in, a Y.M.C.A. opened in 2005 below the Court House Apartments on Atlantic Avenue, offering a six-lane pool and children’s classes. Court Street is a main commercial artery, with a Barnes & Noble store and a 12-screen movie theater. 

*The History*

Near the East River waterfront where Dutch farmers formed the village of Breuckelen in the 17th century, the downtown area grew as the civic heart of independent Brooklyn. 

The grand City Hall was completed in 1849 and became known as Borough Hall in 1898, when Brooklyn became part of New York. Schools and churches sprouted, as well as office towers, hotels and theaters. Retailing floundered in the postwar period, although downtown Brooklyn began a new phase in the 1990s with the development of MetroTech.

*The Schools*

There are no public elementary schools in downtown Brooklyn, but schools in adjacent neighborhoods have received good marks. 

One is Public School 8 on Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights, which has benefited in recent years from new administration and increased parent involvement, 62 percent of students met city and state standards in English in the 2004-2005 school year, versus 61 percent citywide. Sixty-nine percent achieved the math requirements, versus 65 percent citywide.

As for private schools, downtown Brooklyn boasts a well-regarded kindergarten-through-Grade 12 institution: Brooklyn Friends, which opened in 1867 in the Quaker Meeting House on Schermerhorn Street.

*The Commute*

There are stations on the 2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, F, M, R, B, G and Q subway lines. Some stop twice within the area, and many are one or two stops from Manhattan. Ms. Richmond, the designer, said she and her husband both had door-to-door commutes of under half an hour to the SoHo area.

In addition, the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges are nearby, as well as the Flatbush Avenue terminal of the Long Island Rail Road.

*Going Forward*

With thousands of new residents en route, business-centered downtown Brooklyn can swiftly morph into a livable neighborhood.


----------



## krull

Ok this is a list of alot of proposed buildings over 12 floors in Manhattan. I know there are probably more but I don't have those renderings yet. But if someone has one that I haven't posted please let me know.


*Manhattan Proposed Buildings:*


*200 Greenwich Street (WTC2):* 78 floors - 1,254 feet










*175 Greenwich Street (WTC3):* 71 floors - 1,155 feet










*150 Greenwich Street (WTC4):* 65 floors










*West Street Residential Tower:* 65 floors










*610 Lexington Avenue:* 61 floors










*440 West 42nd Street:* 60 floors










*605 West 42nd Street:* 60 floors










*160 West 62nd Street:* 55 floors










*Intercontinental Hotel (On Nassau Street):* 55 floors










*80 South Street:* 50 floors - 835 feet










*110 West 57th Street:* 50 floors










*70 West 45th Street:* 50 floors










*West 57th Street Tower (Next to 9A):* 48 floors










*22 East 23rd Street:* 47 floors










*301 Forty Sixth Avenue:* 46 floors










*Radisson Financial (99 Washington Street):* 42 floors










*11 Times Square:* 40 floors - 600 ft










*400 Park Avenue Tower:* 40 floors - 417 ft










*Port Authorhority Bus Terminal Office Tower:* 40 floors










*Two Sutton Place:* 40 floors










*Gold Street Hotel:* 38 floors










*Global Diamond Exchange Tower:* 35 floors










*Holiday Inn Financial (50 Trinity Place):* 35 floors










*Times Square Hotels (337-343 West 39th Street):* 35 floors/32 floors










*Sheraton Downtown (100 Greenwich Street):* 35 floors










*176 Madison Avenue:* 34 floors










*The Remy (On West 28th Street):*










*47 East 34th Street:* 32 floors










*510 Madison Avenue:* 30 floors










*808 Columbus Avenue:* 29 floors










*West 60th & 61st Street Residential Complex:* 28/15/10 floors










*Fairfield Inn (126 Water Street):* 26 floors










*210 West 91st Street:* 25 floors










*Chelsea Hotel (128 West 29th Street):* 25 floors










*1800 Park Avenue:* 24 floors










*Sundari Lofts (On Madison Avenue):* 22 floors










*160 East 22nd Street:* 21 floors










*Horizen (On 23rd Street):* 21 floors










*Museum For African Art Tower (On 5th Avenue):* 21 floors










*Linden 78 (On West 78th Street):* 20 floors










*250 East 49th Street:* 20 floors










*4070 Broadway:* 20 floors










*Holiday Inn Express (20 Maiden Lane):* 20 floors










*241 Fifth Avenue:* 20 floors










*Strand Hotel (33 West 37th Street):* 19 floors










*Sheraton Four Points (66 Charlton Street):* 19 floors










*211 East 51st Street:* 19 floors










*87 Lafayette Tower:* 19 floors










*2075 Broadway:* 19 floors










*Wyndham Hotel (37 West 24th Street):* 18 floors










*Hilton Herald Square (59 West 39th Street):* 18 floors










*Marriot Fairfield (116 West 28th Street):* 17 floors










*The New School Tower (Corner of 14th & 5th Avenue):* 16 floors










*East River Science Park (Complex):* 15/12 floors










*Delancey Tower:* 15 floors










*37 East 4th Street:* 15 floors










*The Avant (559 West 23rd Street):* 13 floors










*John Jay College (524 West 59th Street):* 12 floors










*122 Greenwich Avenue:* 12 floors










*245 10th Avenue:* 12 floors











*********

*Westside Tower (34th Street & 10th Avenue):* ? floors










*161 Maiden Lane:* ? floors


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## Don Omar

construction
Frank Gehry's *Beekman Tower (8 Spruce Street):* 75 stories - 850 feet


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## krull

^ Yeah I know about that one. But I am afraid that the official rendering hasn't come out yet. So I guess I am waiting for that rendering.


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## Taylorhoge

whcih buildings have been aproved or proposed.


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## krull

*BSA hears NYU mega-dorm challenge*












By Gabby Warshawer
April 17, 2007

Today the Board of Standards and Appeals heard a challenge filed against the Department of Building's approval of an air rights transfer that will allow Hudson Companies and New York University to build the tallest building in the East Village. *The proposed university dorm, which would rise 26 stories at 110 East 12th Street, would be allowed to rise 55 percent higher than local zoning allows because the air rights being transferred are from an adjacent post office, which is immune from local zoning.* 

The challenge heard by the BSA, therefore, calls into question why a private developer would be able to flout zoning regulations that would not be applicable to a federally owned post office. Public officials including City Councilmember Rosie Mendez testified at the hearing. 

Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, testified that the city was clearly bending zoning rules by allowing the air rights transfer and also hindering future development possibilities for the post office.

"It is a fiction for DOB to claim that they have 'transferred' development rights from the post office to the dorm site. As a federal agency, the post office has unlimited development ability for its properties, which cannot be restricted by the city," Berman testified. "Thus when the city authorizes a 'transfer' of development rights from the post office in a case like this, it is simply giving a private developer -- in this case Hudson Companies and NYU -- the ability to build larger than the zoning allows, while offering no commensurate decrease in development ability for the neighboring site, the post office."

The BSA said it will issue a decision on the challenge by June 12. 


Copyright © 2003-2007 The Real Deal.


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## krull

Taylorhoge said:


> whcih buildings have been aproved or proposed.


Well I don't really know that for sure. Since it will be challenge for me to keep track of all that. So I will just try to leave them as proposed. When one is under construction I will just move it to that section. Just keeping it simple.


----------



## krull

*New Hotels Planned For Long Island City *


BY RICHARD GENTILVISO 
April 11, 2007

Plans to open a new luxury hotel in Long Island City this spring with rates beginning at over $300 per night, are on track. *The Ravel Hotel, as it will be named, replaces the infamous QPlaza Motel near the Queensboro Bridge*. 

Along the East River waterfront, the Q-Plaza is being converted and expanded from 23 rooms into the 78-room Ravel Hotel at a cost of $4 million. The Ravel will feature Manhattan views, many from bay windows leading out to balconies, and have a multilevel rooftop that will serve as a bar/lounge and art gallery- a far cry from the Q-Plaza, long a notorious site of reputed prostitution in the area. 

Ravi Patel purchased the property in 2005 with an idea toward accommodating tourists seeking an easy alternative from Manhattan, according to a February 18 report in the New York Times Business Section. Comparable rates for hotels in Manhattan are about $400 per night. 

*Groundbreaking is scheduled this spring for a second hotel in Long Island City, an 11-story structure with 100 rooms*, also featuring views of Manhattan at the current site of a commercial warehouse on the East River waterfront. 

The Z Hotel, as it is to be called, will be less expensive, with rooms going for about $200 per night. The developer, Henry Zilberman, also plans to provide an alternative for visitors to Manhattan. The Z will offer free hourly limousine transportation service for hotel guests to Manhattan destinations. Zilberman owns several limousine businesses in Long Island City, according to the February 18 New York Times report. 

In another part of the borough, two more new hotel projects are in the planning stages as well, although community approval is still needed. *In Forest Hills, a 100-room luxury hotel is going before Community Board 6 for approval.* The developer, Yeheskel Elias said he envisions visitors to the US Open staying at the hotel, which would be designed in the tudorstyle architecture of the area, according to a report in the February 4 New York Times. 

*The second project, a 10-story, 130- room hotel to be constructed on Northern Boulevard in Corona, has met with resistance from the community because of the height of the building.* Marriott International said plans for the proposed Spring Hill Suites hotel have not yet been completed. The development would replace vacant auto parts warehouses, according to the February 4 New York Times. 

The rezoning of Long Island City in 2001 allowed for a mix of taller residential and commercial projects, including hotels, in the area, spurring development. In 2006, Court Square Place, a 16-story, 275,000-squarefoot building was completed. 

In addition, a 486,000- square-foot office building for Citigroup is being constructed near Citigroup's 48- story tower that has long towered above other structures in the area. 

Also along the East River waterfront, Silvercup Studios plans to develop 2.2 million square foot of space, including 650,000 square feet of office space, 270,000 square feet of studio space, 150,000 square feet of retail space and about 1,000 units of residential housing with parking space for 1,400 cars. 


Copyright© 1999 - 2007 The Service Advertising Group Inc.


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## Boven Alles

Wow great list Krull. This is getting insane! Some amazingly slender towers!


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## Insane alex

OMG! Even more towers! Are they all U/C or approved?


----------



## krull

Insane alex said:


> OMG! Even more towers! Are they all U/C or approved?


I am pretty sure some of them are approved or waiting for approval, but most of those are proposed buildings.


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## Don Omar

great work yet again krull


----------



## ZZ-II

impressive list. please build all of these wonderful proposals


----------



## rincon

:applause: WOW I am impress! So many projects in NYC! More than I though. Great job Krull! 

NYC rocks!


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## germantower

Wow NYC is still kickin.

The West 57th Street Tower will it b located near the new Goldman Sachs HQ or more south near castle clinton.


----------



## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/18/realestate/commercial/18harlem.html?ref=realestate
*The Harlem Revival Brings in the Shops*

By CLAIRE WILSON
Published: April 18, 2007









_Tina Fineberg for The New York Times

A three-story retail complex next to the Apollo Theater is planned._









_Tina Fineberg for The New York Times

Carol’s Daughter is one retailer marketing to more prosperous Harlem customers._

An increasingly vigorous retail scene on Harlem’s main commercial street is likely to gain further headway in the next five years as four parcels are set for development into offices and shops geared to a residential population that is becoming more prosperous. 

Scattered along the bustling 125th Street corridor from Second Avenue to Amsterdam Avenue in northern Manhattan, each of the projects includes two or more floors of retailing aimed to attract high-profile and high-fashion national chains that historically have been absent from the mix in Harlem. Real estate professionals say they understand that a prominent department store is also looking at the street.

“Retailers are getting the message,” said Eric S. Yarbro, senior vice president of CB Richard Ellis, a commercial brokerage firm. “They are looking at the market and wondering how they can tap into the existing density and those higher-income families that now have to go south of 96th Street to get the basic services they need.” 

The projects that are on the books include a 30,000-square-foot three-story retail complex at 261 West 125th Street next to the Apollo Theater. It is being developed by Grid Properties in partnership with the Gotham Organization, according to Drew Greenwald, the president of Grid Properties. The site had been a vacant lot since the mid-1980s, when fire destroyed a small office building. 

On the corner of West 125th Street and Lenox Avenue, Wharton Realty is developing a 33,000-square-foot parcel into 230,000 square feet of space that includes three stories of retailing and either a community facility or residential units on upper floors. The shops could open as early as next spring. A five-story building with about a dozen stores at ground level formerly occupied the site. 

Vornado Realty Trust will be developing the southwest corner of Park Avenue and East 125th Street. According to a spokeswoman, the project is expected to be in excess of 600,000 square feet with several levels of retailing capped by numerous floors of office space. Formerly a parking lot owned by the New York College of Podiatric Medicine, it is adjacent to the Metro-North train station. 

On East 125th Street between Second and Third Avenues, a proposed development involves three contiguous parcels owned by New York City. From October to January, the city’s Economic Development Corporation solicited bids for the six-acre site, where the plans include 300,000 square feet of retail space. A portion of that is expected to be taken by national chains while other space is earmarked for local retailers, restaurants, a movie theater, nonprofit cultural groups and 1,000 units of affordable housing. According to the development corporation, a hotel is also a possibility. In the late 1990s, there were plans to develop the site into an outlet mall, but community opposition quashed that idea. 

The final size and scope of the new projects will not be determined until a river-to-river rezoning plan currently in the works is passed by the City Planning Department; no date has been set for approval.

Business is brisk, meanwhile, along the corridor. FedEx Kinkos signed its first lease in the area last month, joining a roster that includes Staples, Starbucks, Marshall’s, Pathmark, Children’s Place, Old Navy and H&M. 

A Chase bank branch is moving to a larger 6,000-square-foot location adjacent to its original in Harlem USA, a multilevel urban retail complex, where other tenants are also expanding. Open only since December, Chuck E. Cheese, the Texas-based family entertainment and restaurant chain, is adding 5,000 square feet to its original 15,000 square feet of space. The New York Sports Clubs, one of the charter tenants in the complex when it opened in 2003, is expanding for the second time.

According to Mr. Greenwald, the developer with the Gotham Organization of Harlem USA, his lessees on this swath of 125th Street report that average sales in January were 30 percent ahead of sales one year earlier. 

Among locally owned businesses that are specifically aimed at more sophisticated customers are Citarella, the specialized grocery chain; the high-end MAC makeup line; and Carol’s Daughter, a bath-and-skin-care products company. Others include the restaurant Mo-Bay, which serves Southern and Jamaican specialties; the Harlem Lanes bowling alley and restaurant; the Triple Candie gallery exhibition space; and farther afield, a brunch spot called the Settepani Bakery. 

According to Barbara Askins, president and chief executive of the 125th Street Business Improvement District, the vacancy rate has hovered between 2 and 3 percent for some time.

Despite that, and the street’s status as a transportation hub with subways, buses and a Metro-North station, rents have remained much lower than in comparable shopping corridors around the city. 

Rates are now $150 to $200 on prime blocks between Lenox Avenue and St. Nicholas Avenue, according to figures provided by RKF & Associates. This compares with $400 a square foot for comparable property on East 86th Street and Lexington Avenue or $275 a square foot on Broadway in the West 80s and West 90s. Both of those areas are relatively near to Harlem and are already frequented by residents of the neighborhood.

Prices on 125th Street have increased by only 50 percent over the last five years, said Barry Fishbach, executive vice president for RKF. Prices in the two neighborhoods farther south have doubled in that time. 

Prices on 125th Street vary greatly according to location and age of the buildings, which range from 100-year-old low-rise structures to gleaming complexes like the Harlem Center.

Eugene Fata, principal in the Fata Organization, who owns a number of buildings on West 125th Street, as well as a vacant parcel at 350 West 125th Street, says the spread among his leases is from $30 a square foot to “$200 in select corner locations.” 

Scott Auster, a broker with the Ripco Real Estate Corporation, said rents on East 125th Street are much lower than those on the busier West 125th Street. “Rents range from about $100 per square foot to $125 per square foot on East 125th Street,” he said. “It’s less developed. There’s less retail over all and less traffic.” 

But, over all, the continued vigor of the housing market from 96th Street to 145th Street and the planned expansion of Columbia University are giving the area the critical mass of consumers that attract retailers.


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## paw25694

nice and massive projects. BUT will it fits to the old skyline??


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## Ebola

Watch out, world. New York is going to start to rise extremely tall soon. A 90-story+ hotel tower has been proposed (for the Javits Center.) It will be the tallest hotel in America if it gets a green light.


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## Don Omar

I really don't understand why people keep asking if proposed building with fight into the skyline. I mean if you have been to New York, i think you understand the diversity of the skyline as it is. We have old school with the The Flatiron Building and the civic area, art deco with the Empire State and Chrysler building, modern with the Citigroup buildings and even ultra modern with any black box Trumps throws up and the Hearst Building. Almost anything can fit in New York because just like its people, cuisine, entertainment and culture, the skyline is diverse.


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## Ebola

You're totally right; NY is the only city in the world where any building will fit in almost anywhere because it's so damn diverse. We have the great classics like the Chrysler, the most beautiful skyscraper in the world, to sexy, futuristic glass towers like the TWC. In a decade, we'll have so many diverse supertalls that no one else will even be able to come close. This city is about to have its biggest skyscraper building boom ever and the results of it will forever transform the skyline into something so utterly amazing that everyone will be envious.


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## TalB

http://www.nypost.com/seven/0419200...ity_building_regionalnews_frankie_edozien.htm
*HIGH RISE IN CITY BUILDING*

By FRANKIE EDOZIEN

April 19, 2007 -- The Big Apple is experiencing its biggest housing building boom in 30 years, according to an analysis from city Comptroller Bill Thompson. 

Officials issued building permits for 62,526 residential units in 2005 and 2006. This two-year total is the most since 1971 and 1972. 

According to Economic Notes, Thompson's quarterly publication, even though the number of permits dropped 14 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006, from the fourth quarter of 2005, permit issuance remains high in 2007. 

Thompson also noted that the city added 62,200 payroll jobs last year.


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## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_206/cityissuesnewstop.html
Volume 19 Issue 49 | April 20 - 26, 2007

*City issues new stop work order on Tribeca project*

By Brooke Edwards

Northern Tribeca is rife with controversial development projects currently underway within blocks of each other, and 415 Washington St. is no exception. 

The city Department of Buildings last week issued another stop work order on the seven-story development, which counts actor James Gandolfini as one of its principal investors. 

Thirty-two complaints have been registered with the D.O.B. since demolition work on the former parking lot and gas station began last May. D.O.B. has issued five violations, three stop work orders and nearly $5,000 in fines that have yet to be paid, all for vibrations caused by the demolition in neighboring landmarked buildings and for construction crews working without the proper permits.

As planned, 415 Washington will have 30 residential units for sale, ranging from 1,200 to over 3,500 square feet in the penthouse, according to project architect Joseph Pell Lombardi. He expects construction to be completed around February of next year on the Atlantic Walk building, near Laight St.

The project first raised red flags for many nearby residents when the developer applied for a special rebuilding permit, based on a foundation from a building that burned down in 1932. 

To qualify for a rebuilding permit, which can allow developers to construct a bigger building than what is legally allowed in the area, the original structure has to be mostly intact or it must have its original foundation untouched. The permit for 415 Washington was granted on the basis of using the original foundation.

Mark Stern, a resident of neighboring 430 Greenwich St., along with his attorney Jack Lester and a group of residents, challenged Atlantic’s acquisition of a rebuild permit and has been putting pressure on the developer and the D.O.B. for months.

Last week, Atlantic Walk changed their building permit application to a new construction. “It will be a new building,” Lombardi said. 

But Stern and other residents are still concerned about the size of the project.

The developers applied for a variance from the Board of Standards and Appeals that would allow them to build outside the zoning restrictions. Currently, Northern Tribeca is still zoned as a commercial district, although there have been plans in the works to rezone the area as residential for some time.

The B.S.A. eventually allowed 415 Washington St. a variance for a residential conversion, but refused their request to build beyond the zoned 5.0 floor to area ratio.

However, Stern says that to make the property conform to the required F.A.R., they simply removed interior floor space but did not change the bulk of the building.

Stern says there is nothing to stop the owners from adding the removed floor space down the road.

Lombardi explained that there are some duplex units with 22-foot ceilings, a feature the developer can’t change.

“It’s not possible in that it’s illegal,” Lombardi said.

Stern and other residents also distrust the developer’s engineer, since the company, Cifron Environmental Services, has been found guilty by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection of falsifying data about hazardous substances seeping into a lake. 

“Unfortunately, very often the Department of Buildings is willing to take the work of a developer or an engineer hired by a developer or a property owner as the final word with very little critical thinking or follow-up to check and see that what they are saying is true,” Stern said.

A Buildings spokesperson declined to comment on the agency’s followup procedures.

Though the developer has scaled back their original plans, neighbors are still concerned for the safety of their buildings with the track record that has been established. 

Stern said he watched from the window of his apartment on May 1 as two moving trucks pulled up at midnight. He says 10 guys got out, running and shouting, and had put up fencing and padlocks around the existing parking lot in about 10 minutes.

The next day, Stern says, they brought in a large mechanical digger and began work before any permits had been filed with the city. This resulted in the first stop work order issued on the property.

“These people are operating recklessly and not proceeding with any indication of caution for the surrounding buildings,” Stern said.

Community Board 1 has heard Stern’s concerns, but they have tabled the issue until they can get more documentation and information from the city on the complicated and ever-changing development.

“We’re fortunate in that we can deal with it ourselves,” Stern said. “We can raise the $20,000 to hire our own lawyers and engineers. But what about people who cannot afford to do that? People are being left vulnerable by those we think we are paying to protect us.”


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## krull

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## krull

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## paradyto

krull said:


> Ok this is a list of alot of proposed buildings over 12 floors in Manhattan. I know there are probably more but I don't have those renderings yet. But if someone has one that I haven't posted please let me know.
> 
> 
> *Manhattan Proposed Buildings:*
> 
> 
> *200 Greenwich Street (WTC2):* 78 floors - 1,254 feet
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> *175 Greenwich Street (WTC3):* 71 floors - 1,155 feet
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> *150 Greenwich Street (WTC4):* 65 floors
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> *West Street Residential Tower:* 65 floors
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> *610 Lexington Avenue:* 61 floors
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> *440 West 42nd Street:* 60 floors
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> *605 West 42nd Street:* 60 floors
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> *160 West 62nd Street:* 55 floors
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> *Intercontinental Hotel (On Nassau Street):* 55 floors
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> *80 South Street:* 50 floors - 835 feet
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> *110 West 57th Street:* 50 floors
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> *70 West 45th Street:* 50 floors
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> *West 57th Street Tower (Next to 9A):* 48 floors
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> *22 East 23rd Street:* 47 floors
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> *301 Forty Sixth Avenue:* 46 floors
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> *Radisson Financial (99 Washington Street):* 42 floors
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> *11 Times Square:* 40 floors - 600 ft
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> *400 Park Avenue Tower:* 40 floors - 417 ft
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> *Port Authorhority Bus Terminal Office Tower:* 40 floors
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> *Two Sutton Place:* 40 floors
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> *Gold Street Hotel:* 38 floors
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> *Global Diamond Exchange Tower:* 35 floors
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> *Holiday Inn Financial (50 Trinity Place):* 35 floors
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> *Times Square Hotels (337-343 West 39th Street):* 35 floors/32 floors
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> *Sheraton Downtown (100 Greenwich Street):* 35 floors
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> *176 Madison Avenue:* 34 floors
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> *The Remy (On West 28th Street):*
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> *47 East 34th Street:* 32 floors
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> *510 Madison Avenue:* 30 floors
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> *808 Columbus Avenue:* 29 floors
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> *West 60th & 61st Street Residential Complex:* 28/15/10 floors
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> *Fairfield Inn (126 Water Street):* 26 floors
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> *210 West 91st Street:* 25 floors
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> *Chelsea Hotel (128 West 29th Street):* 25 floors
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> *1800 Park Avenue:* 24 floors
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> *Sundari Lofts (On Madison Avenue):* 22 floors
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> *160 East 22nd Street:* 21 floors
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> *Horizen (On 23rd Street):* 21 floors
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> *Museum For African Art Tower (On 5th Avenue):* 21 floors
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> *Linden 78 (On West 78th Street):* 20 floors
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> *250 East 49th Street:* 20 floors
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> *4070 Broadway:* 20 floors
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> *Holiday Inn Express (20 Maiden Lane):* 20 floors
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> *241 Fifth Avenue:* 20 floors
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> *Strand Hotel (33 West 37th Street):* 19 floors
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> *Sheraton Four Points (66 Charlton Street):* 19 floors
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> *211 East 51st Street:* 19 floors
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> *87 Lafayette Tower:* 19 floors
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> *2075 Broadway:* 19 floors
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> *Wyndham Hotel (37 West 24th Street):* 18 floors
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> *Hilton Herald Square (59 West 39th Street):* 18 floors
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> *Marriot Fairfield (116 West 28th Street):* 17 floors
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> *The New School Tower (Corner of 14th & 5th Avenue):* 16 floors
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> *East River Science Park (Complex):* 15/12 floors
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> *Delancey Tower:* 15 floors
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> *37 East 4th Street:* 15 floors
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> *The Avant (559 West 23rd Street):* 13 floors
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> *John Jay College (524 West 59th Street):* 12 floors
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> *122 Greenwich Avenue:* 12 floors
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> *245 10th Avenue:* 12 floors
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> *********
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> *Westside Tower (34th Street & 10th Avenue):* ? floors
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> *161 Maiden Lane:* ? floors


Wow


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## ZZ-II

:bash:, delete the pics from your Quote!! because members with a slow connections have a big problem with that!


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## ZZ-II

delete, wrong thread


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## krull

*Nation's Tallest Hotel Tower May Rise in N.Y.*


By ELIOT BROWN
April 19, 2007

*A developer has proposed building a 90-plus-story hotel* near the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, people familiar with the plans say. *The tower would be the tallest hotel in the country as currently planned, rising 980 feet.*

*The group proposing the tower, Extell Development*, is one of three entities vying for a state contract to build a huge hotel* on 35th Street and Eleventh Avenue.* The facility would serve the Javits Center, which is planning an expansion, and act as a key piece of the city and state's ambitious efforts to completely reinvent Midtown's far west side.

*The other two developers, said to be the Moinian Group and FaulknerUSA, are proposing towers that would rise 58 and 70 stories*, respectively. All three proposals, which include between 1,200 and 1,300 rooms, could be altered before the final bids are submitted.

The designs come as the state is seeking a hotel to accompany its plans for an expansion of the Javits Center, which has long been criticized as being too small to accommodate the city's needs for convention space. A 340,000-square-foot expansion was approved last year, though the new Spitzer administration is currently reviewing the proposal and is likely planning revisions.

A vice president at the real estate firm CB Richard Ellis who specializes in the hospitality industry, Jeffrey Dauray, said the area will have a tremendous need for hotel space as the surrounding area is developed.

"The Javits Center is really positioned to attract a significant amount of business with an expanded convention facility," Mr. Dauray said. "I really believe that hotel, serving as the convention center's hotel, will benefit from the demand that New York should provide."

The push for the hotel is but one item on a laundry list of giant projects planned for the area. *The state will soon put out to bid up to 13 million square feet of residential and office space over the Hudson rail yards; the city is planning a $2.1 billion extension of the No. 7 subway, and developers are negotiating with the state over plans to build a giant mixed-use project comprising a stadium and rail station across from Pennsylvania Station.*

The state had initially hoped to select a developer by March. A spokesman for New York's Empire State Development Corporation, Errol Cockfield, did not offer a timetable but said the state has asked developers to give more specifics in their proposals.

Numerous people familiar with the project said the state intends to strongly consider the need for subsidy from developers.

"What they told us is at the end of the day, the best financial plan is going to win," a land use chairwoman at Community Board 4, Anna Levin, said.


© 2007 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## NovaWolverine

Great news!


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## krull

*Office space demand up at Ground Zero site*










*Rents are up and vacancies down in the financial district surrounding the World Trade 
Center site, improving the market prospects for the four office towers now being built 
at Ground Zero, including the 1,776-foot, $2.9 billion Freedom Tower.*


By Martha T. Moore
April 19, 2007

NEW YORK — A hot office market is casting a glow over the controversial Freedom Tower.

*Rents are up and vacancies down in the financial district surrounding the World Trade Center site, improving the market prospects for the four office towers now being built at Ground Zero, including the 1,776-foot, $2.9 billion Freedom Tower.*

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the Freedom Tower, says it has talked to investors who want to buy into the building.

"A building that only a year ago people were describing as everything from a high risk to a white elephant is now being viewed as a valuable property," says Anthony Shorris, Port Authority executive director. No deals have been struck, he says.

Office rents in lower Manhattan returned to pre-9/11 levels for the first time during the first quarter of 2007, according to a report from real estate agency Cushman & Wakefield. *The vacancy rate for prime office space in the neighborhood fell to 6.3% for the first three months of the year from 12.5% in the first quarter of 2006.*

As lower Manhattan struggled to recover from the 9/11 attacks, government agencies promised to lease almost half the space in the Freedom Tower in order to make it financially feasible to build.

The strong real estate market now puts the 10 million square feet of office space being built at Ground Zero "in a very positive light," says John Cefaly, vice chairman of Cushman & Wakefield. There's "tremendous demand" for office space.

*Demolition on the former Deutsche Bank building, the black-shrouded building across the street from the Trade Center site, finally began this month after years of delay. The investment and commercial bank J.P. Morgan Chase may build a tower on the site.* When the office market was weaker, the site had been considered for an apartment building.

The cultural building planned for Ground Zero, which originally was to be occupied by four different groups, continues to shrink. Current plans call for the building to house one theater company. Like the World Trade Center memorial, it must be redesigned to cost less, city officials said this week.

The cultural building has been altered so much that planners should scrap it and start over, says Tom Healey of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, a non-profit arts group. He'd prefer an outdoor amphitheater on the site.


Copyright 2007 USA TODAY.


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## ZZ-II

"Demolition on the former Deutsche Bank building, the black-shrouded building across the street from the Trade Center site, finally began this month after years of delay. The investment and commercial bank J.P. Morgan Chase may build a tower on the site. When the office market was weaker, the site had been considered for an apartment building."

is that site maybe for the WTC5 or another tower which has nothing to do with the WTC?


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## Ebola

That's where 5WTC will be built, 130 Liberty Street.


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## ZZ-II

hopefully taller than the old


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## krull

*Tall tower, high rents*


By Dana Rubinstein
April 21, 2007

Talk about the Manhattanization of Brooklyn: A new mega-development slated for the booming border of Fort Greene and Downtown is being built by the same real-estate giant that built a luxury Xanadu with a Whole Foods in the lobby on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

*AvalonBay, a Virginia-based development group, will build a $250-million luxury “community” on the land bounded by Myrtle Avenue, Gold and Prince streets.* The massive development will hold 600 market-rate rentals — more than three times the number of units in the iconic Williamsburgh Savings Bank building, the tallest building in Brooklyn.

“It will be similar to the Avalon on Chrystie Street,” said Joe Korbel, a spokesman for the developers. “I’m not sure there will be a Whole Foods, but there should be ground-floor retail. And there will be a lot of amenities.”

*Korbel said that the building was still “in creative design,” so no renderings were available.*

The $70-million land purchase was first reported in the New York Sun.

If the Lower East Side development is anything to judge by, this project should come laden with perks — for those who can afford them.

In addition to the Whole Foods, the Chrystie Street building has a rooftop sundeck, a fitness center, a resident lounge complete with billiards, and 24-hour concierge service.

And tenants pay through their organic-produce-loving noses for it.

According to the leasing office, the average studio runs $2,500 a month, the typical one-bedroom runs $3,500 and two-bedrooms run $5,000.

*Construction will begin on the 42-floor Brooklyn project in September*, and the units will be ready for occupancy by March 2009.


©2007 The Brooklyn Paper


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## Ginza

Allthe projects posted above look cool and diverse say does anyone have info on the Museum for African Art Tower I will greatly appreciate it if somone could inform me about this project


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## Don Omar

ask and ye shall receive


> Museum for African Art Finds Its Place on Fifth Avenue
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
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> 
> 
> _Designs were unveiled Thursday for a building by Robert A.M. Stern that will be the permanent home for the Museum for African Art, on Fifth Avenue at 110th Street. It will be the first museum built along Museum Mile since the Guggenheim, 1959._
> 
> *February 9, 2007, Friday*
> By SEWELL CHAN
> nytimes.com
> 
> The Museum for African Art, which has had a nomadic existence since it opened in 1984, will finally gain a permanent home in a soaring new building designed by Robert A. M. Stern, on Fifth Avenue between 109th and 110th Streets, officials announced yesterday.
> 
> Models and renderings of the new structure, which will face the northeast corner of Central Park, were unveiled at a news conference at the Guggenheim Museum, some 20 blocks south of the site.
> 
> Presiding over the event, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg hailed the project as ''the first new construction of a museum on Museum Mile since the great Guggenheim opened in 1959.''
> 
> With 90,000 square feet, including 16,000 square feet of exhibition space, the building will give the Museum for African Art a long-coveted base, said Elsie McCabe, the institution's president. Officials hope to break ground in the spring of 2008 and complete construction by the end of 2009.
> 
> The estimated cost is $80 million, of which $49 million has been raised, including $12 million from the city.
> 
> A tower of 115 luxury condominiums will be built above the museum, under a partnership between the museum and two developers, Brickman and Sidney Fetner Associates. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the structure will be a shimmering glass wall made up of what Mr. Stern's firm calls ''dancing mullions,'' after the slender vertical members that form the division between window units
> 
> At the museum's center will be a great hall entered from Fifth Avenue, with the mullions on the left and a soaring wall on the right, made of richly colored etimoe wood from Ghana, that curves upward to form the ceiling.
> 
> The wall ''suggests, if you look at it, the woven shapes of baskets and so forth -- and weaving is so much a part of African art,'' Mr. Stern said in an interview. ''It's not a literal interpretation. It's an abstract one.''
> 
> At the rear, a cylindrical enclosure sheathed in perforated copper that Mr. Stern likened to a drum will house a staircase. Mr. Stern, who is dean of the Yale School of Architecture, called it a ''21st-century version'' of the concrete stairwell enclosures at Louis I. Kahn's Yale University Art Gallery, considered a Modernist masterpiece.
> 
> The New York firm SCLE Architects will work with Mr. Stern on the project.
> 
> He noted that his other works of public architecture -- the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass.; the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, an ornithology center in Jamestown, N.Y.; and a planned American Revolution Center at Valley Forge, Pa. -- have revolved to some extent around a personality.
> 
> ''This, like the Rockwell, is a major art museum, but it's not built around a person, but around a continent,'' Mr. Stern said. ''It takes Africa out of the museums of natural history where it sometimes is -- and also out of museums of the modern art.'' He noted that over the last century, African masks and figures have sometimes been displayed as if their function were to inspire the Cubism of Braque or Picasso.
> 
> Founded as the Center for African Art in 1984 by Susan Mullin Vogel, now a professor of art history at Columbia University, the museum gained broad recognition for its innovative conceptual approaches to exhibiting African art.
> 
> It occupied two adjacent town houses on East 68th Street before moving to rented quarters in SoHo in 1993. Around 2000, Ms. McCabe arranged a partnership with Edison Schools, the for-profit education company, to buy a parcel on Fifth Avenue from a housing developer. (She said the site had once housed a low-rise commercial building.)
> 
> Plans called for Edison to build a school and a corporate headquarters on the site while providing space for the museum to build a structure for itself. In 2001 the company's stock price nose-dived, and it abandoned the project in 2002, shortly after the museum had moved to a temporary location in Long Island City, Queens.
> 
> With a loan from the Community Preservation Corporation, the museum secured the land from Edison by 2003. Then, with help from two of its trustees -- John L. Tishman of the Tishman Realty and Construction Corporation and Jonathan D. Green of the Rockefeller Group Development Corporation -- the museum arranged a partnership with the two developers, Brickman and Sidney Fetner.
> 
> The city's Economic Development Corporation recently arranged the sale of four other parcels to the partnership, clearing the way for the work to begin.
> 
> Mr. Stern said the challenge was to design a museum with ''a strong civic public identity within the larger framework of a commercial apartment house -- and at the same time, to make a building that is glassy and open, but not a knee-jerk glass block.''
> 
> Ms. McCabe said: ''We knew if anybody could marry us distinctively with a residential building, he could. And God bless him, he did.''
> 
> A Harvard-trained lawyer who worked for Mayor David N. Dinkins from 1990 to 1993, Ms. McCabe has led the museum for nine years. She oversees a staff of 18 and an annual budget of roughly $3 million.
> 
> The museum has organized about 55 exhibitions, many of them traveling across the United States and so far to 17 other countries. It has published more than 40 books and provided teacher training and curriculums to more than 350 schools.
> 
> Although the museum has eschewed collecting in favor of borrowing works from other institutions, it does plan a small permanent exhibition at the new site.
> 
> ''We're a small museum that's populated by zealots,'' Ms. McCabe said. ''We not only want to introduce children and adults to the beauty of African art, we want to introduce them in a variety of ways to the beauty and the majesty of the people who created it too.''
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _A rendering of the lobby of the new home for the Museum for African Art._
> 
> _Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The site from above, looking east._ From Wired New York


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## Ginza

Thank you Don Omar 'Gracias'


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## krull

*Port Authority Is Reviving Plans for Bus Station Tower*


By CHARLES V. BAGLI
Published: April 25, 2007

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is resurrecting plans to build a skyscraper over the north wing of the bus terminal on Eighth Avenue between 42nd and 41st Streets.

*The authority plans to enter into exclusive negotiations for the next six months with the developers — Lawrence Ruben Company and Vornado Realty Trust — to build a 1.39-million-square-foot, glass-and-steel tower.* If a deal cannot be struck, the Port Authority will allow other developers to bid. The authority’s board is expected to approve the plan today.

The new agreement revives an eight-year-old project and brings an end to litigation between the authority and the two developers. After a competition in 1999, the Port Authority selected Vornado and the Lawrence Ruben Company to build a $500 million office tower with large electronic signs.

The developers agreed to pay more than $110 million for the development rights and to renovate the terminal’s north wing. But the project fell by the wayside in 2001 after the dot-com collapse and a decline in the economy. Shortly after, Vornado sued the authority in an attempt to retain control of the project.

Late last year, Steven Roth, chairman of Vornado, approached the authority’s chairman, Anthony R. Coscia, about settling the litigation and restarting the project.


Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company


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## krull

*Chase Says It Will Move if City Balks*


By CHARLES V. BAGLI
April 25, 2007

*JPMorgan Chase is threatening to move thousands of employees from Midtown to Stamford, Conn., if New York officials do not give it a larger subsidy package to build a 50-story skyscraper near ground zero*, according to real estate executives and government officials involved in the talks.

Officials view the bank’s threat to relocate outside Manhattan as the latest move in what has become a routine game of corporate poker in which companies try to extract special benefits. But Chase has gotten in touch with at least one large property owner in downtown Stamford, although it remains unclear whether the bank is serious or bluffing.

*Chase struck a tentative deal with the Port Authority in late March to pay about $300 million for the development rights at the site of the soon-to-be-demolished Deutsche Bank building, at Greenwich and Cedar Streets. Chase planned to build a 1.3-million-square-foot tower there and move thousands of employees from Park Avenue to Lower Manhattan*, in what was widely regarded as a boon for the beleaguered district.

Officials expected that the move would solidify Lower Manhattan’s place as a world financial center and validate the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site as a commercial complex.

In subsequent negotiations,* state and city officials offered the bank the kind of benefit package available to any company moving to ground zero: a combination of tax breaks, cash payments and subsidized electricity benefits worth more than $100 million. But Chase has continually pushed city and state officials for a batch of subsidies akin to what Goldman Sachs got in 2005 to build a headquarters in Battery Park City.* Critics described that deal as an egregious example of corporate welfare.

State and city officials have resisted the bank’s demands. They regard the Goldman deal as an aberration. And Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has said that the city will not grant any special benefits beyond what any other company would get.

“We would hope that Chase recognizes that Lower Manhattan is the financial capital of the world and that they would want to be located here,” said John Gallagher, a spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg. “Because the market in Lower Manhattan is strong and because Chase will realize more than $100 million with the incentives in place for Lower Manhattan, giving them an additional incentive package at this point would be difficult to justify.”

Joseph Evangelisti, a spokesman for Chase, declined to comment. Last week, Chase reported a 55 percent rise in first-quarter profits.

Stamford has been a relatively sleepy rival for Manhattan corporations compared with Jersey City, where U.S. Trust, Goldman Sachs, Chase, UBS and other financial institutions have moved at least part of their operations. Until recently, only UBS and some hedge funds had major operations in Stamford. But now the Royal Bank of Scotland is building a $400 million office complex there for what will be its North American headquarters. The complex includes a 95,000-square-foot trading floor and room for up to 1,400 traders.

State and city officials in New York continue to express optimism that a deal can be struck downtown for Chase. One official, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about Chase, said that the snag centered on sales-tax breaks on building materials for the tower, while another said it had to do with payments the bank would be required to make in lieu of taxes.

Office rents are considerably cheaper downtown than uptown, but holding the line on subsidies has still been difficult since the 2005 Goldman Sachs deal. Goldman negotiated with state and city officials to build a headquarters in Battery Park City, a significant financial investment and the first dramatic boost for Lower Manhattan after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

But after a series of missteps by aides to Gov. George E. Pataki, the state was forced to grant an unusually large subsidy package to ensure that Goldman would build the tower.

Goldman Sachs got incentives worth an estimated $650 million in cash grants, tax-exempt bonds, sales and utility tax breaks and discounts on required payments in lieu of taxes. Since then, Chase, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch have sought similar packages. City and state officials have rebuffed them.

“The atmosphere in the city and downtown has changed dramatically since Sept. 11,” said Patrick J. Foye, co-chairman of the Empire State Development Corporation, who is talking with Chase executives. “Rents downtown are very strong and demand continues to grow. The state would welcome JPMorgan moving part of its operations to the city’s vibrant downtown.”


Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company


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## Taylorhoge

I hope they go through with building this.No more suburban office parks!


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## ZZ-II

great news. every day a new 40 storey + tower for NY :cheers:


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/realestate/22post.html?ref=realestate
*A Shining Moment for Builders*

By C. J. HUGHES
Published: April 22, 2007









_Alchemy Properties

MALLEABLE METALS The Indigo condo in Chelsea features an aluminum stripe running 13 stories tall and bisecting a field of zinc._









_Qubdesign

At the 245 10th Avenue condo, a stainless steel wall is punctuated by a few windows._

THE facade of the Indigo, a luxury condominium rising at 125 West 21st Street, near Sixth Avenue in Chelsea, will have a wide stripe of purplish aluminum, running 13 stories from the roof deck to the sidewalk and bisecting a field of zinc. 

Designed by FxFowle Architects, the building has 52 apartments — studios to three-bedrooms priced from $585,000 to $2.1 million — and half have sold in two months, according to Joel Breitkopf, a principal of Alchemy Properties, the developer.

He ascribes the sales numbers, at least in part, to all the metal that dresses the building to stand out among competitors. “Glass has led to too many monolithic facades,” Mr. Breitkopf said. “They’re like office buildings.”

Last year, metal exterior walls — mostly stainless steel, aluminum and zinc — accounted for 18 percent of all new multifamily buildings nationwide, a 50 percent jump from 2004, according to the Metal Initiative, a program by the metal industry to promote the use of metal materials in buildings.

Metal can be cheaper to install, because of fewer engineered parts and less labor involved. And typically it is a better insulator than glass, so air-conditioners don’t have to work as hard — a factor earning it environmental plaudits, according to developers, manufacturers and architects. 

Metal’s decorative potential, though, is its most praiseworthy quality, they said. It is fairly easy to tint and shape.

At 51 Walker Street, off Church Street in TriBeCa, aluminum with etched and layered contours is a credible stand-in for cast iron, the area’s historic building material. 

In fact, without the metal facade, the condo, whose 15 two-bedrooms closed this winter, would most likely not have won approval by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Glass and other choices would probably have been rejected as not in keeping with the style of the neighborhood, and cast iron would have been prohibitively expensive, said John Cetra, the architect. 

Glass-walled homes are as old as Modernism; in urban settings, they received validation when Richard Meier built a trio of condos near the Hudson River, architects say.

Yet wraparound windows may not be appealing without scenic views, said Jared Della Valle, the architect of 245 10th Avenue, a planned luxury condo at West 24th Street, whose lot hooks around the back of a gas station.

So a stainless steel wall, punctuated by a few windows, is needed to screen it, Mr. Della Valle said.

Since February, a quarter of the building’s 19 one- and two-bedrooms have sold, at prices ranging from $1.75 million to $6.2 million, according to a spokeswoman for Grasso Holdings, the Philadelphia-based developer.

Also, in the last few years, lasers have allowed for smaller cutting machines, ones that can fit in an architect’s office. Now, more design trials can take place in-house. At 245 10th Avenue, that process created the raised diamond patterns that will grace the steel, according to Mr. Della Valle. 

With metal, “the ingredients aren’t new,” he said. “It’s just that the opportunities are greater.”


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## Don Omar

Staten Island Considers New Plans to Keep Its Youth From Leaving









_A St. George warehouse is being made into the Pearl at 130 Bay Street Landing condo complex._

By PATRICK McGEEHAN
Published: April 25, 2007
nytimes.com

To reverse the flow of younger people leaving Staten Island, the borough should entice developers to build more affordable apartments close to the ferry, according to a study released yesterday.

The St. George neighborhood near the ferry to Manhattan is the closest thing to a downtown district in the borough, but it lacks the vibrancy of other sections of New York City that have become havens for young professionals and artists, said Jonathan Bowles, who wrote the study for the Center for an Urban Future, a public policy group.

*What is needed, the study said, is an immediate change in zoning rules, which have prevented more dense developments near the waterfront.*

“If Staten Island is going to hang on to its young people and attract young professionals from elsewhere, it’s going to have to have a dynamic neighborhood with new amenities,” said Mr. Bowles, who presented the center’s findings at a conference of the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, which commissioned the study. “In a lot of ways, Staten Island is doing very well right now, but under the hood there are a number of mounting problems.”

*Staten Island is the city’s fastest-growing borough.* That growth has produced new woes, Mr. Bowles said, like rapidly rising housing prices, congested roads and a shortage of high-paying jobs. The lack of a comprehensive plan to solve those problems is very likely to continue driving younger people away, he said.

In the 1990s, the borough’s population increased by 17 percent to about 450,000, but the number of residents ages 18 to 34 decreased by 5 percent, according to the study. That shift reduced the share of residents ages 18 to 34 to fewer than 23 percent from about 28 percent. Many of those who left moved to New Jersey.

Even opponents of rapid development of the borough support revitalizing the St. George area. John V. Luisi, a lawyer who lives in the neighborhood and waged an unsuccessful campaign for borough president in 2005, said developers should be encouraged to build more apartments and stores within a short walk of the ferry terminal, the island’s transit hub.

“There’s a general consensus that we’d like to achieve a critical mass of people in the area and attract appropriate retailing, such as a supermarket,” Mr. Luisi said, citing the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, with its large Fairway store, as a model.

But developers have been stymied by recent zoning changes that were aimed at curbing sprawl in other parts of Staten Island, which have been filled with tightly packed complexes of town houses, business leaders said.

“The borough’s basically been turned into a borough for more expensive one- and two-family detached homes,” said R. Randy Lee, a builder and the chairman of the economic development corporation.

From 2000 to 2006, the median price of a single-family home on the island doubled to $425,000, according to the study.

Mr. Lee is leading the push for the borough to draft a comprehensive master plan that would direct future growth to appropriate areas. A master plan is one of the recommendations in the center’s study and Staten Island’s members of the City Council plan to call for each borough to have its own master plan.

But that idea does not have the support of Daniel L. Doctoroff, a deputy mayor, who appeared at the conference to promote Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s broad vision for the city.

“We’ve done a lot of the master-planning for Staten Island,” Mr. Doctoroff said. “We’re doing it in chunks. We don’t think we need one comprehensive plan. What we have found is the one big plan typically will die of its own weight.”

Mr. Doctoroff said that City Hall would help in looking for ways to solve Staten Island’s traffic and transit problems. The borough has the longest average commuting times in the metropolitan region, with some residents — many of whom work in Manhattan — spending three hours a day getting to and from their jobs.

Earlier in the day, Christine C. Quinn, the Council speaker, announced at the conference that the city would pay $350,000 *for the study of a light-rail system that would run along the island’s West Shore and across the Bayonne Bridge to connect to New Jersey Transit’s tracks in Hudson County.*

“It’s definitely feasible,” Mr. Doctoroff said. “It’s definitely something worth looking into, which is why we’re looking at it.”

__________________________________________________


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## krull

*Behold, a Mini-City Rises
It’s Canary Wharf on the waterfront. Millions of feet of office space, thousands of apartments—Bloomberg’s developers dream big in the Far West Side*













by Matthew Scheuerman
Published: April 24, 2007

Five years ago, Mayor Michael Bloomberg painted a utopian picture of the future of New York on the canvas of the disjointed tenements and taxi garages of midtown west.

It was to be a city where college-educated office workers would walk to work at brand-new office buildings with floor plates the size of football fields. A tree-lined boulevard, broader than Park Avenue, would slice up New York’s bulky street grid and draw pedestrians down to a gigantic civic complex with a gigantic football stadium.

The boulevard was called Olympic Boulevard; the stadium, Olympic Stadium.

Remember those days?

The Mayor’s aides called the plan for the new West Side “magnificent,” “the single best investment in our future,” “monumental” and a blueprint to create “one of the world’s great urban places.”

The slides of what the neighborhood would look like in 20 years bore a certain resemblance to socialist-realist art, complete with messianic rays of sunlight streaming down to an area as tall and dense as Madison Avenue.

And guess what? It’s all coming true—sort of.


Even now that the ill-fated football stadium and Olympic bid—which were, after all, supposed to act as catalysts for the new development—have fallen by the wayside, the new neighborhood is taking shape.* Some 20 projects are somewhere on the drawing board, and a few others have already broken ground.*

*The ones furthest along are the residential towers, since it will take until 2012 at the earliest to complete the real engine of the West Side: the extension of the No. 7 line west to 11th Avenue and south to 34th Street. Still, even office developers, energized by a bullish midtown commercial market, are publicly discussing new buildings for the district, even if only to advertise their availability to prospective tenants*.

“A lot of things are happening faster than what we expected, given the state of the real-estate market, with rents just going through the roof and building prices following that trajectory,” said James Parrott, deputy director and chief economist for the Fiscal Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. “It seems like the attention that will be given to the Far West Side will begin sooner than it otherwise would have.”

*The plan was supposed to provide about 24 million square feet of office space (the equivalent of about nine Freedom Towers), and 12,600 new apartments, in the 45-block area from 29th Street to 42nd Street and from Eighth Avenue to the Hudson River.* The tax revenue from the commercial buildings would pay back the $2.1 billion borrowed to build the extension of the No. 7 subway line down 11th Avenue.

“This plan will do for New York what Canary Wharf has done for London,” said Jeff Katz, president of Sherwood Equities, which owns both commercial and residential property in the district. “In order for Manhattan to remain one of the most critically important financial centers, it needed a place to grow. We didn’t really have a place to grow before Hudson Yards was put into place.”

In contrast to Canary Wharf, which is about three miles away from London’s traditional financial district, Hudson Yards is nearly adjacent to midtown Manhattan. It remains to be seen whether the same type of star-studded architecture will take hold in the West Side’s former warehouse district as it did in London. *Right now, experienced (if critically unacclaimed) architects like Costas Kondylis and Gene Kaufman have work going up. Sir Richard Rogers, Kohn Pedersen Fox, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill—all of which also designed for Canary Wharf—have projects on the table.*

But if the area does get developed according to plan, it will, more than any other business district in the city, have all been built from the ground up, without regard to historic preservation, in the span of a mere 30 years.


Plans have a way of biting back, however. In the two years it has taken for big-league developers to gather investors, draw up blueprints and sort through the thick regulations, nimble upstart builders have erected budget hotels on whichever parcels they found available.

In fact, on one block, just south of the Port Authority Bus Terminal, five budget hotels—called ‘pencil hotels’ because of their tall, narrow shape—have sprouted up, feeding the hunger for hotel rooms near Times Square and the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

Needless to say, however much the city likes its tourists, this isn’t what New Yorkers had in mind for a brave new West Side.

“This is what the market does,” said Joe Restuccia, executive director of the nonprofit Clinton Housing Development Company. “Someone comes along and says, ‘I can pay a lot of money for that site and build a cheap hotel and make a lot of money.’ Who would ever think that so many of them would cluster in this one place?”

Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff told The Observer that the hotels didn’t concern him much, precisely because they are concentrated on one block on the eastern side of the site.

“If you remember the zoning, we anticipated relatively lower-scale building between Eighth Avenue and Ninth, and Ninth and 10th, and that’s where most of this development is occurring,” he said. “The area that is going to go through the biggest change is between 10th and 12th avenues.”

*Residential development is, meanwhile, taking shape along two arteries: 42nd Street and 37th Street. On the far western end of 37th Street, near and along 11th Avenue, Baruch Singer—known for buying up large swaths of run-down tenements in Harlem—is planning two 40-story-plus hotels. Mr. Singer told The Observer that he is speaking with major hotel chains and planned to break ground by the end of the year.*

Five of the residential developers in the area overcame a major obstacle last month when they struck preliminary agreements with the state Housing Finance Authority for tax-exempt bonds to finance their structures. The bonds require developers to set aside 20 percent of the units for low-income households, but the high demand—and limited supply—for such cheap financing had threatened to forestall the Hudson Yards development indefinitely.

“For us, 37th Street was the most civilized of the options,” said Jon McMillan, planning director for the Rockrose Development Corporation, which broke ground on one building and is nearing work on another. “It doesn’t pass by any of the Port Authority infrastructure; it has been developing with cultural and retail options, and it is where the most things have been planned so far.”

That “infrastructure” is the spaghetti of entrance and exit tunnels and ramps to the Lincoln Tunnel and the Port Authority Bus Terminal that dominates the northeast end of the Hudson Yards. *One of the key real-estate deals to smooth out the terrain is a pair of mid-rise apartment complexes on either side of 37th Street between Ninth and 10th avenues. Called Hudson Mews North and South, the Dermot Company project will be built on a platform above the Lincoln Tunnel entrance and exit ramps—a challenge that has taken longer than expected to surmount.*

“The engineering and technical details of building on that site have been worked out, and we are looking for the most cost-effective way of satisfying the Port Authority and other engineering requirements,” Dermot president William Dickey told The Observer. “This is rather a unique situation. There is no other project like this in the city or in the Port Authority system.”

Mr. Dickey said that when the Port Authority first agreed to give the air rights to the Dermot Company, the two parties had hoped that ground would be broken this summer, with December as the outside date. These days, December is looking more realistic. The cost of the air rights is one part of the negotiations.

Though residential use is supposed to dominate the northern and eastern ends of the district, office towers are supposed to be arranged in an “L” shape, north-south along 11th Avenue opposite the newly reborn Javits Center and east-west in the low 30’s. Key to the southern corridor are the Metropolitan Transportation Authority railyards, which have yet to go out to bid.

But it’s telling that two landlords are willing to discuss some details of their projects.

Brookfield Properties, which owns most of the block between 31st and 33rd streets on the west side of Ninth Avenue, is drawing up plans for four towers. Mr. Katz, the president of Sherwood, has come up with a schematic plan for his 11th Avenue parcel to show off to financial companies.

Mr. Katz said he would not start without securing an anchor tenant—which is normal practice for office buildings—but both the Sherwood and Brookfield parcels are large enough to provide the 65,000-square-foot trading floors that investment banks like J.P. Morgan Chase are now looking to build at the World Trade Center site.


There are still several balls in the air, however, that community leaders who have helped to shape the plan say could make all the difference. Next month, the M.T.A. is supposed to put the eastern and western railyards—including the former site of the Olympic stadium—up for bid. The $1.7 billion expansion of the Javits Center, which was supposed to be one of the anchors of the new development, is being re-evaluated by the administration of Governor Eliot Spitzer.

And who knows just how far along private developers and the state are toward moving Madison Square Garden a block west, ripping the lid off of the subterranean Pennsylvania Station, and constructing another five million square feet of space in the vicinity? That’s a massive amount of supply that, even according to the city’s own estimates, would suck away developers’ interest from further west.

“I’m very skeptical they are going to get the railyards plan under way, and I think if nothing happens on the railyards now, then it’s in a generation,” said Anna Levin, co-chair of the land-use subcommittee for the local community board. “If you live in New York any period of time at all, you know that it is impossible to tell what sort of development will happen.”


Published in The New York Observer newspaper


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## krull

*A Global Boom Converges on New York Market*


BY MICHAEL STOLER
April 26, 2007

Investors from Britain, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Korea, and elsewhere around the world are pouring foreign capital into the New York City residential and commercial real estate market. Favorable exchange rates, soaring market values, and the promise of steady returns are attracting a record number of foreign investors into the city.

"Within the past six months, we have been introduced by investment brokers to private families from Singapore, South Korea, and a Middle Eastern royal family" interested in investing in New York City real estate, the managing member of Murray Hill Properties, Norman Sturner, said. *"New York City is a favorite destination, and when these individuals see this spectacular, safe, hospitable, and entertaining city, they naturally want to invest."*

*He added that China has more than $1 trillion of U.S. treasury bills and notes in its ever-expanding balance of trade accounts. "We are their largest trading partner," Mr. Sturner said. "If they invest just 2% in New York City real estate that is $20 billion of equity."*

Institutional and individual investors from Ireland are particularly bullish on New York City. Individual Irish investors are very active in purchasing units in residential condominiums in Manhattan. The Dublin-based Keane Mahony Smith Commercial has initiated the purchase of hundreds of condominium units. As noted on its Web site: "Buy with us and you buy at a fixed, discounted price before the properties hit the US Market. You can expect a rental income of up to 5% as well as a significant capital and currency gain on selling."

In particular, two condominium developments have been pre-sold to the Irish investors through Keane Mahony Smith. Irish investors bought all the units in the 46-story residential condominium tower rising on the northwest corner of Eighth Avenue and West 46th Street, known as 733–736 Eighth Ave., which will have 250 apartments. The same development team is building a 100,000-square-foot condominium building at 225 E. 34th St., between Park and Madison avenues.

Because of the efforts of Keane Mahony Smith Commercial, condominium developers have been able to pre-sell units in the building without incurring some of the associated soft costs of development. The Irish investors have also purchased condominium units in J.D. Carlisle's Centria at Rockefeller Plaza, a 34-story building at 18 W. 48th St., just south of Rockefeller Center, containing 152 units, and in the company's latest development Gramercy Green, at Third Avenue and East 23rd Street. Irish investors who prefer to own units on 42nd Street near the Hudson River are able to purchase units in the Moinian Organization's Atelier, through deals made with Keane Mahony Smith.

*"There has been a huge increase in the number of foreign investors that have expressed interest in investing and developing projects in New York City," the chief operating officer of Citi Habitats, Gary Malin, said. "The strength and stability of our city lends added appeal to foreign investors.* We represent clients from Ireland, Korea, and other Asian countries buying properties as rental investments, or to flip, depending on their investment strategies. We have received inquires from potential investors from England, the Middle East, and many European countries seeking to purchase blocks of units."

The managing partner at Massey Knakal Realty Services, Tim King, said, "I am a member of the Irish American Building Society, and we receive numerous inquiries from investors in ‘the old country' about opportunities in the States."

Late last year, a joint venture of Dublinbased Anglo Irish Bank and Timothy Haskin formed Peninsula Real Estate Fund I LP and Peninsula Real Estate LLC. The entity acquired the Beekman Tower Hotel at 3 Mitchell Place and the Eastgate Tower Hotel at 222 E. 39th St.

Anglo Irish Bank Corp. made its first acquisition in September 2004, when it purchased the 372,000-square-foot office building at 222 E. 41st St. for $210 million from the United Nations Pension Fund.

Last month, the British private equity group Dawnay Dale made its first acquisition in America. It bought a portfolio of 48 walk-up and elevator apartment buildings for about $225 million. The portfolio includes 1,141 apartments and 67 retail stores. Dawnay Dale is one of Britain's largest private equity groups, owning more than 410 commercial properties in Britain and Europe.

*"Foreign investment in commercial properties has been transparent for years, and recently we have seen transparent investment in the multifamily sector," the chairman of Massey Knakal Realty Services, Robert Knakal, said. "For many years this sector of foreign investment has been in the form of equity financing for local operators. This continues in a more significant way than most people could imagine, and today we are seeing this demand show it more overtly."*

One of the most active foreign investor groups is led by the Austria-based Macquarie Bank. In 2006, the consortium, which included Australian superannuation funds and institutions MTAA Superannuation Fund, Australian Retirement Fund, Westscheme, and Statewide Superannuation Trust, acquired a 52.5% stake in the New York-based parking company TMO Parent LCC, operating as Icon Parking Systems. ICON Parking was owned by the company's founders, the Mallah family and Goldman Sachs Whitehall Street Real Estate Fund. Last month, ICON Parking sold the six-story parking garage at 63–67 W. 35th St. for $31 million to Brack Capital Real Estate. As I reported last month, Brack plans to build a 300-room hotel on the site. Brack Capital Real Estate-USA is a subsidiary of Brack Capital Real Estate, part of Brack Capital Group, an Israelbased global holding company.

In March, Lev Leviev of Africa Israel USA, based in Israel, entered a 50/50 joint venture with Maurice Mann's Mann Realty Service, purchasing the landmark residential rental building ,the Apthorp, at 2207 Broadway. The joint venture paid $426 million for the property. The senior financing for the property was provided by Anglo Irish Bank.

Late last year, a Barcelona-based real estate development company, Espais, made its first acquisition in America when it purchased the site at 39–45 E. 29th St., where a 31-story, 132-unit residential condominium will be constructed.

Development is scheduled to begin this year on a mixed-use residential condominium and hotel tower at 400 Fifth Ave., at West 36th Street. The site was acquired last year for $225 million by Italy-based real estate development company Bi & Di Real Estate from a joint venture of Yitchak Tessler and Lehman Bros.

The 107-room Dylan Hotel, at 52 E. 41st St., is a boutique hotel in the former Chemists Club building. Last month, the Madrid-based Losan, a real estate investor specializing in hotels, paid $90 million, or about $850,000 a room. The purchase represented the company's first acquisition in North America.

For more than 20 years, Wafra Investment Advisory Group, beneficially owned by the Public Institution for Social Security of Kuwait, has been an active investor in real estate. Originally founded to manage funds in America for financial institutions of Kuwait and other Gulf states, Wafra has broadened its mission and now serves more than 30 institutional and private clients from around the world. In July 2005, a joint venture of Wafra and Normandy Real Estate Partners paid $33.7 million to acquire the 13-story, 139,000-square-foot office building at the foot of the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, N.J. In March, the joint venture sold the property for $44.4 million. The sale represented one of the highest prices per square foot ever paid for an office building in the Fort Lee submarket.

The largest commercial bank in Korea, Kookmin Bank, now owns KB Investment Trust Management Co., a joint asset manager with ING investment, which manages $10 trillion won of assets. According to real estate sources, KB Investment Management invested about $183 million with Tishman Speyer and its investment partners, the Blackrock Group and the California State Teachers Retirement System, in the $5.4 billion purchase of Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village.

*New York is not the only American city to witness an influx of foreign capital into its real estate markets. "In the past year, we have represented a consortium of South American investors in connection with the acquisition of several large office buildings in the Chicago Loop,"* a partner in the Chicago office of Greenberg Traurig, Michael Fishman, said. "The clients are attracted to the market because of the transparency of our legal system, the availability of attractive financing at historically low interest rates, and the liquidity of these types of real estate assets relative to real estate assets outside of the U.S. Investors believe that investment in large and dynamic 24/7 cities provides prospects for long-term appreciation."

*One has to agree with Mr. Knakal of Massey Knakal when he says: "We are experiencing a global economic boom as never has been seen before, providing capital creation at unprecedented levels. The deployment of much of this capital is targeted toward investments in the U.S., and specifically, New York real estate."*


© 2007 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## krull

Sorry photos not available anymore.


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## ZZ-II

awesome renders. the towers are looking really tall. when should the construction start?


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## krull

^ I am not sure when construction will start. But I think we will see some activity next year. Anyway those towers will be very tall. As tall as 1,200 feet and 1,360 feet.  For comparison, The Empire State buildings is 1,250 feet.


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## nygirl

Yeah but the esb is further east in that picture. To me they look like 900 footers or barely breaking 1000'. I hope they get a little taller than this but I know these are not final designs and heights. Just place setters.


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## Taylorhoge

That is going to look amazing when its done finally something to give the train travel its glory again


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## sbarn

nygirl said:


> Yeah but the esb is further east in that picture. To me they look like 900 footers or barely breaking 1000'. I hope they get a little taller than this but I know these are not final designs and heights. Just place setters.


I saw a presentation on this project by a guy from Related who claimed that the towers range from 1200 to 1350 ft tall.


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## nygirl

I don't doubt we've got a good chance at constructing this and next decades real major sites. I am expecting anything over 1'000' from nearly every article posted since 2005 on this situation. I have more faith in this than wtc since then. I'm just judging by the renders in this picture that look a little shy of 1200' if anything. I'd call the closer tower in that picture out on 900ft or so. It's not about the overall plans and visions it's about what is visual to me right now. From the buzz in the office and the articles in the papers this has the potential for real height. Compact peaks is what everyone here is expecting and assured we will get.


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## streetscapeer

that looks hott


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## krull

*50 West Street 
New York, New York*

Client: 50 West Street Equities 
Architect: Murphy/Jahn Architects 

*Located at 50 West Street between Joseph P. Ward and Rector Streets in lower Manhattan, this new 69-story, 700 foot tall tower is expected to contain approximately 542,000 sf.* The building will provide 349 residential units, 143 hospitality guest rooms, 2 floors of parking and lobby amenity areas. The building is expected to have 10 foot floor-to-floor heights and floor plates of approximately 7,500 sf.

http://www.de-simone.com/projects/residential/50west.html


***********


*Two New High Rises Coming to WTC South *


February 21, 2007 

Real estate development is on the rise in the area south of the World Trade Center, with two new towers recently added to the construction slate.

*The first is 50 West Street, located between West and Washington Streets at J.P. Ward Street (just north of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel Entrance). The project involves abatement and demolition of the location's three existing buildings, which will be replaced by a new 65-story residential tower and hotel.* Pending abatement and demolition-plan approval by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other agencies, the developer hopes to begin several months of deconstruction work as soon as spring 2007, followed by 32 months of construction.

Nearby at 111 Washington Street (at Carlisle Street), abatement and demolition of the parking garage and two neighboring buildings (numbers 109 and 107) are planned in the coming months. The project's start also depends on EPA approval, with plans to rebuild the site as a 50-story residential tower and hotel. The developer expects construction to last approximately two years.


http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/two_new_high_rises_85333.aspx


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## nygirl

Sweet. This will look good infront of the world trade from the ferry. If it's where I think it is I hope it takes the place of that narrow gloomy looking building. I hope there's minimal demolition in this area but that thing can go. Interesting though, krull. This will be an interesting one to watch.


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## steph35

i find the renewal of the station very good... simple in appearence but really efficient, more natural lighting, a large open space... good project!


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## Don Omar

*older news, but good visual*

Greening the Big Apple










Apr 26th 2007 | NEW YORK
From The Economist print edition

*The mayor's long-term plans for saving the environment *

THE city is in pretty good shape. Unemployment is at a record low. It is safer now than it was when Kennedy was president. Tourism is thriving. The bond rating is high. After the September 11th 2001 attack, many expected the worst for New York. But the mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has turned deficits into surpluses. He has also managed to make New Yorkers live healthier lives, banning smoking and trans-fats. Now, he has set his sights on the city's long-term sustainability.

The population is expected to grow by almost 1m to 9m by 2030—and the infrastructure is already crumbling. If something is not done to make the Big Apple greener, said Mr Bloomberg on April 22nd, New York will be on a “collision course with the environment”. He proceeded to unveil a 25-year vision that he hopes will be a model for other cities.

The mayor is proposing 127 new initiatives dealing with land, air, water, energy and transport. His proposals include introducing molluscs into the city's waterways as natural bio-filters, adding bicycle lanes and hastening the cleaning and rezoning of 7,600 acres (3,100 hectares) of contaminated land. He hopes to add 1m trees. New parks should mean that every New Yorker lives no more than 10 minutes away from one. School playgrounds will be open to the public.

Some of his provisions are even more ambitious. He plans to cut the city's greenhouse gas emissions by 30% in part by improving the efficiency of power plants. To pay for this, a $2.50 monthly surcharge will go on electricity bills. He argues that by spending $30 a year until 2015, every household will save $240 a year after that. This bid for energy conservation would be the broadest attack on climate change ever undertaken by an American city.

The most controversial proposal and the most politically courageous is congestion pricing. A one-time sceptic, Mr Bloomberg has been won over by the success of pricing in London and Singapore and now *intends to set up a three-year pilot programme. The $8 fee to enter Manhattan below 86th Street will, he hopes, encourage more people to use public transport, thus improving the air, general health (in some areas one in four children suffer from asthma) and the quality of life.* Taxis are exempt. By his reckoning, only 5% of New Yorkers commute to Manhattan by car. Those drivers will pay about half the fees, suburban commuters and commercial vehicles the rest.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's verdant governor, and Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair, both sent messages of support to the mayor. But Mr Bloomberg still has to win over his own state. *He hopes, for instance, that the state legislature will agree to create a body with authority to raise money for improving transport. *The city will commit $200m a year to such an authority and he wants Albany to match it, plus help from the federal government. Congestion pricing is expected to raise $380m in its first year alone.

Mr Bloomberg's vision is ambitious. But he needs to overcome Albany's doubts, and to win over public opinion in New York. He must do it fast: he will be in office for fewer than 1,000 more days.


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## Ebola

Holy crap. There's so much going on and so much more that's going to go on. Over the next years, we'll build a skyline in our skyline larger than nearly every other on this planet. All of the supertalls are just knocking on the door!


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## SaRaJeVo-City

^^ those 2 towers above look hella cool, the area around Empire State building needs to get filled up with some supertalls, it would look real cool...


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## krull

Ebola said:


> I'm not exactly sure, but there are NO HEIGHT LIMITS!
> 
> Not official:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anything is possible for Midtown! In a few weeks, we'll start to get info and maybe renderings and heights. There will be a plethora of supertalls by the ESB for sure!


They remind me of the twin towers with a special twist.


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## nygirl

germantower said:


> One question ebola.
> 
> Should we take this project for real?????
> I saw on Emporis alot of projects/towers unrealised/never built.
> 
> I am concerned that this is again nothing but hot air.
> 
> If this gets built it will be so awesome for NYCs skyline.I still hope for something in NYC over 600m.



It's definetly real. It's approved I believe and right now we are just waiting for official renderings.


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## ZZ-II

hopefully soon, can't wait


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## Don Omar

i'm so excited


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## Joey313

Those towers really dont look good in that area in my opinion. 
Maybe one tower would kind of fit in but two. I dont know maybe its just me


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## Newcastle Guy

Ebola said:


> Not official:


That looks great! Hopefully something like that will come to fruition.


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## TalB

I would rather see those building on the WTC site, b/c they look like the Twins only modern rather than the FT.


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## Ebola

The only problem I have with the NWTC is that the towers are all so different. Hopefully, they will all use the same color glass and will be lit up at night with the same colors.


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## krull

*Hotel and condo tower to rise at 839 Sixth Avenue*


14-MAY-07

J. D. Carlisle Development Corporation is erecting a 44-story mixed-use tower at 839 Avenue of the Americas between 29th and 30th Streets. 

The project will have a 250-room hotel operated by the Fitzpatrick Hotel Group and 320 residential condominium apartments. 

Perkins Eastman is the architectural firm for the development. 

*The hotel will occupy the first 8 floors and long-term-stay units will occupy floors 9 through 13. The residential condominiums will occupy floors 16 through 44.* 

The project is seeking a special permit for an underground garage and the local community board recommended approval March 8, 2007 and the Borough President recommended approval April 5, 2007. It is also seeking permission for a plaza with an open air cafe and the community board issued a favorable recommendation February 8, 2007. 

*A rendering of the building indicates that the hotel portion of the project will be clad in a bronze-colored glass and the condo section of the tower will be clad in a clear glass. The tower will be distinguished by two vertical "fins" in the middle of its north and south faces.* 

The site was formerly occupied by a parking garage and two-story store buildings. 

Perkins Eastman's other recent projects include the Cielo tower on the southwest corner of 83rd Street at York Avenue, and the Centria at 14 West 48th Street, both for J. D. Carlisle, and the Jade at 16 West 19th Street. 

The project is expected to be completed in 2009. 


Copyright © 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.


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## Chad

Whoooooor......shit!!   Striking!!!


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## ZZ-II

great news. i guess the construction will start still this year


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## TalB

http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/
*Africa-Israel buys Manhattan's Clock Tower for $200m*

*Subsidiary AFI Development has bought 3 Moscow office buildings for $243 million.*

Globes' correspondent 15 May 07 15:05

Africa-Israel Investments Ltd. (TASE:AFIL; Pink Sheets:AFIVY.PK) has bought Manhattan's landmark Clock Tower on Madison Avenue for $200 million. 

The Clock Tower was built in 1909 as the headquarters for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The 213.5-meter tall 26,000-sq.m. tower facing Madison Square Park was added to the original 1893 building to make it the tallest in the world at the time. The Clock Tower was modelled after the clock tower of St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, and its four bronze bells, sounds off Händel every fifteen minutes during the day and the evening. The interior decor comprises 14 murals by painter Newell Covers Wyeth.

The Clock Tower was declared a Landmark building in 1999. 

Africa-Israel plans to invest $110 million to convert the office building into luxury apartments. 

In a separate development, Africa-Israel’s Russian subsidiary, AFI Development plc (LSE:AFID) has acquired two Russian companies that own three office buildings in Moscow. AFI Development plans to renovate the properties, which cover an aggregate 116,700 sq.m. of built-up space. Renovations are due to be completed during the fourth quarter. The company also plans to apply for permits to add 70,000 sq.m. to the property, which will be developed for commercial space. The company estimates that it will invest $243 million to buy and renovate the buildings. The deal will be financed with proceeds from its IPO earlier this month. 

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on May 15, 2007

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2007


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## krull

^^ Yeah that is one of my favorite classic towers in NYC...


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## krull

ZZ-II said:


> great news. i guess the construction will start still this year


Not only that but another new tower (not as tall - 37 floors) will start by the end of the year aswell. No renderings yet. This one will be located the next block north of the 839 Sixth Avenue tower. Here is the information.... 


*$105M Loan Clears Way for 37-Story MXD*












March 30, 2007

NEW YORK CITY-Tessler Developments and the Chetrit Group have purchased 855 Sixth Ave. with the help of $105.3-million loan from Fremont Investment & Loan. *The property located on Sixth Avenue between 30th and 31st streets contains a couple of buildings that will be razed to make way for a 37-story mixed-use project.*

Craig Lockard, VP and senior loan originator for Fremont tells GlobeSt.com that the loan covered a majority of the acquisition price for the property, but he could not reveal what percent or the total cost.

*Plans for the property are currently being drawn up, with an architect now working on the drawings.* Lockard tells GlobeSt.com that *the new building will total 500,000 sf and will contain a base level of retail followed by 11 floors of office space and topped by 23 floors of residential units.* Further details have yet to be solidified.

*Lockard says construction should start by the end of this year*, with the demolition of the existing buildings. As part of the deal, Lockard says Tessler and the Chetrit Group negotiated lease terminations with the existing tenants.

“The project will really invigorate the area,” Lockard says. He cites the full office market in Midtown south and the growth of residential in the area as the two key factors that will aide the success of the project. Retailers have not yet been identified but Lockard says the space is likely to be filled with a high-end tenant and not a grocer or pharmacy.

Fremont has financed six other Tessler projects including the luxury condo project at 240 Park Ave. South.

As GlobeSt.com reported, the locally based Chetrit Group recently purchased the 250-room historic Berkeley Carteret Oceanfront Hotel and Conference Center in Asbury Park, NJ for $16 million.


Copyright © 2007 ALM Properties, Inc


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## ZZ-II

i'm always impressed from NY. can't imagine how the skyline will look in 50 years or even more


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## rincon

krull said:


> *Hotel and condo tower to rise at 839 Sixth Avenue*



Wow that is so amazing! NYC keeps on rocking!


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## TalB

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05152007/business/start_up_at_carnegie_site_business_steve_cuozzo.htm
*START-UP AT CARNEGIE SITE*

*EXTELL BEGINS WORK ON TOWER ON NORTH SIDE OF W. 57TH STREET*

May 15, 2007 -- THE roar of jackhammers across from Carnegie Hall is sweet music to developer Gary Barnett's ears. 

Barnett's prolific Extell Development Corp. has finally started work on one of the city's most-watched sites - a colossal, six-building assemblage on the north side of West 57th Street across from Carnegie Hall. 

Barnett said yesterday the project will be "at least 50 stories" with "north of 500,000 square feet." Though plans aren't final, "We're looking forward to doing a five-star hotel at the base and above it, condos with Central Park views." 

Extell filed demolition plans with the Buildings Department this month. The takedown has begun behind a shroud of black netting. Barnett said actual construction should start this year, even though certain aspects of the project - including choice of architect and hotel operator - have yet to be finalized. 

A gratified Barnett said, "It's taken me nine years to put it together." The site includes all the buildings from 147-161 West 57th and air rights from adjacent properties. 

With 150 feet of sidewalk frontage, Extell's is the largest of several building sites on the block between Sixth and Seventh avenues.The company also owns the former Hard Rock Café. Barnett said, "We're not sure yet what we'll do there - it might be offices."


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## Gaeus

I noticed that many or maybe most of the buildings are box-shaped but maybe I am just wrong. I guess they are trying to make sure all of the buildings are terrorist proof by putting more stronger support on it? Or they are just trying to build Classic New York Style buildings?


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## krull

*Biggest Building Site in Manhattan Up for Auction *










*The city plans to begin an auction next month for the rights to build office towers, apartments and parks 
over the Long Island Rail Road yards on the Far West Side.*


By CHARLES V. BAGLI
May 17, 2007

It is the largest building site left in Manhattan, 26 acres on the Far West Side, where the Bloomberg administration envisions the equivalent of five Empire State Buildings rising on $1 billion worth of concrete columns over bustling railyards.

*And starting next month, some of the city’s biggest developers will have a chance to bid for the rights to make that grand — some say grandiose — plan real.* 

“The city hasn’t done anything like this before, certainly not in Midtown,” said Daniel L. Doctoroff, deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding. “We want to create a 21st-century Rockefeller Center.”

*Known as Hudson Yards, the project is central to one of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s longstanding ambitions: to transform the heavily industrial Far West Side into the city’s third business district, after Wall Street and Midtown, with not just high-rise office and apartment towers, hotels and parks, but also an expanded Jacob K. Javits Convention Center nearby.* 

The challenges are daunting. *Developers say it will probably cost $1 billion to build platforms over the yards for skyscrapers as tall as 70 stories*, and the work must be done while Long Island Rail Road trains are running. *Some residents want assurances that the development will include permanent housing for poor and working-class families. And a sharp debate is emerging over whether to tear down the northern end of the High Line*, an unused railroad structure that is being converted to an elevated park south of 30th Street.

*The plan, which is likely to take more than a decade to complete, calls for the construction of 12.4 million square feet of commercial, residential, recreational and cultural space over the railyards*, which span 11th Avenue between 30th and 33rd Streets. It is Mr. Bloomberg’s second attempt at developing the yards: His first attempt, which involved building a $2.1 billion stadium for the Jets football team, crumbled in the face of opposition in the neighborhood and in Albany.

The city and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns the land, are working together to develop the railyards. The project must go through the city’s lengthy land-use review process, but unlike the plan for a football stadium, it will not require approvals in Albany.

*The city and transit officials say they will begin an auction for development rights over the parcel next month, and they expect five of the city’s biggest developers to bid. They also plan to hire a contractor this summer to begin drilling work for the extension of the No. 7 subway line from Times Square to 11th Avenue and 34th Street.* 

“The Hudson Yards are one of the most expensive and complicated developments ever to be undertaken,” said the developer Douglas Durst. 

Mr. Durst has formed a partnership with Vornado Realty Trust to bid for the property. Extell Development Company also expects to bid, as does Brookfield Properties, and Tishman Speyer Properties, which real estate executives say may have an alliance with Lehman Brothers as a tenant. Tishman Speyer declined to comment, but if such a collaboration exists, the company would immediately jump to the front of the race. 

Debate over the plan has focused on two potentially conflicting demands: that the development provide public benefits, like subsidized housing, parks and other amenities, and that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority get the highest possible price for the land.

Developers insist that any requirements for affordable housing or parks will increase their costs by $100 million, reducing the price they can pay. Critics contend that the sale of public land should lead to community benefits, and that the cost of those benefits is a small price to pay for a rare commodity: land in Manhattan.

“It’s a vast undertaking, and it pitches these competing public goals against each other,” said Anna Levin, a member of Community Board 4. “I understand that the entire burden shouldn’t be placed on developers. But this is a public undertaking. There have to be public resources that can be brought to bear, otherwise this will become a gold coast that doesn’t serve the entire city.”

Although the Bloomberg administration failed to win legislative support to build the football stadium over the railyards in 2005, it did succeed in a more far-reaching goal: rezoning a wide swath of the West Side, including 45 blocks outside the railyards, for large-scale development. However, the portion of the railyards west of 11th Avenue still needs to be rezoned and to go through a public review process. 

Last year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority rebuffed the city’s offer to buy the development rights to the yards for $500 million, saying it was too little. The two sides then agreed to create a strategic development plan for the yards, which is now complete, and put them up for sale.

The winning bidder would be assured of state and city support — though not necessarily community backing — during the lengthy public review, which can be unpredictable for a developer. Last week, the city and state publicly unveiled the plan, which calls for up to 5.7 million square feet of residential and commercial development on the western portion of the yards.

*Under the proposal, towers as high as 70 stories are pushed to the north and south sides of both the western and eastern yards. There is public space at the center of the eastern yard that would connect to a tree-lined boulevard that the city wants to build from 39th to 33rd Streets between 10th and 11th Avenues. The open space is designed to draw pedestrians across the western yard, to the waterfront.*

One of the thorniest issues concerns the fate of the High Line, which some people want converted into a park all the way to its northern terminus inside the Hudson Yards area. The city already plans to turn the railway into a park from 30th Street south to Gansevoort Street, where the mere promise of an elevated park has helped spur a residential boomlet in west Chelsea. 

But state and city officials have expressed concern that keeping the High Line inside Hudson Yards could impede the already difficult task of construction. At least one critic, Mr. Durst, said retaining the line would add $100 million to the cost of construction.

“Any additional complications will subtract from the value the M.T.A. receives, and leaving the High Line in place will have a substantial effect on that value,” Mr. Durst said.

But Friends of the High Line, an advocacy group, contends that retaining the rail structure will cost only about $800,000, with the benefits outweighing any problems.

“You don’t often have the opportunity to take a piece of the city’s industrial infrastructure and reuse it in an interesting way, to connect west Chelsea, Hudson Yards and the waterfront,” said Robert Hammond, a leader of the group. “It’ll be a great park that’ll serve the city as well as Central Park.”

At a community board meeting last week, an official with the transportation authority said for the first time that the authority supported retaining the High Line, although it also wanted to maximize revenues for rail operations. Privately, one official indicated that the authority did not want the High Line venture to cost it more than $25 million.

Elliot G. Sander, the executive director of the authority, said he was trying to work out the housing issue and had set aside land controlled by the authority outside the railyards for subsidized apartments. Officials say bidders will be asked to submit offers based on keeping or demolishing the High Line.

There are other snags in the Bloomberg administration’s plans for the Far West Side. The long-awaited expansion of the Javits Convention Center is stalled while the Spitzer administration continues its review of the $1.8 billion project, which has come under criticism from trade show producers. That, in turn, has held up plans to sell land across 11th Avenue from the Javits center, for a convention center hotel, as well as the block between the center and the western railyard.

But the administration is eager to show progress while the real estate market is hot. So officials say the request for bids on the railyards will be issued no later than early June. 

“This is for the future of New York, so it’s not going to be done overnight,” said Stephen M. Ross of the Related Companies, one of the city’s most active developers. “I don’t think there’s ever been anything like this, on this scale.”










*The High Line, a railway being turned into a park, is part of the debate over developing the Far West Side. *


Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company


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## krull

*St. Vincent's Hospital selects Rudin family for redevelopment*


16-MAY-07

The Saint Vincent Medical Centers announced today that they had selected the Rudin family as a development partner for a new hospital facility on the site of the Edward and Theresa O'Toole Medical Services Building on the northwest corner of 12th Street and Seventh Avenue. 

*When the new facility is built, the hospital will vacate its properties on the east side of Seventh Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets and those sites will be developed by the Rudin family "primarily for residential use." *

*The announcement said that the hospital will submit its plans for the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the City Planning Commission. *

Saint Vincent is the academic medical center of the New York Medical College and it is sponsored by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn and the president of the Sisters of Charity of New York. 

The O'Toole building was built in 1964 as the National Maritime Union of America Building and was designed by Albert C. Ledner & Associates. It was described by Norval White and Elliot Willensky in their book, "The A. I. A. Guide to New York City, Third Edition," as a "double-dentured monument" and is notable for its nautical motif. 

In 1984, the hospital demolished its very handsome, Georgian-style Elizabeth Bayley Seton Building that had been designed by Schikel & Ditmars and replaced it with a brutalist structure designed by Ferrenz, Taylor, Clark & Associates. It also replaced the Loew's Sheridan movie theater, the major movie house in Greenwich Village, with a truck facility at the intersection of Seventh and Greenwich Avenues. 

William C. Rudin, a managing partner in the Rudin family holdings, said in the hospital's announcement that "Together we will help St. Vincent's Hospital build a new, 21st Street, environmentally friendly, state of the art, health care facility," adding that "This partnership allows the hospital to serve its ever-growing community and continue to fulfill its mission for the next 150 years." 

The announcement said the hospital "anticipates emerging from Bankruptcy court protection this summer with a healthy balance sheet and up-to-date financial systems and controls," adding that it "is filing a motion today that seeks authority from the Bankruptcy Court to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Rudin family." 

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation sent the hospital a letter May 10 urging that there "should be no increase in overall density on the properties currently occupied by St. Vincents, and in fact a decrease in density would be desirable." It also said that the design of new developments should "be compatible in design and scale with the Greenwich Village Historic District," adding tht the "triangle bounded by Greenwich Avenue, West 12th Street and 7th Avenue should not be built upon." 


Copyright © 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.COM INC


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## krull

*Curved condo tower with 88 units planned for East 49th Street*












16-MAY-07

Excavation work is about to commence for a 24-story residential condominium tower with 88 apartments at 250 East 49th Street that will be known as the Splendido. 

A prior design by Sydness Architects for the site, which formerly was occupied in part by the Box Tree Restaurant and Inn, called for a 31-unit, 20-story, mid-block tower that would have been cantilvered over the low-rise building immediately to its east. The cantilevered portion would have been supported by an asymmetrical array of struts and the north and south facades of the tower would have floor-to-ceiling windows with frosted glass balustrades in a random pattern across the front of the building. 

The site was subsequently expanded to include the frontage at the southeast corner of 49th Street and Second Avenue and Sydness Architects, of which K. Jeffries Sydness is the principal has redesigned the project. 

The new design, shown at the right, has a red terracotta-clad base/podium from which rises a curved glass curtain wall flanked at the south and west portions of the tower by beige terracotta-clad facades. 

The lower section of the development "respects the street wall of the residential block comprised primarily of townhouses and lower scaled buildings," according to the Sydness Architects website. 

The lower two levels of the base will be retail and entered from the avenue and the residential entrance will be on 49th Street. "The remaining three levels of the podium section contain larger apartments with terraces that cut into the podium revealing the curved tower as it rises from the gounrd. 

The curved section of the tower will ceilings higher than 11 feet for "expansive views uptown." 

The building will have a concierge and roof deck and it is expected to be completed late next year. 

The East 49th Street Development II LLC, of which Alexander Gurevich is a principal, is the developer. 

Prior to forming Sydness Architects, K. Jeffries Sydness was a partner with John Burgee Architects, the successor firm to Johnson/Burgee Architects, which was founded by Philip Johnson and John Burgee. 


Copyright © 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.COM INC


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## krull

*Landmarks commission approves plans for 224 Fifth Avenue*












15-MAY-07

The Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved plans today by Lewis J. Brandolini III to erect a 20-story residential condominium building at 224 Fifth Avenue between 26th and 27th Streets. 

The building would contain only 11 apartments and the proposal requires no special permits or zoning variances. 

Mr. Brandolini is a principal of the Brandolini Companies, which was founded in 1936 and is a diversified real estate development organization located on the Main Line of suburban Philadelphia in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. 

The mid-block site falls within the Madison Square North Historic District and is half a block north of Madison Square Park and directly across Fifth Avenue from the Grand Madison condominium project. 

The rigorous and bold design by Fred Bland of the architectural firm of Beyer Blinder Belle would have full floor units on the second through the fifth floors of the building's base and duplex 7 duplex apartments in the tower above, which would be set back 10 feet. 

*The tower's setback design would be glass-clad with alternating, angled windows facing the avenue. *

The building would replace a mid-19th Century townhouse that was altered for commercial use in 1893 by Berg & Clark and then altered again in 1981-3. 

The proposal was described at a recent hearing by most commissioners as "elegant," but the developer was asked to check if the facade of the existing building on the site hid any salvageable elements from the 19th Century structure. Chairman Robert Tierney indicated that is nothing remarkable was discovered, he was not opposed to demolition of the existing building, which the commission has already described as being a "non-contributing" building of "no style." 

Mr. Tierney reported that Community Board 5 had voted against the design by a vote of 28 to 6 and he suggested that the developer work with the commission's staff on the design with attention to the design of the base and the top of the proposed tower. 

Several commissioners previously praised the design of the middle section of the tower as well as indicating that they were not opposed to a tall, thin building on the site, which they described as "book-ended" by taller, masonry-clad buildings at either end of the block and Commissioner Jan Hird Pokorny said that it was "a beautiful building but too nervous." 

*At today's hearing, a revised plan was presented by Mr. Bland that had a lower, limestone base and an altered top. 

The center of the tower is highlighted and bisected by a steel "fin" and the new plan for the top is asymmetrical and creates a terrace on the north side with a circular cut-out roof. *

Commissioner Roberta Brandes Gratz termed the revised plan " a terrific solution" and "respective of its neighbors." 


Copyright © 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.COM INC


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## ZZ-II

unbelievable news 


btw, krull, do you have a map which show's the location of the two UC twins (river Place as far as i know )?


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## krull

*Plans Emerge for Largest NY Synagogue in 50 Years*












By Katie Hinderer
May 11, 2007 

NEW YORK CITY-The search for a new site for the Lincoln Square Synagogue began five years ago and has finally culminated in a deal that allows the synagogue to relocate and provides a majority of the construction financing. American Continental Properties Inc. has agreed to a land swap on the Upper West Side to make way for the development.

Moshe Sukenik, EVP of Newmark Knight Frank, tells GlobeSt.com that the five-year search has ended in a way that “no one envisioned” years ago when the process began. The Lincoln Square Synagogue occupies two adjacent sites that had unused air rights and contained one older building that was in disrepair at 200 Amsterdam Ave. Through the years a number of plans were suggested, including selling the sites to a residential developer who would build the synagogue into the base of the project, and teaming up with a nonprofit that was looking to build.

As these two deals were beginning to take form another began brewing. “The ACP stepped up to the plate with a more aggressive offer,” Sukenik says.* The offer was a trade. The Synagogue, which couldn’t move far since the congregation walks to services, would take a 12,000-sf parcel on Amsterdam Avenue that is part of a bigger site owned by ACP. The new location is roughly 100 feet from the former one and will be a stand-alone which Sukenik says is virtually impossible to find in today’s market for a nonprofit. For its part ACP would take the Synagogue’s two parcels and write a check that would cover a majority of the 52,000-sf building’s construction costs for the new Lincoln Square Synagogue.*

“By developing a creative land swap, we are able to build a new synagogue that both suits the membership’s needs and through the architectural design, continue Lincoln Square’s role as the leader of modern Orthodoxy,” says Scott Liebman, head of the synagogue’s new building committee.

Sukenik declined to reveal how much ACP paid in the transaction, stating only it was more than 50% of the projected, but unrevealed, construction costs. The Synagogue has also leased back its former space for a little more than a year. Construction is slated to begin immediately with a completion date set in 2008.

Even before the deal closed, which happened earlier this week, the Synagogue hired architectural firm Centra/Ruddy. The design is not yet complete, but Nancy Ruddy, a principal with the firm, says inspiration was being drawn from the “symbolism of the prayer shawl.”

“This is a very exciting time for our congregation,” says Rabbi Shaul Robinson, in a statement about the deal. “We are building something that will hold a defining place in each of our lives. This is a unique moment in which the vibrant spirit can be captured and enhanced through the development of a new home. This is also a historic moment for our congregation and Judaism. Many of our congregants are from families that survived the Holocaust and saw their communities and synagogues destroyed. This is an opportunity for us to right this wrong and to build a home that, hopefully, will last for a long time.”

*The project is thought to be the largest synagogue to be built in at least 50 years.*


Copyright © 2007 ALM Properties, Inc.


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## krull

*Urstadt Calls for 50-Acre Battery Park City North*


By Katie Hinderer
May 18, 2007

NEW YORK CITY-Charles Urstadt, vice chairman of Battery Park City and chairman of Urstadt Biddle Properties, spoke at the Associated Builders and Owners luncheon on Thursday and called for the creation of Battery Park City North. Although he admits that there is a five-in-one chance that the project will never go forward.

As the man that oversaw the creation of Battery City Park, and is often dubbed the “father” of the project, he told attendees that the city needs another space that can be developed to handle the city’s projected expansion. *The current Battery City Park is composed of 93 acres, with 9,000 residential units and six million sf of office space. But with all the sites built out or spoken for, Urstadt told attendees that the Battery Park City Authority has no future--a problem which can be remedied by expanding both south, to Battery Park, and North, to the Holland Tunnel.*

He estimates it would cost $75 per sf to create the 50 acre site he is talking about by dredging the river and using dirt from several Downtown office high-rise projects. And he argued, the process would be easier this time around as the people and knowledge are already in place since the first phase has now been completed.

But creating a large northern expanse of Battery Park City would be a significant investment, and one Urstadt said the city government could not take on. Selling bonds might be able to get the project done, but it’s uncertain. His suggestion? Privatize the whole project. He estimated the whole 143-acre site could sell for $3 billion.

Opposition to a plan like this would abound, according to Urstadt, who has already taken this idea to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Community groups that do not want to be privately owned, and environmentalists, he said would be the hardest battle to overcome. “But like a turtle, you can’t get anywhere unless you stick your neck out,” Urstadt told attendees.

The Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver would need to be convinced of the need for the project. “There needs to be a threat,” to push it forward, Urstadt said. He suggests that “threat” could be the loss of downtown’s vitality as a financial hub. Faced with the option to build more to secure Manhattan’s status in the financial industry or let it slip away, Urstadt said progress could then be made.

But he ended by saying that this would be a 10-year process once it got up and running and he wasn’t the man for the job.


Copyright © 2007 ALM Properties, Inc.


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## krull

DELETED


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## koolkid

Thanks for filling me in on all the development news, krull. It sadens me everytime I see a great historical building up for demolition only to be replaced by regular common modern buildings you can find anywhere else in the world. The building im talking about is in the LES on Rivington and Ludlow st. Oh well...


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## Ebola

http://www.gothamist.com/2007/05/17/city_wants_mega.php

*City Wants Mega Buildings on the Far West Side*











The city's Far West Side dreams are at stake as the MTA will auction off the buildings rights to the West Side railyards. The NY Times takes a broad look the 26-acre swath of land where Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff says the Bloomberg administration wants to create the *"21st century Rockefeller Center." Well, a Rockefeller Center with many huge buildings*, as the article's lede calls the lots "where the Bloomberg administration envisions the equivalent of five Empire State Buildings rising..." Some interesting details about the post-West Side Stadium hopes for the railyards:


The city expects five developers to bid for the land: A partnership of Durst & Vornado Realty; Extell; Brookfield Properties; and Tishman Speyer.

The western part of the railyards will still need to be rezoned, and it will happen under a public review process.

It will cost around $1 billion to build a platform over the railyards (on top of which all other buildings would be built)

The fate of the High Line is questionable, as developers aren't inclined to include it in their plans since they believe it will be costly to design around.

Hold-ups with approval for the Javits Center expansion are also complicating the plan.

The auction for the MTA's railyards will begin next month. Here is the city's website about the development of the area known as Hudson Yards. The Hudson Yards Development Corporation released a draft conceptual land use for the area (PDF) last week. Curbed called it "dizzying" and "dark" given how massive the buildings would be; a map and summary of the draft conceptual land use follow after the jump.










Summary:
- Plan for WRY will be coordinated with the entire Hudson Yards area
- Plan allows for mixed-use development
- Plan will include generous open space and relate to the existing Hudson River and High Line parks
- Plan will include on and off-site affordable housing
- On-site – up to 20% of the rental units would be affordable through
the 80/20 program
- Off-site locations:
- West 54th Street / MTA Site
- West 48th Street / DEP Site
- Plan will include a PS/IS school
- Plan will include office space for arts and non-profit uses
- Parking will be allowed, but not required, for WRY site
- Plans should incorporate green building standards
- WRY development plans are subject to ULURP and environmental review
- Guidelines should be flexible and promote compelling architectural design

Posted by Jen Chung in News: NYC


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## krull

*New Tower May Come, With Some City Funds* 










*The Queens Plaza garage will likely be 
razed to make way for an office tower, 
with a city agency as its anchor tenant. *


by Jennifer Manley 
05/17/2007 

The long-awaited renovation of Queens Plaza’s white elephant may get a $30 kick start from the city. *The drab concrete Queens Plaza Municipal Parking Garage takes up an entire block at 28-10 Bridge Plaza*, but is expected to be razed to make way for an office tower. 

Tishman Speyer, the real estate giant that owns Rockefeller Center and more locally, the contaminated vacant site across Jackson Avenue from the garage, intends to redevelop the city-owned site but was reportedly having trouble attracting investors. *Now the city’s Economic Development Corp. confirms it intends to spend the $30 million on outfitting office space it will then give to an as-yet unnamed city agency, which will be the anchor tenant.* 

There is no time frame on when the deal could be sealed, but EDC spokeswoman Janel Patterson said “we want to get this done as soon as possible.” 

Lisa Deller, chairwoman of Community Board 2’s Land Use Committee, said everyone is looking forward to seeing the transformation of Queens Plaza, but there are concerns that the city’s spending priorities could be “somewhat misplaced.” 


Copyright © 1995 - 2007 Townnews.com


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## spotila

wow, some exciting stuff. It would be awesome to see some taller than ESB go up around it.


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/realestate/20livi.html?ref=realestate
*Home of the Bronx Roar*

By C. J. HUGHES
Published: May 20, 2007









_Ruby Washington/The New York Times

HERE TODAY, THERE TOMORROW Until the new Yankee Stadium, right, is complete in 2009, the old one will have to do. Parkland will replace it._

HIGH BRIDGE, folded into a valley in the southwestern Bronx, welcomed its first wave of Manhattanites in the 1920s; developers promised them more room for less money.

Now history may be coming full circle. Buyers frustrated by high prices in uptown Manhattan neighborhoods like Inwood and Harlem are slowly discovering Art Deco buildings in High Bridge, conveniently near two subway lines and a chain of handsome parks.

For some, the attraction may be the new Yankee Stadium, a billion-dollar multiblock public-private behemoth whose curved bleachers are even now rising across East 161st Street from its older cousin. 

It is to be ready in time for the 2009 season; along with it are to come new athletic fields, tennis courts, bicycle and walking paths, stores and restaurants. There will also be a new Metro-North Railroad station — which during baseball season might help ease overcrowding on the subway. Hopes are high that the advent of all these attractions will help generate residential construction. 

The project has not been discord-free, however, as a total of 22 acres in Macombs Dam and John Mullaly Parks were sacrificed to build it. 

To make amends, developers say, they are creating interim fields in former parking lots and will replace the old stadium — to be razed when the new one is ready for use — with permanent parkland. 

“The reconstruction of parkland and adding state-of-the-art amenities point in one direction, and that’s for the benefit of the neighborhood,” said Wilhelm Ronda, the planning director for Adolfo Carrión Jr., the borough president.

Community advocates had sought a more substantial offer, pointing out that the area has grappled with high asthma rates — a problem ascribed in part to urban overcrowding and a lack of green space. The South Bronx generally, according to Menaka Mohan, a coordinator at Sustainable South Bronx, has a half-acre of green space per 1,000 residents, far below the two-and-a-half-acre standard her group and others advocate. 

Still, transplants are coming, confident that High Bridge, a neighborhood one and a half square miles in size, is turning a corner. 

Elaine Rivera, who two years ago bought a 720-square-foot co-op on the Grand Concourse, says wryly that when she falls prey to doubt on this point, she consults her own residential track record: Almost every place she has lived — the East Village, the meatpacking district — went on to become trendy, after she had turned down opportunities to buy.

“I thought, I’m not going to blow this off and make another mistake again,” said Ms. Rivera of her one-bedroom, one-bath unit with a terrace providing “movie-set views.” 

A reporter for the public radio station WNYC, Ms. Rivera paid $150,000 for the place in the fall of 2005, and spent $13,000 more for new floors and a stove (many High Bridge co-ops are sold unrenovated). She said she had been told by at least one broker that it could sell for $250,000 today.

But she, too, acknowledges that before hordes flock here, the Bronx must overcome the perception, cultivated in the hard-luck 1970s and 1980s, that blight and crime persist. 

Police statistics bear out the neighborhood’s transformation: Murder rates in the 44th Precinct, which covers High Bridge, dropped 58 percent from 2001 to 2005; robbery was down 29 percent over the same period. (Even so, there were 13 murders in the precinct in 2006, and 495 reported robberies.)

Ray Melendez, who moved to High Bridge in 1985 and once served as a police officer there, remembers when drug users in Joyce Kilmer Park routinely broke into parked cars. Mr. Melendez, who admits to having his own brushes with the law, says that he spent five years behind bars for a restraining-order violation, only to return to a neighborhood invigorated: In Joyce Kilmer Park these days, families come to picnic.

He says he is thinking about buying something new in the neighborhood. Based on his search, he estimated that his 850-square-foot one-bedroom co-op — which cost $20,900 in 1989 — could sell for $140,000. 

But with the onset of gentrification, he said, “I worry about where the locals will go to buy a gallon of milk.”

*What You’ll Find*

Bronx neighborhoods lost their distinct shapes a century ago, so High Bridge’s boundaries are debatable but are generally said to sweep from the Grand Concourse west to the Harlem River, between East 167th and East 144th Streets.

A more useful marker may be the distance from which one can hear the stadium crowd roar, as happened on a recent afternoon when the pitcher Roger Clemens announced that he was rejoining his former team.

About 90 percent of High Bridge’s housing stock is apartments, according to the 2000 census, especially six- and seven-story buildings dating to the 1920s and ’30s, with architectural details like peaked ogee windows and columns resembling twisted rope.

Newer multifamily houses are strung along Woodycrest, Nelson and Ogden Avenues, on High Bridge’s western flank, atop a rocky ridge, and are mixed with the occasional two-story wood-frame row house or shingle-style house, though facades tend to be marred with window bars. 

In March, a fire in one of these older structures killed 10 people, 9 of them children, in two families of immigrants from the West African nation of Mali, calling attention to the grim living conditions that are still the norm in parts of the area. Immigrants make up 36 percent of the population; over all, according to census data collected from Queens College, the neighborhood is 32 percent African-American and 62 percent Latino.

Steep staircases, which can zigzag like something in M. C. Escher’s art, connect this western section with the rest of High Bridge. 

Highly desirable co-ops, meanwhile, are found on High Bridge’s eastern slope, on Grand Concourse and Walton Avenue, though less so along Gerard Avenue, where buildings have good bones but need work. 

Some of these buildings, clad in multicolored terra cotta, their courtyards planted with Japanese maples, have laundry rooms, garages and full-time doormen.

*What You’ll Pay*

It is still possible to find a co-op for less than $100,000 in High Bridge. A one-bedroom on the market in a Grand Course building, for example, lists for $90,000. 

In general, prices can be half those across the Harlem River in Washington Heights, which is where many residents who end up here have looked first, said Marjo Benavides, an agent at Ariela Heilman Real Estate, based on the Upper West Side.

In early May, a one-bedroom, one-bath co-op at 811 Walton Avenue, where Ms. Benavides lives, closed for $174,000. A similar unit would fetch $350,000 in Upper Manhattan, she said.

Rents can vary drastically, depending on building conditions, brokers say. On average, one-bedrooms in prewar elevator buildings go for $1,200 a month, according to Eric Lynch, a sales associate with Century 21 N.Y. Metro, based in Harlem. 

Two older apartment complexes — the Park Plaza on Jerome Avenue and the Noonan Plaza on West 168th Street — were completed in the 1930s with Mayan motifs by the architect Horace Ginsbern. They are examples of rental buildings likely to go co-op in the future, Mr. Lynch and other brokers predict; such trends have already altered parts of upper Broadway in Manhattan. 

In the meantime, for renters, there is more of everything to go around, with a vacancy rate of about 5 percent, higher than in Manhattan, Mr. Lynch said. People are discovering “the new Upper, Upper, Upper West Side,” he added.

*The Commute*

Besides the No. 4 subway line, High Bridge is served by the B and D, whose local trains get to Times Square in about 35 minutes. 

High Bridge is also served by the 1, 2, 13, 19 and 35 Bronx bus lines. There’s also the Bx11, which stops at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, and the Bx6, which delivers commuters to West 155th Street in Manhattan, where they can pick up the C train, or to West 157th Street, where they can grab a No. 1 train.

*What to Do*

For six months a year, baseball crowds can overwhelm the local transportation system. Michelle Dingoor, who in March paid $214,000 for a two-bedroom co-op on Walton Avenue, says she carries a game schedule to know when to avoid the subways. Residents typically shop in strips along West 161st, 165th and 167th Streets and Edward L. Grant Highway, which offers everything from fried chicken to car mufflers.

Along River Avenue, in the pixilated sunlight below the No. 4 train tracks, merchandise is geared for hometown fans, who can buy Yankee caps in a choice of colors. On the same block, Ball Park Lanes offers 50 bowling alleys on two floors and rents bowling shoes for $2. 

Sit-down dining is rare, though the G Bar Lounge, at Grand Concourse and East 151st Street, is popular. 

Adding to the architectural standouts, Rafael Viñoly designed the new Bronx courthouse on East 161st Street, which opens in June, and the Bronx Museum of the Arts added a wing last year designed by the Arquitectonica International Corporation. 

*The Schools*

There are at least 16 elementary schools in High Bridge, most ending after Grade 5. Among them are Public Schools 114 on Jerome Avenue and 73 on Anderson Avenue. 

Many students in the neighborhood in Grades 6 to 8 attend the Paul Robeson School on Morris Avenue.

Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical Education High School, on East 151 Street, just east of High Bridge, is one option for older teenagers. 

Students there scored 407 on the math SAT and 400 on the verbal in 2005, versus 511 and 497 statewide. In 2006, 45 percent of seniors graduated.

There are also Catholic schools. One of them, All Hallows High School on East 164th Street, bears a banner declaring itself “one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the U.S.” 

*The History*

High Bridge takes its name from a Roman-style former aqueduct built in 1848, which cuts across the Harlem River at West 170th Street.

In the days before the Brooklyn Bridge, the 116-foot span drew sightseers. Hotels and an amusement park sprang up beneath it, said Lloyd Ultan, the Bronx historian.

Closed since the early 1970s, the High Bridge will reopen, possibly in 2009, said Warner Johnston, a spokesman for the city’s Parks Department.

*Going Forward*

Gateway Center, a big-box complex, is to open near East 149th Street in 2009, at the site of the former Bronx Terminal Market.


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/brooklyn/2007/05/15/2007-05-15_hirises_spark_rezone_plan-1.html
*Hi-rises spark rezone plan*

*Proposal would limit buildings in three nabes*

BY RACHEL MONAHAN

Tuesday, May 15th 2007, 4:00 AM 









_City Councilwoman Letitia James, center, speaks at a rally to protest the construction of a proposed 16-story building on Washington Ave. in Wallabout._

When a 12-story condo sprang up on Carlton Ave. in Fort Greene two years ago, brownstone dwellers feared it was the beginning of the end for their low-rise habitat.

Though it was a sleek, luxury building, many still saw it as an architectural threat.

Now, a sweeping rezoning proposal for 99 blocks in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Wallabout could come to their rescue.

"Many people seemed to feel they were under attack," said Sharon Barns, co-chair of the Society for Clinton Hill's landmarks committee. "Development pressure got more and more intense."

The new zoning, expected to be approved by year's end, would cap building heights at 50 feet on residential blocks in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, and at 33 feet in Wallabout.

The rezoning also would allow building heights of up to 80 feet on Myrtle Ave., Fulton St. and Atlantic Ave., with incentives for building affordable housing.

Paul Palazzo, 45, who was one of the first to take on the 12-story Greene House and other high-rises, said he wants to protect the area he got to know while in graduate school, where he now owns a home and business.

"We've all realized that this actual community [setup] works," he said, adding that the current zoning was put in place in 1961, when the trend was toward sweeping away low-rise brownstones.

While the rezoning undergoes public review, skirmishes continue against a few high-rises already under-way - including a 16-story building on Washington Ave. in Wallabout.

Councilwoman Letitia James (WFP-Fort Greene) and a representative of Rep. Edolfus Townes (D-East New York) joined residents there Saturday to protest the construction.

"I'm losing my mind," Jane Zusi, 44, said recently of the building set to rise on a block of mostly three- and four-story houses.

The proposed rezoning has prompted a rush among some developers to start building now to get under the wire before the rules change.

"People are slamming in foundations as fast as they can because you get grandfathered in," Zusi said.

Enid Braun, 56, who lives on Adelphi Ave., faces the prospect of an 11-story neighbor.

Work on the foundation began when the rezoning proposal got off the ground, said Braun, who feels such work should be halted while changes wend their way through public review.

"We got chased out of another neighborhood because of development," Braun said.


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## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_210/backtothefuture.html
Volume 19 Issue 53 | May 18 -24, 2007

*Back to the future of L.E.S.; District plan revives*

By Alyssa Giachino

Neighborhood preservationists are revving their engines again on the Lower East Side, this time with a broader coalition of support, reviving a proposal to designate a historic district that ran into determined opposition last year.

A new group calling itself the Lower East Side Preservation Coalition is interested in designating a 20-block area as a historic district through the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. The proposed district would run from E. Houston St. to just below Canal St. and encompass the commercial and residential strip along Allen, Orchard, Ludlow and Essex Sts. 

Longtime residents are alarmed by the area’s rapid development, and fear that the legacy of generations of immigrant families may be wiped away by new projects.

“There have been concerns by neighbors that the neighborhood is losing its historical fabric,” said Margaret Hughes, director of the Immigrant Heritage Project at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Hughes said the neighborhood’s immigrant, labor and social service history should be protected.

“Through the buildings, those stories can be told,” she said.

The preservation coalition has sent out letters in English and Chinese to more than 400 property owners in the area, offering to meet with them to discuss suitable design guidelines that would protect the building facades, most of which date from the late 19th century.

“We’re more than willing to sit down with people and see what their concerns are,” Hughes said. “We can give additional support and have additional conversations.”

The coalition made a brief presentation at the May 10 Community Board 3 Parks, Recreation and Landmarks Committee meeting, and plans to return in July to make a full presentation and ask for formal support for the project.

A year ago, the Tenement Museum introduced the proposal and was met with fierce opposition from property owners.

To bolster support for its proposal, the museum has formed the new coalition. Other coalition members include the Historic Districts Council, Eldridge Street Project, East Village Community Coalition, Lower East Side People’s Mutual Housing Association, Artists Alliance, City Lore, Jewish Museum and the Central Labor Council.

Meanwhile, over the past year, development has continued on the Lower East Side. New hotels and condominiums are sprouting throughout the area, many looming large over the older five-or-six-story buildings.

“There is terrifying development going on in the area,” said Simeon Bankoff, director of the Historic Districts Council. “We usually talk about development eroding an area. This is not eroding. It is eradicating it, it is smashing it down flat.

“There is surprising architectural detail that shows how successive waves of immigrants arrived, lived and went to school in this area,” he said.

The district is already honored by its inclusion in the National Historic Register, under the National Park Service. The national registry, however, does not include regulations limiting development, and the coalition members feel the best way to ensure preservation is through city designation as a landmark area.

“If it’s not landmarked, we will continue to see the types of development we see now that are out of scale and out of character with the existing neighborhood, as long as the market will bear it,” Bankoff said.

Few property owners have joined the coalition.

Sion Misrahi, a Lower East Side real estate developer, believes that landmarking will do more harm than good. He said historic district status would drive up costs for small property owners who can ill afford the delays often associated with bureaucracy involved for minimal changes like replacing broken windows.

“The Lower East Side is about the little guy, always has been, always will be,” Misrahi said. “It’s going to really harm the individual entrepreneur dramatically.”

Misrahi predicts landmarking would attract outside developers who would “swallow up” small property owners, putting rent-stabilized and rent-controlled apartment dwellers at risk of displacement, as well as discouraging new merchants from moving in.

“We have plenty of other areas that can be zoned landmark. It doesn’t have to be the commercial strip,” Misrahi said. “The city needs growth and the growth has to come in areas that are supported by public transportation.”

Coalition members dispute claims that historic district designation would drive up costs. Bankoff said the historic district would encourage investors with long-term interests, as opposed to speculators interested in fixing a building up for a quick sell.

“It will not raise costs perceptibly more than being a good steward of your building will,” he said. “If you have let your building deteriorate and you want just a quick fix, then yes, it will raise costs.”

Bankoff pointed to other historic districts in the city that have benefited from landmarking, which advocates say improves property values over time.

“There have been some very successful commercial and residential areas that survived being landmarked and prospered,” he said.

The Blue Moon Hotel has been touted as the kind of development that is sensitive to the neighborhood’s historical value while transforming a tenement for new use. Owner Randy Settenbrino added three new floors to the five-story building, but preserved the original exterior architecture and incorporated many historic elements into the rooms.

“Everything that’s of genuine value costs more. That’s just the way the world works,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean that what’s here should be disregarded. The workmanship that’s here from 100 years ago is more valuable that a glass structure.”

The coalition has won the support of Councilmember Alan Gerson, who wrote a letter to the Landmarks Commission endorsing the project.

“The Lower East Side community is reeling from the destruction of precious examples of its cultural heritage,” Gerson wrote. Noting that his own family lived in the neighborhood, he added, “Should the Lower East Side tenement streetscape be lost, New Yorkers and national and international visitors will lose an important link to the rich cultural history of immigrants and migrants to New York City.”

State Senator Martin Connor sent a letter last week to the Landmarks Commission also expressing support for the plan.


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## krull

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## krull

*10 Billion in 10 Years for A New Downtown Brooklyn*
*Over 14,000 New Apartments, 1,250 Hotel Rooms Are Coming*


by Dennis Holt 
published online 05-25-2007


DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — About $10 billion will be spent in the next 10 years to build a new Downtown Brooklyn, an unprecedented amount of money. The new Downtown will be developed at a pace never experienced before in this borough.

*This staggering sum is expected to generate a total of 22.5 million new square feet of space in the Downtown area, almost all of it in Community District 2. It will include 14,179 new residential units of various kinds, 1,253 new hotel rooms, and about 1.6 million additional square feet each in retail space and office space.*

It is impossible to compare this to any other period in Brooklyn’s history. Nothing remotely close to this scale and scope has ever happened before, and it probably won’t ever again.

And these hard-to-grasp numbers do not include projects being built in DUMBO, Brooklyn Bridge Park or Two Trees Management’s CourtHouse project. Also not included is any proposed work on the Brooklyn Detention Complex on Atlantic Avenue.

This information and detailed project summaries have been compiled and made public by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, formed last year by the city to coordinate and oversee all current or planned building activity in the area.

The partnership, headed by DUMBO resident Joe Chan, has also produced an informative, expertly created map of Downtown Brooklyn. The map is color coded, and will become a much-sought-after item.

The Atlantic Yards project is, of course, included in the totals. While Atlantic Yards will cost about half of the total dollar amount for Downtown, its housing component will provide only 30 percent of all the units to be built there, and its total square footage is only about 38 percent of the Downtown total. There are four reasons for the magnitude of all of the development activity. One is that previous projects, like MetroTech, have demonstrated that Brooklyn is a viable business center. Another draw is the plan for a cultural center, which has drawn the strong support of the city. A third is the recent rezoning of Downtown Brooklyn, which made it practical for developers to plan for development with confidence.

The fourth reason is the proliferation of high-rises with spectacular views, not so frequent in Manhattan anymore. This has come as a surprise to many people who are used to brownstones as the area’s main draw, and is a joy to residential developers.


© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007


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## ZZ-II

great, can't wait to see that new downtown. hopefully with some 200m + towers


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## TalB

http://www.nypost.com/seven/0524200...razing_big_stink_regionalnews_rich_calder.htm
*B'KLYN BIZ IS RAZING BIG STINK*

By RICH CALDER

May 24, 2007 -- A developer is booting 20 longtime Downtown Brooklyn businesses to make way for a massive commercial complex aimed at attracting high-end retailers, local merchants said yesterday. 

Manhattan-based United American Land plans to build a $208 million development topped with luxury housing on the property - a block from both the Fulton Street Mall and the Metro Tech high-rise office complex, according to planning documents for the site. 

The half-square-block property runs along Willoughby Street, between Bridge and Duffield streets, and down both side streets, according to the documents. 

The 594,000-square-foot project would displace a diverse row of popular stores, as well as more than 20 residences. 

"They're trying to destroy a community of people who kept this area alive and vibrant when no one thought it was good," said Beverly Corbin, who co-chairs the board of Families United for Racial and Economic Equality, which is organizing a petition drive to assist those being evicted. 

United American Land, which has gobbled up other prime real estate in the area, is co-owned by Al Laboz, co-chairman of the Fulton Mall Improvement Association. Calls to Laboz and other United American Land officials were not returned. 

Corbin's group is planning tomorrow to protest the planned development of the nearby Albee Square Mall site, which is being transformed into 800 to 900 residential units and 625,000 square feet of retail and office space. 

Wal-Mart had reportedly been interested in the Albee Square site but pulled out after community protests, raising concern yesterday that the mega-retailer might be eyeing the new site. A Wal-Mart spokesman said the company would not comment on rumors. 

Many of the Willoughby Street merchants said they have time left on their leases but are being booted through a "demolition clause" that allows them to be evicted if the owner decides to demolish their buildings. Most were given between one and four months to get out. 

"They're telling us to get the heck out for luxury apartments? I've built up a nice business here the last 10 years - it would be nice if someone at least tried to help us relocate nearby," said Jeffrey Gargiulo, owner of Bagel Guys on Willoughby Street.

[email protected]


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## NovaWolverine

krull said:


> *New Tower May Come, With Some City Funds*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *The Queens Plaza garage will likely be
> razed to make way for an office tower,
> with a city agency as its anchor tenant. *


Thank the lord that they're getting rid of this eyesore. Hopefully the other Queens Plaza can get some upgrades to the area.


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## CrazyAboutCities

WOW!!!! I'm very pleased to hear that New York City is booming as crazy! GO NEW YORK! :banana: :banana: :banana:


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## SheistbugzzNY

wait how many floors is the moore building gonna be,??


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## Brice

8 .


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## Dreamliner

TalB said:


> Williamsburg is hardly a slum or ghetto to begin with.


*Indeed, I was born and raised here. Still live here. I couldn't believe that "news story" above, No food stores? No fresh fruit? Dangerous at night? It never ceases to amaze me that solid, close knit communities that have existed for over a 100 years, suddenly are called wastlands by newcomers. Like they make it all so much better. The original neighborhood is being destroyed, it's original residents are being pushed out. It's a vicious cycle, as soon as the artists move in, the "hipsters" follow, then the kids with trust funds, finally the wealthy. hno: *


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## SheistbugzzNY

thats true. It happens a lot in ny the poor are kicked out for the wealthy. they just relocate and then get kicked out again.


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## TalB

http://globes.co.il/serveen/
*Vision Group developing Brooklyn condo project*

*The $22 million Greenpoint Lofts project will have 68 business condominiums.*

Ariel Rosenberg 12 Aug 07 15:14

Vision Real Estate Group, owned by Amir Yerushalmi, is developing the Greenpoint Lofts business condominium project in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, for $22 million. The project has 68 offices. Soaring rents in New York, where 95% of offices are rented, has resulted in a new trend of business condominiums, or commercial condominiums, in which offices can be purchased, rather than leased. 

A business condominium can be purchased for half the price of an apartment condominium, and real estate experts predict that the business condominium will become an increasingly important niche market in the coming years. 

Vision Group says that Greenpoint Lofts is the first project of its kind in Brooklyn, and one of the first in New York City. The building at 231 Norman Avenue was built in the 1930s for industrial use, and was later used as a warehouse. Vision Group is now renovating the structure for its new use. 

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on August 12, 2007

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2007


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## krull

*HARLEM SHUFFLE*
*BUILDING BOOM IS OUSTING OL' FAVES*












By KATHIANNE BONIELLO and CATHERINE NANCE
August 12, 2007

The heart of Harlem is being reshaped - some say gutted - in a blitz of big-money real-estate deals, starting with nearly a dozen small shops getting squeezed out to make way for retail and office development.

"Harlem will be gone," lamented Lanise Benjamin, whose 90-year-old grandfather's legendary music shop, Bobby's Happy House, is being evicted from Frederick Douglass Boulevard. "To tear this building down would essentially be to tear Harlem apart."

Bobby's has been in the neighborhood 61 years. But along with nearly a dozen other stores, it got an eviction notice last month after the building between West 125th and 126th streets was sold in a $50 million real-estate deal involving three West 125th Street parcels.

While developers tout plans for hotels, condominiums, office space and national retailers, local businesses are getting left behind, store owners complained. The pressure of rising rents is being felt particularly along the entire length of the main commercial artery of 125th Street, where nearly a dozen projects, both proposed and under way, have sprung up.

"It's a shame, and it's so unfair to the people who have kept the community the way it is," said Sikhulu Shange, owner of the Record Shack on 125th Street. "This is the economical lynching of the community, and it's not right."

Philip Bulgar, manager of Manna's Soul Food and Salad Bar, next door to Bobby's, said the current owners weathered the area's drug- and crime-plagued eras and should be allowed to remain now that times are good.

"It's sad that it has come to this," Bulgar said. "This is going to be a vastly different community, and I'm not sure it's going to be for the better. The people here deserve better."

Not everyone decries the changes. National retail chains and more money flowing into the community raises everyone up, Harlem resident Gerard Matthews noted.

"It's nice to see the businesses and the homeowners who have worked hard to make the area a healthy, happy community get some long-overdue help with city investment in Harlem," he said. "But at the same time, nobody wants to see longtime residents get priced out."

Instead of Bobby's, Manna's and others, Kimco Realty and the Sigfeld Group plan a 100,000-square-foot redevelopment and claim they are helping the existing tenants relocate.

"The new retail development will serve to improve an already-thriving retail community," said Eric Hochman, who added that Kimco simply took advantage of the termination clauses in shop owners' existing leases.

Longtime Harlem real-estate player Eugene Giscombe, who is also chairman of the 125th Street Business Improvement District's board of directors, brokered the deal that sold the Frederick Douglass Boulevard space to Kimco and Sigfeld.

Neither Sigfeld nor Giscombe's brokerage firm, Giscombe Henderson, returned calls for comment.


Copyright 2007 NYP Holdings, Inc.


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## TalB

Dreamliner61 said:


> *Indeed, I was born and raised here. Still live here. I couldn't believe that "news story" above, No food stores? No fresh fruit? Dangerous at night? It never ceases to amaze me that solid, close knit communities that have existed for over a 100 years, suddenly are called wastlands by newcomers. Like they make it all so much better. The original neighborhood is being destroyed, it's original residents are being pushed out. It's a vicious cycle, as soon as the artists move in, the "hipsters" follow, then the kids with trust funds, finally the wealthy. hno: *


To a developer, anything is blighted, which is what they use as an excuse to build their project when that ends up being blighted.


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## krull

*Big buildings on fast track*


By Ariella Cohen
August 11, 2007

Building projects are picking up pace in Carroll Gardens as *city officials consider a preservation-minded change in zoning that would limit the size of new buildings.

If passed, it would force developers to change their plans to fit with new low-rise regulations* — potentially costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars in condo sales and architectural fees.

“Look at the number of buildings under construction, it’s a race against the clock for them,” said Maria Pagano, president of the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association and an advocate of the rezoning, *which would limit building heights to 50 feet, or five-stories, across a broad stretch of the Brownstone neighborhood.*

*It will take at least another eight months for the proposed change to become law. Buildings that have foundations dug before the change is made will be grandfathered in under the current rules, which allow buildings to rise 70 feet.*

A worker on the site of a residential development at 100 Luquer St. said that the project — which would be illegal under the proposed zoning — was running at top speed.

“We are going to be working full days from now on,” he said.

The tower, designed by post-modern starchitect Karl Fischer, will rise between Clinton and Henry streets near the BQE.

A half a block away on the corner of Luquer and Henry streets overlooking the highway, construction has begun on a 60-foot residential building. That building would be also be illegal under the rezoning. The building is now in excavation stages.

On the other side of the neighborhood, builders are putting finishing touches on a blocky 55-foot condo at 342 Bond St. near the Carroll Street bridge. Building plans for a controversial 70-foot condo building at 360 Smith St. have already been approved and engineers were on the site this week doing preliminary work.

The Department of City Planning declined to give any details on a timeline for a Carroll Gardens rezoning. A spokeswoman said that officials “recognize the need to study Carroll Gardens and work with community and elected officials to address the zoning.”

Carroll Gardens is not the only neighborhood that has approached the city with a rezoning proposal, creating a demand for planning services that Pagano and others worry will slow the tortoise-like process even more.


©2007 The Brooklyn Paper


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## krull

*Columbia University mails out pamphlet about its expansion*












13-AUG-07

olumbia University has mailed a two-page brochure to about 50,000 residents of Upper Manhattan about its planned expansion in Manhattanville, proclaiming that it "isn't moving offshore."

The brochure notes that the huge project would create 1,200 construction jobs and 6,000 new university jobs by 2030.

It stated that the project would "clean up waste left by past decades of industrial and automotive uses" on the site and that "during construction Columbia will adhere to the highest environmental standards for building, air emission and energy" and that it will place support services like heating, cooling, truck delivery and parking in a large underground basement to ensure that streets and sidewalks are pedestrian-friendly and environmentally appealing."

The brochure maintained that "no resident in any of the 132 housing units in the area will be evicted because of eminent domain" and that it has "guaranteed local affordable housing for them." *The university's expansion covers about 17 acres between 129th and 133rd Streets and the 12th Avenue Viaduct and the Broadway IRT line.*

"Over the past four years," the brochure stated, "more than one-third of the University's contracts for construction, repair and maintenance - worth more than $65 million last year alone- went to minority- women- or locally owned firms in Upper Manhattan or the South Bronx."

The university also said it would provide scholarships for West Harlem students and that its project will be "green." 


Copyright © 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.COM INC


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## 44p

the skyline will change a lot!!:cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:


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## krull

*NYU has eyes on Brooklyn, Queens*


by michael rundle
AUG 15, 2007

BROOKLYN. *New York University says it needs to expand by 6 million square feet in the next 25 years*, and battles waged in the Village by preservationists to curb NYU’s appetite for space have forced the university to look elsewhere. Now it’s looking to grow in Brooklyn and Queens.

On June 21 the university announced it had leased 115 units at 67 Livingston St. to house graduate students. NYU’s presence in the borough will grow further if a merger with Polytechnic University goes ahead.

Local groups say for now there is little to fear — NYU is currently only leasing space, not building new dorms, and worries of a Village-style expansion are premature.

“For the moment we raise no objection to students living there,” said Judy Stanton, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association. “I don’t anticipate any problems.”

Only if NYU were to begin construction, Stanton said, would there be cause for alarm. But those worries might not be so far-fetched.

*In a June 28 open house presentation made on campus about NYU’s plans for the next 25 years, a map showed possible expansion sites in Downtown Brooklyn, Long Island City and Governors Island.*

“NYU recognizes that its future growth cannot all be located within the Washington Square core,” the report said. “[NYU will] develop a set of principles that will guide evaluation of these remote locations for future growth.”

According to Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, this should raise concerns. His group pushed for NYU to consider locations outside the West Village, but hopes that NYU will not overwhelm new areas in the process.

“I strongly urge [local groups] to engage NYU to ensure the process contributes to the quality of life there,” he told Metro yesterday. “And not to its detriment.”

A spokesperson for NYU stressed that the new Brooklyn Heights dorm did not necessarily indicate the area will see further expansion. There are growth opportunities in all five boroughs as well as outside the city, said spokesperson Kelly Franklin, and the public will be fully consulted at every stage.

“That’s the whole point of this planning process,” she said. “To listen to and address people’s concerns.”


© 2007 Metro. All Rights Reserved.


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## TalB

NYU already has half of Lower Manhattan and a chunk of Kips Bay, so what more do they need?


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## TalB

http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/
*Leumi to finance Katan Brooklyn project*

*Katan Development is redeveloping the historic Eberhard Faber Pencil Factory in Greenpoint.*

Ariel Rosenberg 15 Aug 07 16:25

Bank Leumi (TASE: LUMI) will finance a $49 million Brooklyn residential project by Katan Development LLC, owned by Isaac Katan. The company is planning a 93-unit waterfront project in Greenpoint in Eberhard Faber Pencil Factory, which will be preserved and renovated. Two adjacent buildings will be demolished and an apartment block will be built in their place. 

The Eberhard Faber Pencil Factory is one of Brooklyn’s landmarks, located in the old industrial zone and shipyards. The New York Landmarks Preservation Commission slated the factory for preservation as part of the redevelopment. Katan Development is a major developer in Brooklyn with a number projects, with 4,000 apartments altogether, in the borough. 

Katan predicts a boom for luxury apartments in New York as the baby boomers retire and seek to enjoy the city’s thriving atmosphere during their golden years. 

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on August 15, 2007

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2007


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/18/nyregion/18townhouse.html?ref=nyregion
*Plan for Site of ’06 Blast on East Side Is Criticized*

By DAVID W. DUNLAP
Published: August 18, 2007









_3 Dimensional Technology

A rendering of the plan for a house at 34 East 62nd Street._









_Gabriele Stabile for The New York Times

The Links Club building, left, which was cited in 1917 for “traditional elegance,” next to the planned site of a modern town house._

The Links Club usually whispers. This week, it growled.

“These design plans bear no resemblance to any building feature on our block,” said John S. Pyne, the president of the private club, referring to the understated block of East 62nd Street between Madison and Park Avenues. (You will not find the club’s name on the door at No. 36, just ornamental L’s and C’s in the window grilles.) Mr. Pyne was referring to plans for a contemporary, limestone-clad, five-story, single-family town house next door to the Links.

“We do not think that the design of 34 East 62nd is appropriate to our block,” Mr. Pyne said in a letter to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, “and I would argue rather subjectively that the personality does not fit either.”

The vacant lot where the town house would rise was occupied by a Victorian-era brownstone that blew up on July 10, 2006. The owner, Dr. Nicholas Bartha, was suspected of causing the explosion by tampering with the gas line as an act of vengeance against his former wife. He was badly injured in the blast and died five days later.

Rather than try to recreate a 19th-century brownstone, the new owner of the property, Janna Bullock, a real estate developer, and her architect, Preston T. Phillips, have proposed a wholly modern approach. It was considered on Tuesday in a hearing by the landmarks commission, whose finding of appropriateness will be needed for any project on the site, which is within the Upper East Side Historic District.

Robert B. Tierney, the chairman of the commission, said in an interview yesterday that the commission sought refinements in the design. In a separate interview, Mr. Phillips said his office was already exploring modifications, which he hopes to present to the commission next month.

But Mr. Tierney was clearly not closing the door on the general idea.

“I think in very specific — and perhaps limited — circumstances, in a historic district of this kind or other historic districts, a striking contemporary/modern approach or solution is and can be found appropriate; more than appropriate, that it should be encouraged.”

He added that he was confident that the historic district would get “a landmark for the future,” that people would see as being “of its time, of the 21st century.”

The 91-year-old Links Club, Community Board 8 and several leading preservation groups are less sure. Playing an advisory role, the Upper East Side community board voted 27 to 5 last month to disapprove the plan on the ground that it is “not in keeping” with the historic district.

Specific elements that came in for criticism at the landmarks commission hearing included the windowless central bay, which “gives the false appearance of housing an elevator shaft or an emergency stairway,” said Roger P. Lang of the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

A canopy over the fifth-floor balcony was described in a statement by the Historic Districts Council as a feature that “looms over the rest of the building like a high-dive platform.”

The Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts said in a statement that it was most troubled by the “treatment of the entryway as a shadowed void, instead of a more clearly identified and celebrated element as seen on most buildings in the historic district.”

Actually, the treatment of the entryway was intended to complement that of the Links Club, which is also recessed, said Mr. Phillips, the architect. The town house would be set back five feet from the property line in deference to the club, he said, and its fifth floor would be set back more than eight feet so as not to hem in the club’s adjoining mansard roof.

Though the town house interiors are outside the commission’s charge, the floor plans that were shown on Tuesday gave some sense of how extravagant Ms. Bullock means the place to be, with four bedrooms, an indoor swimming pool, a rooftop garden, a waterfall in the backyard, a conservatory, a wine cave, a spa and a butler’s pantry.

Last month, Ms. Bullock said the house might go on the market for $30 million to $40 million. 

Mr. Phillips said the project would seek certification under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines. Water in the waterfall would be recirculated from rain-collecting cisterns. Geothermal wells would be drilled to provide natural heat. Building materials would be shipped no farther than 500 miles. That led the architects to Ontario in search of limestone.

But limestone is just the problem for the red-brick Links Club. “The use of limestone is jarring and overbearing,” Mr. Pyne, the club president, said in his letter to the commission. He cited a 1917 article in The Architectural Record in which the clubhouse design, by Cross & Cross, was described as appealing to those “who like the effects of quiet breeding, traditional elegance, of considered good taste.”

Last year’s deadly and dramatic explosion still hangs over the project, though it is usually referred to obliquely. But Mr. Tierney saw a certain advantage in inheriting a vacant lot. “The decks are clear,” he said, “for a fresh look at the space and the building.”


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/n...l=1&adxnnlx=1187650936-aPqCpyDCc1NQCQ++h4pbDA
*The Times’s First Home Is Being Torn Down*

By DAVID W. DUNLAP
Published: August 15, 2007









_David Dunlap/The New York Times

The first office of The New York Times, 113 Nassau Street, is being demolished._

After enduring a century and a half of change in Lower Manhattan, decrepit and anonymous, the birthplace of The New York Times is now being torn down, brick by brick.

By an odd turn of history, the demolition of The Times’s oldest home occurred just as the company settles into its seventh and newest headquarters, a 52-story tower across Eighth Avenue from the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Yesterday, a worker armed with an appropriately 19th-century demolition tool — a sledgehammer — sat astride the south wall of 113 Nassau Street, between Ann and Beekman Streets, pounding chunks of the structure into dust.

“Little old building,” Margaret Moffatt said wistfully as she walked by on her lunch hour with some colleagues, one of whom, Henry Raven, was a bit more sarcastic. “Making way for progress,” he said.

(Actually, it may be making way for a 28-story residential building, to judge from applications filed with the city’s Department of Buildings. The owners did not respond to telephone messages yesterday.)

What Ms. Moffatt and Mr. Raven did not know — few New Yorkers do — is that Volume 1, Number 1 of The New-York Daily Times, four pages for one penny, was published at 113 Nassau Street on Sept. 18, 1851. The newspaper stayed there until 1854, when it moved a bit closer to City Hall.

This six-story building was, in other words, a journalistic log cabin.

And it was not much more accommodating. There was no glass yet in the windows on the evening when The Times first went to press. Breezes blew through the place, extinguishing the candlelight. “All was raw and dismal,” Augustus Maverick wrote in his 1870 biography of Henry J. Raymond, the founding editor.

Raw and dismal it remained. What little architectural integrity the building possessed was all but wiped away in the 1970s when it became a McDonald’s. The property was put up for sale in 2004. The New York Times Company had no interest in buying it. There was no serious talk of landmark designation.

From 113 Nassau Street, Raymond declared in his first editorial that The Times would present “all the news of the day from all parts of the world” and appear “for an indefinite number of years to come.”

He said something else on that long-ago September day: “No newspaper, which was really fit to live, ever yet expired for lack of readers.” Where these words were written is now a pile of rubble.


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/22/realestate/commercial/22hotel.html?ref=business
*Counting on a Hotel to Make a Neighborhood Hot*

By C. J. HUGHES
Published: August 22, 2007









_Stephen B. Jacobs Group 

A developer is betting that his Gansevoort Park hotel, above, can replicate the success of his Hotel Gansevoort in Manhattan._









_Kitra Cahana for The New York Times

The area around Park Avenue South and East 29th Street._

To understand how the meatpacking district in downtown Manhattan was transformed from an obscure collection of a few bistros and boutiques scattered among beef-filled warehouses to a hot residential, commercial and entertainment destination, consider Michael Achenbaum’s explanation.

One crucial event, he said, was the debut of the Hotel Gansevoort in March 2004 at West 13th Street and Ninth Avenue. After that, he said, the neighborhood suddenly seemed to have a lot more electricity.

Mr. Achenbaum is not entirely objective, of course; he was the hotel’s developer. But the opening of his 13-story 187-room glass-and-steel property, which cost $70 million to build, was a relatively early signal to other investors about the area’s potential. 

In addition, the building’s distinctive rooftop bar and pool, open to nonguests, were almost instantly trendy and heightened the buzz about the neighborhood.

Now Mr. Achenbaum, a principal of WSA Management, based in Garden City on Long Island, hopes to copy that neighborhood-fostering success with a new hotel, Gansevoort Park, at the southwestern corner of Park Avenue South and East 29th Street. It is to be developed with Centurion Realty, whose portfolio includes four million square feet of residential and commercial properties, including 12 other New York buildings.

The hurdles, though, might be more daunting, since the area — squeezed between Murray Hill and the Flatiron District, with an unremarkable hodgepodge of phone stores, pharmacies and 16-story offices — does not have a catchy name, or much cachet. 

Still, Mr. Achenbaum is thinking splashy, and big: a 19-story glass-and-limestone building with 225 rooms, which will cost $200 million. (The financing is being provided by HSH Nordbank, a German commercial bank, and was locked in before the current credit crisis, he said.)

A wide 150-foot-tall glass column containing light-emitting diodes will display mutating colors along the corner of the building’s facade, in a nod to four similar 15-foot columns at the Hotel Gansevoort.

Gansevoort Park’s top three floors, open to the public, will cover 8,000 square feet. They will include bars, decks and a pool, though the exact configuration is being kept secret, Mr. Achenbaum said, to prevent a competitor from trying to install a similar feature before the hotel is finished in the spring of 2009.

Guest-only areas will include a 3,500-square-foot catering space on the third floor, an outdoor deck and a 2,000-square-foot mezzanine-level spa. 

A 10,000-square-foot glass-fronted restaurant space on the sidewalk level, meanwhile, will be leased by Prime One Twelve, a New York offshoot of a Miami Beach steakhouse, though Mr. Achenbaum would not discuss the terms.

He would say, though, that he hopes to get $200 a square foot in annual rent for an adjacent two-floor 1,800-square-foot retail space, preferably from a clothing store. 

The hotel site, which encompasses seven parcels that wrap around the corner, now holds a series of low-slung drab buildings, with street-level tenants that include a shoe store, a French restaurant and a bank. Demolition is to start next month, Mr. Achenbaum said.

Gansevoort Park is likely to attract a different clientele than the midmarket hotels that dot the surrounding blocks. Many were built at the turn of the last century, when this neighborhood was a thriving hotel district.

Similar-size hotels, like Hotel Thirty Thirty, which offers 253 rooms at 30 East 30th Street, or the Carlton, with 316 rooms at 88 Madison Avenue, charge about $250 a night for rooms on summer weekends.

Gansevoort Park’s rooms, meanwhile, will cost about twice that. 

If the Park Avenue South area is underserved by luxury hotels, so is New York City over all, and the time is right to build them, said Daniel Lesser, a senior managing director with CB Richard Ellis and a specialist in hospitality real estate.

In the last few years, conversions of hotels into condominiums have claimed more than 2,000 rooms in Manhattan, Mr. Lesser said, and the city is poised to lose almost that many more, with the imminent closing of the Hotel Pennsylvania, near Madison Square Garden, which has 1,700 rooms. 

Strong demand for New York’s existing 67,000 rooms has meant an average weekly occupancy rate in the last year of 82 percent, according to Smith Travel Research, a lodging industry data provider based in Hendersonville, Tenn. In practical terms, this means weekend nights are usually completely booked, said Jan Freitag, a vice president.

By comparison, Miami, which also attracts a mix of business and leisure travelers, is filling 76 percent of its hotel rooms, while San Francisco is at 72 percent. 

“Any new hotel makes sense, because the city clearly needs rooms,” said Mr. Lesser, without commenting on the Gansevoort Park specifically. “And this goes for every submarket, river to river, from 125th Street to Lower Manhattan.”

Gradually, developers seem to be responding. About 8,000 rooms are now under construction, which would be a 12 percent increase, according to Smith Travel. Some, like Gansevoort Park, are planned for traditionally underserved areas; other neighborhoods that have been identified as prime sites are the Bowery and Harlem. 

Although Gansevoort Park’s developers may sell some rooms as condos, for now they are focused on making the property a round-the-clock business, they said.

It is critical, then, that they attract those who work in the area, at employers like Credit Suisse First Boston, which has large offices at 1 and 11 Madison Avenue, about five blocks away, said Nathan Gindi, vice president of Centurion Realty, which is based in Manhattan.

“We want people to come in for lunch and after work, not just check in and out,” he said. “We want this to be a destination.”


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## Sebastian21

It looks good to me.


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## ZZ-II

should be taller ^^


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## LLoydGeorge

ZZ-II said:


> should be taller ^^


I'd be surprised if the developer didn't build to the maximum height allowed by the zoning regulations for that site. Why would he forego revenue from extra rooms?


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## sbarn

^^ Don't think it should be taller... it fits into that stretch of Park Avenue quite well. I like this project! :cheers:


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## krull

*New Chelsea condo has curved top and 22 duplex units*












13-SEP-07

Cary Tamarkin is developing a residential condominium building at 456 West 19th Street on the southeast corner at Tenth Avenue in Chelsea that will have 22 duplex apartments.

The building invokes the architectural spirits of the Starrett-Lehigh Building, not too far away on the full block between 11th and 12th Avenues and 26th and 27th Streets. The Starrett-Lehigh Building is one of the city's major landmarks of modern architecture. It was designed by Russell G. and Walter M. Cory and Yasuo Matsui. Mr. Matsui previously was a collaborator with H. Craig Severance on the design of the Manhattan Company tower at 40 Wall Street that competed, unsuccessfully, with the Chrysler Building for bragging rights as the city's tallest skyscraper.

In their great book, "New York 1930, Architecture and Urbanism Between The Two World Wars," (Rizzoli International Publications, 1987), Robert A. M. Stern, Gregory Gilmartin and Thomas Mellins noted that the 19-story Starrett-Lehigh Building of 1931 replaced the Lehigh Valley Railroad freight terminal and "came as close as any American building of its time to the stylistic tenets of the International Style...and was included in..."Modern Architecture: International Exhibition," held at the Museum of Modern Art in 1932....The sweeping lines created by the ribbons of windows contrasted with horizontal spandrel bands of concrete and brown brick, and were accentuated by the building's curved corners."

In their fine book, "The A.I.A. Guide to New York City Architecture, Fourth Edition," (Three Rivers Press, 2000), Norval White and Elliot Willensky noted that the 9 miles of strip windows at the Starrett-Lehigh Building were "streaking and swerving around" the building.

Mr. Tamarkin's 19th Street building, which also has an address of 140 Tenth Avenue, almost seems to swivel its billowing curvilinear upper portion atop its rectilinear base. The building plays with scale and two floors are actually behind each of its huge, industrial-size, multi-paned windows. Each apartment has a living room with a 20-foot-high living room, Mr. Tamarkin told Cityrealty.com today, adding that the facade will be a "dusty black brick."

Even more distinctive and bold than the enormous windows are the sinuous lines of the top of the building, which is set-back from the base and has four undulating bands of brick that enclose balconies. The windows do not extend to the building's corners and the rippling balconies are in the center of the north facade and at the avenue corner.

Curved facades are rare but not new in the city and are employed in such recent projects as 100 Eleventh Avenue, where Jean Nouvel has designed a tower with a curved corner facing Frank O. Gehry's I.A.C. building with a billowing-sails-like facade fronting on West Street, and One Astor Place, where Charles Gwathmey conjured in reflective glass the sinuous curves of the great Lake Point Tower in Chicago but anchored them in a rectilinear base unlike the Chicago building.

*Excavation work is proceeding now on the as-of-right Tamarkin building, which will have a canopied entrance on the sidestreet and is expected to have units range in size from about 1,100 to 2,800 square feet and in price between $1,500 and $2,800 a square foot.*

H. Thomas O'Hara is listed in the Department of Buildings as the architect for the project.

Mr. Tamarkin had "first rights" to acquire this site and another at 397 West 12th Street from Victor Zupa, but had to sue Mr. Zupa to get them when Mr. Zupa tried to sell them to Madison Capital Management for $22 million, according to an article in the August 16, 2007 edition of The New York Sun by Jill Priluck. The article added that Mr. Tamarkin purchased the two properties from Mr. Zupa for $24 million.

Mr. Tamarkin was the developer of the handsome 9-story apartment building at 47 East 91st Street. 


Copyright © 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


----------



## krull

*Plans filed for mixed-use tower at 45 Broad Street*


07-SEP-07

Swig Equities filed plans Wednesday with the Department of Buildings for a *53-story, mixed-use tower with 92 residential units at 45 Broad Street.* 

Phil Jones, director of development for Swig Equities, told Cityrealty.com today that its plans for the site are still in the "very early, conceptual stages."

It is south of the company's recent residential conversion of 25 Broad Street, where he obtained permission last April from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for permission to demolish a rear wing.

25 Broad Street was declared an individual landmark in 2000.

The demolition would cut off the top 20 stories of the 21-story wing, which would remove about 17 percent of the building's mass and 36 apartments. The wing extends to the south from the middle of the building and extends into the middle of the block and is not very visible because of nearby high-rise buildings including a new residential tower under construction at 15 William Street.

Swig Equities hopes to use the cut-off mass, which would amount to about 80,000 square feet, at 45 Broad Street. The transfer would add about 12 stories to the 35-story building then planned for the site.

Kent Swig, a principal of Swig Equities, told CityRealty.com after the commission's meeting that details still had not been finalized for 45 Broad Street, but that it would contain retail space, a hotel and residential condominiums.

Mr. Jones today said those plans had not changed. James Davidson of SLCE is the architect of record for the new building and Mr. Jones said that Moed de Armas & Shannon will design the tower.

25 Broad Street is a 21-story building that was the world's largest building when it was completed in 1902. Located on the southeast corner of Broad Street and Exchange Place, it is one block south of the New York Stock Exchange. It was designed in 1899 by Robert Maynicke and his plans were revised the next year by Clinton & Russell.

The building is distinguished by its very handsome facade and entrance and its stunning and huge lobby. It has a three-story rusticated base with a five-step-up entrance.

In their wonderful book, "The A.I.A. Guide to New York City, Fourth Edition" (Three Rivers Press, 2000), Elliot Willensky and Norval White observed that the building is "worthy of the best on Park Avenue." In fact, the building predates most of the buildings on Park Avenue and its huge marble lobby with coffered ceiling is worthy of the world's most luxurious hotels.

According to the Skyscraper Museum, the building remained the world's largest building from 1902 to 1907 when it was surpassed in size by the City Investing Building. When it was completed, the "Broad Exchange Building," as it was known, was "the largest and most valuable office building in all of Manhattan" and, according to the Swig Equities's website, "was instantly recognized as one of the most desirable addresses for Wall Street's brokers and bankers, providing headquarter facilities for Paine, Webber and Company for nearly seventy years."

The building was converted from an office building in 1997 by Crescent Heights to 346 rental apartments. The building had been vacant for several years after the stock market crash of 1987. Mr. Swig acquired the building from Crescent Heights in 2005 for about $200 million.

John Cetra, the architect in charge of the conversion and renovation plans for 25 Broad Street, told the commission that the plans for the building would restore the rear wall of the building and replace an angled parapet wall with many small arches that had been removed in 1928.

The site at 45 Broad Street was once occupied by the firm of Joseph Meeks & Sons, one of American's most prominent furniture makers in the mid-18th Century, and more recently by an 8-story commercial building that Swig Equities demolished.


Copyright © 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## ZZ-II

great new project news


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## TICONLA1

Can anyone give me more info on the Sky House, like location, and the architect.?

that building is awsome.!!!!


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## SheistbugzzNY

does anybody have knews on the cintas tower, or any of the westside development new?? BTW there all lookin rele good


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## SheistbugzzNY

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/about/strategy.shtml

very neat presentation


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## ZZ-II

SheistbugzzNY said:


> does anybody have knews on the cintas tower, or any of the westside development new?? BTW there all lookin rele good


Cintas Tower? isn't that a vision-project with over 600m?


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## SheistbugzzNY

yaa

talklest building evr propose din nyc


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## SheistbugzzNY

sorry bout that


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## ZZ-II

SheistbugzzNY said:


> yaa
> 
> talklest building evr propose din nyc


hmmm...don't think we'll hear anything about this project in the future.


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## Myster E

Actually ZZ-II I believe the NYSE tower was taller with a final height of 700m with the spire but it was cancelled eventually, I think the main culprit being 9/11.


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## ZZ-II

never heard from this project


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/nyregion/thecity/23west.html?ref=thecity
*Raised Eyebrows for a Hotel on the Outskirts*

By JENNIFER BLEYER
Published: September 23, 2007









_Rob Bennett for The New York Times

A new hotel is making a neighborhood suspicious._

There are no heralded restaurants or strobe-lit nightclubs nearby. The area has no tourist attractions. Finding a yellow cab would be akin to spotting a U.F.O.

Still, a hotel is in the final stage of construction in a remote stretch of Hunts Point, wedged between the Sheridan Expressway and the Bronx River. Neighbors of the four-story, butter yellow building, which will have at least 60 rooms, include a body repair shop, a boiler repair outfit and a junkyard. 

But rather than hailing the hotel as an economic boon to the gritty industrial area, community leaders wish it would simply go away. 

“Who in their right mind is going to come from Oklahoma and stay in a location like that?” demanded Francisco Gonzalez, the district manager of Community Board 9. “It’s a deleterious location.” 

Central among local concerns, said Albert Alvarez, chief of staff to City Councilman Joel Rivera of the Bronx, is that “this hotel, opening up in an area that’s pretty much desolate, is going to be a haven of prostitution and drugs.” 

Five telephone messages left with Dasr Corporation, a Long Island company listed on Buildings Department permits as the developer of the hotel, were not returned. 

Last month, Adolfo Carrión Jr., the Bronx borough president, wrote to the hotel’s representatives, expressing reservations about its viability for business travelers or tourists. 

He also asked the Buildings Department to impose a one-year moratorium on permits issued to hotels and motels in similarly zoned manufacturing districts, which allow commercial uses. 

The hotel, which is on a service road leading to the expressway, was built legally under existing zoning regulations. But Mr. Gonzalez of the community board hopes that it will never be allowed to open. “We’ve worked for too many years to change the borough’s image to allow a hotel that would detract from that,” he said.


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## Don Omar

Taking Back the Streets (39th and 40th, to Be Exact)









_Vehicles on First Avenue at 39th Street. Residents want 39th to continue farther east, as it once did._

By SAKI KNAFO
Published: September 23, 2007
nytimes.com

About a century ago, Consolidated Edison established a power plant on nine acres of East River waterfront property, generally bounded by First Avenue, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive, and 35th and 41st Streets. Gradually over the years, the utility also took over segments of East 39th and 40th Streets that ran through the property. By cordoning them off, Con Ed effectively made the two Midtown thoroughfares each one block shorter.

In 2000, the land, *one of the largest development sites in Manhattan*, was sold to Sheldon Solow, who *plans to develop residential and office space* there. According to drawings shown to the public, Mr. Solow’s company, East River Realty, intends to build public walkways on the former segments of East 39th and 40th Streets.

“Our aim is to create an open, inviting riverfront destination that the whole neighborhood and city can enjoy,” said Michael Gross, a spokesman for East River Realty.

But some Midtown residents say these walkways, which will be privately controlled, are no substitute for the public streets that once were.

And while residents were willing to accept the logic of allowing a critically important utility company to occupy the streets, some say a realty company should not enjoy the same privilege.

“The best way to have access to the waterfront would be to have public streets that look like public streets,” said Edward Rubin, chairman of the land use committee of Community Board 6. “Public spaces designed by private bodies never work well.”

*The City Council is expected to rule next year on the future of the property*, which lies in full view of the United Nations tower.

Today, the parcel is a field of dirt and rubble, bounded along First Avenue by a chain-link fence.

A visitor one recent evening was Mary Beth Maslowski, a freelance journalist who was walking her Yorkshire terrier along the fence. She said she had not heard about the proposal to re-establish the grid to the East River but thought the idea sounded like a good one.

“New York City is for the public,” Ms. Maslowski said. “It’s not like a bunch of subdivisions, like on Long Island.”


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## ZZ-II

hopefully they'll build some pretty nice towers on that site


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/nyregion/26mbrfs-manhattanville.html?ref=nyregion
*Manhattan: Plan for Manhattanville*

By CHARLES V. BAGLI
Published: September 26, 2007

At the urging of the Manhattan borough president, the Department of City Planning has agreed to work with community groups and others to develop a long-term plan for development in the Manhattanville neighborhood that would take into account the surrounding character and the need for moderately priced housing. The borough president, Scott M. Stringer, and many residents have said they fear that Columbia University’s $7 billion plan to expand its campus on 17 acres will lead to a wave of gentrification in the surrounding area. Columbia’s proposal is in the midst of a highly contested public review. In the meantime, Mr. Stringer proposed the creation of a special zoning district that would preserve the low scale of the neighborhood and encourage the development of lower-cost housing and the retention of local businesses. In a letter to Mr. Stringer, Amanda M. Burden, director of city planning, said she hoped to begin work on the rezoning this fall, with the goal of creating a proposal by June.


----------



## Don Omar

Columbia Announces Deal on Its 17-Acre Expansion Plan

By COLIN MOYNIHAN
Published: September 27, 2007
nytimes.com

Lee C. Bollinger, the president of Columbia University, and Scott M. Stringer, the borough president of Manhattan, announced yesterday that they had reached an agreement relating to the university’s plans to expand its campus in Harlem.

The university said that in moving forward with its plans *it would contribute $20 million to start a fund to build affordable housing in the neighborhood*, and contribute additional money for local parks and playgrounds. It also promised to use environmentally friendly construction and design.

The university also said it would create a community resource center to tell local residents about its construction plans, hiring for jobs and how to apply for the housing financed by the school.

“We want to be a good neighbor,” Mr. Bollinger said.

*Columbia’s plan to expand its campus into 17 nearby acres has drawn criticism from many in the neighborhood* because it would displace residents and businesses. The school already owns about two-thirds of the land required for the expansion and is negotiating with owners to acquire the rest.

Mr. Bollinger did not rule out the possibility of asking the city to acquire that property through eminent domain, but said that the school would prefer to use other means.

The university’s plan will be reviewed by the City Planning Commission and the City Council and must be approved by both bodies before moving forward. Community Board 9, whose vote is advisory, has already voiced strong opposition to the plan.

Yesterday, some Harlem officials said the agreement by Columbia was a good-faith effort to begin discussions about the project and its impact.

City Councilman Robert Jackson, whose district is in Harlem, said: “I am pleased that Columbia has basically put forward this particular step to say, ‘we are willing to sit down and negotiate with anyone who is willing to do that.’”

At the press conference yesterday to announce the agreement, reporters asked Mr. Bollinger about the visit by the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to Columbia University on Monday.

One reporter asked whether Mr. Bollinger agreed with criticism by some that he had spoken harshly during the visit. Mr. Bollinger replied by stressing the need for open discussion but did not directly answer the question.


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## SheistbugzzNY

http://www.wirednewyork.com/real_estate/hearst_magazine_building/




NEVER EVEN HEARD OF IT, BUT I LIKE IT!!


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## ZZ-II

never??? it is not old but already one of the most famous towers in NY ^^


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## CODEBARRE75011

New York city is the best of the world for me,best architecture buildings,best skyscrapers and best skylines.And the statue of Liberty is at NYC.I love "the BIG BIG apple"


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## ZZ-II

that is totally true :yes:


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## SheistbugzzNY

yup, never heard of it. kinda sad seeing that i live there too.


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/nyregion/03lic.html?ref=nyregion
*Life’s Necessities Play Catch-Up With Development on the Queens Waterfront*

By JOHN ELIGON
Published: October 3, 2007









_Richard Perry/The New York Times

The Queens West area of Hunters Point has been transformed from a neighborhood of factories and single-family homes to a skyline of luxury high-rises along the waterfront._

The settlers of a neighborhood called Queens West do not exactly have to plow the earth for their sustenance, but they do have to lug their groceries in from Manhattan or Brooklyn, often on crowded subway cars. Many just buy their groceries online.

There is no supermarket in Queens West, the name used by real estate agents and residents of this luxury community rising in the borough’s Hunters Point section, and the selection at nearby convenience stores is limited and pricey. 

So in an oft-repeated daily ritual, a white truck stamped with a FreshDirect logo arrives at the doorstep of a high-rise building. A deliveryman hops out to unload box upon box of veggies, cold cuts, cereal and more. The truck is then off to the next multimillion-dollar high-rise. 

This fading industrial sector may be experiencing a renewed vitality because of its perch across the East River from Midtown, but its renaissance is at a quirky phase: The influx of residents is outpacing the goods and services that make a neighborhood. It is a car without an engine, a cup of ramen noodles awaiting a splash of hot water.

FreshDirect, the online grocery delivery company whose headquarters are near Queens West, has therefore become essential since it began service to the community in August 2005. But the community’s point-and-click culture faces a drastic — and for some, welcome — change early next year.

Rockrose Development Corporation, one of the major developers in the area, recently signed an agreement with the Amish Market to open a 21,000-square-foot store on the ground floor of one of its buildings. The supermarket, along with a Duane Reade drugstore, is expected to open early next year, signs that Queens West could be maturing from a settlement to a community.

Reactions among the 3,500 residents to their neighborhood’s first supermarket have varied. “That’s awesome,” said one woman. One man was leery. “People will go and see what they have,” he said. “They got a tough row to hoe.” Another man said he would continue driving to get groceries.

Yet the convenience of a large supermarket within walking distance is undeniable.

“The biggest thing I’ve ever heard anyone wish for is a grocery store,” said Baron Hazen, the general manager of two buildings owned by Avalon Communities, one of which he has lived in for the past 13 months. 

Patricia Dunphy, the vice president of Rockrose, said the company’s research indicated that the Amish Market would provide what Queens West residents desire. “Busy working people, they want to be able to buy gourmet foods and prepared foods,” she said.

The neighborhood being promoted as Queens West is bounded by Newtown Creek to the south, the Anable Basin (at 45th Road) to the north, the East River to the west and Fifth Street to the east.

The community’s revival got off to a slow start. In 1997, the first luxury high-rise building, the Citylights, was built amid smokestacks and brush. It was the only building of its kind in the area until 2002, when Avalon built the first of its two buildings. Rockrose has two residential high-rises in the area and plans on erecting five more.

In all, 74 acres have been set aside for development, with construction scheduled for completion in 2012. Developers hope the area can become what is essentially an extension of Manhattan — it is just one stop and about a five-minute ride to Grand Central Station on the No. 7 train. The waterfront, which includes a man-made beach, is another amenity.

For now, some Queens West residents find charm in being part of a quiet community starting almost from scratch.

Sofia Estevez, the senior vice president at Rockrose, said that some people took pride in “not just being a follower and going to all the same neighborhoods. It makes you unique.”

Other developers are also attracting a curious crowd.

“Me and my roommate are really excited about the whole thing,” said Jessica Higgs, a 22-year-old financial analyst who was the first person to move into Avalon’s second building, Riverview North, in July. “It’s going to be cool to see what happens.”

There is already one public elementary school in the neighborhood with plans to build a second. There are also plans for a library. Some say the area still needs community centers, medical facilities, entertainment options and a wider variety of restaurants.

Ms. Higgs said she knew there were no supermarkets when she moved in, but added, “Why turn down a nice place because of a grocery store?”

She is not a FreshDirect fan, so she, like other residents, sometimes buys groceries in Manhattan after work. The evening rush in Queens West consists of crowds of people dressed in business attire, many of them coming home with plastic grocery bags in hand.

Ms. Higgs said she also occasionally visits one of the many convenience stores on Vernon Boulevard, which is also home to several restaurants.

Marlene Dodes-Callahan and her husband, Matthew Callahan, drive to Brooklyn for their groceries.

They are about as close as one can get to being charter residents of Queens West, having bought a 39th-floor condominium in the Citylights building less than a year after it opened. They make weekly trips across the Pulaski Bridge to shop at a Key Food in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Although the Callahans are eager to have a supermarket within walking distance and welcome the evolving neighborhood it represents, they see the changes as bittersweet.

“Before, everybody was on an island in the middle of nothing,” Mr. Callahan said. “Everybody said, ‘Hello,’ because we were part of the same experience.”

Ms. Dodes-Callahan added, “People are less friendly now.”

Joseph Conley, the chairman of Community Board 2, whose district includes Queens West, said he was concerned what the burgeoning neighborhood might do to the true pioneers of the area — the third-generation residents who grew up in a neighborhood of single-family homes that stood alongside factories. Many of those people are not in the same economic bracket as the transplants settling in the luxury residences along the river.

Mr. Conley said that while a supermarket was “sorely needed” in Queens West, an upscale market might not serve the community as a whole.

“It’s great to see the vibrant community it’s developing into,” he said. 

“We don’t want it to be a playground for the rich.”


----------



## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/nyregion/03clock.html?ref=nyregion
*A Skyscraper in Brooklyn Tantalizes With Time*

By ANDY NEWMAN
Published: October 3, 2007









_Earl Wilson/The New York Times

The clock atop the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building, covered for more than a year, was partly unveiled Tuesday._

Brooklyn glimpsed a familiar face yesterday. 

Four of them, actually. 

They grace the borough’s very own Big Ben: the clock atop the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building, Brooklyn’s tallest skyscraper. 

Unseen beneath black veils for more than a year while undergoing a makeover, the clock was partly revealed. The building’s owners, the Dermot Company, took some of the netting down yesterday.

But not all of it. Like the hidden assets of a chorus girl in fishnet stockings, the rounded bottoms of the dials can be seen only through a scrim of black mesh. 

The Dermot Company, which is converting the building, now known as 1 Hanson Place, into condos, said that it was not sure when the clock would work again.

The hands do not appear to be working yet — not that they ever reliably did even before the renovation. Though the clock has been one of the borough’s most visible landmarks since the tower was completed in 1929, its four faces often showed different times. Dermot officials have said that they hope the spiffed-up clock will be better synchronized with itself.

Robert Goldstrom, an artist who has painted the clock’s likeness more than 80 times (15 since the netting went up), said he could already tell that the clock was a lot cleaner. But he was not sure that that was an entirely good thing.

“It’s like the Sistine Chapel,” he said. “Some people got very upset when it was cleaned. You’ve got to get used to it not looking sooty. I’m sure I will miss the subtler, dimmer clock tower.”

Still, Mr. Goldstrom said, “It’s good to have it back.”


----------



## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/nyregion/06yards.html?ref=realestate
*Midtown Bank Is Said to Plan a Move to a Skyscraper Over the West Side Railyards*

By CHARLES V. BAGLI
Published: October 6, 2007

Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, the global investment bank, is considering moving its headquarters from the north end of Times Square to a proposed skyscraper complex over the railyards on the Far West Side of Manhattan.

Morgan Stanley has formed a financial partnership with Tishman Speyer Properties, one of five developers that are expected to submit bids next Thursday for the development rights over the yards that straddle 11th Avenue, between 30th and 31st Streets, said banking and real estate executives who have been briefed on the plan. The bank, those executives said, is exploring the possibility of consolidating operations at one site.

At the same time, a rival bid is taking shape in which Condé Nast Publications, the magazine publisher, is considering moving its headquarters from the heart of Times Square to a tower over the railyards. Condé Nast signed an agreement earlier this week with a joint venture of the Durst Organization and Vornado Realty Trust, which plans to bid for the development rights. 

“We’re excited about participating in this with the Durst Organization,” said John Bellando, chief operating officer at Condé Nast. “We see this as an opportunity to secure prime space in this development.”

Either proposal could have a transformative effect on the quiet, semi-industrial neighborhood of warehouses, factories, tenements and parking lots that surround the railyards. Given the complexity of the site, it could take 6 to 10 years to happen. 

The railyards represent an increasingly rare commodity in Manhattan — 26 acres of waterfront property — and a complicated and expensive challenge: to build platforms and towers while trains operate beneath them.

The Durst Organization and Tishman Speyer are not the only deep-pocketed developers interested in the site. Related Companies, Brookfield Properties and Extell Development Company have also indicated that they intend to make offers. 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns the property, had hoped to get as much as $1 billion. But real estate executives say the bids are more likely to be half that, at least in part because the builder will have to spend up to $1.5 billion to erect platforms over the yards.

After going through the city’s review process, the winning developer will be allowed to build skyscrapers as tall as 70 stories containing more than 4,600 apartments. The developer will also be required to erect a cultural center and create 12 acres of open space.

Development over the yards is just one element of an ambitious effort by the Bloomberg administration to transform the Far West Side. Two years ago, the city rezoned the area for high-rise development and created a plan for parks and other amenities.

A half dozen residential buildings and hotels are under construction or about to start in the area. A $1.8 billion plan to expand the nearby Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, however, is stalled and losing momentum. A proposal to expand Pennsylvania Station, build a new Madison Square Garden and redevelop that area is also struggling to move forward. 

The authority is expected to award a contract later this month to extend the No. 7 line from Times Square to 34th Street and 11th Avenue. It has been negotiating with the sole bidder for the work, a joint venture of Skanska USA, J. F. Shea Company and Schiavone Construction. A critical question is whether the project can stay within its $1.2 billion budget.

The Bloomberg administration has been keen on getting a financial institution to move to the West Side as a way of establishing a new business district. If Morgan Stanley were to move its headquarters to the railyards, real estate executives say, it would make Tishman Speyer a leading contender for the development rights. The bank bought two new but vacant skyscrapers in the late 1980s at the north end of Times Square and only blocks from Rockefeller Center. 

But it was Condé Nast that helped revive a then dowdy Times Square in 1999, when it moved its headquarters to a newly completed 48-story tower built by the Durst Organization at the northeast corner of 42nd Street and Broadway. Since then, T-shirt stores and pornography shops have given way to accounting firms, media companies, restaurants, nightclubs and hotels.

Under the Condé Nast agreement, the publisher would move its 27 magazines to a 1.5-million-square-foot skyscraper on a platform on the east side of 11th Avenue. The move would let the company consolidate operations that now spread across several buildings and would bring about 3,500 employees under one roof.

Mr. Bellando of Condé Nast said that if his company moves he has no doubt that he would be replaced by a “Grade A” tenant. 

Mr. Durst said, “We’re excited to be working with Condé Nast again in building for the future of New York City on the Hudson Yards, just as we did in Times Square.”


----------



## Ebola

*N, Y, and C is #1!!!*


----------



## ZZ-II

fantastic news


----------



## another_viet

woot woot


----------



## Ebola

TOWER POWER


www.wtc.com
Tower Power by Tom Topousis | October, 09 2007
New York Post

The Big Apple is in the midst of a* building boom *that over the next 25 years will change the face of the city and create so many new office towers that the added space alone will *be bigger than downtown San Francisco or Atlanta, a Post analysis shows. *

With the World Trade Center reconstruction now underway and several large towers going up in Midtown, the city and state will open bids this week for development of the largest tract of available land in Manhattan: 26 acres over the West Side rail yards. Added together, towers under construction, in the planning stages or proposed for future development add *between 65 million and 70 million square feet of office space *- about *seven times what is being built at the World Trade Center alone*. 

"And we think over time, taking a couple of decades, we'll need every bit of that," Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff said of the projections for new office space. 

Doctoroff also said that soon after Mayor Bloomberg took office in 2002, the administration calculated that the city would need 65 million to 70 million square feet of new office construction if it is to remain competitive as a business center. 

"We're not smart enough to be able to predict exactly when all that will be built, but it's a . . . number that we'll need," he said. 

While the amount of new office space planned may sound enormous, the phasing of its construction makes the new projects viable, said Mary Ann Tighe, chief executive officer of CB Richard Ellis' New York office. 

"It's a very orderly delivery of space compared to the boom and bust cycles we had in the 1970s and '80s," Tighe said. 

Tighe said a force behind the demand for new office space is the aging of Manhattan's current buildings. A study by CB Richard Ellis found that 63.9 percent of the city's office towers will be over 50 years old by 2010, compared with a national average of 24 percent. 

Unlike most other cities, Tighe said Manhattan's office towers are more likely to be filled with the top tier of corporate officials - the types of executives who are willing to pay a premium for the best and most technologically sophisticated space. 

The Real Estate Board of New York calculates that 7.9 million square feet of new office space is now under construction, including the Freedom Tower. Another 6.9 million square feet is in the planning stages, including four additional towers at the World Trade Center site. 

REBNY projects that another 12.6 million square feet in 14 potential projects - mostly in Midtown redevelopment - could be on tap as well. 

But the biggest chunk of expansion would come on the far West Side in the Hudson Yards, stretching from the rail yards between 30th and 33rd streets all the way north to 42nd Street, where the city is counting on 24 million square feet of new office space. 


When it comes to office towers, the true powerhouses, NY leaves everyone in the dust.


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## koolkid

Awesome!


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## Don Omar

Wa wa wee Wa


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## ZZ-II




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## xXFallenXx

Great news!


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## velut arbor aevo

gee, just walls of words.
mind if you post some pictures of the development of ny?


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## SheistbugzzNY

They were suppose to submit there proposals for the west side site today.!!! Hopefully someone can get them


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## Don Omar

*must read*

Five Firms Vie for Chance to Build on Far West Side









_The railyards, between 30th and 33rd Streets on the Far West Side, belong to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority._

By CHARLES V. BAGLI
Published: October 13, 2007
nytimes.com

Five developers submitted separate billion-dollar offers this week for the right to transform the West Side railyards — what the Bloomberg administration once called “a hole in the ground” — into a small city of residential and commercial skyscrapers with 12 acres of parks and open space.

One of the bidders, the Extell Development Company, would use “suspension bridge technology” to span the two 13-acre yards flanking 11th Avenue between 30th and 33rd Streets, while the trains continue to operate, according to real estate executives briefed on the bids.

Extell would erect a dozen towers over the next 15 years, including one more than 1,000 feet tall, at the northern and southern borders of the sites, leaving parkland and open space at the center. The design for this proposal also incorporates a public park on a defunct elevated railway that runs west along 30th Street and north along 12th Avenue.

The four other bidders would build concrete and steel platforms over the railyards and erect a similar array of towers and open space, as well as a home for a yet-to-be-determined cultural institution.

The railyards, which are owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, represent both a rare opportunity to acquire 26 acres of waterfront property in Manhattan and a daunting challenge to redevelop an industrial neighborhood and make it into a major commercial district over the coming decade.

Tishman Speyer Properties has formed a joint venture with Morgan Stanley, the global investment bank, whose headquarters are at the north end of Times Square; their plan calls for a major skyscraper on the eastern railyard that would be a new headquarters for the bank and perhaps the start of another financial district in Manhattan.

Another bidder, a joint venture of the Durst Organization and Vornado Realty Trust, has a tentative agreement with Condé Nast Publications, publisher of Vanity Fair, Gourmet, The New Yorker and 24 other magazines, to build a new home for the company in a 1.5 million-square-foot tower on the eastern railyard.

The Related Companies, one of the city’s biggest residential builders, has formed a joint venture with Goldman Sachs, another major investment bank, and hired three architects — Kohn Pedersen Fox, Arquitectonica and Robert A. M. Stern — to design its proposal. And Brookfield Properties, the fifth bidder, used Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Field Operations to develop a master plan, while Skidmore and the architects Thomas Phifer & Partners, SHoP Architects and Diller Scofidio & Renfro designed the towers.

“This is a massive development opportunity that we may never see again,” said Anna Levin, a member of Community Board 4, whose district includes the yards. “It’ll be the biggest public-private partnership you’ve ever seen. But planning for development that we’ll need for generations to come is a complex process. It has to take into account a multitude of public and private considerations.”

The transportation authority, which had hoped to reap $1 billion from the sale of the development rights to the yards, confirmed that it had received five offers, but declined to provide any details.* The authority said it expected to select the winning bidder, or combination of bidders, by February or March*, after conducting a design review that would include an opportunity for public comment.

The Bloomberg administration is keenly interested in the outcome because it views the railyards as a key element in a plan to transform the Far West Side. It hopes to begin work soon on an extension of the No. 7 subway from Times Square to the railyards.

The bidders were loath to comment publicly on their proposals for fear of alienating the transportation authority. But real estate executives who saw the offers said that each developer had made a nominal bid of about $1 billion for the development rights.

Still, it is difficult to determine the true value of the offers because every proposal has a different set of contingencies and involves a series of payments over years. City and state officials will also evaluate how quickly each developer would start construction.

Ms. Levin said she *hoped the transportation authority would release the proposals submitted by all the developers, in their entirety, because they might include some good ideas that do not fall within the city and the authority’s design guidelines.*

Big project proposals in New York can take a torturous and lengthy path to construction, or collapse. A succession of mayors and governors sought futilely to build a baseball stadium for the Yankees or a football stadium for the Jets over the railyards. But in 2005, the city rezoned the Far West Side for high-rise development and the transportation authority sought to sell the development rights over the railyards to raise $1 billion for its capital budget.

Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky, who heads a legislative committee that oversees the authority, said the railyards should be viewed alongside plans for the subway extension, the expansion of the nearby convention center and proposals for Pennsylvania Station. He questioned whether there had been adequate planning for the related projects. “The receipt of the bids raises the curtain on a chaotic set of issues that have to be resolved,” Mr. Brodsky said.

The city and the transportation authority created a conceptual plan for the railyards detailing what could be built there and the general location of the buildings, which could vary between 60 and 70 stories. The yard on the eastern side of 11th Avenue has been zoned for development, but plans for the western yard would have to go through the city’s public review process, presumably with the support of the Bloomberg administration and the City Council president, Christine C. Quinn.

Before they build the first tower, however, developers must erect platforms or spans over the railyards while trains continue running. Douglas Durst of the Durst Organization, which has hired the architects FXFowle and Rafael Pelli, has estimated that the platforms would cost about $1.5 billion. But Extell hopes to save money by using bridge-building technology instead.


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## krull

*Herzog & de Meuron reported commissioned by Alexico*


09-OCT-07

Alexico has commissioned Herzog & de Meuron, the architects of 40 Bond Street, *to design its planned 58-story, 140-unit apartment tower at 56 Leonard Street on a site it acquired from the New York Law School*, according to a report today at Curbed.com.

Attempts by CityRealty to confirm the story with Izak Senbahar, one of the principals of Alexico, and its marketing director, Louise Sunshine, were unsuccessful this afternoon.

The latest plans, filed in June, with the city indicated that the tower's architect was Costas Kondylis.

*The Alexico residential tower will be on the 12,500-square-foot site of the Mendik Law Library building on the northeast corner of the block bounded by Church, Leonard and Worth Streets and West Broadway*. The area was rezoned in 1995 but the school's property was not included in the new zoning.

Alexico is headed by Ivan Senbahar and Simon Elias, who are converting part of the Mark Hotel on the northwest corner of Madison Avenue and 77th Street to residential condominiums and who were the developers of 165 Charles Street, a Richard Meier-designed apartment building on West Street, and the Grand Beekman and Laurel apartment buildings on First Avenue.

The New York Law School was established in 1891 by some faculty, students and alumni of the Columbia College School of Law who were protesting that school's attempts to dictate teaching methods.

Herzog & de Meuron's design for 40 Bond Street includes huge green glass cylindrical elements and a graffiti-inspired gate. Recently, the firm showed a flamboyant design for a major new philharmonic hall in Hamburg.

The Curbed.com article stated that "Alexico is also developing the Remy in Chelsea, which also happens to be made of stacked glass cubes in a design by - wouldn't you know it - Costas Kondylis." The Remy is the name of a apartment tower planned by Adellco LLC at 101 West 28th Street on the northwest corner at the Avenue of the Americas.

"...our source," the Curbed.com article continued, "has seen the model for 56 Leonard Street, and it bares only 'a very small likeness' to the Remy, and 'looks nothing like' Santiago Calatrava's glass boxes at 80 South Street. Oh, did we mention this tower is going up completely as-of-right?"

The design for the 80 South Street project south of the South Street Seaport called for a stack of ten 4-story townhouses, but the famous project has yet to break ground.


Copyright © 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## krull

*St. Vincent's shows plans for hospital and residential complex*












11-OCT-07

St. Vincent's Hospital held a public meeting last night to unveil its plans for a new hospital building to rise on the site of its O'Toole Building on the northwest corner of Seventh Avenue and 12th Street and the plans of Rudin Family Holdings to redevelop 8 of the hospital's buildings on the western portion of the block bounded by 11th and 12th Streets and Sixth and Seventh Avenues.

*The proposed 21-story hospital building, which has been designed by Ian Bader of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, would have a 4-story base and a setback curved tower. The tower would be about 300 feet tall.*

*Across the avenue, the residential development would consist of a 21-story building on the avenue that would be about 260 feet high including roof-top mechanical spaces and townhouses with stoops on the two side-streets.* Dan Kaplan of FXFowle is the architect for the Rudin project.

In addition to these two sites, the hospital owns the triangular block that used to be occupied by the Loew's Sheridan movie theater just south of the O'Toole Building. That block is now used by the hospital mostly as a "loading dock."

The planned buildings are in the Greenwich Village Historic District, but the hospital has not yet submitted a formal application for a certificate of appropriateness from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The proposed projects will also require numerous other public approvals relating to zoning.

At the meeting in the hospital's auditorium, Bill Rudin, the CEO of the Rudin organization, said that his company has agreed to pay the hospital about $500 a buildable square feet for its residential development, or about $300 million, under the current building plans. The hospital's building is anticipated to cost about $700 million. It will contain 365 beds, one to a room, a substantial reduction from its present size of about 635 beds.

The plan calls for the demolition of the four-story O'Toole Building, which was erected in 1961 and was designed by Albert Ledner and is notable for its white-ceramic-tile facades and its nautical motif. Once the new hospital is built and opened on this site, eight of the hospital's 9 buildings across the avenue will be demolished to make way for the Rudin's residential development.

Mr. Rudin said that although his company's residential projects have always been rental, the more than 400 apartments will be built as condominiums. In addition to the 21-story building on the avenue and 19 townhouses, the Rudin project includes a mid-rise, mid-block building, 15,000-square feet of retail space, 22,500 square feet of medical office space and a garage.

The design of the new hospital building's tower, shown at the left in the illustration at the right, resembles in its elliptical lenticular shape with "cutting edges" the famous "Boat Building" designed by Max Abramovitz in 1963 for the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company in Hartford, Conn. Mr. Bader indicated that the new building would be masonry- rather than glass-clad and probably of a reddish color.

Mr. Kaplan also indicated that a similar palette was likely to be employed in the residential buildings, emphasizing that the new townhouses will be set-back about 10 feet from the building line to permit owners to have front-yard gardens that will add to the "green" component of project.

In answer to a question from the audience about past promises from the hospital to create an attractive open space on the triangle block, Mr. Bader also emphasized that plans call for landscaping improvements to the "triangle" block. No one in the audience asked why the new hospital could not be erected on the triangle block and the very unusual, interesting and idiosyncratic O'Toole Building saved, or used as a base for a new tower similar to what the Hearst Corporation did recently on the southwest corner of 57th Street and Eighth Avenue.


Copyright © 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## krull

*Robert A. M. Stern to design tower at 99 Church Street*












15-OCT-07

Silverstein Properties announced today that it has selected Robert A. M. Stern to design its planned mixed-use tower at 99 Church Street between Barclay Street and Park Place just to the west of the Woolworth Building.
Silverstein Properties acquired the 11-story office building at 99 Church Street last November with California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) from Moody's Corporation for $170 million and Moody's plans to relocate its corporate headquarters to Silverstein Properties' 7 World Trade Center nearby.

*The new building will include residential condominiums and a "five-star" hotel and occupancy is anticipated for early 2011.*

Larry A. Silverstein, the president and CEO of Silverstein Properties, said that he was "delighted to welcome Robert A. M. Stern Architects to the roster of world-class architects - David Childs, Lord Norman Foster, Fumihiko Maki and Lord Richard Rogers - who are working with us to transform the landscape downtown while at the same time honoring its rich architecture heritage." Mr. Silverstein is building major skyscrapers nearby at Ground Zero.

"Lower Manhattan is one of the world's great places, and I am thrilled by the invitation of Larry Silverstein and his organization to be part of its rebirth with the design of a first-rate hotel and residences on a key site," Mr. Stern said, adding that for him "this is a dream project, a chance to help Lower Manhattan realize its potential as a great place to live."

Mr. Stern is the Dean of the Yale School of Architecture, the co-author of a monumental five-volume series on the history of New York City architecture and the architect of numerous luxury residential high-rise buildings in Manhattan including the limestone-clad 15 Central Park West.

An article by Bradley Hope in today's edition of The New York Sun quoted Mr. Stern as saying that there will be a public plaza between the new building and the Woolworth Building.

*No renderings or details of Mr. Stern's design have been released yet.
*
Last August, a rendering by Costas Kondylis appeared on the WiredNewYork and Curbed websites of a skyscraper with a flared top at the Silverstein site, which is on the same block as the great Woolworth Building. At the time, Silverstein Properties issued a statement in response to a query from CityRealty.com that it was "committed to excellence in design for all its properties," the statement continued, without any reference to specific architectural firms.

The Woolworth Building at 233 Broadway is widely considered the third greatest New York City skyscraper after the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings and its visual isolation on the skyline has been recently encroached upon by the new, 56-story apartment tower at 10 Barclay Street developed by Glenwood Management of which Leonard Litwin is a principal.

The Moody's building was erected in 1951 and contained about 300,000 square feet of office space.

Last March, a spokesperson for the developer at Howard J. Rubenstein Associates confirmed for CityRealty.com a report by Lauren Elkies in The Real Deal that the project will include a "boutique" hotel on the lower 20 floors below condominium apartments.

*Silverstein Properties is planning to erect a 60-story mixed-use tower at 99 Church Street just to the west of the Woolworth Building at 233 Broadway.*

Steve Witkoff and Cammeby's International had planned a residential conversion of the upper floors of the Woolworth Building, one of New York City's most important landmarks, but last May Randy Gerner of the architectural firm of Gerner Kronick & Valcarcel PC, told CityRealty.com that his firm was working on plans to convert the top floors back to office space.

An article by David Lombino in the December 22, 2006 edition of The New York Sun maintained that "Mr. Silverstein said it was likely the [Moody's building would be razed to make way for a 58-story" building.


Copyright © 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.COM INC.


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## krull

*Rezoning Plan May Transform Area of Harlem*


By ELIOT BROWN
Special to the Sun
October 15, 2007

The Bloomberg administration is seeking zoning changes that would allow for substantial new development along much of 125th Street, a move that could transform a major Harlem thoroughfare into a dense hub of activity.

After avoiding the area for decades, developers are warming to the corridor as its retail market flourishes and nearby housing prices reach levels that 15 years ago would have seemed almost unfathomable. Aiming to leverage the soaring real estate market, the city wants to convert the historic corridor into a regional destination for business, retail, and the arts, *allowing for an estimated 2,300 new apartments and more than 600,000 square feet of office and retail space in coming years. The plan, which goes before the local community boards in coming weeks, has drawn criticism from neighborhood residents*, who say the dense development will not fit in with the character of the area. The real estate industry, while it supports the plan, is calling for more density around the Metro-North station on Park Avenue, consistent with the city's goals of transit-oriented development.

The concept of new development is a relatively recent one for the expansive African American and Hispanic area that occupies much of northern Manhattan. Between the 1960s and 1980s, the region was hemorrhaging population as the city's economy faltered, so much so that the city claims in planning documents that due to widespread foreclosures, it owned about 40% of the housing stock at one point.

The seemingly unstoppable real estate market of the past decade has shone a new light on the area, especially 125th Street, allowing for the arrival of national retailers such as Old Navy, and developments such as the planned Harlem Park, a glass 20-story office building just west of Park Avenue being developed by Vornado Realty Trust.

For the past four years, the city has been talking with the community and devising its rezoning plan for the corridor, which stretches between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Second Avenue and 124th and 126th streets. Now, with the rezoning proposal at the start of the seven-month approval process, the Bloomberg administration is poised to open the area's doors to considerable new development, particularly for office space and arts and entertainment uses.

"Folks want to build higher right now," Assemblyman Keith Wright said. "You have some rather large vacant lots that are being held onto by private developers, and they're just waiting for the proposed rezoning."

*The city's plan would allow for more than double the existing density along the central section of 125th Street, with new buildings allowed to rise to 29 stories.* With the aim of further enlivening the street life of the corridor, the proposal would restrict the type of retail on the ground level to "active" uses, relegating much of the space for banks and offices to the second floors. *New buildings bigger than 60,000 square feet would have to reserve a portion of their space for entertainment or arts uses along much of the street, and the city is considering a density bonus for buildings that incorporate arts uses.*

With rising land values of recent years causing a stir within the broader Harlem community — opposition has been stiff to Columbia University's planned 17-acre expansion and housing advocates claim evictions from landlords shedding rent-regulated tenants are at an all time high — the city has had to walk a fine line while crafting the proposal. The area in which the proposed density is greatest tends to be mostly filled with low-rise retail stores, and the city added development restrictions to the sections of the corridor with considerable residential population. Still, the community has expressed concerns, proposing its own alternative that would decrease allowable building heights and expand provisions for arts and entertainment.

"I don't want a 42nd Street — I don't want a lot of tall high rises," Council Member Inez Dickens said, calling for a height limit of about 19 stories.

The real estate industry, mostly content with the city's proposal, is pushing for a greater density along the eastern end of the corridor, as the presence of the Metro-North stop, the nos. 4, 5, and 6 trains, and the proposed Second Avenue subway make the area very attractive for development.

"We thought that they could have given greater density as you got closer to the Metro-North station and the subways," the president of the Real Estate Board of New York, Steven Spinola, said.

*Both the City Planning Commission and the City Council must approve the plan.*


© 2007 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC.


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## krull

*GROUND ZERO COLLEGE HALL TO FINALLY COME DOWN*


By CHUCK BENNETT

October 15, 2007 -- Another ugly reminder of 9/11 is about to come down, officials said.

State officials are finalizing plans to tear down Fiterman Hall, a 15-story Borough of Manhattan Community College classroom complex on 30 West Broadway that was irreparably damaged by debris and toxic dust in the collapse of 7 World Trade Center.

Although a timetable has not been announced, the state Dormitory Authority, which is managing the project, should finalize a demolition plan by the end of the month, officials say.

All that is left is approval by the Environmental Protection Agency.

In the wake of the Aug. 18 Deutsche Bank blaze, safety is top priority, said Marc Violette, a Dormitory Authority spokesman. Inspectors from the FDNY have already made 21 visits to the site.

The Long Island City-based PAL Environmental Safety Corp. received the $16.3 million contract to decontaminate the building and deconstruct it. It previously cleaned and demolished 4 Albany Street, a four-story building that was contaminated by toxic dust.

The company has come under the scrutiny of regulators. In 2005, it paid a $10,000 fine for illegally dumping toxic debris removed from the Deutsche Bank building.

Sal DiLorenzo, president of PAL Environmental, did not return calls for comment.

Abatement at Fiterman Hall is expected to take six to eight months and demolition will take an additional six to eight months. *A new state-of-the-art facility, designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, will be built on the site and include 74 classrooms, laboratory space, offices, a cafe, and an art gallery.* The total cost for the project is $202 million.


Copyright 2007 NYP Holdings, Inc.


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## krull

*The New Business Of N.Y. Shuls: Air Rights*










*Site of Shearith Israel’s planned 
expansion of its community house 
on West 70th Street. Michael 
Datikash*


10/11/2007

Synagogues in Manhattan are getting a facelift — and it’s commercial developers who are delivering a potent injection of cash. 

Destined to be the largest synagogue constructed in Manhattan in 50 years, *Lincoln Square Synagogue’s state-of-the-art, 52,000-square-foot shul is being funded in part by a land swap with real estate developer American Continental Properties Inc.* 

Meanwhile, Congregation Shearith Israel, also on the Upper West Side, is making headway in its ongoing struggle to build four floors of luxury condos and a penthouse above a new community house adjacent to the synagogue. In addition to generating income to offset upkeep, *the nine-story high-rise will also provide a direct, enlarged entrance to the synagogue*, which will be wheelchair accessible.

And most recently, The Ramaz School, on East 85th Street, announced plans to raze its Lower School building, which is physically connected to Kehilath Jeshurun Synagogue (KJ), a congregation best known as a bastion of Modern Orthodoxy on the Upper East Side. *In its place, Ramaz is in negotiations with an undisclosed commercial developer to erect a 28-story high-rise building that will border the synagogue, of which the upper 18 floors will be carved into 53 residential condos.* 

Estimated costs for the Ramaz project — including improving the synagogue, demolishing the old school building and synagogue house, relocating the students for two years and constructing the new building — weigh in at a staggering $80 million. So who’s footing the bill? 

That’s where the deal with the developer comes in. “The costs will be offset by about half by the developer, who will pay us for air rights,” says Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, senior rabbi of KJ and principal of Ramaz, who confirmed that a developer has been chosen and a contract should be signed in the coming weeks. 

Call it “divine profits” if you’d like. The common denominator linking the three Manhattan synagogues — KJ, Shearith Israel (known as the Spanish Portuguese synagogue) and Lincoln Square — is an eagerness on the part of synagogues to sell off unused development rights, popularly known as air rights, to help fund construction and improvements. “Air rights” is the phrase commonly used to refer to “unused development rights.” According to the 1961 Zoning Resolution, a property owner can sell unused development rights attributable to his or her land to an adjacent property owner, allowing the buyer to build a taller building next door. 

“Synagogues are becoming more savvy,” says development rights expert Caroline Harris, a zoning attorney with Troutman Sanders. “They’re suddenly realizing that they actually own a real estate asset instead of thinking that they just own a sanctuary.” 

For KJ, the developer’s cash will not only fund a portion of the new building, but will also give the synagogue an opportunity to update its electrical and HVAC systems, without having to shut down the building for a prolonged period of time. “While you have the construction crew in one part of the house, you might as well have them in the other parts of the house,” says Shelly Friedman, a land-use lawyer for Kehilath Jeshurun, who is also representing Shearith Israel.

Assuming it gets the necessary zoning variances to move forward with the project, KJ will retain its Gothic-Moorish architectural character but the synagogue will have its lighting modernized, its floor replaced and its roof reinforced. Perhaps most importantly, the heating and air-conditioning systems will be revamped. “Women will not freeze in the summer, which they tend to do,” says Rabbi Lookstein, referring to the fact that the balcony, where the women sit, is colder than the rest of the sanctuary.

The new building will free up much-needed space for the growing congregation, which has seen its membership more than double in size in the past 25 years to nearly 3,000 members. It will house synagogue offices on the third and 10th floors, as well as create dedicated spaces for teen, beginner and intermediate minyanim. And the daily morning minyan will be relocated to the cellar of the new Lower School building, allowing the synagogue to expand its lobby and improve circulation flow, limiting the shoulder-tugging as congregants make a unified exodus from the sanctuary on busy Shabbat mornings and holidays.

Since the sale of air rights won’t cover all costs, fundraising from within the KJ/Ramaz community is already under way. About two-thirds of the estimated $45 million remaining cost has already been raised, confirmed Rabbi Lookstein. “The actual building will not be reflected at all in [Ramaz] tuition,” he says, noting that he hopes to secure additional donations for the school’s endowment, in order to keep tuition from rising excessively.”

Still, the funding to be provided by the sale of air rights should not be underestimated.

*This is part of a citywide trend, Harris says, particularly in Manhattan, where real estate is a precious commodity and undeveloped land is scarce. Synagogues aren’t the only ones selling off air rights — Fordham University and other nonprofit universities, churches, hospitals and even cultural institutions like Lincoln Center have all been involved in these somewhat contentious deals. 

Manhattan’s still-booming real estate market is a driving force behind this trend.*

“Owners of small buildings want to exploit the possibility of capitalizing on the market by selling unused development rights while holding onto income-producing property,” Harris says. “Developers want to acquire them because they are often less costly than land. There’s huge pressure because not much land is available.”

Synagogues, especially, fare well in selling off air rights, since many face pressing financial needs and have not utilized the full square-footage allotted to them. This strategy is especially attractive for Orthodox synagogues, which serve a congregation that must be within walking distance of shul, and therefore can’t just pick up and move to a bigger site 20 blocks away.

“What would Shearith do if it found a great site in Brooklyn?” asks Friedman, a land-use lawyer. In the past, institutions that grew out of bounds would build a bigger building nearby. Now, they have to grow in place. 

“The usual migratory pattern of institutions has kind of ended,” he says. “In Manhattan, there’s no place to go.”

In the case of Shearith Israel, the air-right sale is a clear win-win, since the shul, which is a landmark building, would have a tough time gaining city approval to renovate and therefore sought out other ways to ease the circulation flow. 

Harris calls the sale of air rights “the best of both worlds.” 

“It’s an ideal compromise for a church or synagogue,” she says. “They can maintain the facility and still get an income from the sale.” 

But not everyone is so rosy about the deal. Neighbors and conservation groups are mounting their opposition to Ramaz’s proposed high-rise, calling it a “towering monster.”

“We’re mostly concerned with breaking the envelope of height,” says Lo van der Valk, president of Carnegie Hill Neighbors, an Upper East Side community group. Although zoning allows for a maximum height of 210 feet, Ramaz’s proposed building would be 355 feet — with 13 of the residential floors exceeding zoning requirements. “It’s damaging to the fabric of Lexington Avenue,” van der Valk says.

Both Shearith Israel’s and Ramaz’s buildings exceed zoning limitations, and therefore require variances approved by the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals to go forward with the plans. Hearings have not yet been set for either synagogue.

“The opportunity to build a larger building is a boon to the developer, and a great opportunity for the not-for-profit,” says Harris. “But it often puts the congregation, which generally sees itself in a do-gooder position, in an awkward, contentious relationship with the community around it. Those sensitivities need to be borne in mind when a synagogue or church is selling development rights.”

Shearith Israel’s proposed nine-floor building is significantly shorter than originally intended, a compromise reached after vocal opponents — including the late ABC News anchor and across-the-street neighbor Peter Jennings, as well as Upper West Side preservation group Landmark West! — complained that the new high-rise would blemish the architectural character of the surrounding historic district. Shearith Israel submitted a revised application to the BSA, which is now under review. 

The local community board turned down Ramaz’s proposal in July, but the school is now waiting for BSA approval. “It’s kind of like pushing through new zoning laws through the back door,” van der Valk says. 

There’s no conspiracy here, says Friedman, who maintains that the synagogues are experiencing a growth in membership, spurring the desire to sell air rights when the market is hot. “Both synagogues are using property they’ve owned for a very, very long time,” he says. “It’s not part of an excessive real estate plan.”

Without the variance, he adds, there would be no possibility for a reasonable return on the investment. A hypothetical 34,337-square-foot building constructed in strict accordance to zoning regulations would produce a negative return, according to a feasibility study conducted by real estate consulting firm Robert B. Pauls, LLC. 

Critics remain unconvinced. The biggest concern, they say, should Ramaz obtain the variance, is that it would set a precedent for other nonprofits, who will want to build higher, too. “As soon as one gets it, others look like idiots if they don’t get it,” van der Valk says. “It’s a domino effect.”


© 2000 - 2007 The Jewish Week, Inc.


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## krull

*Wyndham Hotel coming to Chinatown*










*he Music Palace, 
demolished in 2005*


By James Kelly
October 15, 2007

A four-star luxury Wyndham Hotel is coming to Chinatown, on the corner of Bowery and Hester streets. *The 18-story, 106-room hotel will be built on the site of the Music Palace*, the last Chinese-language movie theater until it closed in 2000. The four-story building at 93 Bowery was demolished in 2005. Lika Arce of M Studio architects, who headed the team that designed the hotel, said ground has been broken and the project is slated for completion in about two years.


Copyright © 2003-2007 The Real Deal.


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## ZZ-II

i always love it when you're posting so much news :cheers:


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/20/nyregion/20building.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=login
*City Overlooked Building Flaws in Brooklyn Condo Project*

By ANDY NEWMAN
Published: October 20, 2007









_Michael Nagle for The New York Times

Dr. Budd Heyman at the site of a condo project in Brooklyn._









_G. Paul Burnett for The New York Times

A copy of the plans for a new building project in a section of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn known as Homecrest._

This is a story about a zoning battle.

Before you skip over to a sexier-sounding article, how about this: a zoning battle featuring bluntly worded threats; an obvious construction flaw unremarked upon by building inspectors on 18 site visits; and, ultimately, a red-faced city agency, confronted with inconvenient facts, reversing itself after a year and a half of insisting on the legality of a widely opposed condominium project.

For now at least, residents of the area, a section of Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn known as Homecrest, have blocked the project, a six-story condo block that they say would be far out of scale in their cozy neighborhood of two-story homes with tidy lawns.

Such fights have become common across the city during this decade-long real estate boom, as residents trying to preserve the feel of their neighborhoods face off against developers seeking to cram as many square feet and stories into a building site as possible. Occasionally, the residents win. 

But while the understaffed Buildings Department, outmatched by aggressive developers, has often been shown to fumble inspection and enforcement, rarely has the department so repeatedly rebuffed complaints about a project that it now admits it should never have approved. 

Time and again, as residents flooded the Buildings Department with angry calls about the building site, at the corner of Avenue S and East 16th Street, the department sent inspectors to the site. Time and again, those inspectors reinforced the department’s conclusion that the project could be built because its foundation had been completed before a zoning change took effect in February 2006. 

In fact, a big part of the foundation — several huge concrete flooring slabs — was plainly missing.

Along the way, the department disavowed a memo from one of its own managers stating that the foundation was incomplete and that the building permits had been revoked. The department said that the official who wrote the memo confused the project in question with another.

The department reversed itself only on Monday, a few days after a simple question was posed: where are the slabs? City approval was contingent on the developer building them, and the plans for the building filed with the city show three slabs, each about 90 feet long and at least 8 feet wide. 

A peek at the site showed only dirt where the slabs were supposed to be. 

A Buildings Department spokeswoman, Kate Lindquist, was at a loss to explain the lapses. “I would say that we’ve come a long way in expanding our protocols,” she said, “but mistakes can still happen.” Ms. Lindquist said on Thursday that the department was conducting an internal investigation.

The developer behind the condo project, Samuel Kahan, who runs a mortgage-banking office on Coney Island Avenue, declined repeated requests for interviews.

Dr. Budd Heyman, a physician and lifelong local resident who has led the fight against the project, said yesterday that he was puzzled by the department’s explanation. He wondered, “Were these mistakes of a technical or an ethical nature?”

The Battle of East 16th Street and Avenue S begins in 2005, when residents of Homecrest, exasperated at seeing clusters of detached one-family homes bought up, torn down and replaced with boxlike apartment buildings that dwarfed the neighboring houses, asked the city for more restrictive zoning.

As the rezoning process plodded forward, a corporation run by Mr. Kahan bought three adjacent houses at the corner of East 16th and S for a total of $2.8 million and applied to build a six-story, 25-unit condo building that would cover the lot right out to the sidewalk.

In September 2005, the city rezoned Homecrest to allow only one- and two-family homes, no taller than 35 feet, on blocks like Avenue S. The new zoning was to take effect Feb. 15, 2006. Any building whose foundation was completed by that date would be grandfathered in under the old zoning.

The race was on for Mr. Kahan and the developers of more than 30 other projects in Homecrest. By January 2006, Mr. Kahan’s contractors were tearing down the houses, excavating, pouring concrete. 

They worked too fast. On Feb. 11, four days before the deadline, the driveway of the house next door, undermined by the excavation, collapsed into Mr. Kahan’s construction pit. The city ordered all work stopped except to make the site safe — work that included continuing on the foundation. Dr. Heyman and his neighbors were irate. They said that the Buildings Department was bending over backward to help Mr. Kahan beat the deadline. 

On Feb. 14, Mr. Kahan’s engineer, Pericles A. Christodoulou, certified to the city that he had “physically observed and inspected the construction site at 1602-1610 Avenue S Brooklyn N.Y. and all four walls of the foundation were 100 percent complete at that time.” Mr. Christodoulou did not return a reporter’s call this week.

In April 2006, the Buildings Department declared that the foundation had been finished on time. By this point, construction on the project had stopped, though it is unclear why. Mr. Kahan did not respond when reporters asked about it. 

Since then, the project has consisted of a big hole lined with dirt, rimmed by a concrete foundation and blocked from the street by a plywood fence now covered with graffiti and posters.

But while the construction stalled, Dr. Heyman, 49, the medical director on the prison unit at Bellevue Hospital Center, galloped on in high dudgeon, complaining to the city Department of Investigation, Buildings Department officials, the mayor and the comptroller, among others.

On April 17, 2006, the buildings commissioner for Brooklyn, Magdi A. Mossad, wrote to Dr. Heyman, “This office jointly with our legal division has reviewed all actions and circumstances associated with the project in question,” including “all conducted inspections,” and concluded that “the foundation was found complete on 2/15/06.”

The chairman of the City Council’s Zoning Committee, Councilman Tony Avella of Queens, wrote to the Buildings Department, too, urging it to reverse its approval.

In May 2006, Dr. Heyman uncovered what he thought was a smoking gun — an e-mail message from the Buildings Department’s inspection manager for Brooklyn, Robert D’Alessio, to the Department of Investigation, stating that at 1610 Avenue S, “the foundation was not 100 percent completed and this was discovered subsequent to the earlier inspection.” Mr. D’Alessio added in the e-mail message that Commissioner Mossad had revoked the approval for the building and concluded, “We are well aware of this location.”

Dr. Heyman gave a copy of the e-mail message to a local weekly newspaper, The Kings Courier. The Buildings Department quickly disavowed it. A city official told The Courier that Mr. D’Alessio had been referring to a project on East 19th Street, nearly a mile from the Avenue S project. 

A long pause followed. Then last month, an experienced building professional looked over the plans for the project at the request of The New York Times and noticed that the foundation plan called for three concrete “spread footings” — concrete slabs running across the site to support interior columns. 

The slabs in the plan were not small — all three were 90 feet long. One of them was 20 feet wide. The other two were 8 feet wide. 

In 18 visits to the site since February 2006, city inspectors did not report that the slabs were missing. Yet when a reporter visited on Oct. 2 the slabs were nowhere to be seen. 

Where were they? Nine days after the question was posed, Ms. Lindquist of the Buildings Department had an answer. 

The spread footings, she said, “are not complete.” She said that nine concrete footings of another required type were also missing. 

A stop-work order was posted on the Buildings Department’s Web site. Dr. Heyman was buoyed by the news, if understandably skeptical.

“We haven’t won yet,” he said. 

Indeed, the drama at Avenue S continues. Thursday morning, as Dr. Heyman was outside the construction site, he said, a red-haired man in a shirt and tie approached, claimed to be the owner (though he did not resemble Mr. Kahan), took some photos of Dr. Heyman, then got in a gray minivan and followed him to his house around the corner.

“I’ll straighten you out,” he said, Dr. Heyman recalled. “I know where you live.” 

Michael Nagle contributed reporting.


----------



## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/24/business/24queens.html?ref=business
*A Planned ‘Airport Village’ Near J.F.K. Finds a Cornerstone*

By TERRY PRISTIN
Published: October 24, 2007









_Photographs by Uli Seit for The New York Times

A wholesale merchandise mart is planned to replace the former Merkel meatpacking plant in the Jamaica area of Queens, near the AirTrain station. The mart will accommodate 500 businesses, retail space and parking._

When the transit hub in the Jamaica section of Queens was expanded in 2003 to enable passengers arriving by subway or train to get to Kennedy International Airport in eight minutes by light rail, community leaders hoped the glassy new AirTrain station would encourage additional development.

In a sign that this dream was not far-fetched, the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation said last week that the South Korean developer of Techno-Mart, a shopping complex in Seoul that houses more than 2,000 electronics retailers, plans to build a 13-story $260 million wholesale merchandise mart on Sutphin Boulevard and 94th Avenue, cater-corner from the station.

The 979,000-square-foot building will have 10 floors of showroom space to accommodate 500 businesses, 172,000 square feet of retail space and parking for 800 cars, said Paul Travis, a New York developer who is teaming with the Korean company, Prime Construction. It will be Prime’s first foray into the United States.

The project is the first to be announced since the area was rezoned last month to encourage development of a lively “airport village.”

The wholesale mart will replace the former Merkel meatpacking plant. Built in 1919, the plant once employed more than 500 people but was permanently shut in 1965 after the authorities seized 20 tons of tainted beef and horse meat.

Though many, if not most, of the businesses in the new mart will be from Korea, the project is expected to generate hundreds of jobs, said F. Carlisle Towery, the president of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, a nonprofit group that has worked for four decades to stimulate investment in the area. “It will be catalytic,” he said.

This is not the first time, however, that a wholesale Korean market has been planned for Queens. In 2004, a group of 53 Korean wholesalers from Midtown Manhattan was chosen from among 12 applicants as the developers for a 26-acre city-owned site in College Point that was once Flushing Airport.

The wholesalers planned to provide a new home for about 180 businesses between 26th and 36th Streets, near Broadway. With the neighborhood becoming increasingly residential, these business owners, who import toys, bags, costume jewelry, souvenirs and other goods from Asian countries and sell them to retailers, had found themselves squeezed by escalating rents.

But the proposal for an International Merchandise Mart drew heated opposition from many older residents of College Point, and eight months later, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg shelved the project. The wholesale group’s leader, Jay Chung, the owner of Jay Joshua, a company on 27th Street between Broadway and the Avenue of the Americas, which carries a wide assortment of souvenir items, said the members had spent more than $1 million on the College Point plans.

After the project collapsed, the city tried to help the Korean wholesalers find another site. For months, Mr. Chung negotiated with Mr. Travis and his partner, James Levin, who had acquired a long-term lease to the Merkel site. But eventually, members of Mr. Chung’s group began drifting away and he gave up on the Jamaica site. “We couldn’t agree on a number of issues,” Mr. Chung said.

By then, executives of the Acreciti Development Group, the company that built and manages Seoul Plaza Shopping Mall in the Flushing section of Queens, had brought Mr. Travis and Mr. Levin together with Prime Construction. Prime is building a second Techno-Mart in southwest Seoul and is creating a Chinatown in Goyang City, a suburb. 

Mr. Travis said that Prime’s track record would make it easier for the project to secure financing. “We needed a major player who could stand behind the mart,” he said.

Prime Construction will be responsible for operating the mart but will sell — rather than rent — space to individual wholesalers, who will work side by side without being separated by partitions, he said. Prime expects that many of the businesses in the Seoul Techno-Mart — where the same merchant has both retail and wholesale customers — will want to set up operations in New York, Mr. Travis said. He said that Prime also intended to offer space to Manhattan wholesalers, and that those that sell electronic goods would fit in especially well. “I think we made it very clear to them that we would certainly welcome them as tenants,” he said.

But Mr. Chung said he did not know whether his members would agree to participate in the new project in a subordinate role, especially if they were relegated to the higher floors. He also expressed bitterness that Mr. Travis had sought another partner while the talks with his group were still under way. But he said the wholesalers would base their decision on business considerations, not emotion. Mr. Travis declined to respond to Mr. Chung’s complaints.

For Mr. Travis and Mr. Levin, the Merkel site seemed to offer the same potential they saw in the Kingsbridge area of the Bronx when they developed River Plaza, a shopping center at 225th Street and Broadway that opened in 2004. Then Mr. Towery introduced them to the Korean wholesalers. “What could be more ideal — the connection to the airport and this site?” Mr. Travis said.

He said it took them two years to get the plant’s owner, Rita Stark, to agree to a long-term lease for the site. Ms. Stark inherited a local real estate empire from her father, who died in 1988, but has frustrated advocates of urban renewal for years by keeping many of her properties off the market.

The lease was signed more than a year ago, Mr. Travis said. But Prime would not commit to the deal until the rezoning was approved. 

The other participants in the project are the HRH Construction Company of New York and Acreciti Development. 

Even before the lease was signed, demolition of the building began, with the city providing a $4 million loan. The partners expect to begin construction a year from now and complete the project in 2010.

City officials said they were happy that the project was going forward. “This reinforces the bigger goal that the administration has — to diversify the city’s economy not just by industry but by borough,” said Robert C. Lieber, the president of the Economic Development Corporation. 

Jonathan Bowles, the director of the Center for an Urban Future, a New York City research organization, and a critic of the Bloomberg administration for abandoning the plan for the College Point mart, said he hoped the new project would make room for the Midtown Manhattan wholesalers. These businesses, which sell goods to retailers up and down the East Coast, are suffering the same displacement as other niche industries, he said. 

“These industries don’t get a lot of attention,” Mr. Bowles said, “but they are not unimportant to the city’s economy.”


----------



## Bond James Bond

What - no updates to the first post since May? :?


----------



## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_232/shoppershungryfor.html
Volume 20 Issue 24 | Oct. 26 - Nov.1, 2007

*Shoppers hungry for info as Pathmark signals it may close*

By Julie Shapiro









_Downtown Express photo by Elisabeth Robert

Is Pathmark closing? Contractors used this equipment to get soil samples and said they believe the store is planning to construct a building there. Store employees have told customers that they would be closing in a few months, but Pathmark’s corporate office denies any employees have been given notice._









_Downtown Express photo by Elisabeth Robert

Pathmark shoppers_

It looks like the Cherry St. Pathmark will soon be closing, and from the aisles to the parking lot, that’s all shoppers are talking about. 

“I heard from people who work there,” said Renee Silverberg, who was pushing a cart of groceries out of the store Monday morning. 

John Quinn, a Southbridge Towers resident, said two Pathmark workers told him that they’d been given 90 days notice. Store employees have told other locals, including residents of Knickerbocker Village, that the store will close either in late December or early January.

For the moment, Pathmark management is keeping quiet. 

“Don’t know, haven’t been told, haven’t seen it in print,” said a manager who declined to give his name. “I’ve heard a thousand rumors but none coming from above me…. There’s nothing for now but pure speculation.” 

Meanwhile, in Pathmark’s parking lot, workers drilled through the pavement into the ground. 

Sandy Sze, a staff engineer for Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, said in general, engineers use soil samples to make sure the ground is stable enough to support the weight of a structure. 

“I believe they’re preparing for a building of some sort” on the Pathmark site, she said. “But I don’t know what it is.”

Paul Mullins, one of Craig Test Boring’s drillers, agreed that engineers typically want the soil samples to design buildings.

“They tell us ‘drill here,’ and that’s what we do,” Mullins said. 

Richard Savner, Pathmark’s spokesperson, denied that Pathmark employees had been given notice, but he did not dispute that the store’s contractors were making preperations for a new building at 227 Cherry St. 

No matter what a new building would be — rumors focus on a residential development — Pathmark’s customers will not be pleased.

The store stands in the shadow of the Manhattan Bridge, a dense residential neighborhood dotted with corner groceries. But if Pathmark closes, residents say there is no local alternative that has the same variety of fresh food. In other Downtown neighborhoods further away, such as Battery Park City and Tribeca, there have been many complaints about shopping choices and in the past, groups like the Battery Park City Neighbors Association and the Downtown Alliance have organized weekly shuttle vans, bringing senior citizens and others to the store. 

Silverberg shops exclusively at Pathmark because they sell kosher meat and fresh fish. Her friends from the Upper East Side also come to the store, drawn to its big parking lot, reasonable prices and the quality of the food, Silverberg said. 

”I don’t know of any other place that has what they have,” she said. 

Elizabeth Santana lives in a co-op at Cherry & Montgomery Sts. and walks to the Pathmark at least twice a week. 

If the Pathmark closes, Santana will shop at “some other local supermarket,” she said. “But I won’t get the same [quality] produce or meats.” 

Lydia Perednia, who lives at First Ave. and E. Fourth St., said her husband loves to shop at Pathmark even though there are stores in the East Village.

“It’s a shame because it’s a beautiful store and it’s a convenience for people in the neighborhood,” Perednia said. “There are senior citizens down there that don’t even have places to shop except for Pathmark…. Where are these people going to shop?”

As word of Pathmark’s closure spread, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver issued a statement. 

“I urge Pathmark to quash these rumors of its impending closure and to remain anintegral part of our neighborhood,” Silver said. 

Pathmark employees were unsettled and short on information Monday. 

“I want to know [officially] because I’d have to leave,” a deli worker said. 

Another employee, who was stocking shelves, was surprised at the suggestion that Pathmark might close. 

“They didn’t tell us about that,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “I hope not.” 

But not everyone is unhappy about Pathmark closing. 

Mohamad Atah, owner of H & M Madison Express Inc., a corner grocery at Madison & Rutgers Sts., smiled at the thought. 

“For the community, it’s bad,” he said. “But maybe my store will make a little more money.” 

Atah predicted that he would sell a few extra groceries, but said that he doesn’t have enough room to stock additional items. 

Even if the closure brings in some new customers, Atah said, “It will hurt the people who live here.”


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## TalB

http://downtownexpress.com/de_232/stvincentsandrudin.html
Volume 20 Issue 24 | Oct. 26 - Nov.1, 2007

*St. Vincent’s and Rudin unveil hospital, condo plans*

By Albert Amateau









_A rendering of the planned new St. Vincent’s Hospital on the west side of Seventh Ave., showing a partial view of the elliptical tower atop a square base; the view is from the north, down Seventh Ave., with the Church of the Village in the foreground._

St. Vincent’s Hospital and the Rudin Organization have just revealed their preliminary plans for a new state-of-the-art hospital building on the west side of Seventh Ave. and for the residential redevelopment on the east side of the present hospital complex.

The conceptual plans presented at an Oct. 10 community meeting attracted about 100 neighbors. An innovative hospital building consisting of a rectangular four-story base and an elliptical tower set at an angle to it and aligning with the Village grid south of Greenwich Ave. was proposed for the west side of the avenue.

The new hospital, which would replace the six-story O’Toole Building built more than 40 years ago for the National Maritime Union, would have a total of 21 high-ceilinged stories rising 300 feet, plus about 30 feet more on top for mechanical systems.

With four stories below grade, it would have 625,000 gross square feet, of which 480,000 would be aboveground, according to Ian Bader, who made the presentation at the meeting for the architects Pei Cobb Freed and Partners. 

The elliptical tower would leave considerable space on the base for a landscaped terrace for patients, visitors and staff.

The residential redevelopment would include a 21-story building on the east side of Seventh Ave., replacing the hospital’s current 18-story Coleman building. On the 11th and 12th Sts. midblocks, plans call for 19 modern versions of low-rise townhouses, replacing the current hospital complex of buildings, which include two 15-story buildings and one nine-story building on 12th St. and a 13-story and an 11-story building on 11th St.

Rudin’s proposed building on Seventh Ave., described by Dan Kaplan, of FX Fowle architects, as a “bookend building,” would rise to a height of 235 feet, plus about 30 feet for mechanical systems. The total residential development would have about 650,000 gross square feet aboveground, plus below-grade parking. 

Kaplan noted that the low-rise townhouses would re-create the old Village streetscape and allow light and air into the midblocks that are currently shaded by rows of buildings mostly more than 10 stories tall.

The Seventh Ave. portion of the Rudin development would have 15,000 square feet of street-level retail and, according to the current scenario, would include about 22,500 square feet of medical offices — for doctors connected with St. Vincent’s and perhaps medical testing facilities. The project would have between 400 and 500 apartments, depending on the actual number of square feet allowed as determined by the city’s uniform land use review procedure, or ULURP.

A collective groan arose from the meeting at the mention of the height of the residential Seventh Ave. building, three or four stories taller than St. Vincent’s Coleman pavilion and three or four stories taller that the 200-foot-tall residential building just to the north at 175 W. 12th St.

“What will you be paying St. Vincent’s for the property and what will your profit be?” demanded David Martin, a resident of 175 W. 12th St., of the developer, Bill Rudin. Former City Councilmember Carol Greitzer and others at the meeting followed with questions about necessity for height of both the residential “bookend” and the proposed hospital.

Rudin explained that he could not say what his profit would be or even how much he would be paying the hospital. 

“We won’t be able demolish what’s there on the hospital site for about six years,” he said, noting that the cost of construction has been increasing annually by 10 percent or more for the past several years.

The new hospital would have to be completed and fully functioning before the old complex could be demolished and work could begin on the residential development.

First, however, the entire project, which is located within the Greenwich Village Historic District, needs Landmarks Preservation Commission approval, which could come between the middle and end of 2008. After that, the next step is an environmental impact study, followed by the ULURP review through the Department of City Planning, which could take six to 18 months. Construction of the hospital is likely to take at least two years.

According to a memorandum of understanding reached earlier this year, Rudin agreed to pay the hospital $516 per square foot of zoning square footage as finally approved through ULURP. Shelly Friedman, land use lawyer for the project, noted that zoning square footage typically is about 90 to 93 percent of the gross square foot in an architect’s plans. Zoning square footage does not include mechanical space in a building, for example, Friedman said, noting that those features have not been determined yet.

Henry Amoroso, chief executive officer of St. Vincent’s, said the hospital was depending on the sale of the property to Rudin to produce as much revenue as possible, which he said would cover at best 40 to 50 percent of the hospital cost, estimated at $700 million. Private fundraising and loans are projected to cover the rest, he said.

Amoroso said later that St. Vincent’s chose Rudin among several other developers because the hospital felt Rudin would best understand and respect the concerns of the neighborhood and realize as much return as possible for the hospital. 

But, despite some community members’ requests, neither affordable housing nor an elementary school are possible given the economics of construction and the need of St. Vincent’s to build a 21st-century hospital, Rudin said.

The neighborhood’s chance for public space in the project rests with the St. Vincent’s Triangle on the west side of Seventh Ave., across 12th St. from the present O’Toole Building, Amoroso said. But the triangle currently has a loading dock with underground storage and a tunnel across Seventh Ave. to the main hospital campus for deliveries. The loading dock would also likely serve the new hospital. Nevertheless, St. Vincent’s hopes to make the most of the triangle, the site in years gone by of the Sheridan movie theater, turning it into a public park, Amoroso said.

“We’ve heard that before,” declared a heckler, referring to the promise of a park on the triangle that St. Vincent’s made when the Coleman building was built 20 years ago. Amoroso, who became C.E.O. of the hospital three months ago, said he couldn’t answer for the past but pledged he would do what he could to create the triangle park.

The triangle, however, is not likely to accommodate a proposed New York City Transit ventilation plant for the I.N.D. and I.R.T. subway lines as some Villagers had hoped, Amoroso said later.

Amoroso said every possible effort has been made to include only what is necessary to make the hospital efficient. It is expected to have 365 beds, almost half as many as in the current hospital. Negotiations are underway to relocate psychiatric beds to Cabrini Hospital on E. 19th St.

Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, said later, “The big questions this proposal raises are whether the 300-plus-foot-tall tower design for the new hospital is appropriate for the Greenwich Village Historic District, whether the very, very large new approximately 250-foot-tall apartment block planned for Seventh Ave. is appropriate, and whether, in fact, none of these buildings, which are all within a historic district, merit preservation. I am very sympathetic to the need for St. Vincent’s to modernize their facilities. But this is also the largest development project planned in Greenwich Village in over 50 years, since the Robert Moses superblocks south of Washington Square, and we have to get it right, not only for the hospital, but the neighborhood. The question is, with this plan, are we there yet?” But G.V.S.H.P. has not yet taken a formal position on the project, he added.

“I think it’s fantastic,” said Arthur Webb, executive director of Village Center for Care, which runs nonprofit nursing and AIDS residences, in an interview. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hospital design as creative and practical and flexible,” said Webb, who before he came to Village Center for Care 14 years ago had been a New York State healthcare official for 18 years.

“On the Rudin side, opening up the midblocks to light and air was incredibly responsive to the community. And to build a hospital and be economically viable, the Rudin part has to be maximized to the degree that it fits in the community,” Webb said. “I think they’ve listened and responded beautifully.

“The best thing about it,” he added, “is it won’t get any bigger.”

Florent Morellet, a member of the G.V.S.H.P. board of directors, said the floor plan of the hospital convinced him that if he were sick it was where he’d like to be. 

“I prefer to seek a beautiful elliptical tower with a few more stories than a building like Coleman [across the avenue] that is ugly, ugly, ugly,” Morellet said.


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/200...ty_neighborhoods_losing_character_to_c-3.html
*City neighborhoods losing character to condos, chain stores*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY MAGGIE WRIGLEY
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS

Sunday, October 28th 2007, 4:00 AM 

For 20 years, I have followed two neighbors, Robert, my locksmith, and Boris, my shoe repair guy, from place to place as they struggle to remain on the lower East Side.

The last time I took my boots to Boris, the gates were down and the store was gone. Robert recently set up shop on Rivington St., but he looks sadder every time I see him as he contemplates an imminent - and impossible - doubling of his rent. 

Robert and Boris are, for me, the tragic faces of a new New York - a city that, neighborhood by neighborhood, is being washed over by a bland sea of chain stores, luxury condos, restaurants, bars and upscale boutiques. 

I see a city that's losing its texture, its character, its grit. Yes, New York City is still the greatest city in the world. But it is no longer the most exciting and surely, it now ranks as the most heartbreaking. 

In 1984 I walked a New York of fabled, unique neighborhoods - Hell's Kitchen, Harlem, Loisaida, Alphabet City. It wasn't always pretty and you had to watch your step, but the mix of cultures, the music and language in the red-brick tenements and grand brownstones communicated a rich history. 

The Little Italy of wiseguys and grandmothers with babies, sitting outside butchers and barbers, has given way to slick restaurants and "Sopranos" souvenir shops. 

The lower East Side and East Village, once full of Jewish hatters and tailors, Polish bakeries and Ukranian diners, have been crammed with boutique hotels, expensive bars and destination restaurants named for the places they've displaced: Barrio, Mission, Tenement. Rents are astronomical. 

The fabled shopping district of Orchard St. exists now only on historic signposts. 

Harlem, the beating heart of black history, was once rich with churches and mosques, soul food and fried fish, hip hop and James Brown. Now the black vendors are losing their leases and black residents their homes as condos go up and real estate speculation steps in. 

The Meatpacking District and the Fulton Fish Market, pre-dawn furies, have become a luxury shopping destination and a seaport theme park. The Bronx Terminal Market, wholesaler of ethnic foods - gone. Manufacturing in the city - endangered. 

Some call it simple gentrification - but what we're witnessing is much more profound. In the city I remember, people found each other. The punks had CBGB and St. Marks Place. Christopher St. and the West Side piers were fiercely gay. Storefront clubs lit up abandoned downtown with art, music and dancing. Squatters renovated abandoned buildings - teaching each other skills, recycling materials, raising families. Community gardens bloomed on empty lots. 

Real estate is king in the new New York. Too many immigrants can't afford to come in. Too many longtime residents are driven out. We are losing our sky to a hideous skyline and our streets to a generic wash of prefab apartments, banks and storefronts. 

As Manhattan is squeezed, so suffer the outer boroughs. The Italians and Poles of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Brooklyn, are dislocated by hipsters whose creative lives are emphatically commercial. Every possible place is built on, or up. The Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn promises the same on a massive scale. 

Rents in Queens and Brooklyn are skyrocketing. Coney Island - which I suppose was too real - is poised for annihilation. 

In just the last decade, I have seen New York morph into a wealthy, homogenized, tourist-friendly town. This place - that birthed the Beats and Be-bop, Harlem and hip hop, that defined the gorgeous melting pot - has become the billionaires' city. Its new mantra seems to be: Pay to stay. 

We've lost our shopkeepers, barbers, cobblers, diners, record stores, our butchers and bakers. We've lost the vibrant mix that made the city unique, the spontaneity that gave New York its edge. 

Have we even lost our soul?

Maggie Wrigley, a writer and photographer, is a contributor to the book "The Suburbanization of New York: Is the World's Greatest City Becoming Just Another Town?"


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## Skyscrapercitizen

Many new towers planned! Is there a recent list of tower projects UC or proposed somewhere on the internet? The list on the first page is a bit old and so incomplete, and I totally lost overview of what is going on in the greatest city on earth...


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## krull

I am actually in the process of updating page 1. I have been busy lately. And this takes time for me. So hopefully in a couple of days, the changes will be made.  I promise.


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## Skyscrapercitizen

^^

That would be great, must be a hell of a job! Even a list of projects only, without renderings, would take hours to make...

So good luck! :cheers:


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## ZZ-II

what do you estimate how many buildings over 12 storeys are actuall UC in NY krull? 100? or more?


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## Ebola

WAY too many to all have a picture of on the first page. Way too many to all keep track of.


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## ZZ-II

:lol:, i know...but that is NY


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## TalB

The article that I have posted on what would go where Pathmark is doesn't speak of a rendering or even a height, but I doubt that it would anything special for being in that location.


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## kozi

what is this?


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## germantower

OMG good found kozi. i dont know. but the height looks fantastic.


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## drew1000

germantower said:


> OMG good found kozi. i dont know. but the height looks fantastic.


that one is sherwoods 2.5 million sq. ft. office tower. i made a thread on it at ssp.:banana:


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## LLoydGeorge

Great new 15-25 story/lowrise structures
Horizen Hotel








Cooper Square Hotel by the same architect as Horizen's, Carlos Zapata








The new Cooper Union class room building








The new John Jay class room building








Jean Nouvel's 11th Ave. tower








Interactive Corp's new HQ








Brooklyn Library
















WTC Station


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## Bitxofo

^^I love the new station at WTC, by Santiago Calatrava.
:drool::drool:


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## Don Omar

Glitz? There Goes the Neighborhood









_The Pennsylvania Hotel._

By JAKE MOONEY
Published: November 4, 2007
nytimes.com

A little before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, as on every other weekday afternoon, the stretch of 32nd Street between Seventh Avenue and Avenue of the Americas was filled with commuters barreling westward, briefcases swinging, in a dash toward Pennsylvania Station.

Their destination — neither the Beaux-Arts Penn Station of yesteryear nor the gleaming hub outlined in new plans that were released the previous week — shares a personality with the surrounding neighborhood: utilitarian, unabashedly commercial, slightly dingy.

Like the station, that neighborhood is facing an overhaul. The Penn Station work itself would involve tearing down Madison Square Garden, building a new arena at the Farley Post Office a block to the west, and converting another a portion of the post office into part of the new train station. In addition, Merrill Lynch may move its headquarters from Lower Manhattan to the site of the Pennsylvania Hotel, across Seventh Avenue from the current train station.

A new tower replacing that historic yet threadbare hotel would join the Epic, a 59-story residential tower that opened near West 32nd Street this year, in remaking the area’s skyline.


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## eddie88

so many exciting projects


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## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_235/katzsdelicatessan.html
Volume 20, Number 26 | The Newspaper of Lower Manhattan | November 9 - 15, 2007

*Katz’s Delicatessan says sale rumors are baloney*

By Lincoln Anderson

Although news articles, bloggers and neighborhood whisperings keep insisting that Katz’s Delicatessan has been bought by a developer, its owners say all the talk is, well, just chopped liver. Last Friday, when The Villager called to inquire if the legendary Lower East Side eatery indeed had been sold, co-owner Alan Dell quashed the rumors like a potato pancake.

Laughing heartily, he said, “You’re talking to the owner. No it wasn’t.”

Dell said, however, that while they would like to take advantage of the property’s copious air rights, they don’t want to do it at the cost of the historic deli.

“Basically, what we’d like to do is to build above, but keep the store below,” he said. “Business is really good. There’s no reason to end the business. We’ve been here so long, 120 years.”

As for what might someday rise above the delicatessen at E. Houston and Ludlow Sts., it possibly could be a hotel or high-end condos, but right now, Dell said, it’s all just speculation. 

So is whether a future tower might take the shape of a giant all-beef hot dog — or perhaps a pastrami sandwich, the latter which could be known as The Pastrami.

Dell added they would only sell their air rights for a hefty sum, “like a stupid number — like $50 million.”

Meanwhile, he said, Katz’s is being buoyed by increased tourism from the pathetically weak U.S. dollar. While new construction in the neighborhood — like of The Ludlow, a luxury tower across the street from Katz’s — might be expected to increase business, Dell said that’s not really the deli’s bread and butter. Most of their business actually is not from the neighborhood, but from people coming from out of state and tourists, Dell said.

“What’s really helping at the moment is tourism,” he said. “After Sept. 11, the whole neighborhood closed down for a few weeks. We just brought food down to Ground Zero. Now tourism is back — though not quite like before, despite what the city is saying. We have a pretty good number of tourists. The bulk are from Britain. But also Latvia and Romania — and Thailand. Who ever heard of tourists from Thailand?”

Also helping boost sales, ironically, are regular reports of Katz’s demise. The rumor mill has really ramped up in the last six to eight months, thanks to all the false reports, he said.

“It’s really good for us,” Dell said, “because people say, ‘We’ve heard you’re closing next week.’ … They’re coming for their last fix.”


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## a77

I like those buildings that are "mineral crystal" like....


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/nyregion/thecity/11rama.html
*Condos Above Classrooms Strike Some as an Odd Mix*

By GREGORY BEYER
Published: November 11, 2007









_Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times

“A religious school is playing real estate games the way Donald Trump does,” a community leader says._

HASKEL LOOKSTEIN, the rabbi of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun and the principal of the Ramaz Lower School next door, faces a problem of overcrowding that did not exist when he was one of the school’s six inaugural pupils in 1937. Ramaz, on 85th Street near Lexington Avenue, today serves 450 students, and its space is also shared by the synagogue for various purposes. What results, members say, is a space squeeze.

For structural and aesthetic reasons, the members say, they cannot build on top of the synagogue, and so they want to transfer its air rights to the school. They then propose demolishing the school and replacing it with a 28-story tower, in which the 10 lower floors would be used for an enlarged school and the upper 18 for luxury condominiums. By selling the condo floors to a developer, supporters of the plan say, the school can defray some of the cost of rebuilding, estimated at $80 million. 

Tom Blum, who leads a group called Neighbors Against Ramaz Tower, opposes this plan. 

“It bothers us that a religious school is playing real estate games the way Donald Trump does,” Mr. Blum said, “not as they should be doing as a good neighbor.” He emphasized that there was unconditional support for building a new Ramaz school, but he said that the plan for a residential tower above it had come as a shock. 

With the combined air rights, the tower would rise more than 100 feet above what the applicable zoning currently allows. Some neighbors, like Mr. Blum, are worried about losing their views, and although a number of local buildings are as tall as the proposed tower, few of them are midblock, as the synagogue and the school are. 

Critics also say the synagogue is one of the city’s wealthiest, implying that a few hefty donations would render the residential tower unnecessary. But in the opinion of Rabbi Lookstein, the matter is not that simple. “There’s a limit to what people can give,” he said. 

The city’s Board of Standards and Appeals will decide the air-rights request in the next few months. Shelly Friedman, a lawyer for Kehilath Jeshurun, has argued that the synagogue, a Gothic-style structure built in 1901 with four sets of double doors and arched stained-glass windows, is “eggshell” fragile. Building on top of it, he said, would require a daunting overhaul. 

In documents submitted to the board, Mr. Friedman also said the synagogue, which is not designated as a city landmark, is nonetheless “revered for its architecture, the religious artifacts contained within and its illustrious history.”

Opponents counter that even though the synagogue never applied for landmark status, it wants the protection afforded a landmark. 

The proposal may be especially troubling to synagogue members who disapprove. 

“I think Ramaz went into the real estate business,” said one longtime member who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because of his relationship to the synagogue. So now, he said, despite the school’s long history in the neighborhood, “there are people wishing it would go away.”


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/realestate/11scap.html?_r=1&ref=realestate&oref=login
*The Leaning Tower of West 17th Street and Its Neighbors, Old and New*

By CHRISTOPHER GRAY
Published: November 11, 2007









_Tina Fineberg for The New York Times

ALONG THE BLOCK The thin vertical shaft of light shows how much 29 West 17th Street leans toward its new neighbor, Flatiron 17 at No. 31._









_Office for Metropolitan History

The Goelet family’s office building that once stood at No. 9._









_Office for Metropolitan History

42-46 West 17th in 1936._









_Office for Metropolitan History

The block in 1949._

THERE’S the Tower of Pisa, and then there’s 29 West 17th Street, a slim little 1907 loft, 25 feet wide and 10 stories high. Now a new apartment building next door has had to shave a foot off its upper floors to accommodate its older neighbor. 

In the 1850s and ’60s, the streets flanking Fifth Avenue above 14th Street were built up with comfortable brownstones, and soon the blocks were full of them. But by the 1910s, loft construction had wiped out most traces of the old brownstone period, and new construction has reached these blocks only within the last decade or so.

One example is the Hakimian Organization’s new condominium on the single lot at 31 West 17th, which will be finished early next year.

To walk down the first block of 17th Street west of Fifth Avenue is to peer back over a century and a half of New York’s architectural history. The vacant lot at 9 West 17th is the site of one of the block’s most wonderful structures, the little Dutch Renaissance-style real estate office of the powerful Goelet family. Designed by McKim, Mead & White, it was completed in 1886, a year before the family’s better-known Goelet Building at 20th and Broadway. It was torn down in 1952. 

Next door is the narrow, gawky No. 11, built in 1908 and designed by Otto Strack for Edward Browning, a developer whose E. W. B. monogram is visible above the show window. This loft building was typical of the new structures that were built in the old neighborhood after 1900. 

In 1913, an auction ad in The New York Times listed an inventory for one building tenant, the Charles Costume and Dress Company. It included the “latest garments made of the finest crepe de meteor, charmeuse, serges and Bedford cord,” along with sewing machines, cutting tables and a safe. 

Farther up the block, a glance skyward shows that most of the 1900s loft buildings have lost their cornices. Some of the scars have been prettied up — like the one at No. 14 — but it appears that this street has not yet seen one of the full-bore restoration projects now common to other blocks in the area. 

The leaning loft building at No. 29 was built in 1907, replacing a house where Howell Williams, a Wall Street merchant, lived in the 1860s. The 1870 census shows he lived there with his father and seven servants. By 1875 the house had been divided; The Times carried an ad offering a “charming suite” on the second floor and including the option of having meals served there. 

On the other side of the street are Nos. 44 and 48, two surviving brownstones. They flank the picturesque Queen Anne building at No. 46 designed by Henry Congdon. Its facade of red terra cotta and molded brick is a bright spot on a block of generally more pedestrian architecture. It was built as a private house in 1890, quite late for domestic architecture on this block. 

Another departure is the 1907 gray brick loft building at No. 51. This is a particularly handsome work, designed by Grosvenor Atterbury for Henry Phipps, an investor. Atterbury had also designed model tenements for Phipps, and the high level of finish and design of this building — like the bronze flagpole holder at the parapet — suggest some sort of factory demonstration project, though there is no evidence to support that idea. 

The Hakimian Organization’s skinny new condo, Flatiron 17, at No. 31 is yet another work outside the normal range for this block. The prior building on the site was apparently an old row house demolished by the 1950s; perhaps that was what caused No. 29 next door to go out of plumb. By the 1990s it was leaning into the airspace of No. 31 by at least a foot, leaving a corresponding gap on the other side. 

Kate Lindquist, a spokeswoman for the city’s Buildings Department, said that at some point the building stopped moving and that despite its alarming appearance, No. 29 is perfectly stable.

Adam Hakimian said that in building Flatiron 17, he and his associates had had to face a question, “How do we create this facade without being distracted by the leaning neighbor?”

Their architects, Cook & Fox, accomplished this by very subtly shaving the upper floors of the new building to provide room for the old one. It’s almost invisible, but when you notice it, you’ll smile.

Mr. Hakimian says that inside Flatiron 17, the reduction in floor space is imperceptible. 

But can the same be said of the irregularity at No. 29, the leaning tower of 17th Street? Robert Pauls, who lives there, said the tilt inside his building was evident “only if you drop a marble.”

E-mail: [email protected]


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## Don Omar

Next to MoMA, a Tower Will Reach for the Stars









_A rendering of the Jean Nouvel-designed tower to be built adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art._

By NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF
Published: November 15, 2007
nytimes.com

Cass Gilbert’s Woolworth Building, William Van Alen’s Chrysler Building, Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building.

If New Yorkers once saw their skyline as the great citadel of capitalism, who could blame them? We had the best toys of all.

But for the last few decades or so, that honor has shifted to places like Singapore, Beijing and Dubai, while Manhattan settled for the predictable.

Perhaps that’s about to change.

A new 75-story tower designed by the architect Jean Nouvel for a site next to the Museum of Modern Art in Midtown promises to be the most exhilarating addition to the skyline in a generation. Its faceted exterior, tapering to a series of crystalline peaks, suggests an atavistic preoccupation with celestial heights. It brings to mind John Ruskin’s praise for the irrationality of Gothic architecture: “It not only dared, but delighted in, the infringement of every servile principle.”

Commissioned by Hines, an international real estate developer, the tower will house a hotel, luxury apartments and three floors that will be used by MoMA to expand its exhibition space. The melding of cultural and commercial worlds offers further proof, if any were needed, that Mr. Nouvel is a master at balancing conflicting urban forces.

Yet the building raises a question: How did a profit-driven developer become more adventurous architecturally than MoMA, which has tended to make cautious choices in recent years?

Like many of Manhattan’s major architectural accomplishments, the tower is the result of a Byzantine real estate deal. Although MoMA completed an $858 million expansion three years ago, it sold the Midtown lot to Hines for $125 million earlier this year as part of an elaborate plan to grow still further.

Hines would benefit from the museum’s prestige; MoMA would get roughly 40,000 square feet of additional gallery space in the new tower, which will connect to its second-, fourth- and fifth-floor galleries just to the east. The $125 million would go toward its endowment.

To its credit the Modern pressed for a talented architect, insisting on veto power over the selection. Still, the sale seems shortsighted on the museum’s part. A 17,000-square-foot vacant lot next door to a renowned institution and tourist draw in Midtown is a rarity. And who knows what expansion needs MoMA may have in the distant future?

By contrast the developer seems remarkably astute. Hines asked Mr. Nouvel to come up with two possible designs for the site. A decade ago anyone who was about to invest hundreds of millions on a building would inevitably have chosen the more conservative of the two. But times have changed. Architecture is a form of marketing now, and Hines made the bolder choice.

Set on a narrow lot where the old City Athletic Club and some brownstones once stood, the soaring tower is rooted in the mythology of New York, in particular the work of Hugh Ferriss, whose dark, haunting renderings of an imaginary Manhattan helped define its dreamlike image as the early-20th-century metropolis.

But if Ferriss’s designs were expressionistic, Mr. Nouvel’s contorted forms are driven by their own peculiar logic. By pushing the structural frame to the exterior, for example, he was able to create big open floor plates for the museum’s second-, fourth- and fifth-floor galleries. The tower’s form slopes back on one side to yield views past the residential Museum Tower; its northeast corner is cut away to conform to zoning regulations.

The irregular structural pattern is intended to bear the strains of the tower’s contortions. Mr. Nouvel echoes the pattern of crisscrossing beams on the building’s facade, giving the skin a taut, muscular look. A secondary system of mullions housing the ventilation system adds richness to the facade.

Mr. Nouvel anchors these soaring forms in Manhattan bedrock. The restaurant and lounge are submerged one level below ground, with the top sheathed entirely in glass so that pedestrians can peer downward into the belly of the building. A bridge on one side of the lobby links the 53rd and 54th Street entrances. Big concrete columns crisscross the spaces, their tilted forms rooting the structure deep into the ground.

As you ascend through the building, the floor plates shrink in size, which should give the upper stories an increasingly precarious feel. The top-floor apartment is arranged around such a massive elevator core that its inhabitants will feel pressed up against the glass exterior walls. (Mr. Nouvel compared the apartment to the pied-à-terre at the top of the Eiffel Tower from which Gustave Eiffel used to survey his handiwork below.)

The building’s brash forms are a sly commentary on the rationalist geometries of Edward Durell Stone and Philip L. Goodwin’s 1939 building for the Museum of Modern Art and Yoshio Taniguchi’s 2004 addition. Like many contemporary architects Mr. Nouvel sees the modern grid as confining and dogmatic. His tower’s contorted forms are a scream for freedom.

And what of the Modern? For some, the appearance of yet another luxury tower stamped with the museum’s imprimatur will induce wincing. But the more immediate issue is how it will affect the organization of the Modern’s vast collections.

The museum is only now beginning to come to grips with the strengths and weaknesses of Mr. Taniguchi’s addition. Many feel that the arrangement of the fourth- and fifth-floor galleries housing the permanent collection is confusing, and that the double-height second-floor galleries for contemporary art are too unwieldy. The architecture galleries, by comparison, are small and inflexible. There is no room for the medium-size exhibitions that were a staple of the architecture and design department in its heyday.

The additional gallery space is a chance for MoMA to rethink many of these spaces, by reordering the sequence of its permanent collection, for example, or considering how it might resituate the contemporary galleries in the new tower and gain more space for architecture shows in the old.

But to embark on such an ambitious undertaking the museum would first have to acknowledge that its Taniguchi-designed complex has posed new challenges. In short, it would have to embrace a fearlessness that it hasn’t shown in decades.

MoMA would do well to take a cue from Ruskin, who wrote that great art, whether expressed in “words, colors or stones, does not say the same thing over and over again.” 


















_The interior of Jean Nouvel’s building, which is to include a hotel and luxury apartments._


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## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_236/pearlstreet.html
Volume 20, Number 27 | The Newspaper of Lower Manhattan | November 16 - 22, 2007

*Pearl St. preservation effort ends with a demolition*

By Julie Shapiro 










Jim Teschner stood before 213 Pearl St., his home of 23 years, and looked up. He looked past the men wielding sledgehammers and chainsaws, past the shower of bricks and debris, up at the empty space where his apartment used to be. 

“You look at a piece of air and go, ‘That was my home,’” Teschner said. “You realize that a home is just four walls and a ceiling.” 

The four walls of Teschner’s home are gone, and the rest of the building is soon to follow — 213 Pearl St. is being demolished. 

The fight to save the 1832 warehouse is all but over, and after years of legal action and battles with his landlord, all Teschner can do is watch the demolition.

“It was awful to watch,” Teschner said. “It was like going to a wake.” 

The warehouse, which survived the great fire of 1835, was the last remnant of Pearl St.’s commercial heyday, a rare example of early Greek revival architecture. 

The Lam Group bought the site this fall and is reportedly planning a 660-room Sheraton hotel. The Lam Group did not respond to a request for comment. 

The building’s future has been shaky since developers excavating and pile driving nearby cracked the side of the facade. Last August, the Department of Buildings discovered that the building, between Maiden Ln. and Platt St., was tipping to the south, rendering it unsafe for occupancy. 

“This is the last relic of Pearl St.,” said Alan Solomon, an amateur historian who has taken a keen interest in the street. 

Pearl St. linked the South St. Seaport to Wall St. and became an early trade district. 

“[213 Pearl St.] is part of the commercial and cultural heritage of city,” Solomon said. “It tells the story of how the city grew.”

There was more to the staid, five-story brick building than met the eye, as it was part of Pearl St.’s “horizontal skyscraper of warehouses,” Solomon said. 

Solomon hoped that The Lam Group would preserve the facade of 213, just as the Rockrose Development Corp. preserved the facade of the adjacent 211 Pearl St. after the rest of the building was demolished in 2003. Rockrose, which is developing the rest of the block, originally wanted to buy 213 Pearl, but dropped the effort because of the legal complications.

The New York Landmarks Conservancy also advocated preserving the facade, but as Roger Lang, the group’s director, said, “The horse has left the barn.” 

“Maintaining the facade in place is not going to be technically possible,” Lang said. “The facade itself is in pretty precarious condition.” The conservancy is now urging the developer to salvage the bricks and granite that comprise the facade, so the materials can be incorporated into the new building. 

For Teschner, the latest episode in his struggle to remain in his home began as he was about to leave for work last Aug. 13. He got a frantic call from fellow tenant Colette Justine: The landlords, five policemen and two Department of Buildings employees were at the door demanding that they leave immediately. 

In a regular inspection, the D.O.B. had found that the roof of the building was displaced seven-eighths of an inch to the south relative to the foundation. The building was still moving. 

Teschner grabbed a few changes of clothing and left. The D.O.B. initially said it would be too dangerous for Teschner and Justine to return to the building to retrieve their belongings, but one month later, they got to go back briefly. 

Teschner, an artist, removed 90 of his paintings, along with family heirlooms and whatever else he could carry. Many of his possessions — including his grandparents’ furniture — stayed behind for the demolition. 

“It’s a very painful way to end one’s home,” Teschner said. 

Teschner was paying $651 a month for the rent-stabilized loft, which had 17-foot ceilings, a small upstairs and a 5-by-6-foot skylight. 

“It was a very, very special space,” Teschner said. “You felt like you were living outdoors.”

Now, Teschner is living with friends while he decides what to do next. 

He and Justine reached a financial settlement with the landlord this fall, at the same time as the owner, Diane Karch, sold the property to The Lam Group, said Daniel Alterman, Teschner’s lawyer. Teschner and his attorney declined to say how much the settlement was worth.

“It’s difficult to preserve tenants rights in a building that’s becoming unsafe [from] the actions of a third party,” Alterman said. Once the building was cracked, “we couldn’t put Humpty-Dumpty back together again.” 

Teschner’s landlord first evicted him in October 2006. When Teschner got back into the building several weeks later, Con Edison refused to restore steam to the building, so Teschner and Justine lived without heat and hot water until mid-December. 

In June of 2007, Teschner took the landlord to court and won an order for the landlord to repair the building. Previously, the D.O.B. had cited the landlord for failing to make repairs.

Teschner’s case is settled, but legal action is still flying around 213 Pearl. The D.O.B. ordered Rockrose to make repairs to 213 Pearl St., after Rockrose’s construction on neighboring properties damaged the building. Rockrose complied, but then sued landlord Karch, hoping to be reimbursed, said David Rosenberg, Karch’s lawyer. 

Meanwhile, Karch’s insurance company is bringing a suit against Rockrose for damages caused by the corporation’s construction, Rosenberg said. 

Rockrose did not return calls for comment. 

Alterman is satisfied with the outcome of the case, but thinks there is an important lesson to learn: “We have to think about how the development will affect the structure of existing housing around the development sites,” he said. “We have to make Manhattan available to not only rich people, but also artists and people who are not so rich.”

[email protected]


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## Pavlo

Anyone watching the progress on the new Cooper Union building? I pass the site every Friday and Saturday when I go to work. The hole is enormous there.


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## koolkid

^^I pass there every friday aswell. I've probably seen you without knowing. Anyhow, yeah, the hole is enormous. One would think they'd be building a supertall there even though it's just a lowrise.


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## Don Omar

Midtown is reborn


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## lokinyc

^^ brilliant rendering.


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## TalB

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11192007/news/regionalnews/bklyn_hwood_444067.htm
*B'KLYN H'WOOD*

NAVY YARD TO BE MEGA-MOVIE LOT

By RICH CALDER









_ALL 'SET': Andrew Kimball (right, with tie) and Douglas Steiner are..._









_overhauling the Brooklyn Navy Yard (above) to give..._









_Steiner Studios (above) a movie production back lot to rival those of Hollywood._

November 19, 2007 -- The Big Apple is in line to become a major Hollywood scene-stealer through a massive $100 million-plus expansion project at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. 

Steiner Studios and its landlord, the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp., are teaming up to transform 20 acres of gated Navy Yard land in Williamsburg that hasn't been used for decades into the stage for the first-ever Hollywood-style back lot to go up on the East Coast. 

The project would expand Steiner's presence at the city-owned industrial park from 16 acres to 36 acres. The movie studio - home to the largest soundstage in the Northeast - has already hosted the production of such box-office hits as "Spider-Man 3" and Spike Lee's "Inside Man" since opening in 2004. 

Douglas Steiner, the studio's chairman, said the outdoor lot would likely include a large scenic reconstruction of New York City streets, cutting down on costly street closings for city location shoots and making it easier for city-based productions to film in the Big Apple rather than head to California. 

The Nassau Street site at the Navy Yard is a former medical compound. It houses majestic, historic buildings dating back to 1830 that would be renovated so they, too, could be used as scenery. 

"It's a unique setting for what would become a one-of-a-kind production facility," Steiner said. 

Andrew Kimball, the development corporation's president, said the project would also generate enough space to house a graduate school specializing in film/television production along with other entertainment-related uses. 

Students, he said, "would benefit from studying in the heart of" the Big Apple's so-called "Hollywood East." 

Steiner and the corporation are expected within the next month to begin soliciting proposals from producers interested in becoming tenants at the space. 

A-list production companies, such as Imagine Films Entertainment and Warner Bros. could compete for control of the back lot. Construction on the project is expected to start in 2009. 

The announcement comes as Steiner is already in the process of doubling its studio space at the Navy Yard to nearly 600,000 square feet by renovating an adjacent World War II-era seven-story building. This $50 million project would also create space for animation, wardrobe and other pre- and post-production work.

[email protected]


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## TalB

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11202007/business/grand__st___hotel_on_tap_852821.htm
*GRAND (ST.) HOTEL ON TAP*

DEVELOPER PUTS UP $33.37M FOR MOONDANCE DINER SITE

November 20, 2007 -- WHEN the beloved Moondance diner was famously trucked off from western SoHo to the wilds of Wyoming last summer, it was widely reported that the site at Sixth Avenue and Grand Street would be used for a luxury apartment building. 

No longer. 

Gary Barnett's Extell Development Corp., which owned the Moondance site and two adjacent pieces of land, has quietly sold them to Brack Capital, which plans to put up a hotel, sources report. 

The purchase price, which has yet to appear in city records, was $33.37 million. Itzhaki Properties' Ivan Hakimian, who brokered the deal, could not be reached yesterday. 

Sources say the developers have tentatively chosen the name 27 Grand Street for the project, which will rise on an 11,300 square-foot parcel bordered by Sixth Avenue, Grand Street and Thompson Street. The site can support 55,000 square feet of floor space as of right. 

Earlier this year, Brack Capital, led by CEO Moshe Azugui, bought a parking garage on West 35th St., where it plans to build a 300-room hotel. Brack's other projects in Manhattan include the landmark 90 West St. apartment building and the Olcott at 27 W. 72d St.

* 

Solved: The riddle of 2075 Broadway, aka the hot southwest corner of Broadway at 72nd Street. 

After months of inactivity that mystified the neighborhood, work is about to start on the new rental apartment and retail project with a curved façade overlooking the busy corner. 

Lynette Tulkoff, development director for the 19-floor, $200 million project, said excavation should start "just after Thanksgiving or even this week," with full occupancy by the end of 2009. 

The long-awaited project was launched by Philips International, headed by investor Philip Pilevsky, and Rhodes NY, a privately held family company. In ad dition to the land, which they've owned for 25 years, they will own 2075 Broad way's five retail floors with 48,000 square feet. 

Philips and Rhodes are also joint-venture partners in the apartment floors with the Gotham Organization, which will build the tower. 

The site is across the street from the handsomely restored 72d Street IRT station at one of the best residential locations in Manhattan. But it's been an empty crater ever since demolition was completed on several small old buildings last spring. 

That fueled buzz on Curbed.com and other Web sites that work was slowed because of damage to the wall of the adjacent building at 214 W. 72d St. 

Not true, says Tulkoff - it was merely a matter of "teeing up" the scheme's various elements, which included air rights purchases and negotiations with Gotham, which quietly joined the project last year. 

Some minor damage to the next-door building resulted from "a wall that shifted slightly," Tulkoff said, who then added, "We've had protracted discussions with them to get it resolved," Tulkoff said. 

The owner of 214 W. 72d St., Peggy Ma, could not be reached yesterday. 

Tulkoff said work might have started sooner, but extension of the city's 421A tax abatement program until next summer gave the partners more time. 

The tower will boast 196 rental apartments. The retail space, with 22-foot-high glass storefronts, will be marketed by Robert K. Futterman, who cited "a design that offers incredible visibility." He said he's looking for "aspirational" brands from the fashion, home furnishing and technology worlds. 

The project is designed by Handel Architects. Hypo Real Estate Capital is providing $70 million in debt financing. [email protected]


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## Don Omar

*a little old news but still exciting*

Giant Residential Complex to Hit the Lower East Side









_The Pathmark on Cherry Street on the Lower East Side._

From Curbed and NYmag

"The site is for sale for *$250 million*. Amazingly, not only will the Pathmark store stay in its place (perhaps following a temporary closure during construction?), but any developer who buys the land must build a 7,000-square-foot extention to the Pathmark for a new pharmacy. Excluding the one-story Pathmark building, there's about 924,000 square feet of buildable area remaining. With inclusionary housing bonuses, the total grows to 1.1 million square feet.

That's a crapload of space, so the seller has prepared two proposals for prospective buyers to show off what can be done. The first is twin *50+ story* towers on top of the current Pathmark parking lot with a private entrance at Cherry and Pike Slip. The second is a *55+ story* tower, also on the parking lot with an entrance at Cherry and Pike."


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## Don Omar

Markus Dochantschi to Blend Luxury With Affordable Beside BAM










11/6/07
by: Alec Appelbaum
nymag.com

Dochantschi, working with German architect Stefan Behnisch, will design 187 units, including 30 for-sale apartments and an unspecified number of affordable ones, above a retail and performance space where Fulton Street meets Ashland (near Frank Gehry's modern explosion over the Atlantic Yards). He says the scheme scatters for-sale and low-income units throughout the tower to ensure that no one section becomes less desirable than others. Instead, as the above rendering shows (and another more clearly after the jump), he "twisted the orientation" to make sure the north-south exposure was no less enticing than the east-west. As a result, he says, "hotspots" throughout the building will ensure plenty of nice light and air. He hopes the building opens by 2010.


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## ZZ-II

amazing new projects! go NY!!!


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## Ebola

Krull, uttely AMAZING job on the first page , but you may wanna up the FT floor count and there are over 20 new skyscrapers missing: from that new supertall rez tower by the Sherwood Tower, to the MoMA Tower and Hudson Yards and MSG and other supertalls, to other towers like 99 Church Street, 50 West St., the SilverCup Towers, 366 10th Avenue, 11 Times Square, 5WTC, Madison Park Tower (no pictures yet), ect., ect., ect...


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## TalB

http://globes-online.com/
*US Bank to finance Ofek Int'l NY project*

*Ofek International is planning a hotel in the financial district.*

Yael Gruntman 2 Jan 08 16:24

Ofek International Real Estate Ltd. (TASE: OFRS) has signed a term sheet with US Bank to finance the company's hotel project at 133 Greenwich St. in the financial district in Manhattan. US Bank will provide 70-75% of the financing for the $180 million project. 

Ofek International, controlled by Elie Berdugo, plans to build a 15,000-square meter business and tourist hotel on the site, which is close to Ground Zero where a 260,000-square meter office complex and memorial to the victims of the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001, is planned. Five million visitors a year are expected to visit the memorial. 

Construction of the hotel is due to begin in the third quarter of 2008 and take 24 months. 

Bardugo owns and is president of EB Developers, a Florida-based real estate development company. The company has built projects worth $2 billion to date, and is currently involved in 16 hotel, commercial, and residential projects worth $5 billion. 

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 2, 2008 

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2008


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## TalB

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01042008/news/regionalnews/661_000_condo_not_so_dumbo_60025.htm
*$661,000 CONDO NOT SO DUMBO*

By LUKAS I. ALPERT










January 4, 2008 -- Just $661,000 can net you this two-bedroom, third-floor apartment in the newly constructed Bridgeview Towers at 189 Bridge Street in DUMBO/Vinegar Hill. 

The 793-square-foot condo is listed by Heidi Young of the Corcoran Group.


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/business/06harry.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin
*Harry Macklowe’s $6.4 Billion Bill*

By CHARLES V. BAGLI and TERRY PRISTIN
Published: January 6, 2008









_Illustration by The New York Times_









_Robert Caplin for The New York Times

As owner of the General Motors building, Harry Macklowe improved the retail space, creating an underground Apple store._









_Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

William Macklowe, who runs Macklowe Properties with his father, attributed the company’s ills to a “capital markets crisis.”_

IN August 2003, Harry B. Macklowe raced from lender to lender to round up a record-breaking $1.4 billion to buy the General Motors Building, the 50-story commercial skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan that is one of New York’s trophy properties. 

Then 66, he gambled mightily to outmaneuver rival bidders and to vault back into the top ranks of New York developers. He went so far as to put down a nonrefundable $50 million deposit and sell many of his residential buildings to raise cash. Some bankers and real estate executives scoffed at the deal, privately suggesting that Mr. Macklowe had overpaid and would drown in an undertow of debt.

Not for the first time, Mr. Macklowe, an acknowledged master of winner-take-all real estate poker, proved his skeptics wrong. He expanded and enhanced the valuable retail space of the G.M. Building — on Fifth Avenue at 59th Street — by creating a glass cube for an Apple store that has become a popular tourist destination. As the market soared, Macklowe Properties refinanced the tower twice, most recently in a deal that values it at about $2.7 billion.

But these days Mr. Macklowe is scrambling for financing yet again. He has a $6.4 billion debt payment coming due next month in connection with his purchase of seven other Midtown Manhattan office buildings a year ago. When he bought those buildings from Equity Office Properties, he more than doubled the size of his real estate portfolio and used only $50 million of his own money to do so; he borrowed $7 billion to finance the rest of the purchase. 

As often happens in real estate, a once-frothy national cycle is losing steam and the market has turned against many buyers. Mr. Macklowe, with his empire of 15 prime office towers and two development sites in one of the world’s best business districts, is awash in expensive, short-term debt at the very moment that financial backing for megadeals has all but shut down. One of his loans is backed by a $1 billion personal guarantee, and he is already in default on $510 million in development loans for a Park Avenue project. 

Mr. Macklowe’s predicament marks the denouement of an unprecedented four-year period in which developers threw gobs of money at real estate as prices for office towers, especially in Manhattan, doubled and tripled almost as fast as sales could be recorded. Investment banks avidly underwrote the binge, often basing loans not on existing rents but on projections of rental income well into the future. 

All of this worked swimmingly so long as the economy hummed along and banks could pool the loans and sell them to investors. Now, the economy is showing signs of stress, and Wall Street’s repackaging machine is sputtering.

“In hindsight, everybody should have been more cautious,” said Robert Bach, the chief economist at Grubb & Ellis, the national real estate brokerage firm. “We all knew this wasn’t going to last, but we hoped it would end with a whimper, not a bang.”

Analysts, bankers and developers are not predicting the imminent collapse of the commercial real estate market, a reprise of the early 1990s, when property values dropped by half, vacancies soared and banks were crushed under the weight of soured real estate loans. But developers who jumped in at the top of this market are likely to feel some pain because purchases were built on the assumption that rents would keep escalating and that the value of buildings would keep appreciating.

With building owners no longer able to refinance their properties and pull out cash, Mr. Macklowe and his son, William S. Macklowe, have only a month to repay $7 billion, work out a new deal with their bankers or risk the breakup of their empire. There is widespread speculation in the real estate industry that the Macklowes may be forced to unload some of their properties at a discount to creditors — including a sizable stake in the G.M. Building. At worst, they could be forced to shed much of their portfolio.

“This is very high-stakes poker,” said Scott A. Singer, the executive vice president of the Singer & Bassuk Organization, a real estate finance and brokerage company in New York. “To owe more than $5 billion in this environment is tremendously risky. There are a very, very limited number of lenders who can make multibillion-dollar loans now.”

For his part, Mr. Macklowe — a fierce competitor who still races his custom 112-foot yacht in regattas off the coast of Sardinia — coolly plays down the crisis. He went sailing in the Caribbean three days before Christmas while his son stayed home negotiating with the family’s bankers. 

“Our lenders have supported us in the past to an extraordinary degree,” Mr. Macklowe said in an interview in his stark white offices on the 21st floor of the G.M. Building, the evening before he flew south. “We’re pretty confident that, going forward, we’ll be able to achieve accommodations and extensions from our group of lenders.”

THE Macklowes aren’t the only real estate barons in a tight spot. The Kushner Companies, also family owned, plunged into the Manhattan real estate market in 2006, paying $1.8 billion for 666 Fifth Avenue, at 53rd Street. The cash flow from 666 Fifth represents only about two-thirds of the amount needed to service the debt on the building — a shortfall of about $5 million a month — according to Real Capital Analytics, a research company in New York.

In Los Angeles, the developer Robert F. Maguire III may be forced to sell his publicly traded company, Maguire Properties, after buying a portfolio of buildings from the Blackstone Group just before the subprime credit crisis sent many of his tenants into bankruptcy. An Australian company, the Centro Properties Group, is putting itself up for sale after failing to refinance billions of dollars of short-term debt stemming in part from its acquisition of an American shopping center company.

To be sure, some bright spots remain. Though vacancy rates are up nationally, the Manhattan market remains healthy, with the vacancy rate in Midtown, the most desirable business district, just 5.5 percent. Because relatively little new space is coming on line in Manhattan in the next few years, the New York market appears to be relatively solid.

But fewer deals are being made and rent increases have slowed, if not stopped. If financial institutions continue cutting payrolls, much vacant space could come back on the market and drag down rents, even in Manhattan.

Despite the problems hanging over Mr. Macklowe’s holdings, some analysts say that it would be a mistake to count him out. This is the third time Mr. Macklowe has stumbled since he started in the real estate business about 48 years ago, and each time he has come roaring back. He has a knack for enhancing the look and cash flow of his buildings, and he is regarded as a shrewd, brass-knuckled negotiator in a rough-and-tumble industry.

A senior member at a major real estate investment firm, who described Mr. Macklowe as a friend and asked not to be identified so as not to jeopardize their relationship, said the developer has “assets with enough value to pay off his bridge loans.” But, this person asked, can Mr. Macklowe “do it with everybody smelling blood in the water and looking to buy a bargain?”

Some of the wiliest players in the real estate business have already been circling Mr. Macklowe. 

This past fall, Vornado Realty Trust, of which Steven Roth is chairman, bought a stake in loans collateralized by four of Mr. Macklowe’s buildings on an apparent bet it might snare some great real estate on the cheap, bankers and real estate executives said. 

For the last month, Stephen M. Ross, the chairman of the real estate company Related, has been talking to Mr. Macklowe about a deal for Macklowe Properties’ coveted Drake Hotel site, at Park Avenue and 56th Street, an executive involved in the talks said. Real estate executives say another rival developer, Sheldon H. Solow, may buy some of Mr. Macklowe’s debt in a bid to gain control of the G.M. Building, although a spokesman for Mr. Solow said Mr. Solow was not trying to acquire any of the debt.

THE Macklowes readily acknowledge that they are looking for equity partners. Mr. Macklowe’s son, William, emphasizes the quality of the buildings in his family’s Manhattan portfolio, which includes 2 Grand Central Tower, Park Avenue Tower and Worldwide Plaza. He points out that the buildings are also largely full. 

“It’s not a real estate crisis but a capital markets crisis,” the younger Mr. Macklowe said. “Our legacy and acquired portfolios are renting at market rates or better. In August, when the world took a 180-degree turn, we and others got caught up in it.”

As it now stands, the Macklowes say they owe Deutsche Bank a $5.2 billion payment in February, in connection with the Equity Office transaction. They owe the Fortress Investment Group, a leading private equity and hedge fund firm, $1.2 billion for a bridge loan backed by a limited partnership interest in the G.M. Building, stakes in 11 other Macklowe buildings and a personal guarantee from the Macklowes for $1 billion. 

The Macklowes are in default on a $510 million loan connected with a project planned for the Drake site. Although the Macklowes have a nonbinding agreement with an anchor tenant, a Nordstrom department store, they have not acquired all the land for the project. A spokesman for Nordstrom said the company was also talking to other developers.

At the same time, the family is trying to obtain a new construction loan for a 30-story office building being built at 510 Madison Avenue, at 53rd Street.

Even during this tense period, Mr. Macklowe often interrupts an interview with jokes. And those who know him say that he can be both endearing and notoriously tough. He has tangled with lenders, regulators, city officials, tenants and even his former East Hampton neighbor, Martha Stewart.

“Dealing with Harry can be a charming experience, and it can be like a trip to the dentist without anesthesia,” said Peter Hauspurg, chairman of the real estate investment services firm Eastern Consolidated. “At the end of the day, Harry’s operative phrase is: It’s just business.”

DESPITE Mr. Macklowe’s hard-edged business reputation, friends say he also devotes considerable time to his grandchildren, his collection of modern art, golf at the Atlantic Golf Club in Bridgehampton and, of course, sailing. 

The son of a Westchester County garment executive, Mr. Macklowe was a college dropout when he started as a low-level real estate broker in 1960. Three years later, he and his supervisor formed their own company, Wolf & Macklowe. By the 1980s, he was building a succession of towers, including the angular black-glass Metropolitan Tower, on 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues; 2 Grand Central Tower; and the residential building RiverTower, on the East Side, where he and his wife, Linda, have a duplex.

Mr. Macklowe would like to be known for his building designs, or his art collection. But what many New Yorkers recall is that in 1985, Mr. Macklowe’s company was involved in the illegal, nocturnal demolition of two single-room-occupancy hotels near Times Square, only hours before a law went into effect protecting the buildings. He was not indicted in the incident, but one of his executives pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment. Five years later, he opened the Hotel Macklowe on the site. 

As his purchase of the G.M. Building demonstrated, Mr. Macklowe often gets the timing right. On the day the stock market crashed in October 1987, he sold a package of 15 buildings to Joseph Neumann for $350 million, or $120 million more than Mr. Macklowe and his partners paid for them 10 months earlier. Mr. Neumann’s empire subsequently collapsed.

Like many other developers in the early 1990s, Mr. Macklowe took a beating during a severe real estate recession, ultimately returning both the Riverbank West tower on 42nd Street and the Hotel Macklowe, now known as the Millennium Broadway Hotel, to the lenders.

Rather than disappear, Mr. Macklowe did a series of smaller projects in the mid- to late 1990s, building less-glamorous apartment houses or renovating office buildings on Madison Avenue. In 2003, he bought the G.M. Building, a move that left many of his peers describing him as a real estate genius. The building was built for General Motors in 1968 and now houses tenants like hedge funds, the investor Carl C. Icahn and the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges. Mr. Macklowe suggests that the building is worth $3.5 billion or even $4 billion, though it may be hard to find a lender or investor who agrees.

By the fall of 2006, Mr. Macklowe was sitting pretty, primarily because the value of the G.M. Building had jumped so handsomely. He was putting together a premier development centered on what was once the site of the Drake Hotel, which he bought in 2006 for $418.3 million. He and his son were also building a hotel and apartment house at Madison and 53rd Street. After the residential market appeared to slow, they nimbly converted it into an office building for hedge funds, complete with a swimming pool and a luxurious health club.

Earlier this year, Mr. Macklowe decided to try his luck again. After the Blackstone Group, a private equity powerhouse, beat back Vornado to take over Equity Office with a $39 billion bid, Blackstone quickly decided to sell most of Equity Office’s Midtown Manhattan buildings without taking possession of all of them. During 10 days of whirlwind deal-making, Mr. Macklowe secured financing and stepped in to buy seven of the buildings for $7 billion.

The timing looked propitious. Credit was so readily available that Mr. Macklowe needed to put down only $50 million. He borrowed the rest in short-term loans from Deutsche Bank and Fortress. But that left him in the dicey position of having to find new sources of permanent financing or equity to pay off the short-term debt.

“He went from utter comfort to being on the precipice again,” said one real estate executive who has worked with Mr. Macklowe and asked not to be identified to retain a relationship with the developer.

The annual rent for the seven Midtown buildings was generally $55 to $59 a square foot, according to William Macklowe, but Deutsche Bank and Fortress underwrote the deal on the assumption that rents would soon rise to $100 a square foot. 

After all, the commercial real estate market was higher than ever. The vacancy rate had fallen to record lows, while high construction costs made new buildings prohibitive. Landlords at prime office buildings were getting more than $100 a square foot annually, while the average rents for first-class Midtown buildings rose to $73.31 by the first quarter of 2007 from $55.21 in the first quarter of 2005, according to Reis Inc., a New York office research company. 

At the same time, average prices for large office buildings in Midtown more than doubled, to $745 a square foot from $357, according to Real Capital Analytics. Investment banks and foreign companies began pouring capital into real estate. Lenders, in turn, took more risks, often providing financing for 90 to even 100 percent of a building’s price. Investors became ever more willing to accept a lower initial rate of return, known as the capitalization rate.

As with the residential market, the money flowed easily because lenders did not keep these risky loans on their balance sheets — as the commercial banks and savings-and-loan associations did to their peril in the early 1990s. Instead, Wall Street repackaged hundreds of billions of dollars of loans as commercial-mortgage-backed securities and sold them to investors.

“Loans with more aggressive terms that weren’t available in ’03 and ’04 became the norm in ’06, when suddenly lenders became very accommodating,” said Mike Kirby, a principal of Green Street Advisors, a research company in Newport Beach, Calif., that specializes in real estate investment trusts. “The attitude was, ‘Gee, we’re not going to own this stuff; we get terrific fees for underwriting these loans, and we can blow it out in a C.M.B.S. deal in three months.’”

EARLIER this year, however, the real estate winds shifted. In April, just two months after Mr. Macklowe bought the Equity Office properties, Moody’s Investors Services, the bond rating agency, said it planned to readjust how it rated commercial-mortgage-backed bonds to better reflect their risk. The agency complained that lenders were making overly optimistic projections about rent growth.

By last summer, as the subprime mortgage crisis hit residential lending and credit markets tightened, opportunities evaporated for developers like Mr. Macklowe to refinance expensive short-term debt.

Perhaps slow to realize the severity of the credit problem, Mr. Macklowe paid nearly $60 million in June for virtually the entire seventh floor of the Plaza Hotel, the Manhattan landmark that has been converted into condominiums. He hired the architect Charles Gwathmey to design a 13,000-square-foot apartment, which offers a view across Fifth Avenue to the G.M. Building. 

But in September, the Macklowes hired the investment banking guru Joseph R. Perella to help them find new equity partners. They flew to the Middle East to visit what cash-starved developers call “the Big Four” — Kuwait, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai — in an unsuccessful hunt for fresh capital. 

“We knew we could get higher value” for the Equity Office buildings, “but it wasn’t going to come in years two, three or four,” William Macklowe says. “We had a plan for a permanent capital solution. The events of the late summer slowed that down.”

The Macklowes say they also spent more than $150 million paying off short-term lenders at the Drake Hotel site and received an extension on their senior debt, which has since expired. But the Macklowes still have to contend with a $510 million note backed by the site. 

“There are people out there who are very eager to acquire it if Macklowe decides not to build, or something untoward happens,” Harry Macklowe said. “We’re talking to several of our peers who’ve asked to join us in that development. We’re evaluating.”

There is increasing pressure, meanwhile, to persuade Deutsche Bank and Fortress to extend their deadline beyond Feb. 8 for at least $6.4 billion in debt, allowing the Macklowes more time to find new equity partners. 

Bankers and real estate executives are divided over whether the Macklowes will be forced to sell some properties — maybe even some of the most valuable assets. Some also argue that layoffs in the financial industry this year will almost certainly depress the market and the value of commercial property.

Others, like Scott Latham, a broker at Cushman & Wakefield, contend that the vacancy rate is so low that it would take tens of thousands of layoffs to turn Midtown into a tenants’ market. Rents will not go up as fast as they have in the past 12 months, he said, but almost no one is predicting that rents will fall.

Mr. Macklowe “may shed some assets, just because it allows him to control whatever he holds onto,” Mr. Latham said. But there are still enough foreign investors interested in the Manhattan market, he said, “that Mr. Macklowe may not have to sell his core properties.”

A friend of Mr. Macklowe, who asked not to be identified to preserve a business relationship with him, put it another way. “Somehow he always manages to pull it off,” the friend said. “But he won’t do anything until the bitter end. He will play it out all the way.”


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/realestate/06scap.html?ref=realestate
*An Ever-Evolving Site on Madison Avenue*

By CHRISTOPHER GRAY
Published: January 6, 2008









_Museum of the City of New York, left; Annie Tritt for The New York Times

PIECEMEAL CHANGE In 1910s, after Temple B’nai Jeshurun moved, Rouse & Goldstone reused the shell of the synagogue but designed a new four-story section in front, left. 

The building is now only two stories tall._









_Rendering by 3D Media Group, Arup.

The building will be 14 stories if the plan proposed by its current owners is realized._

A MODEST but elegantly detailed two-story Georgian-style building between 64th and 65th Streets is just the kind of oddity that makes Madison Avenue fun. 

Its official year of birth is 1938, but it is actually much older. It started as a Moorish-style synagogue in the 1880s, emerging in 1918 as an odd-looking four-story school, and then it was cut in half two decades later. Now its owner hopes to write a fourth chapter. 

Temple B’nai Jeshurun put up the first building, a Byzantine-Moorish-style synagogue, in 1885; it was designed by Rafael Guastavino and Schwarzmann & Buchman. The front was an intricate mix of interwoven arches and a high picturesque tower, with a half-dozen ornamental columns, what appears to be polished granite or marble, supporting a portico.

The architect incorporated parts of the congregation’s old synagogue on 34th Street near Sixth Avenue, and the 1,000-seat interior was modeled after one in Toledo, Spain.

In 1894, John Jacob Astor, who was then building a huge house at 65th Street and Fifth Avenue, filed plans to build a stable on the corner lot, adjacent to B’nai Jeshurun. Synagogue officials, displeased with the prospect of stable sounds and smells intruding on services, joined a dozen area residents in protesting, and Astor backed down. A lawyer, Frederic Betts, built the town house that is now on the site.

By the 1910s, B’nai Jeshurun was considering another move, and built its next temple at 257 West 88th Street within the decade. An investor, William H. Chesebrough, took over the Madison Avenue property and hired the architectural firm of Rouse & Goldstone, which reused the shell of the synagogue but put a new four-story section in front. 

The architects worked in a delicate neo-Federal style to remake the first floor into a two-story colonnade with an intricately patterned frieze and a central doorway with a broken pediment. On the third floor were windows set into brick arches, and at the roof three dormers gave the overall suggestion of an early 19th-century town hall or civic building. 

Floor plans show that the second-floor rooms backed up to a giant double-height hall at the rear of the lot — the old sanctuary of Temple B’nai Jeshurun — and that the third floor was divided into two apartments with attached studios. 

Judging from an early photograph, the central doorway carried a medallion with a dancer, along with a painted sign reading Temple of the Helen Moller School. Miss Moller was using the rear hall as a dance studio and school. An article in The New York Times in 1918 reported that she and “50 lithe young girls and little children” appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, performing dance interpretations of the 1812 Overture and other musical works.

There was applause but also some hisses, perhaps because the female form was amply displayed, although a Times reporter said none of the dancers appeared “more than casually or instantaneously nude.” 

They got a standing ovation for their final work, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” but the Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was still moved to file a complaint. Miss Moller said there was nothing salacious about the performance — “there is nothing ‘nude’ in the nude,” she told The Times. The outcome of the case is unknown.

Another tenant was Anna Chaires, whose Out Door School taught boys and girls from 3 to 10. Tenants in the 1920s and 1930s included a lighting shop, a lingerie store and a restaurant. 

In 1937, any remaining traces of the synagogue surely vanished, as the two top floors of the building were sliced off, leaving the elegant little two-story structure as it now stands. 

In the 1940s, the Navy League of the United States took over the upper floor as a workroom where women sewed clothes for the children of enlisted Navy men. The league’s wartime Kitchen Cupboard Shop tried to popularize dehydrated tomato paste, ersatz mustard and a coffee substitute. 

The little building was included in the Upper East Side Historic District in 1981, and now the owner, Friedland Properties, has proposed that it grow by 12 stories, designed by the architect Page Ayres Cowley.

The new 14-story structure would consist of 12 condominiums, with the first 4 stories connecting to commercial space in the corner town house, which Friedland also owns. In fact, the entrance to the apartments will be on 65th Street, right through the town house. 

Ms. Cowley said the storefront, which was changed in the 1938 alteration, would be restored. 

Her urbane design has a few whimsical touches, like circular windows at the 11th floor, but otherwise the renderings suggest a vision that is scrupulously historicist. “It’s context first,” she said, adding that she was trying to avoid the “I’m the special building” quality of many Madison Avenue in-fill designs. 

E-mail: [email protected]


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## vancouverite/to'er

The Bromptom is extremely tastefully finished thus far. Great stuff...


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## IslandSon.PH

lots of construction goin up there.. cheers to nueva york! :cheers:


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local...no_go_for_new_condominium_complex_near_b.html
*No go for new condominium complex near Brooklyn House of Detention*

BY ELIZABETH HAYS
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER 

Friday, January 11th 2008, 4:00 AM 









_Antonelli/News

Brooklyn House of Detention_

So much for downtown Brooklyn's newest "con-dos."

An eyebrow-raising plan to build luxury apartments, office space or even a hotel alongside the unpopular Brooklyn House of Detention to make it blend in better with the trendy neighborhood has been scrapped for lack of interest. 

The city floated the novel idea this spring as a way to tamp down widespread community outrage over plans to reopen and expand the jail, which has been shuttered since 2003. 

But this month, city officials acknowledged the ambitious plan died because developers just didn't bite. 

"We're disappointed, but we're not surprised," said Angela Ferrante, the head of a coalition of local groups fighting the jail reopening. Ferrante attended a Jan. 2 briefing on responses to the city's Request for Expressions of Interest issued in May. 

"It always seemed like a long shot that a developer would want to built right next to a prison," she added, though luxury condos already have gone up across the street. 

Correction Commissioner Martin Horn told advocates at the meeting there was only one response - from a developer who wanted to tear down the existing jail, which wasn't part of the plan. 

Correction officials yesterday said they would still be open to development if a viable proposal was made, but said they are moving ahead with plans to reopen the jail and add a $240 million addition to double its capacity from 749 inmates to 1,469. 

"The city has made a really strong, good-faith effort to respond to neighborhood concerns," said spokesman Stephen Morello. "Whether that effort succeeds or fails, we still have the same objective - to expand and reopen the Brooklyn House." 

Morello said officials are still open to including retail space in the plan as the community has wanted. 

The expanded jail is slated to open in 2012. 

Community leaders said they still opposed plans to expand the jail, but said it was too soon to discuss their next steps. 

The city closed the jail four years ago to save money by consolidating inmates at Rikers Island. 

The Correction Department now wants to reopen and enlarge the site as part of a citywide plan to reduce crowding at aging Rikers facilities and create decentralized prisons in each borough, closer to courts, social services and prisoners' families. 

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said yesterday he is working to find "creative ideas for the site" that also "meet the legitimate needs of the Department of Correction." 

[email protected]


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## Don Omar

*Another Atlantic Yards Lawsuit Dismissed*










Friday, January 11, 2008, by Robert
curbed.com

PROSPECT HEIGHTS—A late day decision has been handed down *dismissing the lawsuit challenging the environmental review process for Atlantic Yards*. The case was filed last April. The decision in the suit filed by 26 community groups was issued by New York State Supreme Court Judge Joan Madden. No details were immediately available, but Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB) said it planned an appeal. The group tried to put a positive spin on the latest legal setback, headlining the release conveying the news: "NY State Supreme Court Rules for ESDC in Atlantic Yards Lawsuit. Project Cannot Move Forward While Federal Eminent Domain Case Is Pending." *The Federal case was also dismissed, but has been appealed*. DDDB's Daniel Goldstein said in the release: "We expect to prevail in that lawsuit, as well as on the appeal of today’s decision."


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## TalB

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/open-a-new-window-a-tower-with-a-view/
January 14, 2008, 11:19 am 

*Open a New Window: A Tower With a View*

By David W. Dunlap









_The view from the roof of the Verizon building at 375 Pearl Street includes the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. Walls obscure most of the river view on lower floors. 
(Photos: David W. Dunlap/The New York Times)_









_375 Pearl Street, as seen from the Brooklyn Bridge. The Municipal Building is at center.
(Photo: David W. Dunlap/The New York Times)









The view from the rooftop of 375 Pearl Street takes in the Woolworth Building, City Hall and, in the distance, the Goldman Sachs headquarters under construction in Battery Park City. (Photo: David W. Dunlap/The New York Times)

The only thing standing between the occupants of 375 Pearl Street and some of the most commanding views in Lower Manhattan is three inches of limestone.

Though the 32-story telephone company tower is not truly windowless, it might as well be. There are three-foot-wide slits running up and down the structure, some with glass in them. But, like the windows of the World Trade Center, these do little more than offer a tantalizingly small slice of what could have been an extraordinary panorama. 

Conceived as a giant switching station for the New York Telephone Company, 375 Pearl Street is still occupied by the company’s corporate successor, Verizon, which has equipment and offices there. As it neared completion in 1975, Paul Goldberger, then the architecture critic of The Times, said the building was the “most disturbing” of the phone company’s new switching centers because it “overwhelms the Brooklyn Bridge towers, thrusts a residential neighborhood into shadow and sets a tone of utter banality” in the Civic Center. 

So it is important news that Verizon has sold a condominium interest in 29 of the 32 floors to Taconic Investment Partners and Square Mile Capital. They plan to open up the facade with a new curtain wall, designed by Cook + Fox. (Verizon will own and remain on three floors.) 

The project will effectively create one million square feet of new office space and could — if done well — refresh the Civic Center skyline, too. 

Paul E. Pariser, co-chief executive of Taconic, said a reporter had told him: “‘Mr. Pariser, you have a challenge cut out for you — turning a G.E. dishwasher into an office building.’ I like that challenge.” 

He said he had instructed the designers to be “as creative as you wish.” He expects to unveil the design for the refurbished building in March. 

Cook + Fox seems to understand the showcase possibilities. “It’s the chance to give this building a brand new face while fulfilling the mayor’s vision for a greener, more sustainable city,” the company said in a statement. “Whether you’re on the Brooklyn Bridge, the F.D.R. or the steps of City Hall, the building will make a statement on the skyline.” 

Meanwhile, Mr. Pariser allowed City Room a glimpse into the usually fathomless interiors of a telco building. A trip to the rooftop underscored the opportunity for 360-degree views that New York Telephone had missed in building a structure mainly to house equipment. A stop on the 26th floor showed how miserly the results were. 

Besides trying to gain tenants with views and 39,000-square-foot floors and all-new mechanical systems, Mr. Pariser is dangling another enticement: that sign position at the gateway to Lower Manhattan. It began as a Bell logo and now features Verizon’s V. 

“The Verizon sign is seen in any movie of New York City,” Mr. Pariser said. “Some prospective tenant would like that very much.” 

Maybe G.E.?_


----------



## Beware

^^ *Good News!*


----------



## ZZ-II

another facade would be great for this tower


----------



## Cojapo

This is honestly one of NY's most unattractive towers. And it's location makes it stick out that much more. Can't wait to see renderings with the new cladding!


----------



## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local..._williamsburgh_clock_tower_ticks_again-2.html
*Williamsburgh clock tower ticks again*

BY JOTHAM SEDERSTROM 
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER 

Thursday, January 17th 2008, 4:00 AM 









_Adams IV for News

Famed clock tower atop Williamsburgh Savings Bank finally tells the correct time after more than a year._

It's about time.

After more than a year of taking a licking, the fabled four-faced clock atop the Williamsburgh Savings Bank started ticking - and kept going throughout the day. 

At noon Wednesday, all but one of the four famed clocks began telling correct time for the first time since August 2006, when renovations began on the 80-year-old tower. 

"There's been a lot of buzz about the clock, people reminding us it doesn't keep the right time," said Alex Krukis, a project manager for the Dermot Co., which bought the landmark building in 2005. "But we've spent a lot of time working on them, and we turned them on at noon." 

Since September 2006, the tower had been enshrouded in protective mesh, which was lifted in October - in advance of new residential tenants, the first of whom moved in yesterday. But until now, the clocks remained frozen in time - annoying, perplexing and frustrating residents who came to love having the historic timepiece in their backyards. 

Wednesday, however, residents did something else: rejoice. 

"That's terrific," beamed Prospect Heights resident Walter McCree, 78, who said he uses the 512-foot tower as a guide while traveling in Brooklyn. 

"When I see the clock, it's like a directional for me. It's truly been missed."


----------



## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/realestate/20deal3.html?ref=realestate
*Outside the Box*

By JOSH BARBANEL
Published: January 20, 2008









_25 Bond Street_

MOST developers aim to sell out their condominiums from the bottom up, starting with the bread-and-butter apartments on the lower floors. Then, when everything is nearly sold out, they market the grand penthouses with those king-of-the-universe views. 

Tony Goldman, a developer and pioneer in SoHo and in South Beach in Miami, tries to think outside the box. At 25 Bond Street, a new eight-story loft-style building with a glass and stone front in NoHo, Mr. Goldman said he first put together “a group of people all wishing to aspire to dream houses” and then began a search for a site, perhaps a historic building, to put them.

Eventually, he said, he decided on a new building. He found the site of a 100-foot-wide garage on cobblestoned Bond Street and bought out another developer for $26 million who, he said, wanted to build 48 apartments on the site. The number of units was quickly pared down. It went from 23 apartments, according to an old filing in the Department of Buildings records, to 12, and finally to 9 huge apartments, including a triplex and a duplex, each with a private rooftop pool.

The marketing campaign was understated: the building’s minimalist Web site showed only a rapidly flickering series of small images in a black box, ending with a message inviting those with “discreet inquiries” to leave their names. The building, therefore, attracted little notice, especially compared with the splashy launching of Ian Schrager’s 40 Bond Street, with its greenish-glass facade down, the street. 

Mr. Goldman appeared to quietly compete with his nouveau neighbor, creating a hand-chiseled Egyptian limestone facade protruding in front of a bronze and glass window wall. He commissioned the Japanese sculptor, Ken Hiratsuka, to create a work on the granite sidewalk in front of the building (with the permission of the New York City Arts Commission) and to create a sculpture for the lobby.

But now, Mr. Goldman said, with all the other units long since sold, he is putting the two lowliest apartments in the building on the market for the first time, for just under $9 million each. The listing for one of the second-floor units with Lauren Muss of the Corcoran Group, shows that it is a three-bedroom with 3,722 square feet of space with a huge loftlike living room, a kitchen finished in aluminum and walnut, and two parking spaces. 

Mr. Goldman said he didn’t want to put these lower-floor units on the market until the building was finished and buyers could actually walk through them. Was that because the second floor apartments were so close to the noisy streets? On the contrary, he said, it was so buyers could see how close they were to the stone-walled communal garden out back.

E-mail: [email protected]


----------



## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/realestate/20post.html?ref=realestate
*They Didn’t Use a Shoehorn*

By C. J. HUGHES
Published: January 20, 2008









_Kutnicki Bernstein Architects

WRAPAROUND CONSTRUCTION A rendering of 160 East 22nd Street shows how the developer of a 21-story condo will adapt to longtime residents who refuse to go away._

NEW YORK land is pricey — now about $450 a square foot in prime Manhattan neighborhoods — and so are the steel, lumber and concrete needed to put up something new. In order to turn the kinds of profits that make such costly construction worth their while, developers are masterly at squeezing a lot of building into a little space. 

But what happens when the neighbors don’t play along and the blueprints need tweaking? The 21-story condominium planned for 160 East 22nd Street, at Third Avenue near Gramercy Park, shows how resourceful a developer can be. 

Lenny Taub, a partner in the New York-based firm of Kaish & Taub, owns much of the block; the resistant building was 274 Third Avenue, a three-story yellow stucco structure whose ground floor contains a bar and a fortune teller. 

Unable to strike a deal to buy the building, which would sit flush against his own, Mr. Taub abandoned the idea of a single condo tower filling the entire space. Instead he hatched a plan for a tower on one side of No. 274 and, eventually, a small six-unit structure on the other.

To create the tower, he plans to build over the top of No. 274, extending a 3,000-square-foot deck from the condo’s sixth floor. That surface will include a fitness center with an outdoor pool. 

Upstairs, there will be 71 one-, two- and three-bedrooms, ranging from 800 to 1,500 square feet in size, and although Mr. Taub’s offering plan awaits state approval, he expects the units to be priced at $1.2 million to $2.25 million. Demolition to make way for the $100 million building begins in two weeks, he said.

Not all holdouts need to be skirted; some can actually be incorporated. That’s the approach being taken by the 21-story 145-room Cooper Square Hotel at East Fifth Street. A four-story brick tenement adjacent to the hotel — unlike three other buildings on the lot — is not being razed, because its tenants wouldn’t relocate.

Those longtime residents will remain on the building’s top two floors, said Matthew Moss, a principal of the New York-based Peck Moss Hotel Group, the developer. But hotel offices will occupy its second floor and basement, while a library complete with fireplace will take up the 775-square-foot ground-floor space. Hotel guests will be able to reach it via the lobby.

Mr. Moss says he considers it an asset that guests in the $100 million hotel, which opens this summer, may peer down on a tenement roof where laundry is being hung out to dry. 

“That’s the kind of thing people want to see,” he said.

Piggybacking new high-rises on top of older structures can sometimes produce a lopsided effect. One example of that is Graceline Court, a 16-story concrete-and-aluminum condo rising at 106 West 116th Street, off Malcolm X Boulevard, in West Harlem. Its bottom five stories are 40 feet wide. But at the sixth story, it drastically widens, bumping out 20 feet over the roof of the mosque next door. Its final 11 stories, at 60 feet wide, might be viewed by some as top-heavy. 

Because of the cantilever, the Graceline can add 11,900 square feet to what would otherwise have been just 38,000. That is a significant amount of extra space, said Peter Murray, a principal with Loewen Development, based in Larchmont, N.Y.

Mr. Murray wouldn’t disclose the condo’s development costs, but its 32 apartments, from 630-square-foot one-bedrooms to 1,700-square-foot three-bedrooms, are priced at $500,000 to $1.5 million. And over the last eight months, 50 percent have sold, a pace that Mr. Murray ascribes in part to the condo’s shoehorn-dependent design. 

“Curb appeal is important,” he said, “people say that this is a very cool building.”


----------



## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/realestate/commercial/20sqft.html?ref=commercial
*A City That Needs More Places to Sleep*

By C. J. HUGHES
Published: January 20, 2008









_Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times

About two dozen hotels are expected to open in Manhattan this year, including the Greenwich Hotel, left, and the Thompson LES, right._









_Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times

The Vu Hotel is being built in a former printing plant._









_David Phelps

Rates for rooms will start at $400 a night._

NEW hotel developments could add nearly 3,000 rooms to the Manhattan market in 2008, a supply increase that might siphon travelers away from existing properties just as economists are forecasting an economic slowdown, or even a recession.

But hotel owners, developers, brokers and consultants are almost uniformly shrugging off any doom-and-gloom ideas about the year ahead. The market, they agree, remains underserved, with hundreds of hotel rooms lost to recent condominium conversions in recent years. 

“It’s a nice place to live, but it’s a lousy place to visit,” said Thomas McConnell, a senior managing director at Cushman & Wakefield, the real estate services firm, referring to Manhattan’s number of hotel rooms. Even 10,000 new rooms “wouldn’t wreck things,” he added. “It would normalize them,” he said, “because we’re undersupplied.”

According to industrywide estimates, Manhattan room rates are expected to rise by an average of 8 percent over last year, to around $320 a night, while per-room revenue is expected to grow 7 percent, on average. (In 2007, revenue jumped by a record 15 percent, according to PKF Consulting.) 

Industry analysts say demand for the hotels opening this year will continue to come from European travelers who are taking advantage of favorable currency exchange rates. At the same time, analysts are also expecting that more American tourists will choose New York over European destinations like Paris, also because of the weak dollar. 

Many of the nearly two dozen expected hotels in Manhattan — some new construction, some the renovation of existing buildings — will abut residential neighborhoods, while others will be in areas that historically have had few available accommodations. 

Some of these areas, freshly scrubbed and revitalized, are emerging as trendy, like the Bowery, where the new 21-story Cooper Square Hotel is expected to open this summer. The $100 million project will include three bars, a restaurant and a small park. There will be 145 rooms, with 315 to 700 square feet each, according to Matthew Moss, a principal of the Peck Moss Hotel Group, its New York-based developer. Room rates have not been set, he said. 

A few blocks to the southeast, on Allen Street on the Lower East Side, comes another gleaming high-rise hotel, Thompson LES. The $80 million, 21-story tower is expected to open in March, according to Michael Pomeranc, the developer. Its 170 rooms, measuring 350 to 1,700 square feet, will start at $300 a night, he said. 

In TriBeCa, the Greenwich Hotel, from the actor Robert De Niro, will offer 88 rooms in a brick-faced building at North Moore and Greenwich Streets. 

Midtown Manhattan will have several hotels coming on line as well. In August, there will be three from McSam Hotel LLC on West 39th Street: a Holiday Inn Express, with 210 rooms; a Candlewood Suites, with 188 rooms; and a Hampton Inn, with 186 rooms, according to Beth Loetterle, a spokeswoman for McSam Hotel, which is based in Great Neck on Long Island. The company is also developing a 113-room Wyndham Garden hotel, at 20 Maiden Lane in Lower Manhattan that is scheduled to open by April, she said. 

Also this year, the refurbished Plaza Hotel near Central Park is set to open. Although most of its 460 rooms will be sold as apartments, this 19-story structure will also offer 130 traditional hotel suites, to be run by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. 

And in October, Hyatt Hotels will introduce its Andaz line at 75 Wall Street in the financial district, offering 250 rooms in a converted office tower, according to Ben Hakminian, a principal of the Hakminian Organization, its developer.

Taken together, these properties will add only about 3,000 rooms — a drop in the bucket in terms of supply in Manhattan, which has about 65,000 rooms, said John A. Fox, a senior vice president at PKF Consulting, whose clients include developers. 

Overall occupancy rates have hovered around 85 percent for the last few years, versus around 65 percent nationwide, Mr. Fox said; the high rate suggests that many guests are often turned away. He added that it would take about 10,000 additional rooms in a short period to balance the supply-and-demand equation. (About 46 million people visited New York City last year, about 6 percent more than in 2006, according to the city’s tourism agency.)

It typically takes about three and a half years for a new hotel to move from conception to ribbon-cutting, and hotel developers can be known for changing their minds about how to most profitably use a property. 

“A lot of hotels are announced and not all are built,” Mr. Fox said. “Many are gleams in the eyes of developers.”

But then again, the pendulum could swing the other way. In the late 1980s, for example, Times Square sites that now house the Doubletree Guest Suites, the Crowne Plaza and the Renaissance New York were initially considered for offices, according to Mr. McConnell at Cushman & Wakefield. 

What also fluctuates is the availability of financing; in the early part of this decade, hotel developers “were at the bottom of the food chain,” Mr. Fox said. He said that banks had considered hotels to be too risky, preferring instead to lend money for residential developments, which have long-term leases.

ALTHOUGH the current credit crisis has dealt a blow to some developers, analysts said they knew of no hotel projects in New York City that have been scuttled outright. Still, locking in loans for future projects has become trickier, said Michael Yanko, the chief executive of Horizen Global, a developer based in New York.

His Zuri, a 178-room hotel that is expected to break ground this spring on West 23rd Street in the Flatiron District, had to turn to European banks to underwrite the $135 million project after many American investors balked, Mr. Yanko said. To be designed by the architect Carlos Zapata, who also designed the Cooper Square Hotel, the 24-story structure will have a 40-foot-long glass-bottomed Jacuzzi cantilevered over the sidewalk, he added. 

In the meantime, Horizen is focused on completing its Vu Hotel, inside a 17-story converted former printing plant at 11th Avenue and West 48th Street, to be run by the Kimpton hotel chain with rates starting at $400 a night, Mr. Yanko said. The $140 million project is to open in June.

Mr. Yanko dismisses any concerns about a recession this year, thanks to the steady influx of foreign visitors. “The whole world will be able to afford to come here then,” he said.


----------



## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/realestate/commercial/23queens.html?_r=1&ref=commercial&oref=login
*A Neighbor Joins the Revival of Jamaica Avenue*

By SANA SIWOLOP
Published: January 23, 2008

















_Phil Marino for The New York Times

Two blocks from Jamaica Avenue, above, the Queens Family Court building, top, is being redeveloped._

The Dermot Company, a real estate developer in Manhattan, often invests in historic buildings and emerging neighborhoods. Three years ago, it took on both challenges when its development proposal to remake the old Queens Family Court building in downtown Jamaica was accepted by the New York City Economic Development Corporation. 

There, the company had to deal with an empty 75,000-square-foot four-story municipal building, with an ornate Italian Renaissance-style facade the development corporation wanted to keep intact, but which was sloppily renovated inside and paired with a nondescript annex building in 1966.

Along with a parking lot, the two buildings sat on a two-acre site at Parsons Boulevard and 89th Avenue, two blocks from Jamaica Avenue.

In 2005, a long-unfolding revival was already under way on Jamaica Avenue, but the street, a busy shopping district, was still home to a large number of discount stores and fast-food chains. 

Dermot planned to keep the front of the courthouse and its facade, demolish the annex building and turn the rest of the site into a large mixed-use project that would be attractive to higher-quality retailers and offer low- and middle-income and market-rate housing. The company now plans to offer 346 units of housing. 

At the time of its bid, market-rate housing was still rare in Jamaica, but the company was banking on the success of the Opal, an upscale housing project it had recently completed in Kew Gardens Hills, about a mile and a half away.

Jamaica is a busy transportation hub and a major center for government buildings, and now the courthouse project looks especially timely.

Local officials say residential development in the area began picking up after a terminal for the AirTrain to Kennedy International Airport opened in 2003, making the area more attractive to airport workers and travelers. The interest rose even more after the 2005 opening, a few blocks from the courthouse project, of Yorkside Towers on 161st Street, which was the first market-rate rental housing to come to the area in 30 years. 

Last fall, the City Council approved a huge rezoning plan that limited development in certain areas of Jamaica but encouraged higher and denser development in others, like the area around the AirTrain transit hub. 

On Jamaica Avenue, change is continuing as well. The street is scheduled to become home to a 400-seat performing arts center in the spring, and lately a growing number of banks and drugstores have joined the ranks of the mostly local businesses, which sell items like African clothing and beauty supplies.

In 2002, a large retail center, Jamaica Center, brought a 15-screen multiplex to the avenue, as well as stores like Gap and Old Navy. Last year, meanwhile, there was the much-heralded arrival of a 47,000-square-foot Marshalls store and a Home Depot. 

Still, local officials say downtown Jamaica can still use higher-quality retailers, as well as a supermarket, sit-down restaurants, a large electronics retailer and perhaps even a small department store.

“There are national retailers here, but not enough,” said F. Carlisle Towery, president of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, a local nonprofit group. “We have plenty of moms-and-pops, but we really need quality retail chains.”

Dermot hopes its courthouse project, where development is already under way and where the costs are expected to reach $194 million, will offer the large modern retail space that many national retailers find hard to come by locally. It would also provide a more affordable home for retailers that want to be on a major road that leads to the downtown area but cannot afford Jamaica Avenue, where some rents lately have reached $150 a square foot. The company plans to ask for rents of $40 to $100 a square foot.

Plans call for adding a 12-story residential tower to the back of the courthouse building, with an entrance along 89th Avenue.

Shoppers, meanwhile, would enter the building through the current courthouse entrance, where a large plaza inside would be flanked by community space, as well as two large retail “boxes” on both sides of the plaza. The building would offer 55,000 square feet of retail space on three floors. 

Alex Adams, the Dermot executive who is overseeing the project, said his company would like a mix of local and national retailers at the site, as well as two sit-down restaurants, which might inject more life into downtown Jamaica at night. “We think the area is underserved in certain key areas,” he said. 

The project is also expected eventually to offer, in an underground garage, some 500 parking spots, “a rarity in Jamaica,” said Kenneth Hochhauser, a senior managing director at Newmark Knight Frank Retail, the real estate company that is marketing retail space at the site.

“The parking here will allow us to draw regional tenants like a Trader Joe’s, Food Emporium, Red Lobster or Outback Steakhouse,” he said, citing those companies as examples. 

Real estate professionals say the downtown area is already reaping benefits from the new Home Depot and Marshalls. Both, they say, are in an area that used to have much less retail activity and are within 10 blocks of the courthouse project. 

“This is a solid eastern bookend to the downtown area that was not there before,” said Frank Zuckerbrot, a partner at Sholom & Zuckerbrot Realty in Long Island City. 

Howard Dolch, an executive vice president at the Lansco Corporation, which is marketing 28,500 square feet of retail space next to the new Marshalls store, said: “This street is changing. We think we now have a much broader audience of tenants to choose from.” 

Still, efforts are continuing to draw even more retailers. Last fall, the city’s economic development corporation began looking for a buyer for an old garage on 168th Street off Jamaica Avenue. The agency would like to see it remade into a mixed-use project combining housing with at least 35,000 square feet of retail space, which would also include space for a sit-down restaurant.


----------



## Skyscrapercitizen

Wow, that building build over a house is so cool! Shows the crazyness of NYC.


----------



## krull

Yeah here is that building.


*Building will rise over 3-story structure at 274 Third Avenue*












22-JAN-08

Kaish & Taub Development Group Corporation has redesigned its planned, *21-story, residential condominium building at 160 East 22nd Street to build around and on top of a three-story building* it was unable to purchase. 
An early design by Kitnicki Bernstein called for 110 to 120 apartments in a light-colored building. Last fall, the design was changed to a blue-glass with slanting setbacks. 

The new design changes the facade color to green and replaces with the slanting setbacks with stepped ones at the southeast and northwest corners of the tower. 

The design wraps tightly around the smaller building at 274 Third Avenue but gives it some breathing room at the top. The new building occupies the southwest corner at Third Avenue and also has a 280 Third Avenue address. 

The building will have a 24-hour concierge, a screening room, a "zen garden," some balconies, and private storage areas. Completion is anticipated at the end of next year. 

The developer's website states that "Total buildable is now 120,000 square feet consisting of a 104,000 s.f. tower and a one-of-a-kind 'floating' deck over the stores on Third Avenue on which a pool and club house will be built." 

"With offers of additional air rights and inclusionary housing certificates," the website continued, "we are studying the possibilities of bringing the total buildable to approximately 150,000 s.f." 

Kutnicki Bernstein also designed 154 Attorney Street on the Lower East Side for Kaish & Taub. 

Norman Kaish and Leonard Taub are the developers. 

An article by C. J. Hughes in the January 20, 2008 edition of The New York Times said that the project, which is close to Gramercy Park, will now have 71 apartments ranging in size from 800 to 1,500 square feet and said that Mr. Taub expects to apartments to range in price from about $1.2 milllion to $2.25 million. 


http://www.cityrealty.com/new_developments/


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## ZZ-II

i love it when they're building one highrise over another small building


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## xXFallenXx

reminds me of Park Fifth.

Only it's built around the structure, not over it.


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## TalB

The reason they are doing it that way was probably b/c the owner of that building didn't want to sell out to the developer originally.


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## TalB

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01292008/business/hudson_square_boost_297071.htm
*HUDSON SQUARE BOOST*

LUXURY HOTEL IS PLANNED FOR FORMER WAREHOUSE SITE

January 29, 2008 -- THE Hudson Square area has long had a fuzzy identity - north of TriBeCa, West of SoHo, and still associated in many local minds with its printing industry past. 

In recent years, of course, the district's largest landowner, Trinity Real Estate, has created 6 million square feet of office space in buildings once used as warehouses and factories, and lured creative-industry tenants including Viacom. 

Some say the neighborhood doesn't yet have enough hip amenities, but that appears to be changing. 

Tribeca Associates, which netleased the 8-story former warehouse at 330 Hudson St. from Trinity last year, has launched a $220 million redevelopment that will yield a 22-story building shown on this page for the first time. 

It will be topped with a 170-room luxury hotel and boast a 5,000 square-foot restaurant. 

Tribeca principal William Brodsky said 330 Hudson, between Van Dam and Charleston streets, will offer a total 300,000 square feet of offices in the existing 8 stories and two new office floors above them. 

"It could be the only opportunity in Manhattan for this type of product," Brodsky said - "a block of that size with the creative feel of a brick loft." 

Cushman & Wakefield's Andrew Peretz, the project's leasing agent, said it was too early to discuss asking rents, but he noted, "We're dead-center in the midst of the new Hudson Square creative district." 

The hotel, to be run by an operator yet to be announced, will be designed by Brennan Beer Gorman architects with inte riors by Yabu Pushelberg, the firm that also did the Times Square W. 

Brodsky said office tenants could take posses sion as early as next January and the hotel will be open by the end of 2009.


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/nyregion/31harlem.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin
*Office Tower to Rise in Harlem for Baseball TV Network*

By CHARLES V. BAGLI
Published: January 31, 2008









_Swanke Hayden Connell

A proposed building at 125th Street and Park Avenue._

Major League Baseball plans to build a home on 125th Street, Harlem’s premier boulevard, for its cable network, which is scheduled to make its debut early next year with some 50 million subscribers, real estate and baseball executives said on Wednesday.

The planned building, to be developed by Vornado Realty Trust, would rise 21 stories in an interlocking set of luminescent glass cubes at 125th Street and Park Avenue and would be the first prime office tower to be built in Harlem in more than three decades.

Vornado is also negotiating with Inner City Broadcasting, the second-largest radio broadcasting company aimed at black listeners, to move to the planned tower from its Midtown offices, according to real estate executives and local officials.

The Vornado project is an expression of how sky-high rents in Midtown Manhattan have contributed to Harlem’s renaissance, pushing residential developers in particular to build in the once economically struggling community. The Vornado project, to be called Harlem Park, would be the first major office tower in the area since the construction of the State Office Building, also on 125th Street, in the early 1970s.

But Vornado still has hurdles to cross, and if the project advances, it would not be the first to hold a groundbreaking at the site. Three years ago, Gov. George E. Pataki and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg held a press conference there in anticipation of a $236 million hotel and retail project that never materialized. 

Vornado is seeking an exception to proposed rezoning that would impose height restrictions on buildings along 125th Street before it starts construction in the spring, and Major League Baseball is negotiating with the city for an incentive package. Some elected officials are also seeking assurances that the project will provide jobs for local residents and will not displace small businesses in the area.

“We want to know about jobs and we want to protect indigenous businesses,” said city Councilwoman Inez E. Dickens, whose district includes the site, now a vacant lot.

Still, city officials are optimistic that a national developer like Vornado and a major tenant like Major League Baseball will propel the project forward.

“Harlem Park will be the area’s first Class-A office tower in decades and will attract major tenants, showcasing the economic growth under way in Harlem,” said Robert C. Lieber, the deputy mayor for economic development. “We’re still negotiating with Vornado and Major League Baseball, and if we are able to get it done, it will be a home run for the entire area.”

Real estate executives said that Major League Baseball was completing negotiations to lease about one-fifth of the planned 630,000-square-foot building. That would include the second and third floors for broadcast studios and editing, as well as the top two floors of the tower for the network’s executive and sales offices.

The area around Park Avenue is still frayed and has not seen as much development as other stretches of 125th Street. But Harlem has changed dramatically.

The average price for new apartments in Harlem has hit $895,000. The historic Apollo Theater on 125th Street is in the midst of a $96 million restoration and expansion. Two hotels are under development nearby, and national retailers like Old Navy, Starbucks and Sony Theaters have moved onto the boulevard. Columbia University has plans for a new $7 billion campus on 17 acres to the west.

Vornado took over the site at Park Avenue last year, after the hotel project died. The company said then that it viewed the spot as ideal for a commercial tower because it sits close to a subway stop, a Metro-North train stop and what will be the northern terminus of the Second Avenue subway. It has nearby highway access to the airports and has nostalgic appeal because it is also less than two miles south of 155th Street and the former site of the Polo Grounds, where the New York Giants played, and Yankee Stadium, in the Bronx.

Vornado hired Swanke Hayden Connell Architects. But it still needed a blue-chip anchor tenant for the project in order to begin construction. And Major League Baseball, which wanted to enter the lucrative world of cable television, needed space.

The league’s new network, like the channels already operated by the National Basketball Association, the National Football League and the National Hockey League, will offer a mix of live games, studio-based shows and archival, fantasy and reality programming. League-owned networks are vehicles to appeal to fans who want the type of concentrated fix on a single sport that they cannot get from ESPN or the local channels that carry teams’ games.

Unlike the N.F.L., baseball chose not to wage a protracted fight against cable operators to extend its subscriber rolls; it ensured major distribution by giving Comcast, Time Warner and Cox shares in the network that total 16.67 percent, the same stake that had already been provided to DirecTV for being the first to agree to carry the channel. Because of that deal, the baseball network is expected to be one of the most successful start-ups in television history.

After searching for space in Manhattan, Queens and New Jersey, the league’s broker, CB Richard Ellis, brought it to the Vornado project on 125th Street, where proposed rents are half those of similar buildings in Midtown. Tenants could also get tax breaks. Since Vornado does not expect to complete the tower until 2010, Major League Baseball has found temporary space in Secaucus, N.J.

The city is set to rezone 125th Street and restrict building heights in such a way that the tower would be about 40 feet too tall. The company is hoping for an exemption. 

But local officials are also concerned that the current wave of gentrification is displacing not only longtime residents, but also small businesses on 125th Street that had stuck it out through the bad times in Harlem.

Major League Baseball’s decision “is an exciting way that they can deepen their relationship with the African and Hispanic communities,” said Robert J. Rodriguez, chairman of Community Board 11. “We’re interested in seeing how that develops. As a community, we recognize how an office development could add vibrancy to the surrounding community. But we remain concerned about how this development proceeds and about jobs for local residents.”

Richard Sandomir contributed reporting.


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## ZZ-II

very cool design !!


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/02/01/2008-02-01_developers_unveil_domino_site_plans.html
*Developers unveil Domino site plans*

By VERONIKA BELENKAYA and LEO STANDORA 
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS 

Friday, February 1st 2008, 4:00 AM 

At a meeting that was both sweet and sour, developers presented their vision for an ultramodern housing complex at the Domino Sugar refinery site in Brooklyn Thursday night.

CPC Resources Inc. unveiled renderings of the ambitious project, which calls for six buildings with the landmarked refinery - topped by a five-story glass-faced addition - as its centerpiece. 

The 400,000-square-foot complex is designed to provide 2,200 housing units - 30% of them "affordable" - 1,500 indoor parking spaces and a first floor devoted to retail outlets. 

While most at the Community Board 1 meeting welcomed the prospect of more housing for low- and middle-income families, some frowned on the design, calling it too boxy and too big for the Williamsburg waterfront neighborhood. 

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission will start examining the renderings next week.


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## TalB

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02052008/business/midtown_masterpiece_101977.htm
*MIDTOWN MASTERPIECE*

SKIDMORE OWINGS & MERRILL'S BOSTON PROPERTIES TOWER UNVEILED









_UNVEILING;New 250 W. 55th St_

February 5, 2008 -- MIDTOWN'S biggest development puzzle is a mystery no more. 

The image at right shows the first rendering of the West Side's most buzzed-over, blogged-about new skyscraper - Boston Properties' 1 million square-foot office tower at Eighth Avenue between 54th and 55th streets, to be known as 250 W. 55th St. 

The design by Skidmore Owings & Merrill's Chris Cooper has not been previously released. It calls for a glass curtain-wall tower of 39 stories, set back from the avenue atop a graciously proportioned base boasting a 57 foot-high, wraparound glass retail façade and 25,000 square feet of stores. 

Excavation and demolition of smaller buildings on the site are underway and Boston says tenants will be able to move into its new project by January 2010. 

Publicly traded Boston, led by Mort Zuckerman, finished assembling the site last year, and real estate circles have mused ever since over its plans for the once low-rise block. 

Boston bought the land from developer Robert Gladstone, who previously acquired it from Hearst and from a local family for a total of around $200 million. In a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Boston pegged its total investment in the project at $910 million. 

Law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has signed a lease for 220,000 square feet on its upper floors; a deal with law firm Proskauer, Rose for between 500,000 and 600,000 square feet is pending. CB Richard Ellis is the leasing agent. 

To complete its assemblage, Boston is buying air rights from Broadway's Shubert Organization. Sources said that deal has received the blessing of the Department of City Planning, paving the way for the sale to go through and for construction to begin once the site is completely razed. 

Eighth Avenue has now become an unlikely architectural showcase with recent completions of Sir Norman Foster's Hearst headquarters at 57th Street, Renzo Piano's New York Times Co. tower at 41st Street, and Arquitectonica's Westin Hotel at 43rd Street. 

Meanwhile, Stephen Pozycki's SJP Properties' 40-story 11 Times Square, designed by FX Fowle, has begun to rise at the southeast corner of 42nd Street, and Jay Eisaenstadt is completing a 43-story condo at 47th Street designed by Ismael Leyva. 

But until now, the Boston project remained shrouded in mystery as the company negoti ated simulta neously with the Shuberts, pro spective office tenants and a handful of resi dential tenants still living at the site. 

* 

The most closely watched office tenant in town is Newsweek, which must soon exit beat-up 1775 Broadway - which owner Joseph Moinian plans to re-clad and reposition as a Class-A office address known as 3 Columbus Circle. 

Newsweek has about 250,000 square feet there now. Its lease is up this summer. The magazine has been talking to the Sapir Organization about a move to 100 Church St. downtown, right next to Larry Silverstein's planned new Four Seasons Hotel project. 

The Sapir building has a rare available block of 500,000 square feet, with asking rents a modest $43-$48 per square foot. 

Sources said there's a lease out between Sapir and Newsweek, although a signing does not appear imminent. 

CB Richard Ellis, which represents both sides, had no comment. 

[email protected]


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/nyregion/thecity/03mult.html?ref=thecity
*Here Come the Babies. There Go the Jackhammers.*

By ALEX MINDLIN
Published: February 3, 2008









_Angela Jimenez for The New York Times

In a growing Hasidic neighborhood, double strollers, followed by a construction boom._

JACOB GOLDSTEIN, the longtime chairman of Community Board 9 and the unofficial mayor of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was driving his little red Ford Contour through the neighborhood the other day, honking at acquaintances. Several times on every block, he braked and gestured at a newly risen, salmon-colored apartment building, or a plywood fence protecting a construction site.

“This community’s exploding,” Mr. Goldstein, who is Hasidic, said with satisfaction. “The young people are having kids. My kids are having kids. They need places to live.”

The southern portion of Crown Heights is the nerve center of the Lubavitch sect of Hasidic Judaism, and it has long been as much dormitory as neighborhood. The area attracts Lubavitch adherents from around the world, who tend to raise large families; households of five or six children are common. Everything but the Baby, a children’s store on the neighborhood artery, Kingston Avenue, sells more than twice as many double strollers as singles. 

Over the past two years, community expansion has fueled a building boom: a spate of new condominium buildings, almost all of them aimed at Orthodox buyers. The new apartments typically have at least three bedrooms along with two sinks, two stoves and two kitchen counters — one for meat and one for dairy, to comply with kosher dietary law. Some buildings have so-called Sabbath elevators that allow residents to reach their floors on Saturdays without pressing a button, an action that is traditionally forbidden. 

Although there are no precise figures on the number of new buildings, a spokeswoman for the Department of Buildings said that last year the agency issued more than five times as many permits for new construction in Community District 9 as it had five years ago. (Citywide, the 2002 figure was 3 percent higher.) 

J. J. Katz, the principal broker at Heights Properties, a local real estate brokerage, said he knew of about 50 new buildings aimed at Orthodox buyers. “Even two years ago,” he said, “there was only one building project going on at a time.” 

The largest new project is a nearly complete 94-unit building at 580 Crown Street, to be followed by one almost twice that size next door. Seventy of the apartments in the new building have four or more bedrooms, and a synagogue accommodating 150 people will be located on the ground floor.

Back in the car, Mr. Goldstein made a left turn, saw a young boy on the sidewalk, and honked. “One of my grandchildren,” Mr. Goldstein said proudly. “I have 17.”


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## ZZ-II

great new box, love it


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## Unionstation13

TalB said:


> http://www.nypost.com/seven/12272007/business/broadway_bonanza_120670.htm
> *BROADWAY BONANZA*
> 
> NEWSWEEK BUILDING GETS A MAJOR FACELIFT, NEW TENANTS
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _1775 Broadway now..._
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _... and 1775 Broadway after its 2008 redesign._
> 
> .


This is the kind of crap they did in the 70's covering classic facades with bland glass.


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## koolkid

WTF? Are you kidding me? What piece of shit. WTF IS THAT? It's things like these that get to me...


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## OliverChettle

"a graciously proportioned base boasting a 57 foot-high, wraparound glass retail façade". 

Who are the trying to kid? It's just a crude lump, no more gracious than an average shoe box. These bland glass facades are a plague. Architecture is moving into a second dark age, a sequel to the disastrous 20th century modernist era.


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## Unionstation13

whats wrong with the early 20th century facade underneath it is what I want to know? And if its "not stylish" then they are 6th graders.


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## TalB

ZZ-II said:


> great new box, love it


ZZ-II, are there any projects you don't like, b/c you tend to sound like a yesman on all of them?


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## ZZ-II

^^, i'm not a "yesman". but tell me one reason why i shouldn't like most of the projects? when they've a good design for me then i can't change it.


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## Don Omar

A Tonier Image Is Sought for Eighth Avenue in Midtown

By PATRICK McGEEHAN
Published: February 7, 2008
nytimes.com

Eighth Avenue is no longer Manhattan’s answer to the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. But now that almost all of its peep shows and pornographic video stores have been eradicated, the open question is, what will this once-seedy part of Midtown become in its next life?

Officials of the *Times Square Alliance have begun a campaign to attract distinctive stores and restaurants that they hope will create an atmosphere on the stretch of Eighth between 40th and 53rd Streets* that fits comfortably between tourist-thronged Times Square and the gentrifying Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood to the west.

New street-level retail spaces are expanding as new glass high-rises, like the Hearst Tower, The New York Times Building and 11 Times Square, which is under construction at 42nd Street, redefine Eighth Avenue. The new towers have inspired the alliance *to coin an immodest nickname: the Avenue of Architecture.*

But rather than wait for those new spaces to fill up with bank branches and national chain stores, the alliance, which represents property owners and businesses in the area, is hoping to attract locally owned and less-ubiquitous stores that might appeal to neighborhood residents as well as to office workers.

“If you live at 44th and Ninth, there’s not a clothing store anywhere around, not a bookstore,” said Tim Tompkins, the president of the alliance.

The area already has plenty of foot traffic; several blocks of Eighth Avenue above 42nd Street draw more than 30,000 pedestrians a day each, according to a report compiled by the alliance. But office workers in the neighborhood tend to leave at lunchtime and after work. A recent study conducted by the alliance found that more than $250 million of potential spending was being lost annually to other parts of the city.

The first trick will be to entice the throngs passing through the area to slow down and take a look around, said Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president. Mr. Stringer’s office has pledged $108,000 toward the installation of sidewalk lights and signs to help people navigate the neighborhood, he said.

“The key here is to get people out walking and going into a neighborhood where they didn’t think they could walk, to start to create a different kind of robust economy,” Mr. Stringer said.

Mr. Tompkins is planning to draw more attention to the area after dark by holding a lighting festival in which lighting designers would be invited to illuminate the facades of buildings like the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

The alliance also hopes to persuade the city’s Department of Transportation to make the area friendlier to pedestrians by installing new newsstands and bicycle racks — and by removing the metal fence (installed during the Giuliani administration to protect pedestrians) that runs along the western curb of the avenue between 42nd and 43rd streets, Mr. Tompkins said.

“We hate that fence. It just looks terrible,” he said, adding that many pedestrians choose to walk in the street rather than between it and the adjacent shops.

Changing the perception of Eighth Avenue, which “had a lot of porn and a lot of 99-cents shops,” will take some time, said Faith H. Consolo, chairman of the retail leasing and sales division of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

*“I think it could be a great street to have your office on, to live and go shopping on,” Ms. Consolo said. “But that’s a year to 18 months away.* It’s not happening overnight.” Ideal shops, she said, could include higher-end women’s clothing stores like Searle and stationers and gift boutiques like Montblanc.

Still, storefront rents could run as high as $200 to $250 a square foot, she said, prices that are daunting to many small merchants and restaurateurs.

But, illustrating how difficult it could be to redefine the area, Mr. Tompkins cited a very different group of potential tenants. He said he would prefer to see the avenue attract “homegrown New York merchants” like Two Boots pizzeria and Brooklyn Industries, a casual clothing merchant.

Lexy Funk, the president of Brooklyn Industries, a nine-store company that started in Williamsburg, said she has considered opening a store in Hell’s Kitchen and might be interested in space along Eighth Avenue.

“We’ve always taken risks in our real estate,” Ms. Funk said. “The issue right now with Manhattan real estate is it’s become too expensive for small merchants. We’re competing against banks and international chains.”


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## Middle-Island

Yeah facelift...and in a perfect world it would be renamed the Joan Rivers building.


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## TalB

ZZ-II said:


> ^^, i'm not a "yesman". but tell me one reason why i shouldn't like most of the projects? when they've a good design for me then i can't change it.


I am not saying that you can't like the projects, I am asking if you actually look into what the projects represent or how they were brought up, which is what gives the criticism.


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## Unionstation13

Middle-Island said:


> Yeah facelift...and in a perfect world it would be renamed the Joan Rivers building.


:lol: except theres nothing pretty underneath.


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## ZZ-II

TalB said:


> I am not saying that you can't like the projects, I am asking if you actually look into what the projects represent or how they were brought up, which is what gives the criticism.


i don't live in NY, so such things are not really relevant for me. the design is what counts to me .


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## Ni3lS

Didn't knew that there are so many projects going on in NYC. O= Nice  Also many buildings topped out in 2006/2007


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## ZZ-II

NYC is the home of skyscrapers, that's like it has to be


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## Don Omar

yea for those who say that New York is a development and an architecture ghost town, you just have to start looking at the reality.


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/realestate/commercial/17sqft.html?ref=commercial
*In Hotel Design, He’s Mr. Prolific*

By FRED A. BERNSTEIN
Published: February 17, 2008









_Gene Kaufman Architect

The architect Gene Kaufman is designing 36 hotels in Manhattan, including three that will share a single building on West 39th Street near Times Square, right, and three more on West 40th Street._

IN his SoHo office, the architect Gene Kaufman is presenting drawings of his latest buildings.

“This one is for Marriott in Chelsea,” he said, pointing to a rendering of a slender, gray tower. “This is a Sheraton on Canal Street. This one’s a Doubletree in the financial district ...” 

Mr. Kaufman is just getting warmed up.

Many architects would be happy to design a single hotel in Manhattan; his firm, Gene Kaufman Architect, is designing 36 of them. Nearly all are for national brands that are trying to establish beachheads in the city.

On one block near Times Square — 39th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues — Mr. Kaufman, 50, has five hotels under construction. 

Three of the hotels will share a single, 36-story building on the north side of the street. When it is completed, it will contain a Holiday Inn Express, a Candlewood Suites and a Hampton Inn. Each will have its own signs and lobby, and guest rooms that are outfitted in its signature style. 

“But,” Mr. Kaufman said, “we have found there are huge economies in building it, structurally, as one building.”

The Holiday Inn Express will be covered in red and black brick (alternating in three-story stripes); the Hampton Inn, in white and black brick; and the Candlewood Suites, in silvery metal. The effect of putting three different facades on a building just 110 feet wide may be jarring. But it is economics, not aesthetics, that is driving the projects. 

As Mr. Kaufman explained it, the three-in-one approach will help the eventual owner — in this case, Gemini Real Estate Advisors — improve the building’s occupancy rate. That’s because three reservation systems, not just one, will be helping to fill the building’s 600 or so rooms.

Mr. Kaufman has designed another trio of hotels just a block away, on 40th Street. “It’s becoming a hotel district,” he said, while showing off designs for adjacent Four Points by Sheraton, Fairfield Inn and Staybridge Suites hotels, each more than 30 stories tall. 

The chains, which are striving to maintain customer loyalty, want to be able to offer hotels in as many locations as possible. Building several small hotels in different neighborhoods, instead of a single large hotel, helps them achieve that.

The developer of most of Mr. Kaufman’s projects is the McSam Hotel Group, which is based in Great Neck, N.Y. Its chief operating officer, Gary Wisinski, said Mr. Kaufman “has a wonderful and deep knowledge of Manhattan, and is well respected at the Buildings Department.”

McSam is developing some 30 hotels in Manhattan, Mr. Wisinski said, and Mr. Kaufman is the architect “for 90 percent of them.”

Bill Ryall, a partner in Ryall Porter Architects in Manhattan, said that in a city filled with talented architects, “it is a sadly missed opportunity that most of these new hotels are designed by just one architect.”

But Mr. Wisinski said he and his colleagues at McSam were pleased with Mr. Kaufman’s designs. “We look at all of them like our children,” he said. “I know some people would like us to build the Plaza. But we’re not. We’re building mid-price-point lodging facilities.” Rooms in the hotels, he said, will command $240 to $350 a night, depending on the time of year. 

Mr. Kaufman’s first hotel, in 2003, was a Hampton Inn on West 24th Street in Chelsea. Until five years ago, the chain had more than 1,000 hotels nationwide, but not a single location in Manhattan. The 24th Street property is now one of the highest-performing Hampton Inns in the country, according to Charmaine Easie-Samuels, a spokeswoman for the chain, which is owned by Hilton Hotels. Since then, Mr. Kaufman has designed four more Hampton Inns in Manhattan. 

What he brings to the table, he said, is the ability to maximize the number of hotel rooms on a given site. Recently, he said, a client showed him another architect’s plans for a hotel in Lower Manhattan; Mr. Kaufman was able to alter the plans to squeeze in 25 percent more rooms. In the current market, a mid-range Manhattan hotel room — typically 250 square feet — is worth $400,000 to $500,000 to the developer, he said. 

“If you get one more room for floor, and you have 20 or 30 floors,” he said, you may be adding $10 million or $15 million in value.

But maximizing the number of rooms, he said, involves more than just making them smaller. He said buildings could be organized in ways that eliminate “uninhabitable space.”

For hoteliers, Mr. Kaufman provides entree into the sui generis Manhattan market. “The prototype hotel, for almost any chain, is a low-rise building with a parking lot and swimming pool,” he said. “We have to adapt that to Manhattan, but still meet all their standards.” 

The chains control every detail, he said, “down to what kind of breakfast they serve.”

“If you don’t meet their standards,” he added, “you can’t put their name on the door.” 

Mr. Kaufman found his niche in 1999, when Sam Chang, the founder of McSam, asked him to design a hotel for a narrow site on Pearl Street in the financial district. As Mr. Kaufman recalled it, “Sam said, ‘I’m doing you a big favor,’ and he was right” — by allowing Mr. Kaufman to get in on the ground floor of a hotel boom that almost no one was predicting.

“Until then,” Mr. Kaufman said, “the prevailing wisdom was New York City did not need more hotel rooms.” 

Mr. Kaufman now has 35 employees, including architects from Russia, Argentina, Colombia, Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria, Algeria, Albania and Sri Lanka. His wife, Terry Eder-Kaufman, a lawyer, helps run the business. The couple live with their 12-year-old daughter, Maya, in an 1861 brownstone in Greenwich Village, which Mr. Kaufman has renovated in stages. (When he bought it, in 1993, he said, “We had very, very little money.”) 

A Queens native and a graduate of Cornell’s architecture school, he worked for Rafael Viñoly before starting his firm in 1986 at the age of 28 — which is young for an architect to go off on his own. 

“Even though it may not have been the prudent thing to do from a business point of view, it was something that I felt I had to try,” he said. “And 22 years later, I’m still trying.”

Mr. Kaufman conceded that it’s hard to make compelling architecture out of a hotel containing hundreds of identical rooms. “You can end up with a facade that’s very repetitive,” he said. But he described his buildings as positive additions to the urban fabric. Many of the sites, including two-thirds of the 39th Street property, were previously parking lots, he pointed out. 

Not all of his projects are chain hotels. The 45-room Duane Street Hotel, near City Hall, is being operated independently. And he is designing apartment buildings in Manhattan and Brooklyn. 

In the case of a six-story apartment building in Williamsburg, Mr. Kaufman chose a shape based on the Villa Savoye, the house outside Paris by Le Corbusier.

Part of the facade was going to be covered in a mint-colored tile. “But we didn’t get the tile we picked,” he said, citing cost overruns.

When it comes to getting things built the way he envisions them, he said, “people don’t know how difficult that is.”


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## TalB

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02192008/business/build_because_we_must_98332.htm
*BUILD BECAUSE WE MUST*

LOTS OF NEW BUILDINGS NEEDED TO KEEP NYC COMPETITIVE

February 19, 2008 -- THE very sight makes some builders and brokers squirm - but the best news for the city's long-term commercial outlook is steel rising for two new towers where nearly 3 million square feet of office space are up for grabs. 

The projects are SJP Properties' 11 Times Square at Eighth Avenue and 42nd Street and the Port Authority's One World Trade Center, aka the Freedom Tower. (Yes, Freedom Tower structural steel is actually visible - the PA just doesn't want to make a big thing of it until it reaches street level.) 

SJP has 1.1 million square feet to fill and the PA, around 1.6 million (two government agencies are taking about 1 million square feet in the 2.6 million-foot Freedom Tower). 

In addition, Larry Silverstein will start on WTC Tower 4, which will add another 2.3 million square feet in 2011 - although the PA and the city plan to take about two-thirds of it for their own office use. 

The projects are obviously welcome news. But they dismay real estate players who pay lip service to the need for new, state-of-the-art office buildings to keep New York competitive, but hypocritically deplore the possibility of even a single building being completed without signed tenants. 

The fact is, Manhattan's pre-eminence in commercial real estate looks invulnerable only if you look at its size and ignore its rapidly aging condition. 

Manhattan has 361 million square feet of office space, according to CB Richard Ellis, compared with just 225 million square feet in Chicago, the US' second-largest urban business district. 

Abroad, CBRE counts only 335 million square feet in Tokyo and a mere 287 million feet each in "greater" Paris and London. Manhattan is topped only by Shanghai's 432 million feet, a figure that includes areas beyond the city's borders. 

If you believe the hype, projects at Ground Zero will add 11 million square feet to New York's lead by 2015. Hudson Yards in the West 30s promises 24 million square feet on top of that. Plans are afoot for new towers at the Pennsylvania Hotel site, Penn Station/Madison Square Garden and even atop the Port Authority Bus Terminal. 

But New York's 361 million feet have scarcely grown from 354 million in 1989 (compared with just 261 million in 1969). Tightened credit resulting from the subprime crisis and astronomically rising construction costs threaten the schemes now in the dream stage - especially those which are subject to political whims. 

Meanwhile, as new buildings with giant floor plates rise in foreign cities - and closer, in Stamford, Conn., where Royal Bank of Scotland built itself the world's largest trading floor - Manhattan's office inventory is threatened by looming obsolescence. 

CBRE Regional CEO Mary Ann Tighe notes that 64 percent of Manhattan's towers will be more than 50 years old by 2010; nationally it's 24 percent. 

That matters because companies that count most to the city's economy increasingly demand brand new buildings, not buildings 50 or even 10 years old. Only the newest locations offer the 14-foot "slab to slab" floor heights needed to install modern fiber optics, among other amenities. 

Developers can improve lobbies and modernize heating and ventilation systems - but an older building is still an older building. 

New York developers, landlords and brokers take comfort in a "disciplined" market where new buildings rarely go up without pre- signed tenants. It's a big reason why today's vacancy rate of around 8 percent is unlikely to mushroom out of control even in the event of large-scale Wall Street layoffs. 

But that same discipline - instilled after the bear market of the early '90s pushed a few new, temporarily vacant Midtown buildings into foreclosure - is also our Achilles heel, stifling urgently needed new construction. 

It's ironic that for all developers' (and banks') fears of speculative building, every spec project of the past dozen years has been a howling success. 

Douglas Durst's 4 Times Square instantly lured Condé Nast and Skadden Arps. Tishman Speyer's 222 E. 41st St., and Kipp/Stawski's 505 Fifth Ave. took no time at all to fill up. Silverstein's 7 WTC is well on its way to being full. 

But some real estate people dwell more on a few failures 20 years ago than on the more numerous recent successes. 

Get over it, guys - and be glad for the sight of rising steel. May there be more of it. 

[email protected]


----------



## Middle-Island

> IN his SoHo office, the architect Gene Kaufman is presenting drawings of his latest buildings.













Why do I get the feeling he was somehow deprived of the LEGO he wanted as a youngster?


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## Ebola

Middle-Island said:


> Why do I get the feeling he was somehow deprived of the LEGO he wanted as a youngster?


NY's most loved architect.










EARTH TO GENE, COME IN GENE! Man, I'd just love to smack his face. Bin Laden helped the city more.

Looks like he belongs in the engineering section of the USS Voyager.


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## ZZ-II

new tower, thread already in the highrise section:


** No renderings release yet **


*Joseph Rose Plans Huge Hotel Across From Hudson River Park*


BY ELIOT BROWN | FEBRUARY 19, 2008

The former director of the Department of City Planning in the Giuliani administration, Joseph B. Rose, has big plans for a full block on the far West Side, as he has filed an application with the city to *build a hotel of more than one million square feet at 260 12th Avenue.*

In a building permit application filed with the Department of Buildings recently, Mr. Rose and his Georgetown Company list plans for a *66-story, 828-foot hotel on the site*, currently zoned for light manufacturing (unlike condo towers, hotels can often be built in manufacturing zones).

The lot sits just a block south of the West Side rail yards and across the street from Hudson River Park; Mr. Rose sits on the board of directors for the state and city agency that oversees the park, the Hudson River Park Trust.

The building would be Mr. Rose’s second major undertaking along 12th Avenue in recent years, as he was a partner in the development of the highly acclaimed InterActiveCorp headquarters, the wavy, Frank Gehry-designed office building at 18th Street.

However, his planned development on West 29th Street is sure to draw anger from some in the Hudson Square community 40 blocks to the south. The city had initially targeted Mr. Rose’s site, known in the community as Block 675, to receive a sanitation garage currently housed in the footprint of Hudson River Park.

In 2006, the city reversed course in the name of cost, choosing instead a site at Spring and Washington streets in Hudson Square, where it would put the combined garbage facilities for three districts.

Residents and landowners of Hudson Square have protested the decision, saying that the facility will harm the emerging district; the community board in Chelsea had agreed to have the garage go on Block 675, and the city has almost all the needed approvals there, they contend.

“This flies in the face of the public interest,” said Michael Kramer, a lobbyist for multiple landlords and businesses in Hudson Square.

However, the director of real estate at the Department of Sanitation, Daniel Klein, said that the cost savings would be substantial. “We get a lot more for less money at Spring Street,” he said.

Mr. Rose did not respond to requests for comment.


http://www.observer.com/2008/joseph-rose-plans-huge-hotel-across-hudson-river-park


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## TalB

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/switching-brands-in-the-skyline/#more-2099
February 20, 2008, 10:21 am 

*Switching Brands in the Skyline*

By David W. Dunlap









_The General Motors building, left, as it appeared soon after construction, seen from Columbus Circle. At right, the building, now known as the Newsweek Building or 3 Columbus Circle, as it appears today, with the CNN rooftop sign. (Drawing by J. W. Golinkin in “Towers of Manhattan,” 1928, and photo by David W. Dunlap/The New York Times)_









_The General Motors Building as it looks today from 57th Street and Broadway. (Photo: David W. Dunlap/The New York Times)_









_Renamed 3 Columbus Circle, this is what the building will look like with a new glass curtain wall. (Photo: Gensler for the Moinian Group)_









_The base of the General Motors Building was originally a three-story structure called the Colonnade Building, completed in 1923. Its monumental Ionic columns are still visible today, but would disappear in the pending renovation. (Photos: David W. Dunlap/The New York Times)_

The General Motors Building has already been renamed. 

Harry Macklowe, the owner of the current General Motors Building on Fifth Avenue, made news last week by suggesting that buyers might reap tens of millions of dollars in extra income through the sale of naming rights to the building. 

Less noticed was that the old General Motors Building at 1775 Broadway, more recently known as the Newsweek Building, was recently renamed 3 Columbus Circle as part of an extreme makeover by its owner, the Moinian Group. 

(It should be noted that 3 Columbus Circle has no frontage on Columbus Circle. Instead, it sits on a block bounded by Broadway, Eighth Avenue, 57th and 58th Streets.) 
A new glass facade designed by the firm Gensler will obliterate evidence of the building’s history and heritage as a hub of Automobile Row. For now, a palisade of three-story Ionic columns, supporting a neo-Classical entablature, surrounds the base of the structure. This is a visible vestige of the Colonnade Building, designed by William Welles Bosworth and developed by John A. Harriss, a deputy police commissioner who also invested in real estate. 

Describing the plan in February 1921, The Times noted that the columns would not be flattened in order to increase the size of the storefronts between them: “They will be set back from the building line several inches, and a statistician could figure out without much difficulty how much prospective rent Dr. Harriss might lose by using this space for attractive architectural treatment instead of sacrificing certain artistic elements for the almighty dollar.” 

Tenants were drawn to the building all the same, as Broadway was the heart of the automotive industry in New York City. In 1922, the Hudson Motor Car Company leased the Colonnade Building’s principal storefront, at Broadway and 57th Street, as a sales room for its Essex line of automobiles. (In recent decades, this space was the home of Coliseum Books. It is now a Bank of America branch.) 

Until 1926, the three-story colonnade was all that stood on the site. Then, Shreve & Lamb designed a 22-story addition, principally for the General Motors Corporation. “The tenant will not only establish its Eastern executive and clerical headquarters in the new building,” The Times reported, “but arrangements will be made for private dining rooms, club rooms, barber shop and a board room seating 40 directors of the corporation.” 

General Motors projected its name on the skyline from the top of the building. (That sign position, currently used by CNN, is offered by Moinian as an opportunity for “significant corporate branding.”) Eventually, G.M. occupied almost all of the building. It stayed there until 1968, when it moved across town to Fifth Avenue.

General Motors’ next move, my colleague Charles V. Bagli reports, will be to the Citigroup Center, where it is taking 135,000 square feet on a 10-year lease beginning next summer. Don’t hold your breath for a name change there.

Shreve & Lamb’s brown-brick facade was far simpler than the monumental colonnade. That incongruous combination of ornate base and spartan tower still speaks subtly — to anyone patient enough to listen — about the rise of Automobile Row in the early 20th century. But in a few months, it will be gone; another quirky corner of Manhattan that has been scrubbed, smoothed, polished, branded and lost.


----------



## teddybear

The boxy glassy building in this photo looks like rendering. It looks so good, what is it?


----------



## krull

^ You are probably referring to 7WTC. It is already built.


----------



## krull

*City’s Sweeping Rezoning Plan for 125th Street Has Many in Harlem Concerned*


By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
Published: February 21, 2008

The street may not be much to look at now, say people who grew up in Harlem during the 1950s and 1960s, but back then, 125th Street seemed like the bustling center of the world.

At Moore’s book shop, a lawyer named Thurgood Marshall was often seen browsing through volumes of African-American history, while at the corner of Lenox Avenue, Malcolm X could be heard proselytizing as a young boxer named Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, listened intently among the crowd.

Up the street, Aretha Franklin or Stevie Wonder performed periodically at the Apollo Theater, and Fidel Castro once conferred with Nikita Khrushchev over lunch at the Hotel Theresa. Blumstein’s may not have been Macy’s, but it did have black mannequins and, at Christmastime, a black Santa Claus.

The street has long been in decline, though national chain stores like Starbucks have taken an interest in it more recently. Now the Bloomberg administration has proposed the most sweeping zoning changes for the street since 1961, when there was a citywide rezoning and 125th Street was at the heart of African-American cultural life.

*The rezoning, which is expected to be approved by the city’s Planning Commission in the coming weeks, is part of package of city plans that call for the thoroughfare to be transformed from a low-rise boulevard lined with businesses like hair salons and buffet-style soul food restaurants into a regional business hub with office towers as high as 29 stories and more than 2,000 new market-rate condominium apartments, as well as hotels, bookstores, art galleries and nightclubs.

The corridor between 124th and 126th Streets from Broadway to Second Avenue would be rezoned, which could ultimately force out more than 70 small businesses and their 975 workers and might lead to the razing of some of the street’s century-old buildings.*

Although the city has said it will not require any residents to move out, the proposal has caused widespread fear that thousands of longtime African-American residents will eventually have to move as the area becomes more expensive. Even now, some apartments in Harlem sell for $2 million or more.

Still, even opponents of the plan agree that new development on 125th Street is necessary to reduce unemployment and to improve the area’s $17,452 median household income, which is about one-third the rest of Manhattan, according to a 1999 Planning Commission report.

What opponents say they do not want is for the street, which has been an incubator for pioneering arts and social movements, to be turned into another Manhattan cookie-cutter strip with expensive shops and shaded by skyscrapers.

“One hundred twenty-fifth Street, like everywhere in the world, must change,” said Dabney Montgomery, 84, an informal community advocate who has lived in Harlem for 52 years. “But we are interested in change that will benefit the people of Harlem. The rezoning would make 125th Street into another 86th Street. That, we don’t want.”

Amanda M. Burden, chairwoman of the Planning Commission, who since her appointment in 2002 has presided over some of the most extensive rezoning undertaken for two generations, said she was not intent on making 125th Street another generic boulevard.

Ms. Burden said she had spent more time studying the 125th Street proposal — including attending 30 to 40 meetings and walking the street on several occasions — than she had on any other project, including Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn and Columbia University’s expansion in western Harlem.

“It’s one of the most renowned streets in the world, and there was a great time on 125th Street when people came from all over the world to enjoy its night life and culture,” she said. “It’s not what it was.”

*Last year, the American Planning Association named 125th Street one of the “10 Great Streets in America,” calling it the “Main Street of black American culture.”*

The street, the group said, has “managed to maintain a strong identity through periods of tremendous population growth and infrastructural strain, disinvestment and urban renewal.”

But residents, who often call Harlem a village and refer to 125th Street as its Main Street, say they worry that its personality will not survive rezoning.

“This would be signing Harlem’s death warrant,” said Craig Schley, executive director of a group called VOTE People, which opposes the rezoning. “It is part of the continuing ‘Katrina-fication’ of Harlem, carried out with a pen instead of a hurricane. They intend to remove people in this area, plain and simple.”

Community Board 10, which represents central Harlem, voted against the 24-block rezoning last year, saying that the plan includes far too little housing that most Harlem residents could afford and that any new housing should be placed on 124th and 126th Streets because it would harm the commercial character of 125th.

The community board also said the proposed 29-story height limit was too high and would cause cultural fixtures like the Apollo Theater and the Studio Museum of Harlem to be dwarfed. There is currently no height limit on the street, but building height became an issue recently when developers unveiled proposals for skyscrapers along the street, including a 21-story building for Major League Baseball.

“Harlem is one of the few places left in the city where you can see the sky,” said Franc Perry, the community board chairman. “You’re able to get some fresh air and see the sun, and it’s not blocked by high rises.”

City Councilwoman Inez E. Dickens, who represents central Harlem, said she was concerned about portions of the plan but believed the need for change was paramount. Ms. Dickens’s position is critical to the prospects of the rezoning because most other council members would be unlikely to oppose her when the plan reaches the City Council.

“It is quite clear to me that in doing nothing, our village loses,” she said. “Keeping 125th Street as is only satisfies the status quo. If we are truly to affect the unemployment rate, especially amongst the young black and Latino males of our community, then we must pursue our involvement in inevitable change.”

The street, which in recent years has emerged from a years-long decline symbolized by boarded-up storefronts, has served as both Harlem’s Main Street and as a cultural touchstone for leading figures, including Bill Clinton, who has an office there.

During a recent weekend day, with temperatures hovering around freezing, members of the Communist Party were recruiting on a corner of 125th Street while volunteers for various presidential campaigns were handing out fliers on the other side of the street. A group of Black Hebrew Israelites was denouncing white people near the Apollo, vendors were selling books, incense and DVDs they had laid out on the sidewalk, and a man opened his coat to display watches for sale.

Rap, gospel and soul music came from speakers set outside the street’s small stores as visitors from Europe and Japan riding on red tour buses took it all in.

While only a few years ago pedestrians on the street had been almost exclusively black or Latino, there are now significant numbers of whites and Asians who have moved to Harlem to find apartments more affordable than in much of the rest of Manhattan.

Ms. Burden, the planning chairwoman, said the city’s proposals would help maintain the street’s vitality and culture by requiring large developers to set aside ground-floor space for arts and entertainment uses and by encouraging smaller developers to do the same through an incentive program.

Ms. Burden played down the notion of widespread displacement, saying that more than 90 percent of the housing in the area was “rent protected,” including the neighborhood’s several large public housing complexes.

The idea that the street needed development hit her, she said, when she attended a recent Roberta Flack concert at the Apollo with a friend who works on the street.

After the concert ended, Ms. Burden said, she asked her friend where they should eat. “Downtown,” the friend replied.

“There should be a million different eateries around there, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to frame and control growth on 125th Street,” Ms. Burden said. “The energy on the street is just remarkable, and it’s got to stay that way.”


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/nyregion/21rezone.html?ref=nyregion


----------



## krull

*Work to Begin on Platform Over Tracks on the West Side*


By CHARLES V. BAGLI
February 21, 2008

Despite a flagging economy, Brookfield Properties says it will start work in June on a $600 million platform over railroad tracks near Ninth Avenue, where it plans to build two towering office buildings.

*Brookfield, a major commercial landlord in Manhattan, has owned the property between Ninth and Dyer Avenues, between 31st and 33rd Streets, for more than 22 years.* But it has had difficulty luring a prominent company to what has long been regarded as Manhattan’s last real estate frontier.

The company now says the time is ripe to begin work. Development is pushing westward, and the site is only one block west of Pennsylvania Station. The vacancy rate for Manhattan office buildings is still relatively low, and the credit markets should recover fairly quickly from the subprime mortgage crisis, said Richard B. Clark, chief executive of Brookfield. “For a long time, we believed that the West Side would be the city’s next commercial zone,” Mr. Clark said. “It’s clear that the time is now to make something of this site.”

Brookfield’s project is no simple matter. More than half of the five-acre site is over railroad tracks, which extend from Pennsylvania Station to the West Side railyards. *Brookfield must build a three-acre platform, while trains continue to run below, before it can start putting up its first building. It hopes to sign a major tenant during the two years the job is expected to take.*

*Brookfield’s architect, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, has designed two towers, a 1.9-million-square-foot building at the northeast corner of the site and a 3.4-million-square-foot building at the southeast corner.*

In many respects, the project is a warm-up for the West Side railyards, where five developers are competing for the development rights. At the railyards, between 10th and 12th Avenues, from 30th to 34th Streets, developers will have to build two 13-acre platforms, at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion. They would then have the right to build 12 million square feet of high-rise office and residential buildings. Brookfield is one of the companies expected to submit a second round of bids to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday. But with concerns about the economy growing, many real estate executives and government officials worry that developers may reduce their offers.

Brookfield is not alone in pushing forward with new office projects. Even so, some real estate executives warn that some of those projects could be postponed, especially if the developer lacks an anchor tenant, and new buildings may not rise over the West Side railyards for years.

Over the past five years, developers have largely ignored office projects in favor of erecting lucrative residential towers, even though the destruction of the World Trade Center sharply reduced available office space. In that time, developers built only 16 commercial buildings with a total of 14.4 million square feet, according to the Real Estate Board of New York.

As companies expanded, space became tight and commercial rents soared, with many prime buildings now fetching more than $100 a square foot in annual rent. So developers are once again putting up office towers, some without an anchor tenant. There are four towers under construction, with a combined total of 6.7 million square feet, and another four towers with 11.3 million square feet planned.

SJP Properties is building a 1.1-million-square-foot tower at Eighth Avenue and 42nd Street. To the north, Boston Properties is excavating a site between 54th and 55th Streets for a 39-story, 1-million-square-foot building that is scheduled to be finished in 2010. A year from now, Boston Properties and its partner, Related Companies, plan to start a second tower, with 900,000 square feet, at Eighth Avenue between 45th and 46th Streets.

“We obviously continue to feel good about west Midtown,” said Robert E. Selsam, senior vice president of Boston Properties.

At the World Trade Center site, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is building the 2.6-million-square-foot Freedom Tower, and JPMorgan Chase has signed a deal to erect a 1.3-million-square-foot building nearby. And on Church Street, the developer Larry Silverstein is beginning work on what will be three 60-story skyscrapers with a total of 6.2 million square feet.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/nyregion/21westside.html?ref=nyregion


----------



## city_thing

krull said:


> *City’s Sweeping Rezoning Plan for 125th Street Has Many in Harlem Concerned*
> 
> 
> By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
> Published: February 21, 2008
> 
> The street may not be much to look at now, say people who grew up in Harlem during the 1950s and 1960s, but back then, 125th Street seemed like the bustling center of the world.
> 
> At Moore’s book shop, a lawyer named Thurgood Marshall was often seen browsing through volumes of African-American history, while at the corner of Lenox Avenue, Malcolm X could be heard proselytizing as a young boxer named Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, listened intently among the crowd.
> 
> Up the street, Aretha Franklin or Stevie Wonder performed periodically at the Apollo Theater, and Fidel Castro once conferred with Nikita Khrushchev over lunch at the Hotel Theresa. Blumstein’s may not have been Macy’s, but it did have black mannequins and, at Christmastime, a black Santa Claus.
> 
> The street has long been in decline, though national chain stores like Starbucks have taken an interest in it more recently. Now the Bloomberg administration has proposed the most sweeping zoning changes for the street since 1961, when there was a citywide rezoning and 125th Street was at the heart of African-American cultural life.
> 
> *The rezoning, which is expected to be approved by the city’s Planning Commission in the coming weeks, is part of package of city plans that call for the thoroughfare to be transformed from a low-rise boulevard lined with businesses like hair salons and buffet-style soul food restaurants into a regional business hub with office towers as high as 29 stories and more than 2,000 new market-rate condominium apartments, as well as hotels, bookstores, art galleries and nightclubs.
> 
> The corridor between 124th and 126th Streets from Broadway to Second Avenue would be rezoned, which could ultimately force out more than 70 small businesses and their 975 workers and might lead to the razing of some of the street’s century-old buildings.*
> 
> Although the city has said it will not require any residents to move out, the proposal has caused widespread fear that thousands of longtime African-American residents will eventually have to move as the area becomes more expensive. Even now, some apartments in Harlem sell for $2 million or more.
> 
> Still, even opponents of the plan agree that new development on 125th Street is necessary to reduce unemployment and to improve the area’s $17,452 median household income, which is about one-third the rest of Manhattan, according to a 1999 Planning Commission report.
> 
> What opponents say they do not want is for the street, which has been an incubator for pioneering arts and social movements, to be turned into another Manhattan cookie-cutter strip with expensive shops and shaded by skyscrapers.
> 
> “One hundred twenty-fifth Street, like everywhere in the world, must change,” said Dabney Montgomery, 84, an informal community advocate who has lived in Harlem for 52 years. “But we are interested in change that will benefit the people of Harlem. The rezoning would make 125th Street into another 86th Street. That, we don’t want.”
> 
> Amanda M. Burden, chairwoman of the Planning Commission, who since her appointment in 2002 has presided over some of the most extensive rezoning undertaken for two generations, said she was not intent on making 125th Street another generic boulevard.
> 
> Ms. Burden said she had spent more time studying the 125th Street proposal — including attending 30 to 40 meetings and walking the street on several occasions — than she had on any other project, including Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn and Columbia University’s expansion in western Harlem.
> 
> “It’s one of the most renowned streets in the world, and there was a great time on 125th Street when people came from all over the world to enjoy its night life and culture,” she said. “It’s not what it was.”
> 
> *Last year, the American Planning Association named 125th Street one of the “10 Great Streets in America,” calling it the “Main Street of black American culture.”*
> 
> The street, the group said, has “managed to maintain a strong identity through periods of tremendous population growth and infrastructural strain, disinvestment and urban renewal.”
> 
> But residents, who often call Harlem a village and refer to 125th Street as its Main Street, say they worry that its personality will not survive rezoning.
> 
> “This would be signing Harlem’s death warrant,” said Craig Schley, executive director of a group called VOTE People, which opposes the rezoning. “It is part of the continuing ‘Katrina-fication’ of Harlem, carried out with a pen instead of a hurricane. They intend to remove people in this area, plain and simple.”
> 
> Community Board 10, which represents central Harlem, voted against the 24-block rezoning last year, saying that the plan includes far too little housing that most Harlem residents could afford and that any new housing should be placed on 124th and 126th Streets because it would harm the commercial character of 125th.
> 
> The community board also said the proposed 29-story height limit was too high and would cause cultural fixtures like the Apollo Theater and the Studio Museum of Harlem to be dwarfed. There is currently no height limit on the street, but building height became an issue recently when developers unveiled proposals for skyscrapers along the street, including a 21-story building for Major League Baseball.
> 
> “Harlem is one of the few places left in the city where you can see the sky,” said Franc Perry, the community board chairman. “You’re able to get some fresh air and see the sun, and it’s not blocked by high rises.”
> 
> City Councilwoman Inez E. Dickens, who represents central Harlem, said she was concerned about portions of the plan but believed the need for change was paramount. Ms. Dickens’s position is critical to the prospects of the rezoning because most other council members would be unlikely to oppose her when the plan reaches the City Council.
> 
> “It is quite clear to me that in doing nothing, our village loses,” she said. “Keeping 125th Street as is only satisfies the status quo. If we are truly to affect the unemployment rate, especially amongst the young black and Latino males of our community, then we must pursue our involvement in inevitable change.”
> 
> The street, which in recent years has emerged from a years-long decline symbolized by boarded-up storefronts, has served as both Harlem’s Main Street and as a cultural touchstone for leading figures, including Bill Clinton, who has an office there.
> 
> During a recent weekend day, with temperatures hovering around freezing, members of the Communist Party were recruiting on a corner of 125th Street while volunteers for various presidential campaigns were handing out fliers on the other side of the street. A group of Black Hebrew Israelites was denouncing white people near the Apollo, vendors were selling books, incense and DVDs they had laid out on the sidewalk, and a man opened his coat to display watches for sale.
> 
> Rap, gospel and soul music came from speakers set outside the street’s small stores as visitors from Europe and Japan riding on red tour buses took it all in.
> 
> While only a few years ago pedestrians on the street had been almost exclusively black or Latino, there are now significant numbers of whites and Asians who have moved to Harlem to find apartments more affordable than in much of the rest of Manhattan.
> 
> Ms. Burden, the planning chairwoman, said the city’s proposals would help maintain the street’s vitality and culture by requiring large developers to set aside ground-floor space for arts and entertainment uses and by encouraging smaller developers to do the same through an incentive program.
> 
> Ms. Burden played down the notion of widespread displacement, saying that more than 90 percent of the housing in the area was “rent protected,” including the neighborhood’s several large public housing complexes.
> 
> The idea that the street needed development hit her, she said, when she attended a recent Roberta Flack concert at the Apollo with a friend who works on the street.
> 
> After the concert ended, Ms. Burden said, she asked her friend where they should eat. “Downtown,” the friend replied.
> 
> “There should be a million different eateries around there, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to frame and control growth on 125th Street,” Ms. Burden said. “The energy on the street is just remarkable, and it’s got to stay that way.”
> 
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/nyregion/21rezone.html?ref=nyregion


I'd love to see Harlem. The area has created so much modern history, and given rise to many powerful figures. It's sad that the epicenter of the black rights movement has gone into decline, it's not like the Black Panthers are all over the streets anymore. I just hope this development will stay true to the spirit of the area, and embrace the black community with its history, rather than gentrify the area so that white middle class yuppies can move in.


----------



## TalB

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/a-notorious-harlem-shooting-gallery-goes-condo/
February 21, 2008, 10:32 am 

*A Notorious Harlem Shooting Gallery Goes Condo*

By Timothy Williams









_The 91-unit luxury condominium complex SoHa118 will be opening soon in Harlem, in a part of the neighborhood that was, until recently, a drug trade center. (Photo: G. Paul Burnett/The New York Times)_

It wasn’t long ago that if someone who lived downtown mentioned needing to make a trip to the corner of Frederick Douglass Boulevard and 118th Street, it was likely that he or she was not making the trip to buy groceries. That’s because no grocery stores were near there. 

Until recently, Frederick Douglass Boulevard, sometimes called Eighth Avenue, had been one of the centers of Harlem’s heroin trade since at least the late 1940s. 

The thoroughfare is featured prominently in Claude Brown’s autobiography about ghetto life in the 1940s and 1950s, “Manchild in the Promised Land.” In one passage, Mr. Brown observed: “The junkies were committing almost all the crimes in Harlem. They were snatching pocketbooks. If a cat took out a $20 bill on Eighth Avenue in broad daylight, he could be killed.” 

Later, the same area was the focal point of Frank Lucas’s heroin operation. Mr. Lucas, portrayed by Denzel Washington in the recent film “American Gangster,” has told interviewers that he would often sit unnoticed in a beat-up Chevrolet he called “Nellybelle” at the corner of 116th Street and Eighth Avenue and watch junkies nodding off mid-stride, their bodies suspended in motion like a scene from a science fiction movie. 

Such sights might have made Harlem notorious, but they pleased Mr. Lucas because it meant his heroin was particularly potent. And that meant turn-away business for brands he would sell labeled as “KKK,” “Could Be Fatal” and “Harlem Hijack.” 

In 1979, David Anthony Kennedy, a son of Robert F. Kennedy, was found after having been mugged in what police described as a shooting gallery at 116th Street and Eighth Avenue in a place called the Shelton Plaza Hotel. Mr. Kennedy was not charged with a crime. He died of an overdose of cocaine and other drugs in 1984. 

Cut to Harlem 2008 and the corner of Frederick Douglass Boulevard and 118th Street. 
A 91-unit condominium complex called SoHa118 — short for “South Harlem” and 118th Street — is nearly completed, but not yet open. 

Still, in a supposedly tight real estate market for luxury units, just 27 units remain unsold. The building features apartments with terraces, washers and dryers and mini-backyards with fences. 

“If you haven’t checked out South Harlem, or SoHa, now is the time to do so,” says the condominium’s soha118.com Web site. “The people, the culture, the cafes, the nightlife, the energy. South Harlem is happening, and nowhere will capture its essence better than this exciting new condominium, SoHa118.” 

The 15-story building has apartments that range in price from a $240,000 two-bedroom “affordable” unit (all of which have been sold out for two years) to a $3.5 million penthouse with three terraces whose combined 800 square feet are as large as many one-bedroom Manhattan apartments. 

Three apartments have been sold for $2 million or more, said the building’s sales associate, Michelle Mizrahi, of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate. 

In fact, Ms. Mizrahi goes so far to say that the street, once well-known for its heroin-addled zombies, is now called “the Fifth Avenue of Harlem.” 

“We definitely believe it’s the best avenue in Harlem,” she said. 

In addition to prices that are often more than 50 percent lower than other parts of Manhattan, Ms. Mizrahi (no relation to the designer) said that SoHa118 is a good deal because all tenants will receive a 25-year real estate tax abatement under the city’s 421A plan because of the 39 apartments in the building that have been deemed “affordable.” 

(As an aside, Ms. Mizrahi asked that any mention of these “affordable” units include the proviso that they are no longer available — in fact, when they were on the market in 2006, there were 4,000 applicants for them, she said. The interview and selection process for those apartments is continuing; none of the successful applicants have been picked yet.) 

A majority of buyers have been young professional couples from the Upper West Side, she said –– and oftentimes, the wife is pregnant and the family is looking for more space. 

The building has a 24-hour doorman and a live-in superintendent, and each unit has a tiny color video intercom at the door that allows tenants to not only see who might be at the front desk calling up, but also to peek around the corners of the building, via the building’s security cameras. The system also allows the doorman to leave text messages, like “Your dry cleaning is waiting downstairs.” 

The floors are Brazilian cherry wood (not environmentally friendly perhaps, but they sure are pretty), the units have dishwashers and most of those remaining have washers and dryers as well. 

Downstairs, there is a big, well-lighted laundry room, alongside a “media” room that has a flat-screen plasma television monitor and movie-style seats. There is also a children’s play room and a gym with exercise bikes, weights and treadmills. 

Some of the apartments have Jacuzzis and panoramic views from the George Washington Bridge to Midtown. Because there are so few tall buildings in Harlem, sunlight is unimpeded. 

The building’s pièce de résistance is the $3.5 million penthouse, which contractors were still working on today, and will probably not be finished for two to three months. 
Once complete, the 3,500-square-foot apartment will have a gas fireplace; four full and two half bathrooms; subzero kitchen appliances; and a wraparound terrace with views of Central and Morningside Parks. Ms. Mizrahi calls it a “celebrity apartment.” 

Mr. Lucas, who claims to have been making $1 million a day from his heroin operation on 116th Street, will apparently not be among those vying for the place. When he was released from prison in 1991, Mr. Lucas found that after the government had confiscated his money and property, he could not even afford to buy a pack of cigarettes.


----------



## Unionstation13

TalB said:


> http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/switching-brands-in-the-skyline/#more-2099
> February 20, 2008, 10:21 am
> 
> *Switching Brands in the Skyline*
> 
> By David W. Dunlap
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The General Motors building, left, as it appeared soon after construction, seen from Columbus Circle. At right, the building, now known as the Newsweek Building or 3 Columbus Circle, as it appears today, with the CNN rooftop sign. (Drawing by J. W. Golinkin in “Towers of Manhattan,” 1928, and photo by David W. Dunlap/The New York Times)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The General Motors Building as it looks today from 57th Street and Broadway. (Photo: David W. Dunlap/The New York Times)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Renamed 3 Columbus Circle, this is what the building will look like with a new glass curtain wall. (Photo: Gensler for the Moinian Group)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The base of the General Motors Building was originally a three-story structure called the Colonnade Building, completed in 1923. Its monumental Ionic columns are still visible today, but would disappear in the pending renovation. (Photos: David W. Dunlap/The New York Times)_
> 
> .



How freakin backward. Raping the beauty from this building. This kind of shit happened in the 1970's. This is anything but progression.
Goodbye to another part of NYC history.


----------



## germantower

^^ why they dont keep the "podium part" like it is-----historical looking-----and only reclad the upper part of the building, this would combine futurism and history.....i also think that the contrast would look very good.


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## Unionstation13

That would still be an insult but better than covering it all up. The base seems to be the most important part of this building but it flows with the rest of the building's stone look. Covering it with glass would clash with the building's base.


----------



## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_251/universitysignson.html
Volume 20, Number 41 | The Newspaper of Lower Manhattan | Feb. 22 - 28 , 2008

*University signs on to a pact to reduce its impact*

By Albert Amateau









_N.Y.U. is thinking about building a tower over its Coles Sports Center at the corner of Houston and Mercer Sts._

It could be the end of years of bitterness between New York University and its Village neighbors.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and New York University President John Sexton on Jan. 30 signed what they characterized as “historic town-gown principles” that set guidelines for the future expansion of N.Y.U. for the next 25 years and take into account neighborhood concerns about the scale of development.

The planning principles are the result of more than a year of meetings between N.Y.U., local elected officials and community associations in Stringer’s Community Task Force on N.Y.U. development.

“Everyone came to the table with an agenda but also with an open mind,” said Stringer. “That allowed us to hammer out a set of principles that will serve the university’s need to expand to meet its academic needs and local residents’ desire for real input into development that directly affects their lives and their neighborhood,” he said at the Jan. 30 ceremony in the N.Y.U. School of Law across the street from the southeast corner of Washington Square Park.

“I believe that today we are turning a corner toward a new and harmonious relationship between N.Y.U. and its neighborhood,” said Sexton. “This is a step to correct some of the errors of the past on both sides. Trust has begun to develop.”

Under the new planning principles, the university, which projects a need for 6 million more square feet of new space for the coming years to 2031, will pursue reuse of existing buildings before building new ones and will actively pursue academic and residential centers outside the Washington Square area. In addition, the principles emphasize contextual development and commit to mitigating the impact of construction on the neighborhood. The principles also call for community consultation and for N.Y.U. support of community sustainability, including preservation of local retail business and affordable housing efforts.

Elected officials who took part in the drafting of the principles include State Senators Tom Duane and Martin Connor, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Councilmembers Alan Gerson and Rosie Mendez, Assemblymembers Deborah Glick and Brian Kavanagh and Congressmember Jerrold Nadler.

Community Boards 2 and 3 were involved in developing the principles, along with the American Institute of Architects, the Carmine St. Block Association, the Coalition to Save the East Village, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the Soho Alliance and the Noho Neighborhood Association. Other endorsers of the principles are the Greenwich Village-Chelsea Chamber of Commerce and the NoHo NY and the Village Alliance business improvement districts.

“We on Community Board 2 have been grappling with N.Y.U. for 25 years, and this agreement may mean we’re beginning a more harmonious relationship,” said Brad Hoylman, C.B. 2 chairperson. He recalled the conflict seven years ago over the demolition of the Poe House on W. Third St. to make way for the Law School annex. Hoylman noted that Sexton, then the Law School’s dean, was instrumental in preserving the Poe House’s facade in the Law School annex.

Andrew Berman, executive director of G.V.S.H.P., commended Stringer for organizing the Community Task Force and creating a dialogue between the public and N.Y.U.

“Change is long overdue, and while not yet providing final resolution to all the society’s concerns about N.Y.U.’s ongoing expansion, we recognize that this is a first step which will hopefully lead to further progress,” Berman said. “We also expect that N.Y.U. will be accountable to not just the letter but the spirit of these principles.”

Sexton said N.Y.U. is committed to maintaining New York City as the world’s greatest city and the city’s place as “an idea capital” of the nation and the world.

N.Y.U.’s president contrasted the space that N.Y.U. has with the space available to Columbia University. The Columbia campus provides between 230 and 240 square feet of space per student, while N.Y.U. provides 95 square feet of space per student, Sexton said. 

“But we’ll make it work in a harmonious relationship with the community where we work and live,” he said.


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## davee08

so much going on with new york blows me a way its still one of the best skyline that is going to get better and better


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## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_251/mixeduse.html
Volume 20, Number 41 | The Newspaper of Lower Manhattan | Feb. 22 - 28 , 2008

*Mixed Use*

By Patrick Hedlund

*High-rise for FiDi*

A new, 33-story hotel in the Financial District is set to start construction this summer at 133 Greenwich St. after the developer recently received a nearly $40 million pre-construction loan for the site. 

The 242-unit hotel is to be operated by the San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group in an area also known as Greenwich Street South and will include meeting spaces, a health club, a bar and lounge, and a restaurant on the 32nd floor. 

The project, near the corner of Thames St. just south of the World Trade Center site, will sit around the block from the 55-story, 220-unit W Hotel at 123 Washington St. currently under construction.

Multi Capital Group arranged for the $39.1 million pre-construction loan with Florida-based EB Developers earlier this month to join with the spate of new hotel projects slated to go up Downtown over the next few years. 

The Downtown Alliance counts just over 3,700 new hotel rooms are currently under construction, planned or proposed for Lower Manhattan, with opening dates from now through 2010.

*Hudson Square rejection*

Community opposition to a proposed rezoning of the north end of Hudson Square convinced the Community Board 2 Zoning and Housing Committee last week to reject the plan sought by property owners.

The owners of 627 Greenwich St. want to establish the same zoning that was passed in 2003 for Hudson Square’s south end in order to convert the vacant building from commercial to residential. The zoning change would allow for development of a new, 80,000-square-foot residential building at 111-115 Leroy St., using air rights from 78 Morton St.

Neighbors, including the residential co-op board at 111 Barrow St, want to slow down the residential trend, since they fear rezoning would allow for out-of-character 125-foot-tall buildings.

“We recognize the area is changing and needs new zoning, but this proposal is not the one,” David Reck, the committee’s chairperson, told Mixed Use. “We think City Planning should consider allowing special permits to be issued for commercially zoned property in the area to convert to residential use,” he added.

The north end of Hudson Square is a five-and-a-half block area bounded by Morton and Barrow Sts. to the north, Hudson St. and a line about 100 feet west of Hudson St. to the east, Clarkson and Leroy St. to the south and West and Washington Sts. to the west.

[email protected]


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## TalB

http://globes-online.com/
*Manager hired for Greenwich Street hotel*

*Nationwide boutique hotel manager Kimpton will run the Lower Manhattan hotel.*

Globes' correspondent 27 Feb 08 15:00

Ofek International Real Estate Ltd. (TASE: OFRS) has chosen Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group LLC to manager the hotel that the company plans to build at 133 Greenwich Street in Lower Manhattan. 

Kimpton, a nationwide manager of boutique hotels, will manager Ofek's hotel under a 20-year contract, providing full administrative services for all activities, including room service, restaurant, bar, spa, and conference rooms. 

Ofek plans to build building the 242-room hotel on the site, located across from Ground Zero this year. Construction will take two years. The company expects a net operating income of $12.1 million in its first year of operation and $17.4 million in the following year. The company estimates the future value of the hotel at $250 million. 

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 27, 2008 

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2008


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/r...7battery.html?_r=1&ref=commercial&oref=slogin
*Pondering Public Uses for a Hall Named Great*

By TERRY PRISTIN
Published: February 27, 2008









_Rogers Marvel Architects

The Battery Maritime Building is being renovated by the Dermot Company._









_Rogers Marvel Architects

The Battery Maritime Building is being renovated by the Dermot Company. A 140-room luxury hotel will be added on top._

What if you had a majestic skylighted, columned hall in a Beaux-Arts ferry building at the tip of Manhattan and were required to use it as a public space? What would you do with it? 

It is hardly the sort of opportunity that comes up very often in a cramped city like New York. But that is the challenge facing the Dermot Company, a New York developer that was selected last year to rehabilitate the century-old Battery Maritime Building’s dilapidated interior — while also adding a glassy 140-room luxury hotel on top.

The city has already spent $60 million to stabilize the ferry slips jutting out from the landmark building and painstakingly restore its ornate green exterior. Dermot’s partner in the $150 million project is the Poulakakos family, the owner of several downtown restaurants. 

In announcing the selection of Dermot, city officials suggested that the building’s pièce de résistance, a former passenger waiting room with 30-foot ceilings and 10,000 square feet of space, might be transformed into a smaller version of the Ferry Building in San Francisco. There, a marketplace for artisan food vendors draws customers from all over that city.

But the marketplace idea proved impractical for the Battery Maritime space, which is known as the Great Hall, Dermot executives say. 

“It’s physically not feasible,” said Stephen N. Benjamin, a Dermot vice president. “It’s radically inadequate in size.” Situated on the second floor, the hall does not have a loading dock.

Dermot executives, who plan to spend $30 million on the Great Hall alone, have not ruled out other food-related uses for the Great Hall, including cooking demonstrations or food boutiques. Under Dermot’s agreement with the city, the hall could also be used for private events, Mr. Benjamin said.

Another idea is to use the Great Hall for small exhibitions or shows by local groups like the American Numismatic Society, said Alan J. Gerson, the City Council member whose district includes the Battery Maritime Building.

In an effort to solicit ideas from residents and business owners, Dermot and Mr. Gerson will sponsor a public forum at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the 3-Legged Dog Art and Technology Center at 80 Greenwich Street.

Completed in 1909, the Battery Maritime Building, at South Street, is the last surviving East River terminal from the era when 17 ferry lines traveled between Manhattan and Brooklyn. An example of what has sometimes been called Beaux-Arts Structural Expressionism, the building is embellished with rosettes, rivets and glazed blue tiles. On the south side, facing the river, three ferry slips sit under huge arches lined in pink stucco; service to Governors Island will continue during the building’s renovation, Mr. Benjamin said.

A twin building, the Whitehall Street Ferry Terminal, burned down in 1991 and was replaced in 2005.

Dermot’s proposal for the Battery Maritime Building cleared a major hurdle this month when the city Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the latest design. In October, the commission asked the architect, Rogers Marvel of TriBeCa, to redesign the three-and-a-half-story glass addition so that it would no longer overpower the historic building. 

Originally, the ferry building, designed by Walker & Morris, had three stories. A fourth story, added in 1957, will be removed.

The architects set back the glass structure more than nine feet, reducing the size of the hotel by 3,625 square feet. They also decided to restore four cupolas facing the river. Removed in the 1930s, each cupola was 50 feet tall, including a 25-foot spire. The cupolas will be made of fiberglass and will cost at least $500,000 each, the architects said. 

Reconstructing older elements is something modernists usually resist, said Jonathan Marvel, one of the architects. “To come back with the cupolas took a little adjustment for us,” he said.

But recreating them will call more attention to the original building, said his partner, Robert M. Rogers. “The addition becomes more deferential,” he said. “I think that’s the balance they were seeking.”

At the hearing, Robert B. Tierney, the commission chairman, praised the redesign as “extraordinarily sensitive.” But Roberta Brandes Gratz, one of two dissenting commissioners, complained that the building would be compromised by a “top heavy” addition.

With the landmarks commission approval behind them, the developers must now go through the city’s seven-month land-use process.

Dermot, which redeveloped the Williamsburgh Savings Bank in Brooklyn as a condominium building in partnership with Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds, will also seek an institutional partner for the Battery Maritime Building, Mr. Benjamin said.

An agreement has been reached with a West Coast-based boutique hotel operator, but Mr. Benjamin would not disclose the company’s name.

New York hotels have had three record-breaking years in a row, but competition is likely to increase now that a number of new hotels are being added to the market, including several in Lower Manhattan, said John A. Fox, a senior vice president at PKF Consulting, which specializes in the hotel industry. Though there are no other hotels on the water, the nearby Ritz-Carlton Hotel offers unobstructed views of the harbor.

However the issue of the public space at the Battery Maritime Building is resolved, Lower Manhattan, a growing residential neighborhood, is likely to get a food market, Councilman Gerson said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be at this location,” he said.

General Growth Properties, the Chicago-based company that is redeveloping the South Street Seaport, plans to open a modest-size food market in outdoor but covered space at the former Fulton Fish Market, said Michael McNaughton, a vice president. 

For the Battery Maritime Building, the main issue is ensuring that the Great Hall remains public, said Julie Menin, the chairwoman of the local community board.

“Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more true landmarks not available for public use,” she said, citing 55 Wall Street, a McKim, Mead & White building that became the private Cipriani Club Residence after its short life as the Regent Hotel. 

“We want to see full round-the-clock public use,” she said.


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## TalB

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02262008/business/more_facets_99342.htm
*MORE FACETS*

EXTELL'S DIAMOND DISTRICT PLANS

February 26, 2008 -- AS the diamond dis trict's 900,000-ton gorilla comes closer to bursting out of the earth, West 47th Street landlords and gem dealers are sweating over developer Gary Barnett's every move. 

The mega-mammal, of course, is 44 W. 47th St., aka 55 W. 46th St. - the 40-story Diamond Tower that Barnett's Extell Development Co. is erecting on the south side of West 47th between Fifth and Sixth avenues as a home for the jewelry industry. 

Extell is, as they say, "teeing up" the job. It filed foundation plans with the Buildings Department last week, and the through-block crater is alive with the din of excavation. It has tapped a CB Richard Ellis team led by Stephen Siegel and Howard Fiddle to market office space that will share the tower with jewelry industry tenants. 

But Extell chief Gary Barnett laughed off the buzz appearing in Diamond District News, a monthly newsletter widely read on West 47th Street, that he's also buying up 20 and 30 W. 47th as part of a scheme to take over the entire block. 

"Absolutely not," Barnett told us. "We bought a few [other] small buildings [nearby] only because we were assembling a lot of air rights." 

He said the Diamond Tower project was on schedule and, "It will open in two years." 

Extell has long planned to divide the new skyscraper into two portions - one for jewelry tenants with a lobby on West 47th Street, and one for commercial office tenants with a lobby on West 46th. 

Asked if there was any change in that strategy, Barnett said no - but, "if I had an offer for the whole building, it would be hard to turn them down." He said Extell was in serious talks with several large prospective tenants. 

Was one of them Lehman Bros., as another buzz on the block had it? "I can't talk about anyone," he said. 

The close-knit diamond industry community was wary of the project at first, fearful it project threatened smaller landlords who would lose jewelry tenants to the new tower. 

Some neighboring landlords opposed Extell's bid for tax relief. The city's Industrial Development Agency granted tax breaks to Extell worth up to $50 million - but only if at least 85 percent of the new tower is leased to jewelry tenants and at least 50 percent of it to companies either new to the city or expanding. 

Resistance to Extell weakened as it became clearer that the new tower was inevitable. Recently, the 47th Street Business Improvement District even invited Extell's project manager, Raizy Haas, to sit on its board. 

BID President Michael Grumet told us, "She [Haas] made a very significant, $50,000 contribution" to the BID. We look forward to working with Extell to build the future of the diamond district." 

At least some landlords believe everyone can benefit from a striking new tower amidst the street's largely unimproved older structures and scruffy street environment. 

Kenneth Kahn, a principal of Kenart Realties, which owns 10 W. 47th St., said, "We've appealed to the city and the BID to help upgrade the street." Among the things Kahn would like to see is a ban on "guys on the sidewalk who try to hawk you into their buildings."


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## TalB

http://www.nysun.com/article/71989
*Luxury Units Set To Rise Where Horses Once Trotted*

By BRADLEY HOPE
Staff Reporter of the Sun
February 28, 2008

Final approvals have been granted to begin the transformation of a historic horse stable on the Upper West Side, the Claremont Riding Academy, into high-end condominiums.

According to the plans, which the Landmark Preservation Commission approved on Tuesday, the carriage lift will become an elevator to transport vehicles to a subterranean parking garage, while the wooden hay chutes, riding arena, and stalls will be gutted to make way for nine luxury units. "It's a building with character and history," the architect for the project, Sherida Paulsen of PKSB Architects, said. "We are looking for many features to relate back to its original use." The units, which will include a penthouse with a terrace, will boast wide wooden floorboards and copper and soapstone detailing to evoke country houses or barns, Ms. Paulsen said.

Not everything can be saved. The 115-year-old building's original wood structures will have to be gutted because they are imbued with the smell of more than a century's worth of manure.

"Horses and wood: You just can't get the smell out," she said.

The former owner of the stables, Paul Novograd, sold the five-story building for $14 million last year to a development group that includes James Rinzler of Dominion Management, according to a deed filed with the city. Some interior demolition has already begun, and the developers are aiming to begin marketing the apartments toward the end of 2008.

Mr. Rinzler and a spokesman for the development declined to comment.

While the development is full-steam ahead, some neighborhood residents say they are pained by the absence of horses, which have been a presence on the street since 1892.

"My daughter would check in on the horses every day after school," the co-chairwoman of Community Board 7's land-use committee, Page Kelly, said. "It's going to be a great residence, but we're still pining the loss of the ability to ride horses in Central Park. It was such a picturesque activity for the neighborhood."

Until last April, experienced riders could rent horses to ride on the bridle paths of Central Park for $55 an hour. Children and adults could practice or take lessons in an arena on the ground floor. The building, originally constructed as a public livery for horses, has been a riding school since 1927.

In testimony to the Landmark Preservation Commission on Tuesday, a preservationist group on the Upper West Side, Landmark West, asked for "a moment of silence for the Claremont Riding Academy."

"Not only do we miss the clopping sounds of hoof beats on West 89th Street, but the absence of horses in Central Park calls the future of its bridle paths into question," a group member said. Landmark West stated opposition to some minor points of the renovation, but the commission overruled and voted unanimously to approve the project.

The building, which Mr. Novograd's father, Irwin, bought in 1943, was nearly lost once before when the city condemned it for public housing in 1965. Several buildings were torn down in the area, but a fiscal crisis in 1977 scrapped plans to demolish the stable. The family was able to reacquire the building in the late 1990s.

But last April, the Novograd family said goodbye to the stables again, bowing to what Mr. Novograd described as high taxes and the need for extensive renovations. He distributed the 45 horses to a riding school he owns in Maryland, his rural home in Roscoe, N.Y., and the Yale equestrian program, according to a New York Times article. He didn't respond to messages left at his home this week.

For the several hundred residents who rode the horses in the park, though, one reminder of its days as a stable is a horseshoe carved into the keystone of the central arch.

"If you loved animals and horses, this place was like heaven, and it was always an enormous release from the pressures of a day in the city," Ms. Kelly said. "We are starting to lose the charm and eccentricities of what makes New York so livable by losing places like Claremont."


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## Unionstation13

Is the facade also going to be saved?


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## TalB

I am not sure about that, but I did read that the carriage lift will be saved.


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## TalB

http://www.nysun.com/article/72239
*Landmarks Panel May End East Side Clash*

By PETER KIEFER
Staff Reporter of the Sun
March 4, 2008

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission may end a months-long clash that has pitted residents and preservationists against a developer seeking to erect a 14-story apartment tower in the Upper East Side Historic District.

At a meeting today, the commission is scheduled to vote on Friedland Properties' plan to tear down a two-story structure that currently houses a number of businesses, including a hair salon and the Parisian bistro La Goulue, at Madison Avenue near 72nd Street, to make room for luxury condominiums.

The proposal has outraged local resident groups, which say its height and density would dilute Madison Avenue's unique character. Last month, dozens of residents and preservationists turned out at a public hearing to testify against the plan.

According to the executive director of Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, Seri Worden, the proposal to tear down the structure is a nonstarter.

"Tearing down what is a contributing building in a historic district is inappropriate and sets a terrible precedent for other historic districts," she said.

The building was constructed in 1885 by the synagogue of Congregation B'nai Jeshurun, which sold it in 1910. It then went through several makeovers before assuming its present two-story, neo-Georgian form in 1938.

Ms. Worden said she expects a strong turnout at today's meeting, at which the 11-member landmarks commission will likely discuss the proposal and the pubic comments. The panel can then vote to reject the proposal, propose modifications, or approve it outright.

"We think the size and the design is simply at odds with the location. There is nothing really like this building in the area," Ms. Worden said. The developer and the architect for the project, Page Ayres Cowley, declined to comment.


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## TalB

http://www.nysun.com/article/71609
*Condos at Former Tiffany Headquarters Hit the Market*

'Palace of Jewels' Showcases Christie's Art at Opening Party 

By BRADLEY HOPE
Staff Reporter of the Sun
February 21, 2008









_Brack Capital

A rendering of the planned redevelopment at 15 Union Square West. The white brick building will be covered in a black shroud until its façade is completed later this year, but the marketing of its 36 apartments begins this week._

The buzz over the redevelopment of the former headquarters for Tiffany & Co. is reaching a fevered pitch as the new condominiums finally hit the market. The white brick building at 15 Union Square West will be covered in a black shroud until its façade is completed later this year, but the marketing of its 36 apartments began this week.

"This building is hot right now," a broker and principal at A Fine Company who viewed the building recently, Andrew Fine, said. The model apartment "is my dream apartment, and I've seen quite a few," he said.

Architect John Vellum, who designed the Tweed Courthouse near City Hall, built 15 Union Square West — dubbed the "Palace of Jewels" when it housed the luxury jeweler — in 1869. In the 1950s, the building lost its reputation as an architectural icon when its detailed cast-iron façade was covered with brick.

Brack Capital, which bought the building from Amalgamated Bank in 2006 for $80 million, is adding six stories to the existing structure and restoring the original façade, excavated from under the brick, and encasing it in dark glass. The result, as seen in renderings, is an architectural structure preserved in a black glass cube with a series of irregularly arranged glass boxes on top.

Earlier this month, the developer held a preview of the building, with more than 300 guests invited to look at a model apartment. In a nod to the high-end buyers it hopes will be drawn to the development, Brack Capital also previewed 10 pieces of art at the party that will be auctioned by Christie's in April as part of its "First Open" postwar and contemporary art auction.

The exhibition included a Thomas Struth color print that is expected to sell for between $50,000 and $70,000, a George Condo oil on canvas expected to sell for between $30,000 and $40,000, and a Robert Rauschenberg fabric collage expected to sell for between $12,000 and $18,000.

"In the past, we have shown paintings privately in the homes of potential clients," the head of sales for postwar and contemporary art at Christie's, Jonathan Laib, said. "This is something new, though. It's the kind of marketing that can really assist someone in going the distance at the auction. They can see it on a wall, like it would be in their own home."

For Brown Harris Stevens, which is marketing the building, the party was also an opportunity to access people with considerable disposable income.

"There is a common denominator in purchasing beautiful art and real estate," the broker leading the marketing of the building, Shlomi Reuveni, said.

Representatives of Christie's and Brack Capital said they want to make the collaboration a regular occurrence.

Prices at the building, which began sales on Tuesday, start at $4 million for a 2,700-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment. Three bedrooms start at about $6 million, and the ceilings in many of the apartments are 16 feet. Already, there has been a strong interest from foreign buyers and those wishing to own larger spaces, Mr. Reuveni said.

"One thing we are hearing from buyers right now is a tremendous interest in combinations," he said. "They want big apartments."

The amenities of the building also hark back to an earlier era of wealth. Valet parking will be offered, for instance.

Mr. Reuveni said the building has worked out a deal with a nearby parking garage to reserve a number of parking spaces, and it is working out the logistics for residents to be able to pick up and drop off their cars in front of the building.

Interior designer Vicente Wolf is overseeing the interiors and the lobby. The building also is outfitted with a 24-hour doorman and concierge service, a 50-foot, two-lane pool, a gym, and a Pilates studio, Mr. Reuveni said. Residents will be able to control blinds, lighting, and temperature on one keypad, and apartments on the top six floors will have outdoor space.


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## TalB

_This article was too general to place in any of the specific threads, so it will be posted._
http://www.nysun.com/article/72146
*Unease Erodes Ambition in Real Estate*

By PETER KIEFER
Staff Reporter of the Sun
March 3, 2008









_Getty Images

A rendering of the proposed Moynihan Transit Station to replace New York's Penn Station. A $1 billion shortfall in funding has put the project in limbo._

After years of sustained growth marked by grandiose, ambitious plans for the city, the real estate development industry is displaying troubling symptoms.

The number of citywide building permits is expected to drop, public and private funding for projects is drying up, and a stream of multibillion-dollar plans is coming in over budget and behind schedule, with many designs being scaled back or scrapped altogether.

"There are very disquieting signs that have ominous implications for the next few years," the president of the New York Building Congress, Richard Anderson, said.

Last week, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the price tag for the completion of the first leg of the Second Avenue subway line had ballooned to $4.35 billion from $3.8 billion. Critics are questioning whether Lower Manhattan transportation projects such as the Fulton Street Transit Center and the Santiago Calatrava-designed PATH Station are worth their soaring price tags, and the projects' elaborate designs are being pared down.

The planned redevelopment of Penn Station has a budget shortfall of at least $1 billion. A public spat erupted between city and state officials over Governor Spitzer's plan to scrap the expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center after cost estimates more than doubled to $5 billion, and last week one of the five original bidders in the proposed development of the Hudson Rail Yards project on Manhattan's West Side — Brookfield Properties — dropped out. A shortage of federal housing subsidies and ongoing litigation from resident groups is threatening Bruce Ratner's $4 billion Atlantic Yards project near downtown Brooklyn. The list of public and private projects on hold seems to grow on a weekly basis.

The president of the Real Estate Board of New York, Steven Spinola, said widespread concern in the real estate community has — so far — fallen short of "panic."

"I don't know if they are collapsing," Mr. Spinola, a former deputy mayor for economic development, said. "There is clearly concern among our members, which is probably more than I feel. Four months ago people believed that if they had a project, that the financing would be available even if they had to put more equity in, or maybe the costs might be slightly higher. A month ago there was a concern that the financial institutions would not want to finance anything. I think we'll get over that bump."

In many instances, the current development projects are so large that it could be necessary, and even acceptable, that construction schedules last longer than two business cycles, he said.

Many observers say the problems concerning the large development projects are myriad, and the difficulty in isolating the causes speaks to the complexity of a number of these deals. The approvals process can drag on for years, and the increase in annual construction costs of an average of 12% over each of the past few years has been a continual thorn in the side of developers. In addition, the credit crunch has led to more restrictive lending policies and greater caution at the state level, experts say. City and state tax revenues are shrinking, and the mayor and governor are looking for budget cuts.

A professor of urban policy and planning at New York University, Mitchell Moss, said the current situation is the result of a glut of projects that have been pushed through without enough reflection by elected officials. Mr. Moss said he believes the only way out of the current situation is increased commitment and investment by the state, and Governor Spitzer.

"The dilemma is we need to be prudent, and part of the problem is that every politician has their favorite project," Mr. Moss said. "The political system has encouraged a large number of projects to enter the planning and design phase, but not enough to get to the implementation phase. There is a need to recognize that we have to pick the projects that are a high priority rather than let a thousand flowers bloom."

When asked which of the projects he deemed most important, Mr. Moss was unequivocal: the planned redevelopment of Penn Station, which many see as the key development project that could open up the West Side of Manhattan.

Known as the Moynihan Station project, after a late senator of New York who was the original proponent, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the plan currently has a budget shortfall of at least $1 billion and typifies the complexity of the hybrid public-private public works projects that are becoming more commonplace. The project requires coordination among Amtrak, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New Jersey Transit, the Long Island Rail Road, the city subways, and Madison Square Garden, which owns the air rights above the arena along with two private developers — Vornado Realty Trust and the Related Companies.

The man charged at the state level with keeping the Penn Station project on track is the co-chairman of the Empire State Development Corp., Patrick Foye. In an interview, Mr. Foye called the project "one of the most complicated things" that he has ever worked on. "The challenges are many and large, but the deal was dead a year ago and we are now in the public hearing process that ought to be concluded by the end of the year. There are still some challenges we have crossed off the list and there are lots of challenges left. But we are committed to getting it done."

Mr. Foye's counterpart at the city level is the deputy mayor for economic development, Robert Lieber. In an interview, Mr. Lieber said he is confident that the market would work itself out, and noted how any assessment of the current state of affairs must be kept in perspective.

"I don't have a crystal ball," he said. "I don't know how these financial markets are going to react. I am confident that the fundamentals of our economy and our capital structure will prevail. And these projects are sustainable; they aren't born of a bull market and they won't die in the bear market."

Mr. Lieber said one of his biggest concerns is the consistent rise in construction costs and the mounting delays between when a project is announced and when construction actually begins.

"What you design as feasible today — if you are not in the ground with it today — by definition is going to have some kind of a shortfall in a year. And if it is three years, you are going to be 30% over budget. So that is part of what is happening," he said.

Mr. Anderson of the Building Congress concurs.

"The government has loaded up the development process with burdensome and costly reviews and contractual stipulations, more so than any other city in the U.S.," he said.

As it stands, many in the industry are in wait—and—see mode even while bracing for tough times ahead. There are some large projects that appear to be on schedule for completion. Both the new Yankee Stadium and the new stadium for the Mets, known as Citi Field, are on track to be completed for opening day in 2009. The new Goldman Sachs headquarters in Lower Manhattan and the new Bank of America office tower near Bryant Park in Midtown appear set to open on schedule. After long delays at ground zero, work is under way on the Freedom Tower, and the Port Authority recently handed over development sites to Silverstein Properties for the construction of new office towers along Church Street.

The chairman of the Singer & Bassuk Organization, Andrew Singer, said he thinks a scaling back of the number of projects could alleviate the rising construction costs that have come with the development log jam over the past few years. On the financing front, Mr. Singer has already seen a marked change in financing structures from even just a year ago, when a developer could obtain between 90% and 95% of the costs of a project from available financing. He said today that figure is down to around 70%.

"That is not a bad thing," he said. "It means that those projects that go ahead are with the developers that are the most substantial. It is a de-leveraging of the real estate business in general. The high leveraging has created this bubble. It hasn't burst yet. Whether the air gets let out or it comes crashing down remains to be seen," he said.


----------



## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local...08-03-04_lic_strife_over_cuny_dorm_plans.html
*L.I.C. strife over CUNY dorm plans*

BY BRENDAN BROSH 
DAILY NEWS WRITER 

Tuesday, March 4th 2008, 4:00 AM 

A developer is looking to build a dormitory and mixed-use building that will bring some 200 CUNY students to Long Island City. 

The initial proposal, which called for a 13-story residential building on Fifth St. with 169 apartments, ground-floor retail and 220 grad-student dormitory units, was unanimously rejected by Community Board 2's land use committee in November. 

Now the owner, OCA LIC, plans to reintroduce the plan this spring, and has offered space to the Queens Council on the Arts to sweeten the deal, sources told the Queens News. 

"We think we weren't as sensitive as we should have been in the past presentation," said Sid Davidoff, a spokesman for OCA. "We're going to spend millions of dollars to clean up the contaminated site. We're adding to the community, not taking away." 

But some locals are still unhappy about the proposal, noting the neighborhood shouldn't become a "bedroom community" for transient residents. 

"We don't need a dorm here," said Terri Mona Adams of the Hunters Point Community Development Corp. "We need people who want to build a future here." 

Some locals said they were also troubled by the magnitude of the project in a neighborhood where condos have already proliferated in recent years. 

"There's a dumptruck going down our block every five minutes. The scope and size of the project is out of whack," said William Garrett, a father of three and head of the 47 to 47 Residents Group in Hunters Point. 

A CUNY spokesman said the building will house doctoral candidates, some of whom will be living with their families. 

"These are not undergraduate or even master's level students," said Michael Arena, a spokesman for CUNY. "They're Ph.D. candidates. They generally spend more than four years living, studying and preparing for their doctoral theses." 

Community Board 2 Chairman Joe Conley wrote in November that the initial proposal "does not conform to current zoning and will do nothing to enhance the community." 

The development takes advantage of a loophole that allows them to skirt zoning restrictions as long as the building has a "community use." 

Councilman Tony Avella, an outspoken critic of the provision, said he is disturbed with the number of dormitories slated to be built in Queens. 

"There are so many loopholes that allow developers to build whatever they want," said Avella. "Everywhere you turn around there's another institution that wants to expand at the expense of a community." 

Community groups have vowed to fight the project. 

"We don't need people coming here and dictating to us," said Adams. "The neighborhood doesn't want it." 

A new hearing for the proposal is expected sometime in the spring, according to the city Board of Standards and Appeals.


----------



## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/services...23story_luxury_condo_tower_coming_to_pro.html
*23-story luxury condo tower coming to Prospect-Lefferts Garden*

By JOTHAM SEDERSTROM 
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER 

Friday, March 7th 2008, 4:00 AM 









_Architect's view of 23-story glass tower slated for Lincoln Road in Prospect-Lefferts Garden area._

The rush to develop in Brooklyn is moving south.

A glassy tower that in recent years would seem more likely in Williamsburg is coming to Prospect-Lefferts Garden, an area that has avoided the development bug. 

Park Tower, a 23-story luxury condo tower that will overlook the eastern edge of Prospect Park when it's completed next year, will include ground-floor shopping, a rooftop terrace and views of the 526-acre park. 

"It's always been a fantastic area and this part of the block is really at the center of the revitalization of the neighborhood," architect Tom Gilman said of the 88,000-square-foot glass tower slated for Lincoln Road and Ocean Ave. 

Owned by Brooklyn developer Henry Herbst, the 80-unit tower isn't the first modern-looking condo project to find inspiration from Prospect Park's grassy views. 

One Prospect Park, a condo building designed by architect Richard Meier and rumored to have drawn celebrity tenants, is being built at the northern tip of the park.


----------



## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/nyregion/thecity/02devo.html
*Watching the Past Come Crashing Down*

By JUDITH KATZ
Published: March 2, 2008









_Casey Kelbaugh for The New York Times, 2006

A town house that stood beside the private garden of Harold Evans and Tina Brown._

A FEW weeks ago, while attempting to enjoy a steak dinner at the ridiculous hour of 5 p.m. because who can get a last-minute reservation at Peter Luger at a civilized hour, I overheard a New York couple lamenting to a couple from Texas that the city was just not what it used to be. 

The New Yorkers complained about the chain stores, the loss of New York institutions, the displaced struggling artists, and the rising multitude of glass condominiums for the hedge fund set.

Their litany of despair fell on deaf ears. The Texans couldn’t imagine being in a more exciting city. 

As a native, I agreed with the New Yorkers, so much so that when the city started a global advertising campaign in the fall with the theme “This Is New York City,” I thought that the only way the slogan would make sense would be if they added a question mark so it read, “This Is New York City?”

And now I’ve been given the equivalent of house seats to one of those suspect changes, daily, right outside my dining room window. The “show” began years ago, on the block of East 57th Street between Sutton Place and First Avenue, shortly after the death in 2004 of the renowned Broadway composer Cy Coleman. 

Coleman wrote many hit shows and songs in the first-floor office of his town house, which stands (stood) in front of my apartment. In 2005, when his widow put the home up for sale, I wondered who the new owners would be, but only for a New York minute. 

The town house, from the mid-19th century, was attached on one side to a 1920s co-op. On the other side was an ivy-covered wall, which separated it from a charming garden, part of a three-story maisonette in another 1920s co-op. That triplex, reputedly once inhabited by the 1930s debutante Brenda Frazier, is now occupied by Tina Brown and Harold Evans, the powerful media couple, who, until construction hampered their style, held chic garden parties attended by New York’s A-list. 

I didn’t have a river vu or a panoramic skyline view, but thanks to the location of my building, I had a front-row seat on New York history and glamour. Like a demure 19th-century dowager hanging onto the arm of her Roaring Twenties upstart, the old town house clung to its younger neighbor. The view afforded me great contentment and led to endless flights of the imagination. 

Sometimes, on a cold, foggy winter night, when the casement windows of the 1920s co-op glowed with light from inside and the smokestacks from the town house emitted steam the color of charcoal, I felt cozily a part of another, more gracious era. 

Other times I imagined the lives of the 19th-century tenement dwellers who lived on my side of the street during the years when the neighborhood was being transformed from an industrial area and slum into an upscale residential district. 

I pictured them crammed into their tiny apartments, looking down with contempt on the owners of the town house, much the way I now look out at the 15-story glass-and-steel creation being erected on the site of the old Coleman town house and marketed, in 21st-century “truthiness,” as town houses stacked on top of one another. Isn’t that called an apartment building?

I hadn’t realized how much affection I had for the 19th-century town house, or the New York that it and the Jazz Age co-ops represented, until I watched as a crew started to take the house down, brick by precious brick, almost two years ago. 

CHANGE had been announced with a bellow back in February 2006, when some guy sat outside in the town house garden in the middle of a freezing winter night and started singing at the top of his lungs while accompanying himself on a loud musical instrument. 

In my imagination, this victory cry could be coming only from the developer, celebrating his purchase and making it known what he thought about the many people who lived, in the words of the marketer, in “two stately 1920s cooperatives” that border the town house “in the heart of a quiet neighborhood, rich in social and architectural history.” Never mind that the quiet would be disturbed and the architectural history compromised.

For two years, work has started and stopped, and started again, depending on the outcome of some lawsuits and the resolution of various Building Department violations. Every day, as if visiting a dying friend, I’d look outside to see how badly things were going. Then I’d obsessively Google the address, sometimes several times a day, the way people in small towns monitor police radios to keep up on what’s happening in their town. 

Now, when I look outside my dining room window, I don’t see light coming from the casement windows but rather drawn curtains. The town house is gone, and taking its place is what I assume is the beginning of a foundation for the “stacked town houses,” the new sliver apartment building with its seven duplex and triplex apartments. 

So a new era begins on my block, and once again I have a bird’s-eye view of history, one in which a 150-year-old town house is demolished so seven purchasers can spend millions and have the privilege of living in (or more likely visiting) our city. 

The building is being promoted as perfect as a second residence for “privileged international and domestic residents and visitors,” and offers a “lifestyle management service” to perform tasks like making introductions “to key personnel at popular restaurants and private clubs.” 

I have gone through all the stages of grief for the loss of my quaint old view and the genteel town house. I’ve advanced to accepting the fact that even staid, uncool neighborhoods like mine are relentlessly transforming themselves. So now I’m wondering how this “truly modern” addition to the neighborhood will affect the value of my apartment, and trying to figure out a way to meet this lifestyle manager person. Maybe she will be able to get me an 8 p.m. reservation at Peter Luger. 

Judith Katz is a theater scout for Paramount Pictures and producer of the documentary “What I Want My Words to Do to You,” about a writing group at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.


----------



## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/realestate/09post.html?ref=realestate
*Powerhouses to the People*

By C. J. HUGHES
Published: March 9, 2008









_Patrick Andrade for The New York Times

JOLTS FROM 1909 A Long Island City, Queens, condo first designed as an electrical plant._

AS long as lights go on when switches are flipped, most people don’t think much about where power comes from. But what if you lived, shopped, or sipped drinks inside a former power plant?

Developers have recently taken an interest in reusing these large-scale industrial relics, even if converting them may require cleaning soil, adding floors and removing smokestacks.

The PowerHouse Condominium at 50-09 Second Street in Long Island City, Queens, for example, will have 447 units on the site of a structure designed by McKim, Mead & White in 1909 to provide electricity for trains. 

The $200 million project, which is being developed by the Brooklyn-based CGS Developers and Zigmond Brach, is going up in three phases. 

The first, to be completed in August, offers 177 units, from 500-square-foot studios to 1,500-square-foot three-bedrooms, with walnut floors and washer and dryer hookups. They are priced from $500,000 to $2 million, and 30 percent have sold since October, says Cheskel Schwimmer, a CGS principal.

These first apartments are also the only ones to be contained in actual sections of the former plant, which retained its tall arched windows but lost its four 275-foot chimneys.

It came close to losing a lot more than that. The original proposal was to raze it, which would have saved $40 million. But the community outcry forced Mr. Schwimmer to alter his plans, he said. 

Preserving at least some of the building may work to his advantage. “People like history and want to live in historic businesses,” he said.

The restoration might also spur a neighborhood revitalization, as is hoped in Jersey City, which has already coined the name Powerhouse Arts District in honor of a plant yet to be converted on Washington Boulevard and First Street.

First, an attached substation for the PATH subway needs to be relocated, a four-year process that will begin in April, according to Robert Antonicello, the executive director of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency. 

His group also recently hired the architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle as part of a $3.2 million effort to stabilize the water-damaged 1908 structure, Mr. Antonicello said.

By 2013, the plant is to have 180,000 square feet across five floors, filled with galleries, restaurants and offices, under a $90 million plan from the Cordish Company, a developer that has transformed plants in Baltimore, where it is based, and Richmond, Va. 

The progress in Jersey City may be welcome news to the Athena Group, a developer that has three residential projects at various stages of development nearby. 

The first, which has been completed, is A Condominiums, with 35 stories and 250 units — from 515-square-foot one-bedrooms to 1,366-square-foot two-bedrooms — priced from $300,000 to $1.2 million. Ninety percent have sold since November 2006, said Eugene Cordano, an agent at Halstead Property. 

The fate is less certain for an 80,000-square-foot power plant on the Hudson, in the Glenwood section of Yonkers.

The REMI Companies of Manhattan had planned to build 400 units there until a few weeks ago, when talks fell apart with the seller, Kenneth Capolino, a contractor based in White Plains, said Erik A. Kaiser, REMI’s chief executive.

The new plan has been scaled down by $100 million, to $150 million, and calls for 250 units, he said.

Although the plant would lose its two chimneys, Mr. Kaiser says, the bulk of its design won’t be compromised — an aspect essential to marketing.


----------



## Don Omar

Moynihan Station: All That Doubtful Press Actually a Good Sign









_The Empire State Development Corporation has been reluctant to make public any renderings of what Moynihan Station would look like, particularly Moynihan East. Finally, a first glimpse of the grand new train station has been given to us._

by: Alec Appelbaum
03/06/08
nymag.com

Negotiation via blind items drives epochal real-estate projects, as well as ballplayers' contract haggling, and we've uncovered reasons to view recent stories about the Moynihan Station struggles as part of an encouraging trend on the project. For one thing, *Governor Spitzer has personally entered negotiations*. Spokesman Errol Cockfield confirms that last week Spitz convened his first face-to-face meetings with the Dolans (who own Madison Square Garden) and the developers who own air rights to the intended Moynihan site. One player intimate with the negotiations described this as “shuttle diplomacy,” and apparently it's had an effect.

“I'm seeing real positive movement — all the players want to make this work," said Bob Yaro, who carries the civic-consensus banner as head of the Regional Plan Association. According to our source on the inside, parties are stalking a grand bargain in which the *Feds would drum up $500 to $550 billion*, in part via tax credits that the House Ways and Means chairman Charles Rangel would snag, and the city and state and Garden and developers would match that sum. However the players come to terms, it's clear that Spitzer has tied Moynihan's success to his own credibility. “It's among his chief economic-development priorities,” said Cockfield. So the daily screeds about public-private futility, say insiders, constitute a “natural part” of negotiations as private players squeeze the governor to steamroll into the discussions. Now that he has, everyone agrees, the developers gain much more by being patient than they would from pulling the plug.


----------



## ZZ-II

:cheers:, that plan looks great!


----------



## FerrariEnzo

550 billion?? i dont think so.


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## ZZ-II

:lol:, no definitely not 500 billion ^^


----------



## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/03/09/2008-03-09_troubles_hit_chelsea_building_slated_to_.html
*Troubles hit Chelsea building slated to carry autos up to condos*

BY BRIAN KATES 
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER 

Sunday, March 9th 2008, 4:00 AM 









_The union says the Chelsea condo is out of plumb._









_'Sky-garage' at 19-story Chelsea condo would lift owners - in their cars - right to their front door._

High rollers who pony up millions for an ultraluxe Chelsea condo will be able to drive into an elevator and be lifted, car and all, to their apartment door.

But they'd better hit the brakes on the Rolls. 

The 19-story building rising at 200 11thAve. with a first-of-its-kind "sky garage" is so plagued with problems that the Buildings Department has halted all work there, citing "questionable construction practices." 

"The pillars forming the exterior walls are misaligned," Buildings Department spokeswoman Kate Lindquist said after a stop-work order was issued Wednesday. "This could be characterized as a structural deficiency." 

The building is truly unique. While car elevators have long been used in commercial buildings, this is touted as a first in the U.S. for individual apartments. 

Fourteen of the 16 condos, designed by high-profile architect Annabelle Selldorf, feature the 300-square-foot elevator garages. They sell for $6 million to $17.5 million. 

Owners drive into the elevator and are lifted virtually to their apartment doors. 

From the start, the building has raised concerns of community leaders, the FDNY and union activists, who are picketing to protest what they say is shoddy workmanship at the nonunion site. 

"The building leans, it is out of plumb," said Tom Costello, an organizer for the New York City District Council of Carpenters. 

Costello said he fears that when the condo is complete, its sculpted stainless steel exterior will mask structural deficiencies. "It's like bad plastic surgery," he said. "The skin will look great, but the skeleton is rotten." 

Neil Wexler, a prominent structural engineer who examined the building for the Daily News, said the building appears to be structurally intact, but that the crooked pillars raise concerns that "the [exterior] skin might not fit properly, causing some leaks or other architectural problems." 

Lee Compton of Community Board 4, which opposed the elevator garage - promised to "raise a ruckus" with the city to make sure the building is safe.

The Fire Department initially said it was "opposed to any contemplated ... design concept with an elevator that allows apartment owners to drive and park their cars into designated garages adjoining their high-rise apartments." But fire officials changed their mind after the Buildings Department said the design called for fire-rated materials and sprinklers in the garage and lift.

The community board says the sky garage ignores zoning aimed at limiting parking in the area and contradicts Mayor Bloomberg's call for fewer vehicles in midtown.


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## ZZ-II

that sky-garage looks quite interesting. think it's a very good solution!


----------



## TalB

I would rather have Manhattan residents using mass transit rather than having cars, b/c they really don't need them.


----------



## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_254/mixeduse.html
Volume 20, Number 44 | THE NEWSPAPER OF LOWER MANHATTAN | MARCH 14 - 20, 2008

*Mixed Use*

By Patrick Hedlund

*Luxury Katz*

A lot has been made of one of the Lower East Side’s newest developments, The Ludlow, a 23-story luxury residential building at Ludlow and E. Houston Sts. that has leased more than half its units after opening in September.

Advertisements for the 243-unit development — which invite tenants to “Live like a Rockefeller” and “Party like a rock star” — have helped the building reach the 60 percent-leased mark after sellers began offering incentives for residents to offset a slow opening.

The Ludlow includes studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms starting at $2,890 per month and going up to $5,800, with some units featuring home office space. According to Erik Rose, vice president of real estate for developer Edison Properties, only one one-bedroom with a home office component remains, while all the studio/home office units have been leased.

Incentives such as a month’s free rent, suspended broker fees, free moving services and free storage have been offered to lure potential tenants, reportedly as a way to combat any possible ill effects of an unpredictable market. 

The luxe high-rise sits across the street from the historic Katz’s Deli in what has become a hotbed for development and nightlife activity. Amenities at the building include a fitness center and yoga studio, a multimedia lounge and billiards center, 24-hour concierge and valet service, common roof deck and building-wide wireless Internet service. Everything Rockefeller/rock star could ask for.


*Courting the cognoscenti*

District, the swanky 10-story condo development at 111 Fulton St. wrought through a partnership of design and nightlife impresarios, announced recently that over 75 percent of its units have been sold since hitting the market six months ago.

The 163-unit building — which has been “discreetly marketed and popularized primarily through the buzz among cognoscenti familiar with the works of renowned international interior designer Andres Escobar, lifestyle doyenne Amy Sacco and award-winning architect Karl Fischer,” to quote its verbose press release — contains one-bedroom to penthouse units priced between $515,000 and $3.395 million.

The amenity-stacked project, marketed by JC DeNiro and developed by Leviev Fulton Club, L.L.C., includes a fitness center with indoor pool, 16-jet spa and cold plunge; a screening room; a lounge/library with fireplace and billiards table; and a 12,000-square-foot roof terrace with panoramic views, four lighted reflecting pools, chaise lounges and eight cabanas. 

Interior aficionado Escobar and nightlife maven Sacco lend their name cachet to Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev’s effort to court the Financial District’s increasingly upscale gentry, although Mixed Use wonders how much rooftop “reflecting” high-end tenants will be able to enjoy with the seemingly endless amount of construction work on Fulton St.


*McSam hits Water*

Hotel magnate Sam Chang — he of the semi-eponymous McSam Hotel Group—has scooped up the five-story property at 6-12 Water St., between Moore and Broad Sts.

According to reports, the prolific hotelier who has battled Downtown residents over the years purchased the 21,000-square-foot property for $27 million, which fittingly for McSam includes a two-story McDonald’s restaurant on the building’s ground floor. 

A future hotel would add to the steady stream of new projects announced over the next few years in Lower Manhattan, with total rooms expected to double and nearly 20 new Downtown projects under construction or announced.


----------



## Jim856796

The 16th through 57th floors of 20 Exchange Place are being converted into residential space. As partmof this conversion, the building's exterior is being restored, including cleaning the building's bricks, which had turned black during the building's life, to their original white colour.


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/realestate/16deal2.html?ref=realestate
*A Barometer in Williamsburg*

By JOSH BARBANEL
Published: March 16, 2008









_A rendering of the Edge in Williamsburg_

WHAT housing turmoil? Despite a rising inventory of unsold condominiums in Brooklyn, one of the largest new condominium projects in recent memory is about to go on sale at the Edge, two glass and concrete towers along the Williamsburg waterfront, about a half mile north of the Williamsburg Bridge.

The project’s success — or failure — in selling its 575 apartments in one 15-story and one 30-story tower of blue glass facing a new pier, a new park and the Manhattan skyline may be a good barometer of the state of the New York real estate market over the next year or more. 

On the one hand, the developers say they have come up with the right mix of apartments (most with balconies or terraces), views and amenities (pool, spa, fitness center, lounges) to capture the imagination of younger buyers who are gravitating toward the industrial heart of Williamsburg.

On the other, the developers postponed the start of a sales campaign they had originally penciled in for last September after problems surfaced in the subprime mortgage market and buyers suddenly became afraid to make a commitment. 

Sales at the Edge will begin in early April. 

“Obviously, in general, the housing market has been under pressure,” said Jeffrey E. Levine, the principal of Douglaston Development, which is putting up the towers as part of a project that will eventually include 1,085 market-rate condominiums, 347 subsidized rental apartments, parking for 700 cars and a retail complex.

But Mr. Levine said the Williamsburg waterfront and Long Island City, Queens, have captured the imagination of “younger people — Generation X, echo boomers, the children of the baby boom.” Many are buying their first apartments and looking to parents to help with down payments, he said. 

At the Edge, the developers have come up with a mix of prices, about $950 per square foot, that average nearly 20 percent below the average price per square foot in Manhattan (though above average prices in Harlem and Washington Heights).

Mr. Levine and the brokers marketing the building, the Developers Group of Brooklyn, have learned some lessons from the experiences of the other large waterfront development next door, the Toll Brothers’ Northside Piers. 

Sales on that project began in early 2007, and 70 percent of the 180 apartments have been sold in its first 29-story glass tower, now under construction. But last year, Toll Brothers cut prices on some apartments with limited views and some larger, more expensive apartments.

“The Edge has obviously learned from our experiences there, and so have we,” said David Von Spreckelsen, a senior vice president who oversees the Toll Brothers’ New York office.

He said the second phase of Northside Piers would have more studios and one-bedrooms — so far the sweet spot in the Williamsburg market — and fewer two- and three-bedroom apartments. More apartments in the next phase will have river views, he said. 

Brokers say the rising inventories in Brooklyn have caused some sales to slow and some projects to cut prices, but other projects have continued to sell well. They attribute much of the glut to listings by less experienced developers of small buildings without river views. Still, prices remain far higher than they were in Manhattan four or five years ago, and many buyers feel priced out.

At the Edge, apartments were designed in a wide range of sizes and prices. Studios are $420,000 to $630,000, and one-bedrooms $650,000 to $885,000. The prices for two-bedrooms range from $670,000, for a particularly small unit, to $2.29 million. The most expensive three-bedroom apartment is listed at $2.83 million. 

But Mr. Von Spreckelsen said the competition at the Edge could actually help sales at Northside Piers, by creating a “critical mass” to convince buyers who wonder whether the new Williamsburg is there yet.

The first building at Northside Piers is due to open this spring, while the Edge is scheduled to open in mid-2009. “In this type of market, people who come into their sales office are not going to buy the first thing they see,” Mr. Von Spreckelsen said. “They will come and take a look at us, too.”


----------



## abc

IS THIS JOB LISTED HERE?.. couldn't find it

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=79456

NEW YORK, March 15 (Reuters) - A construction crane fell on a residential building in Manhattan on Saturday, killing at least two people and injuring several others, the New York City Fire Department said.

A Reuters photographer on the scene said the crane had completely crushed a building of several stories and cars on the street were also under rubble. The crane also damaged some neighboring buildings.

A Fire Department spokesman said two people were confirmed dead and a third was in critical condition in hospital. Others were injured and the rescue operation was ongoing.

The building was a small residential building between two other taller buildings on 50th Street in Midtown Manhattan between 1st and 2nd Avenues. The crane appeared to have fallen from a construction site to the north.

Local TV station NY1 broadcast an amateur video taken shortly after the collapse which showed the building completely enveloped in what appeared to be a cloud of brownish dust.


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## webeagle12

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23649318/



Neighborhood residents said they had complained to the city several times about the construction at the site, saying crews worked illegal hours and the *building was going up too fast.*

give me a F***** break!!! :bash:


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## TobiasR

Does anyone know what building was being constructed?


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## ZZ-II

303 East 51st Street 

thread on SSP: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=143146


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## Medusah

What a shame. What can we expect construction wise from the tower, from now?


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## webeagle12

Medusah said:


> What a shame. What can we expect construction wise from the tower, from now?


a long big ass delay


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## ZZ-II

a few weeks atleast, but probably longer i think


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## TalB

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_255/inblackandwhite.html
Volume 20, Number 45 | THE NEWSPAPER OF LOWER MANHATTAN | MARCH 21 - 27, 2008

*In black & White, neighbors say plan is 15 feet too high*

By Julie Shapiro









_Downtown Express photo by Shoshanna Bettencourt

Champion Parking wants to change the zoning for this block to allow for a 120-foot building, but neighbors and Community Board 1 think 105 feet should be the limit._

On a block in North Tribeca, residents and a developer are in agreement on almost everything — but no one is willing to budge on the details. 

Both the neighbors and the developer of 84 White St. want to allow residential uses on the block, bounded by Broadway, Lafayette, White and Walker Sts. That block is zoned as a manufacturing district but has been primarily residential and commercial for years, and everyone would stand to benefit from a rezoning: some residents because their property values would go up and bring in more stores for neighbors, and developers, because they could build residential units without getting a variance. 

But what the neighbors don’t like is the possible height of the new building at 84 White St., over what is now a parking lot. Under the proposed new zoning, developers could build a structure as tall as 120 feet. Champion Parking currently owns the lot and is looking to rezone it, but they have not decided whether they will build there or sell the land, said Joanna Stoica, of DID Architects, which Champion hired to work on the zoning application. 

As part of the application, Stoica created a schematic design of the biggest possible building that would be allowed under the rezoning to a C6-2A district. She showed a nine-story building 120 feet tall, but she emphasized that this is just a possibility for the site, not an actual plan. 

Neighbors say a building that tall would be out of context with the neighborhood, blocking light and air. Community Board 1 and at least some nearby neighbors want to see the potential building limited to 105 feet — a seemingly small difference, but neither side wants to give an inch. 

Yvette Georges Deeton, who lives at 85 Walker St., is in favor of the rezoning but only with height limits. 

“The developer wants to build at a height and bulk completely out of character with the entire block,” she said. “The construction alone will disrupt our lives for a very long time [but the building’s] height and bulk will disrupt our lives forever.” 

After listening to several neighbors, C.B. 1’s Tribeca Committee recommended limiting the block’s F.A.R. (floor-to-area ratio) to 5.5, rather than the 6.02 allowed in a C6-2A zone, which would curtail the building’s height. Once the resolution goes to the full board at the end of March, the Department of City Planning will review the application. 

Stoica is frustrated with the neighborhood opposition, especially when people suggest that the new building have lower ceilings to reduce its height. That’s not fair, Stoica said, because the surrounding buildings all have high ceilings. 

The developers have already compromised, Stoica added, by not requesting rezoning to a C6-4A district, with an allowable F.A.R. of 10, which would permit much bulkier buildings. Another C6-4A district, with taller structures, is just to the south of 84 White St., Stoica said. 

“We are not out of scale,” Stoica said. “We didn’t ask for any variance to go higher under the new zoning. We didn’t ask for any extra floor area or height.” 

The Tribeca Committee initially agreed with Stoica and approved the zoning change in February. However, after residents and building owners complained about the potential building’s height at February’s full board meeting, the board sent the resolution back to the Tribeca Committee, where it was heard March 12. 

The board’s compromise — rezoning the block but advocating a 5.5 F.A.R. instead of the traditional 6.02 — is unorthodox. City Planning usually does not depart from the definitions of zoning districts, though it is not forbidden to do so. A City Planning spokesperson would not comment on specifics of the application. 

Deeton’s father, a painter named Paul Georges, bought 85 Walker St. with several friends in 1969. They created one of Tribeca’s first artist lofts before the word “Tribeca” existed, Deeton said. 

Deeton calls her deceased father’s studio “a light-drenched space still in a bare-raftered funky state,” displaying Georges’s work and books. Visitors come from around the United States and Europe to see “the breathtaking [studio] with a 22-foot ceiling height under south-lit skylights,” Deeton said. She and her husband, who paints in the studio, their two young daughters, and her 86-year-old mother live in the building. 

Deeton is most concerned that the new building will block sun from the skylights, which provided the setting and inspiration for her father’s work. If the building is limited to 105 feet tall, Deeton thinks the skylights will stay lit. 

The rezoning of the block mirrors what the board is trying to do across the rest of North Tribeca: make the neighborhood’s zoning match Tribeca’s increasingly residential uses. C.B. 1 had even hoped to include this block when began working on rezoning North Tribeca, but City Planning repeatedly refused, said Carole DeSaram, chairperson of the Tribeca Committee. 

She thinks the city sees the block between Lafayette and Broadway as more part of the Chinatown and Civic Center areas, where buildings are taller, than as part of North Tribeca. 

“It’s a whole different situation over there,” DeSaram said. 

Just to the northwest of the block under consideration, C.B. 1 is proposing another C6-2A district, but with a lower F.A.R. of 5.0, as part of the Tribeca North rezoning. The reason C.B. 1 was able to request a lower F.A.R. in that area is because it is within the bounds of the Tribeca North special purpose district, which allows City Planning to mix and match the details of zoning labels. The White St. block, on the other hand, is not in a special zone, so City Planning wouldn’t ordinarily modify the F.A.R. 

Michael Levine, director of land use and planning for C.B. 1, saw the rezoning as a good opportunity for the community. 

“All [the neighbors] will benefit — the property value will increase,” he said. Now, the only residential uses allowed are artist live-work spaces, but the new zoning would permit condos. 

Mary Habstritt, whose husband, Gerald Weinstein, owns 80 White St. and 79 Walker St., appreciates the benefits but is wary of changes to the block. She estimated that 75 percent of the block falls into the Tribeca East Historic District and said two sides of the district directly border the 84 White St. lot. 

“It really affects the block’s character,” she said of potential development. “But we could live with 105 feet.” 

There are no renderings for the project yet, but only schematics showing the maximum bulk the developer could build, which Stoica would not release. Champion Parking, which hired her, declined to comment. 

While Stoica is waiting to hear from City Planning, she is optimistic about the project’s future. 

“We thought the zoning district proposed is the best for the area, and we think City Planning thinks the same, but we’ll see,” Stoica said. “It’s a long process.” 

[email protected]


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/realestate/23scape.html?ref=realestate
*In NoHo, a Quiet Block Starts to Stir*

By CHRISTOPHER GRAY
Published: March 23, 2008









_Left, The Office for Metropolitan History; Right, Annie Tritt for The New York Times

THE LOFTS OF NOHO Nos. 35-43 Great Jones Street, between Lafayette Street and the Bowery, in 1936, left, and the same block today._









_The Office for Metropolitan History

Most of 30 Great Jones, above in 1942, has been torn down, below._









_Annie Tritt for The New York Times_

WHILE Bond Street in NoHo is a wild hip party of trendy new architecture, Great Jones Street, one block north, has been as quiet as a library after closing hour. Now, the slumbering block between Lafayette Street and the Bowery is waking up. 

Landmark designation is pending, but it will come too late to save a nifty little 1898 building at 30 Great Jones. 

Bond, Bleecker and Great Jones Streets were among New York’s most prestigious addresses in the 1840s — the aristocratic Philip Hone, a mayor of New York and its most famous diarist, lived at 1 Great Jones, near Broadway. 

Fashion soon moved uptown, and by the 1880s this block of Great Jones was populated by wagon, coffin and hat makers. 

In the 1880s, a wave of development spread through the area north of Houston Street. These new buildings were of brick and terra cotta, different from the simple classical-style iron-front buildings of SoHo of the 1860s and 1870s. 

Some had a “city beautiful” character, like 39 Great Jones Street, built by Joseph Buttenwieser and designed in 1895 by Brunner & Tryon, with a crisp Renaissance styling.

An unusual addition to the street was the stocky, brooding building at 37 Great Jones, designed in 1917 by Lewis Patton and used as a warehouse in the 1930s by the Philco Radio and Television Corporation.

Even then, there were plenty of the old-type businesses around. In 1936, the police arrested Louis Milstein at his shop at 31 Great Jones. He was accused of retrieving used hats and remaking them to sell as new — The New York Times referred to it as the "ashcan hat racket.” He later entered a guilty plea. 

For a seven-story loft at 47 Great Jones, Cleverdon & Putzel mixed in Romanesque forms. The building was designed in 1895 for Bernhard Mayer, an investor. There, the firm framed the fourth and fifth floors in a mesmerizing matrix of Celtic swirls and lines. 

It is not known where the firm’s partners trained, but by the early 1890s Robert Cleverdon and Joseph Putzel had established a flourishing practice in loft buildings of the type found throughout NoHo, 

Cleverdon & Putzel also designed 30 Great Jones Street, which stood until recently in solitude on the north side of the street, a skinny weed of masonry sprouting up between two Edison parking lots. 

Designed in 1897, also for Mr. Mayer, 30 Great Jones was glowing orangy-buff brick and terra cotta, with two-story-high columns and intricate ornamentation at the upper floors. By 1900, Jacob Haymann had a business making boys’ clothing there. 

In October, Edison Properties, which owns 30 Great Jones, filed an application with the city’s Buildings Department for a permit to alter the building. By November, the work was under way, and by last Wednesday, only the bottom two stories remained out of the original eight. 

Michael Field, a lawyer at Edison Properties, said that no one at the company would comment on the project. 

No laws were broken in the demolition of the building, and it is hardly the first time such a thing has happened in New York, nor will it be the last. 

The building stands in an area that is being proposed as an extension of the NoHo Historic District, a proposal now before the Landmark Preservation Commission. The historic district, designated in 1999, runs roughly from Houston to Eighth Street and from Broadway to Lafayette Street.

Since 2004, preservation lobbyists have been promoting an extension to include Bond and Great Jones east of Lafayette. If the extension of the district is approved, the landmarks commission could decide to require the preservation of what is left of 30 Great Jones. 

Or it could allow the final demolition of Cleverdon & Putzel’s charming little creation, hardly a great work of architecture but the kind of building a historic district can protect.

E-mail: [email protected]


----------



## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/arts/design/23ouro.html?ref=arts
*Nice Tower! Who’s Your Architect?*

By NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF
Published: March 23, 2008









_Andrew Rodriguez_









_The HL23 tower, planned for a site on 23rd Street in Chelsea, is the kind of commission Neil Denari has being waiting for his entire working life. Mr. Denari, a Los Angeles architect who once ran the Southern California Institute of Architecture, has labored on the profession’s periphery for decades. But because of a recent demand for name-brand residential architecture in New York, he is finally getting a chance to test his ideas in the real world. 

Photo: Neil Denari_









_The Glass House building at Spring and Washington Streets was designed by Annabel Selldorf and Philip Johnson. 

Neil Denari's building is part of an eruption of luxury residential towers already constructed or being designed by the profession’s most celebrated luminaries. The financial markets are in an ominous roil. But even if only a few more of these buildings are completed, the final effect could be the greatest transformation of the city’s physical identity since the 1960s. 

Photo: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times_









_A rendering of a building on Mercer Street designed by Jean Nouvel.

Bold and formally elaborate — some would say showy — these buildings reflect a mix of attitudes and styles that the city has never seen. They also reveal an unmistakable shift in the appetites and aspirations of an elite group of New Yorkers for whom an apartment’s architectural pedigree has become a new form of status symbol. Decades from now these preening, sometimes beautiful, sometimes obtrusive towers could well be the last testament to this century’s first gilded age._









_Herzog & De Meuron designed 40 Bond Street which was developed by Ian Schrager.

When workers broke ground two years ago on Herzog & de Meuron’s 40 Bond in the East Village, the building was hailed as one of the city’s first serious residential projects by an international celebrity firm. Today the cast green glass facade feels slick and mannered. An elaborate gate meant to resemble a three-dimensional work of graffiti is an embarrassing effort to tap into a bygone underground scene. 

Photo: Iwan Baan_









_Designs for Frank Gehry’s Beekman Street Tower.

The muscular forms of Frank Gehry’s 74-story Beekman Street Tower, being built near City Hall, are like the chiseled setbacks and crisp vertical lines of Rockefeller Center’s RCA tower and the neo-Classicism of Stalin-era Moscow. Yet its crinkled stainless steel is a wonder; as light flickers across the facade, it will seem to dissolve into rivulets of water. 

Photo: Gehry Partners, LLP_









_A rendering for Tower Verre, Jean Nouvel’s 75-story condominium in Midtown Manhattan.

Similarly the slim, tapered form of Jean Nouvel’s 75-story condominium and hotel tower, planned for a site alongside the Museum of Modern Art on West 53rd Street, is a play on traditional New York skyscrapers like the Chrysler Building. The design of its taut glass skin suggests shards of glass falling from the sky. A weblike pattern of beams crisscross the exterior, as if the building were bracing itself against psychological and economic forces pressing in from all sides. 

Photo: Jean Nouvel_









_Bernard Tschumi's Blue Building apartments on the Lower East Side.

Decorated in a checkerboard pattern of irregular blue and black windows, Bernard Tschumi’s recently completed Blue Building bulges out to one side as it rises above the surrounding tenements, as if trying to pack as much real estate as possible onto its Lower East Side lot. The effect of the distortions is that the building is constantly changing as you move around it, like an enormous piece of costume jewelry twinkling in the light. 

Photo: John Marshall Mantel for The New York Times_









_Apartments on 48 Bond Street, designed by Deborah Berke and Associates.

In other cases, however, the seemingly noble aim of working within a neighborhood’s character leads to lackluster design. The scale and placement of the windows on the facade of Deborah Berke’s new limestone-and-steel apartment complex just across from 40 Bond, for example, does echo the neighboring buildings. But the results are tepid.

Photo: Deborak Berke and Associates_









_Julian Schnabel's building on West 11th Street.

The current infatuation with brand names has also opened up the profession to new and unexpected voices. It’s been a good while since I have written about a building as crudely cobbled together as Julian Schnabel’s Palazzo Chupi, which was completed last year on West 11th Street, for example. Still, the overblown scale and collision of styles have a refreshing bluntness; in some ways it’s closer in spirit to the vernacular architecture of the Far East, an atavistic approach that is a nice counterpoint to the hyper-modernity of so much contemporary work. 

Photo: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times_









_Jean Nouvel's building at 40 Mercer Street.

The city has seen monuments to personal ostentation before. But for the most part, New York’s architectural achievements in the 20th century were either major civic buildings or monuments to corporate power. Today that balance has been reversed. The abundance of luxury apartment buildings and the wealth of talent enlisted proclaim their outsize significance. A generation from now we may look back at these condo buildings as our generation’s chief contribution to the city’s history: gorgeous tokens of a rampantly narcissistic age.

Photo: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times_

THE HL23 tower, planned for a site on 23rd Street in Chelsea, is the kind of commission Neil Denari has being waiting for his entire working life. Mr. Denari, a Los Angeles architect who once ran the Southern California Institute of Architecture, has labored on the profession’s periphery for decades. But because of a recent demand for name-brand residential architecture in New York, he is finally getting a chance to test his ideas in the real world. 

And Mr. Denari is not alone here. His building is part of an eruption of luxury residential towers already constructed or being designed by the profession’s most celebrated luminaries. In the last five years more than a dozen have been completed; maybe a dozen more are scheduled to break ground this year. They range from soaring, elaborately decorated towers by international celebrities like Jean Nouvel and Frank Gehry to smaller but equally ambitious architectural statements by lesser-known talents like Mr. Denari. 

With the financial markets in an ominous roil, the realization of this boomlet is far from guaranteed. But even if only a few more are completed, the final effect of these buildings could be the greatest transformation in the city’s physical identity since the 1960s. Bold and formally elaborate — some would say showy — they reflect a mix of attitudes and styles that the city has never seen. 

They also reveal an unmistakable shift in the appetites and aspirations of an elite group of New Yorkers for whom an apartment’s architectural pedigree has become a new form of status symbol. Rather than disappear behind the shielding bulwark of Park Avenue apartment houses or into anonymous loft buildings as previous generations of wealthy New Yorkers did, these residents want to live in structures that telegraph their wealth and uniqueness. 

Decades from now these preening, sometimes beautiful, sometimes obtrusive towers could well be the last testament to this century’s first gilded age. 

Manhattan has a long history of rich people wanting to live in the clouds, wrapped in new architectural marvels. When the city’s first luxury residential towers were built in the late 19th century, they were marketed as technological triumphs, packed with new features like elevators, steam heating and gas ranges. Hotel-style amenities like doormen and laundry services cut down on the cost of private servants. And at a time of civil unease and class tensions, the heights of such buildings (some with as many as 11 stories) were seen as a way for the wealthy to escape the grit of the street. 

Over the next half century or so the obsession with technology was matched by a need to open up the booming metropolis to light and air. Within their elaborate Italianate facades, the internal courtyards of luxury housing blocks like the Dakota and the Ansonia were creative efforts to alleviate urban congestion. Later such buildings were followed by the Modernist white-brick structures of the 1960s, with their light-filled apartments and transparent lobbies overlooking garden courts. 

The flamboyant exteriors of the recent crop of signature buildings represent yet another shift in architectural priorities. Whereas technological innovation once focused on the interior workings of the machine — from plumbing to structural innovations like steel frames — most of today’s architectural innovations are expressed through the buildings’ exterior forms. 

Not everyone is happy with this state of affairs. Traditionalists, still stung by the rise of Modernism, see the current crop of signature buildings as a break with the historical street front. Mostly, they criticize these works on aesthetic grounds: as flashy expressions of architectural vanity. 

It’s true that some of the new buildings are ostentatious. When workers broke ground two years ago on Herzog & de Meuron’s 40 Bond in the East Village, the building was hailed as one of the city’s first serious residential projects by an international celebrity firm. Today the cast green glass facade feels slick and mannered. An elaborate gate meant to resemble a three-dimensional work of graffiti is an embarrassing effort to tap into a bygone underground scene. (Nevertheless all of the multimillion-dollar units were sold before the building was close to completion.) 

But the city has also been starving for innovative architecture. And to my mind the greatest residential projects of the last decade have managed to balance aesthetic freedom with a nuanced understanding of their surroundings. Rather than mimic period styles, such buildings are a physical expression of the needs and demands of the environments they inhabit.

The muscular forms of Mr. Gehry’s 74-story Beekman Street Tower, being built near City Hall, are like the chiseled setbacks and crisp vertical lines of Rockefeller Center’s RCA tower and the neo-Classicism of Stalin-era Moscow. Yet its crinkled stainless steel is a wonder; as light flickers across the facade, it will seem to dissolve into rivulets of water. 

Similarly the slim, tapered form of Mr. Nouvel’s 75-story condominium and hotel tower, planned for a site alongside the Museum of Modern Art on West 53rd Street, is a play on traditional New York skyscrapers like the Chrysler Building. The design of its taut glass skin suggests shards of glass falling from the sky. A weblike pattern of beams crisscross the exterior, as if the building were bracing itself against psychological and economic forces pressing in from all sides. 

Such towering aesthetic triumphs are being joined by a number of designs that combine a strong structural vision with a critique of Modernist ideas about purity. Their contorted shapes are meant to reflect the collision of forces that shape contemporary cities, from zoning regulations to the private desires of residents. 

Like many of the smaller luxury high-rises being built today, Mr. Denari’s building will be squeezed onto a tiny lot — in its case, between another high rise on 23rd Street and the High Line, a park to be built on a stretch of abandoned elevated railway. Scheduled to break ground later this month, the 14-story building will twist and swell as it rises to take advantage of views up and down the park. At some junctures its metal skin will peel open to frame the views; at others, a grid of diagonal braces — their pattern reflecting the uneven stresses placed on the building’s frame — will evoke the stays of a corset. 

Across town that strategy can be experienced in Bernard Tschumi’s recently completed Blue Building. Decorated in a checkerboard pattern of irregular blue and black windows, the structure bulges out to one side as it rises above the surrounding tenements, as if trying to pack as much real estate as possible onto its Lower East Side lot. The effect of the distortions is that the building is constantly changing as you move around it, like an enormous piece of costume jewelry twinkling in the light. 

In other cases, however, the seemingly noble aim of working within a neighborhood’s character leads to lackluster design. The scale and placement of the windows on the facade of Deborah Berke’s new limestone-and-steel apartment complex just across from 40 Bond, for example, does echo the neighboring buildings. But the results are tepid.

The current infatuation with brand names has also opened up the profession to new and unexpected voices. It’s been a good while since I have written about a building as crudely cobbled together as Julian Schnabel’s Palazzo Chupi, which was completed last year on West 11th Street, for example. A bright pink stucco box adorned with Venetian-style arched windows, it looks as if it had been plopped atop an existing warehouse. Still, the overblown scale and collision of styles have a refreshing bluntness; in some ways it’s closer in spirit to the vernacular architecture of the Far East, an atavistic approach that is a nice counterpoint to the hyper-modernity of so much contemporary work. 

As a whole, the best of these buildings are gorgeous additions to the skyline, a relief from decades of creative stagnation. 

This external bravura, however, makes the mind-numbing conventionality of their interiors so much more disappointing. As a rule, most of the architectural fireworks in these buildings tend to stop at the lobby, and there are no compelling ideas about how social spaces should be organized. The interiors of these buildings could have been designed by real-estate marketers, and in many cases they more or less were. Despite the expensive appliances and luxurious finishes at 40 Bond Street, for example, the floor plans are generic: one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and town houses with loftlike living spaces and kitchens at one end. The same can be said for virtually all of the projects I have mentioned so far. 

Some architects were able to work around conventional real estate wisdom by forging exteriors that would impose a specific experience on the interior spaces. By the time the consultants at Forest City Ratner, the developer behind Mr. Gehry’s Beekman building, realized that the wrinkled walls of the architect’s tower would be mirrored inside the apartments, for example, it was too late to change without a costly reworking of the design. 

Similarly, the canted walls and steel cross bracing of Mr. Denari’s HL23 building will have a powerful effect on the interior. But from the point of view of a real-estate consultant, this will only make it harder to hang curtains. 

Yet neither Mr. Gehry nor Mr. Denari was allowed to tinker with the actual layout of the apartments, which will be the same loftlike interiors that have become as much of an urban cliché as the gated Mediterranean community has in suburbia. 

Admittedly, New York has never been known for bold experimentation in interior space. There has been nothing comparable in Manhattan to Le Corbusier’s 1952 Unité d’Habitation in Marseilles: a giant slab packed with an endless variety of intricately interlocking apartments. Technological innovations here have never been coupled with that type of social experimentation. 

But the banal interiors of New York’s luxury apartment buildings may also have to do with our reactionary times. Among architects it is now common wisdom that today’s clients are less willing to upend conventional living arrangements than earlier generations were. Sulan Kolatan and William MacDonald, whose firm is one of the few that has challenged clients to be more adventuresome, have had a typically frustrating experience. In their 1991 design for the Shapiro Fields apartment on the Upper West Side, they transformed a prewar space with the typical formal entry and maid’s quarters into a fluid sequence of rooms connected by a sequence of surgical cuts and strategically spaced mirrors.

Less than two years later the owner sold it, and the new occupant immediately converted it back to its original prewar state.

Later, in the late ’90s these architects built the O/K Apartment, which featured molded orange surfaces that extended seamlessly from the bathtub to the bed to the hall. It was intended as a prototype for a new kind of millennial living. There were no takers.

This resistance may not be surprising for a class of people who increasingly want the same residential experience whether they are in Moscow, Paris or New York. Arriving in New York by private jet — or wishing they had — they tend to view their homes as personalized hotel rooms, and developers are more than happy to indulge them. Many of the new buildings provide the same kind of services you would find in a luxury hotel, from breakfast in bed to spa treatments to dog walkers. 

Add to this the subtle effects of technology. The discovery of nonreflective glass has meant that the play off reflections that once animated glass high-rises has been replaced by a greater degree of transparency, one that has reinforced the buildings’ image as architecture for exhibitionists. Meanwhile the growing use of computer software has tended to smooth out designs’ rougher edges, often leading to slick, lifeless interiors in pretty wrappers. 

Yet the biggest shift of all may have to do with where we focus our most valuable architectural resources today. The city has seen monuments to personal ostentation before, from the Vanderbilt chateau on Fifth Avenue at 52nd Street to the Carnegie mansion 40 blocks north. But for the most part New York’s most memorable architectural achievements in the 20th century were either major civic buildings or monuments to corporate power. 

Carrère & Hastings’s New York Public Library. Reed & Stern and Warren & Wetmore’s Grand Central Terminal. Raymond Hood’s Rockefeller Center. Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram building. All were profound reflections of the cultural values of their day. 

Today that balance has been reversed. While several outstanding new civic buildings have been completed here in recent years, from Sanaa’s stacked-box New Museum of Contemporary Art on the Bowery to Renzo Piano’s archaeologically artful expansion of the Morgan Library & Museum, the abundance of luxury apartment buildings and the wealth of talent enlisted proclaim their outsize significance. And some of these architects rarely get to work on the kind of public projects that probably would have been part of their portfolio in New York half a century ago. 

We all like to look at pretty baubles, even if they tend to be hollow. But a generation from now we may look back at these condo buildings as our generation’s chief contribution to the city’s history: gorgeous tokens of a rampantly narcissistic age.


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## Medusah

wow, nice buildings in those pic's


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/nyregion/01rezone.html?ref=nyregion
*Fighting a New 125th St., Using a 110-Year-Old Law*

By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
Published: April 1, 2008









_Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times

Armed with the City Charter, members of a group called Voices of the Everyday People are fighting 125th Street rezoning._

The City Charter, the document that lays out the rules of city government, has traditionally been the domain of municipal lawyers and few others. Its pages are a tangle of esoteric language and run-on sentences.

But in a decision born of desperation and perhaps a touch of naïveté, a former male model, a human rights lawyer and two law school students plunged headlong into the document on a recent Friday evening as part of an effort to oppose the proposed rezoning of 125th Street in Harlem. 

The rezoning, approved by the Planning Commission in March, is intended to remake 125th Street into a regional business hub with office towers and more than 2,000 new units of market-rate condominiums. Opponents say the plan would displace dozens of small businesses, does not offer enough moderate-income housing and does too little to protect the area’s historic buildings. 

What the group meeting on that Friday came away with was a 110-year-old surprise that more than a few activists have dreamed about over the years: using a clause buried in a city document to try to derail a major project.

To wit, Page 74, Section 200, Subsection 3 of the City Charter says, in so many words, that if signatures opposing a rezoning are obtained from the owners of 20 percent of the property, as determined by square footage, in one of three different areas — the area to be rezoned, the area adjacent to the property being rezoned, or the area “opposite” the property (for example, across the street) — then the City Council must approve the rezoning by a three-fourths vote, instead of by a simple majority. 

And the four who found the subsection, members of a group called Voices of the Everyday People, are hopeful that they can prevent the Council from reaching that three-quarters majority on the rezoning.

Since their discovery, the members of the Voices group have been going door to door seeking the signatures of property owners. 

“We knew this fight would take a multilayered strategy, including political engagement, getting people involved and the possibility of litigation,” said Erica Razook, the group’s general counsel, who works as a human rights lawyer with Amnesty International. “We were trying to find anything and everything we could to throw into the pot.”

When Ms. Razook and the law students — Giselle Schuetz and Kathleen Meyers, both 24 and both in their first year at the Queens College law school — came across the confusing language of the charter’s rezoning law, Ms. Razook said she told them: “This could work. We just have to find out what it means.”

A public hearing on the rezoning, which will probably include a discussion of Subsection 3 — which dates to at least 1898 — is scheduled for Tuesday morning before the zoning subcommittee of the Council’s Land Use Committee. The full Council is expected to vote on the rezoning later this month.

City Councilman Tony Avella, the chairman of the zoning subcommittee, said he had not been aware of the clause before the opponents pointed it out recently. Mr. Avella, who announced his candidacy for mayor on Sunday, said the rediscovered clause could force city planners to change the way they go about rezoning neighborhoods. 

“It will be an interesting test case,” said Mr. Avella, who said he opposes the 125th Street rezoning. “What we should be doing is working with the community and asking them what they want. Instead, the city is telling people in Harlem what’s best for them.” 

Rachaele Raynoff, a spokeswoman for the Department of City Planning, said on Monday, “This comprehensive plan was developed with an unprecedented amount of outreach and consensus building with the business community, the institutions on 125th Street and the residents of Harlem, and we look forward to working with the City Council in its review.” Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn declined to comment. 

The Planning Commission said the rezoning would improve Harlem’s economy by providing new jobs and offering more options for shopping and housing.

But opponents want more moderate-income housing included and want more done to protect historic buildings. About 70 small businesses would be displaced. 

“It should not be that if I hire a contractor to renovate my home, that I have to move out and he moves in,” said Craig Schley, executive director of Voices of the Everyday People, who has worked as a fashion model for Wilhelmina Models and a firefighter in Georgia. He now works as a legal assistant.

The Voices group, conceived by Mr. Schley in 2001 but active only since the rezoning plan became public last autumn, decided to focus on the signatures of owners who live across from the rezoning line — instead of those who live within it, or immediately adjacent.

They believe that many of the owners of brownstones on the north side of 126th Street and the south side of 124th Street — the properties opposite the rezoning area — have reason to suspect that their property values will decline if there is a spate of construction on 125th Street. 

But getting the signatures of the owners of 20 percent of the property may be a tall order. 

If members of the group are able to collect enough signatures — the precise figure is unclear, so they are gathering as many as they can — then 38 of the 51 Council members would have to approve the rezoning for it to proceed. The group has until April 9 to turn in the signatures.

A crucial vote belongs to the area’s representative on the Council, Inez E. Dickens, who declined to be interviewed for this article and has not stated her position publicly. Council members traditionally defer to the wishes of a colleague who represents a district where a rezoning has been proposed.


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/200...re_than_20b_in_developments_dead_or_at-2.html
*More than $20B in developments dead or at risk of never seeing light of day*

By JONATHAN LEMIRE 
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER 

Monday, March 31st 2008, 4:00 AM 









_Fulton St. transit hub $1.2B: Soaring costs may force a reduction to the 'gateway to lower Manhattan,' which was to feature an above ground pavilion._









_Atlantic Yards $4B: Developer Bruce Ratner has conceded that the construction of many of architect Frank Gehry's buildings, including the 'Miss Brooklyn' tower, will be delayed because of financing._









_Watts/News

Moynihan Station $14B: Madison Square Garden's stunning decision last week to renovate the existing arena, rather than relocate to the Farley Post Office, jeopardizes the entire project._

The boom is going bust.

More than $20 billion worth of high-profile developments across the city - many designed by world-renowned architects and touted by top officials - are dead or at risk of never getting off the drawing board.

The crumbling economy has forced developers to scale back their grand visions and has endangered projects that range from architectural marvels like Frank Gehry's Atlantic Yards towers in Brooklyn to crucial pieces of thecity's infrastructure, like Manhattan's Moynihan rail hub in midtown.

"It really was an amazing run for cities and particularly for New York," said Elliott Sclar, an urban planning professor at Columbia University. "But it appears that itmay be over now.

"The obvious fear now is that these projects won't materialize and the revenues the city expected to get from them won't materialize, either."

With the economy slowing and fears of a recession growing, the future of a slew of high-profile projects has dramatically shifted in recent weeks.

The largest - and perhaps most ambitious - of the developments is the revitalization of the area around Penn Station on Manhattan's West Side.

The $14 billion project centers on the conversion of the Farley Post Office into a soaring train station and new home of Madison Square Garden.

The gigantic project, which was to feature 7 million square feet of office space along W. 33rd St., long has been slowed by political squabbles. It may have been dealt a fatal blow last week when the Garden's owners announced they would renovate the 40-year-old arena rather than move across Eighth Ave.

"The arena is a dump and it would be disingenuous of me or any other architect to suggest that renovating it would be the answer," said Rick Bell, head of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Moynihan Station is designed to feature a glass wall separating the train station from the arena. Office towers would rise on the current site of the Garden.

Although several urban planners believe Garden owners are threatening to stay put only as a bargaining maneuver, others believe the Moynihan plan has a better chance of being salvaged if the new arena is excluded.

"Moynihan Station is absolutely necessary, and it would be a travesty if it is forestalled," Bell said. "People need to take off their Knick caps and put on their thinking caps."

A basketball arena for the Nets remains the centerpiece of Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards project, which has been delayed because of skyrocketing costs and legal fights. Developer Bruce Ratner recently conceded that several of Gehry's dynamic towers, including the signature "Miss Brooklyn" building, would be delayed.

Although he said the Barclays Center arena would be built, its estimated price has jumped to $950 million from $435 million.

'Dead in the water' at Coney

In Coney Island, the luster is offa $1.5 billion dream to bring Las Vegas glitz to the beach area. Developer Joe Sitt's plan included luxury condos, shops and housing. 

A city official has called Sitt's project "dead in the water" because the developer, who has had a contentious relationship with City Hall, wanted to build 350 residential time-shares at planned hotels.

Mayor Bloomberg attempted to lure others to the area by announcing sweeping rezoning in November, but the city has struggled to find developers.

Just down the Boardwalk, a proposal to redesign the New York Aquarium into a building evoking an undulating whale has been scuttled after costs rose to $200 million.

"We're not going to throw in the towel on any of these projects, but less dramatic and less expensive designs may be needed," said Robert Yaro, president of the Regional Plan Association, an urban policy group. "The last time we put major projects on hold - like the Second Ave. subway or East Side access - it took a generation to get them moving again. We can't let that happen."

The slowing economy also has jeopardized the rebuilding of perhaps the city's most sacred site, Ground Zero.

When JPMorgan Chase took over Bear Stearns, Chase announced it would move its investment banking unit into the busted company's headquarters.

Chase had planned to build a 42-story tower on Liberty St. The building, designed with a bulging middle to accommodate new trading floors, won't be constructed. But Chase said it would still build something at the site.

A few blocks away, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Fulton St. transit hub has been drastically scaled back. It was supposed to include a glass-domed building soaring 10 stories above Broadway.

When projected costs rose to $1.2 billion from $750 million, the aboveground portion of the project was scrapped.

Some urban planners say projects like Moynihan Station, Atlantic Yards and another mega-proposal to redevelop Willets Point, Queens, are struggling to get off the ground because plans have grown too bloated.

"All of these projects have been driven by a form of planning called fiscal planning, where the city is not concerned with the physical structure of spaces but only maximizing real estate values or tax revenues," Sclar said. "That's not the right way to promote healthy development."

Still, several experts argued that an economic slowdown is the time to build, citing the aggressive construction program triggered by President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal during the Great Depression.

"Now is the time to accelerate those projects and help prop up a weak economy," said Mitchell Moss, professor of urban policy and planning at New York University, before sounding an optimistic note.

"This city is still a very powerful economy, and we're able to absorb these shocks," he said. "This is a resilient city - nothing stops New York."

[email protected] 

With Jotham Sederstrom and Pete Donohue


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/arts/design/01pres.html
*In Village, a Proposal That Erases History*









_Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times

The 1963 O’Toole Building, threatened by development._









_Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers

A rendering of a plan for St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Greenwich Village. The lines indicate the elevation of existing hospital buildings. A hearing on the project is scheduled for Tuesday._

*Correction Appended*

The passionate battles surrounding the birth of New York’s preservation movement nearly a half-century ago seem like distant memories now. For some New Yorkers the main threat to architecture in the city is no longer the demolition of its great landmarks, but a trite nostalgia that disdains the new.

Well, think again. Over the last few years the growing clout of developers has gradually chipped away at the city’s resolve to protect its architectural legacy. The agency most responsible for defending that legacy, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, has sometimes been accused of putting developers’ interests above the well-being of the city’s inhabitants.

A proposal before the commission to tear down several buildings in the Greenwich Village Historic District is shaping up as a crucial test of whether those critics are right. A hearing on the issue is scheduled for Tuesday morning, and New Yorkers would do well to follow the proceedings if they care about the city’s future.

The application by the St. Vincent Catholic Medical Center calls for the demolition of nine structures on West 11th and 12th Streets, near Seventh Avenue, to make way for a towering new co-op building and a hospital. The threatened buildings range from the 1924 Student Nurses Residence Building to the 1963 O’Toole Building, one of the first buildings in the city to break with the Modernist mainstream as it was congealing into formulaic dogma. 

The question facing the commission is which, if any, of these buildings contribute to the character of the neighborhood, a protected historic district. (If the agency sides with preservationists, the battle is not necessarily won; St. Vincent’s, which is financially troubled, still has the option of pleading economic hardship.)

Sadly, the hospital’s application reflects the pernicious but prevalent notion that any single building that is not a major historical landmark — or stands outside the historical mainstream — is unworthy of our protection. Pursue that logic to its conclusion, and you replace genuine urban history with a watered-down substitute. It’s historical censorship.

St. Vincent’s board would like you to believe that this is a purely practical decision. The project, planned in partnership with the Rudin Organization, a local developer, would be built in two phases. In the first the five-story O’Toole Building would be demolished to make room for a 21-story tower that would house the entire hospital. (Because of the floors’ unusual height, this is roughly equivalent to a 30-story building.) A 21-story residential tower, flanked by rows of town houses, would replace the hospital’s seven other buildings between 11th and 12th Streets. 

The hospital expects to get $310 million from the sale of that land, which would go toward the construction of its new $830 million tower. (It would raise the remainder through private donations and other sources.)

In patronizing fashion, hospital officials have suggested that preservationists are choosing buildings over lives, as if the two were in direct opposition. This is the kind of developer’s cant that is ruining our city. The addition of up to 400 co-op apartments is about money, not saving lives. There are plenty of other ways that the hospital could upgrade its facilities. 

The existing buildings that make up the hospital’s main campus east of Seventh Avenue do not rank as major historic landmarks. Even preservationists concede that the George Link Jr. Memorial Building, a bland brick box dating from the mid-1980s, is not worth saving. 

But it is not their status as individual objects that makes these buildings important; it’s their relationship to the historic fabric of the neighborhood. The designation of the neighborhood as a landmark district in 1969 was intended to protect humble structures like these. Established after local activists brought attention to the destruction wreaked by urban renewal projects, the designation was an affirmation that the city’s character is rooted in the small grain of everyday life.

The threatened demolition of the O’Toole Building is most troubling of all. Designed by the New Orleans architect Albert C. Ledner, it is significant both as a work of architecture and as a repository of cultural memory. 

It was built to house the National Maritime Union, as the era of longshoremen and merchant sailors was nearing an end. Its glistening white facade and scalloped overhangs, boldly cantilevered over the lower floors, were meant to conjure an ocean voyage and a bright new face for the union. (Think of “On the Waterfront.”) Its glass brick base, once the site of union halls, suggests an urban aquarium.

In short, you don’t need to love the building to grasp its historical value. Like Ledner’s Maritime dormitory building on Ninth Avenue or Edward Durell Stone’s 2 Columbus Circle, the O’Toole represents a moment when some architects rebelled against Modernism’s glass-box aesthetic in favor of ornamental facades.

Viewed in that context, the O’Toole Building is part of a complex historical narrative in which competing values are always jostling for attention. This is not simply a question of losing a building; it’s about masking those complexities and reducing New York history to a caricature. Ultimately, it’s a form of collective amnesia.

At St. Vincent’s, the damage is likely to be only compounded by the design of these new co-op buildings, a sentimental faux version of the past.

If we continue down this path, we’ll end up with the urban equivalent of a patient on meds: safe, numb, soulless. Is this choosing lives?

_This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:_

*Correction: April 2, 2008 

The architecture column on Tuesday, about a development proposal by St. Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan and the Rudin Management Company, misstated the number of buildings they are seeking to raze to make way for a new hospital and residences in Greenwich Village. It is nine, not eight.*


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## TalB

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/realestate/commercial/02west.html?ref=commercial
*Working Broadway’s Strange Angles Can Be a Challenge to Developers*

By C. J. HUGHES
Published: April 2, 2008









_Handel Architects L.L.P.

An architectural rendering of a building planned for Broadway at West 72nd Street shows it taking advantage of street angles._

Positioned like a sash across the torso of Manhattan, Broadway seems like an affront to those who favor a perfectly aligned grid of streets. 

Also miffed, perhaps, may be residential developers, who at certain locations may have a tough time fitting square-roomed apartments on oddly shaped lots.

But commercial builders apparently are not so squeamish. They have exploited the unusual dimensions of some castoff blocks to put up some of the city’s well-known landmarks, like the Flatiron Building, wedged at East 23rd Street, and One Times Square, the island site of the dropping ball on New Year’s Eve.

Now, Broadway may be getting a neighborhood-defining structure at the place where it slashes through the junction of Amsterdam Avenue and West 72nd Street on the Upper West Side. A 19-story glass-and-steel tower on the southwestern corner of Broadway and 72nd, with a wide 112-degree angle facing the intersection, will feature stores and apartments.

“We think it’s one of the most significant corners to be developed in New York,” said Lynette Tulkoff, a director at Rhodes NY, a Manhattan development firm.

The Philips International Holding Corporation and the Gotham Organization, both also based in Manhattan, are joining Rhodes on the $220 million project, which is now being excavated, with completion set for the fall of 2009.

The residential portion of the building, which has not been officially named yet, will have 192 luxury rental apartments on 16 floors, ranging from 500-square-foot studios to 1,600-square-foot three-bedrooms. Bearing an address of 200 West 72nd Street, and given a working name of 200 West, the high-rise will also have an upper-floor setback with two sharply beveled edges that are intended to accentuate the building’s notable corner, said Gary Handel, president of Handel Architects, its Manhattan-based designer.

The bottom three floors as well as a basement and subbasement will offer 50,000 square feet of commercial space, to be taken by just three retailers, said David Picket, president of Gotham, the lead developer. Two of the spaces cover 20,000 square feet each.

Possible tenants cannot be identified while negotiations are going on, said Mr. Picket, who added that they would not be “big box” stores. He specifically ruled out Target and Home Depot; they generally require footprints in excess of 100,000 square feet, brokers say.

Still, in Manhattan, where stores average 2,500 square feet to 5,000 square feet, a 20,000-square-foot retail space is comparatively large and can appeal to only a few tenants, said Jeffrey Roseman, an executive vice president with Newmark Knight Frank Retail, which is not involved with the project.

That short list of possible tenants, he said, includes H&M or Marshalls, clothing stores, or Circuit City, the electronics retailer. 

Averaging $550 a square foot annually, 200 West’s rents are likely to be the highest on the West Side between 59th and 110th Streets, where rents had previously topped out around $300 a square foot.

One attraction of 200 West will be a glass curtain wall, whose eye-catching 230-foot length, split into two 17-foot-tall bands, will wrap the corner.

Because the site is near so many public spaces, including two heavily traveled streets, a pair of low-slung subway shelters and Verdi Square, a bench-lined park to the northeast, “you will be able to see this from pretty far up Broadway and pretty far down 72nd Street,” Mr. Picket said. “It’s an outstanding obtuse angle.”

That visibility may be critical to the project’s commercial success, as multilevel retail spaces in Manhattan have historically been a dicey venture, said Michael Beyard, a senior resident fellow with the Urban Land Institute in Washington, who specializes in shopping centers and malls.

Department stores like Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s have generally fared well, but Mr. Beyard said some have struggled, like the Manhattan Mall, with four levels and 38 stores and restaurants, a result of a 1980s conversion of the former Gimbels department store at Herald Square, near Broadway. 

Even the popular Shops at Columbus Circle, the six-level mall inside the Time Warner Center, at another prominent Broadway juncture, has experienced turnover of its restaurants since its 2004 opening.

“Manhattan has never been mall town, more like a European city, where people like to shop on the street,” Mr. Beyard said.

For his part, Mr. Picket points out that 200 West is not a mall, as no shared hallways will connect its stores.

Indeed, there will be three separate ground-level retail entrances at 200 West. Inside, one store will be mostly arrayed on the upper floors, another mostly below ground and one primarily on the sidewalk level. To get from one store to another, shoppers will have to leave the building and re-enter through another door, Mr. Picket said.

At 200 West, the ground-floor ceilings are to be 22 feet high, instead of the more typical 15 feet, which the developer said would allow extra flexibility in displaying merchandise. Columns there, meanwhile, will be spaced up to 25 feet apart, which is almost double the width in a typical building with apartments upstairs, Mr. Picket said.

No matter what products are sitting in the windows, 200 West is likely to put upward pressure on local commercial rents, says David Kevelson, a director with Manhattes Group, a commercial brokerage firm, who focuses on the West Side, and some tenants, particularly along West 72nd Street, may bear the brunt. 

Still, turnover may not be unequivocally harmful along a shopping corridor that has been hobbled by a lack of diversity, according to brokers, developers, and longtime residents. Nail salons and dry cleaners abound on nearby blocks of 72nd Street. 

Then again, wide east-west thoroughfares that allow car travel in both directions, like 72nd Street, but also, say, 34th and Canal Streets, may always struggle to attract upscale shoppers, and thus high-end retailing.

In fact, according to Mr. Beyard of the Urban Land Institute, these streets are often limited by the same qualities landlords promote as their assets: lots of vehicle traffic.

Nevertheless, he is bullish on 200 West’s prospects, whether for shopping or living. “If you can find that large a location in such a high-visibility site,” he said, “it seems like a no-brainer.”


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## TalB

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local...-04-08_airport_village_in_jamaica_queens.html
*'Airport village' in Jamaica, Queens*

BY DONALD BERTRAND 
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER 

Tuesday, April 8th 2008, 4:00 AM 









_Rendering of Merchandise Mart on Sutphin Blvd. in Jamaica._

Major hotel development - including a 16-story Marriott Courtyard with 172 rooms, a 150-room Residence Inn and a third 150-room hotel - is planned for a proposed "airport village" in downtown Jamaica, Queens.

The sudden boom is the result of the rezoning of some 368 blocks in downtown Jamaica last year, said Carlisle Towery, president of the Greater Jamaica Development Corp.

"The bottom line is that the rezoning has definitely had a stimulative effect. The phone rings off the hook here. Of course, some are fishing expeditions; some are real developers, and some are people who own property and think they have struck gold," Towery said.

Greater Jamaica Development officials would also like to see an upsurge in housing construction within the rezoned area, noting that the nearby AirTrain light rail system makes it a very desirable location for airport workers. They're hoping that airline industry-related commercial development will also be attracted.

South of the Long Island Rail Road/AirTrain complex on Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica-based developer Graham Associates is planning a two-phase project that includes the Marriott Courtyard and a tower with a 150,000-square-foot retail base and 348 units of affordable housing.

Plans call for work to begin in about a year, with the $70 million hotel up and running in 21/2 years.

Diagonally across Sutphin Blvd., between 94th and 95th Aves., is the site of a proposed 13-story, $260 million international merchandise mart, where a long-vacant, recently demolished meat-packing plant stood.

"We think our site is a tremendous opportunity to realize economic development objectives for Jamaica and we are very excited about it," said Raffaela Dunne, a senior vice president of Washington Square Partners, developers for the merchandise mart site.

Construction of the new complex is to begin in the third quarter of this year and is scheduled to take about three years.

A former parking garage site that sits on Archer Ave. with its rear facing the LIRR tracks just across from 148th St. is being eyed by Chris Xu, owner of Flushing-based C&G Construction, for the Residence Inn and a second hotel.

However, said Xu, neither hotel is expected to open for at least three years.

[email protected]


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## Medusah

i luv it


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## Brummyboy92

Thats great!


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## krull

*Cost of Building in New York Is Nearly Triple That of Chicago or Atlanta, Report Finds*
*Expense Soared 32% Between 2004 and 2007*


By PETER KIEFER, Staff Reporter of the Sun | July 30, 2008

*Constructing a square foot of office space in New York City costs almost three times as much as it would cost in Chicago, Atlanta, and other American cities,* according to a report being released today.

Just as spending for nonresidential construction has surpassed $1 trillion annually across the country, the costs associated with construction in New York City — materials, labor, and city permitting delays — have made it far and away the most expensive city to build in in America, a report being released today by the New York Building Congress and New York Building Foundation says.

"That is a huge differential," the president of the Real Estate Board of New York, Steven Spinola, said yesterday when told of the report's city-to-city cost differentials.* The report estimates that a square foot of office space for a high-rise in New York can exceed $400 a square foot, not including marketing, land costs, or the developer's profits.

The total project costs, including soft costs, can average $150 a square foot in Chicago and $120 a square foot in Atlanta.*

The report's findings come at a pivotal moment for New York's construction industry. A series of fatal crane accidents in recent months resulted in the resignation of the buildings commissioner, Patricia Lancaster, and a number of criminal investigations. The City Council is considering legislation that would overhaul the training and inspection policies related to cranes and construction sites in the city.

*The added safety measures come as a number of billion-dollar development projects in New York City have faced delays and budget shortfalls. Many of those projects have been scaled back or abandoned altogether due in part to the rising costs of construction and difficulties associated with gaining government approvals.* This week Mayor Bloomberg announced a series of changes aimed at easing the risks assumed by contractors bidding on public/private projects.

"This year has already produced news that government is pulling back on long-anticipated and initially funded projects — such as the expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and creation of a Fulton Street Transit Center. These events point to the collective need to get a real handle on building costs, especially given the multitude of major transit and development projects currently on the drawing board — including the Second Avenue Subway, Atlantic and Hudson Yards and the World Trade Center build out," the president of the Building Congress, Richard Anderson, said in a statement.

*In New York City costs have risen 32% between 2004 and 2007 and are expected to increase 1% each month till at least 2010, according to the report, which says nonresidential construction spending has increased 46.5% since 2004 nationwide.*

The report said that in New York City "land costs have accelerated beyond all of the other cost factors" but the report also cites local regulations and government policies, workforce shortages, more extensive union rules, and stringent environmental standards, as well.

"Many factors unique to New York affect its costs. Proximity to subways, the depth of rock, a dense urban fabric, confined sites, the presence of previous and adjacent structures, and the size and risk associated with large scale projects present complexities that layer on costs," the report says.

Mr. Bloomberg's proposals, which mirror the recommendations suggested in the report, include the city compensating contractors whose public works projects are delayed by city mistakes, and trying to estimate more accurately the cost of projects before they are given budget approval.

Mr. Spinola said Mr. Bloomberg's proposals and those mentioned in the report would be a welcome relief to his members.

"It clearly is necessary. When contractors bid for New York jobs they add a percentage to it because they know it is going to take them longer to get the permits and that it will be more complicated, so they build that into the cost. If there can be confidence that payments can be made, and there will be no inappropriate second-guessing, I think you will see the prices come down," he said.


http://www.nysun.com/new-york/report-nyc-office-construction-costs-highest-in-us/82824/

-----------------------------------------------------------------


*Relief is sought as building costs soar
Construction industry solutions range from traffic to taxes*


by amy zimmer / metro new york
JUL 31, 2008

*New York is by far the nation’s most expensive city for construction.*

Since 2004, New York’s construction costs have increased by nearly 40 percent, *making it 70 percent more expensive than Chicago, 60 percent more than Dallas and 20 percent more than Los Angeles*, a report released yesterday by the New York Building Congress said.

The construction industry wants to reduce the costs associated with materials, labor and permitting delays. Implementing congestion pricing to reduce traffic — which creates costly delays when transporting materials — and continuing to rezone “idle or derelict industrial land,” were among the report’s suggestions.

Land costs have “accelerated beyond all other cost factors,” it stated.
“We’re two-and-a-half times more expensive to build an office building than Chicago,” Building Congress President Richard Anderson said at a forum yesterday. Chicago also faces challenges of building in a dense environment with high labor costs, Anderson said, but New York’s “government procedures are much more onerous.”

The Bloomberg administration is trying to change this, recently announcing reforms to make city capital construction projects more affordable and increasing competition for bids.

There was a surge of permits in June — 17,000 were issued citywide compared to 4,028 filed last year —but that 325 percent increase was largely a rush by developers wanting to qualify before the new 421a tax abatements take effect, which will limit developers’ tax breaks in many parts of the city.

“If prices are going up and taxes aren’t abated, how do you build anything affordable?” asked Steven Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York.


*Cause for concern*

Already such big projects as the Javits Convention Center and the Fulton Street Transit Center have been scaled back because cost estimates far exceeded original estimates. The construction industry is concerned considering other big projects on the drawing board — the Second Avenue Subway, World Trade Center, Moynihan Station and Atlantic Yards.


*40*

The percentage increase in New York’s construction costs since 2004 making it one of the most expensive places to build in America.


http://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/Relief_is_sought_as_building_costs_soar/13186.html


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## krull

*FOREST CITY RATNER COMPANIES CLOSES ON FINANCING FOR $200 MILLION DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN RESIDENTIAL BUILDING
*
*Building Designed to be LEED-Certified and to Include Affordable and Market-Rate Apartments*


BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – August 20, 2008

Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) announced today that it has closed on financing for a 335,000-square-foot building at 80 DeKalb Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn.

The Costas Kondylis-designed building is the first residential tower constructed by FCRC in Brooklyn. Situated on DeKalb Avenue between Hudson Avenue and Rockwell Place, and bordering the BAM Cultural District, *the 34-story tower will include 73 affordable and 292 market-rate rental units*, making it the first 80/20 development in Brooklyn financed with bonds issued by the New York State Housing Finance Agency.

Unlike most 80/20 developments, 80 DeKalb will remain affordable for 99 years. For the initial 35 years, 62 affordable units will be made available for households earning up to 50% of the area median income (AMI) and 11 units for households with incomes up to 40% of AMI. For the remaining years, all of the affordable units will be made available for households earning up to 90% of AMI.

“We’re very excited about 80 DeKalb,” said Bruce Ratner, Chairman and CEO of FCRC. “It is a magnificent building at a great location that will provide both affordable and market-rate homes. We believe, too, that this is positive development during a tough market and points to the ongoing attraction of Brooklyn as a place to live and work.”

Mr. Ratner noted as well that with 80 DeKalb, FCRC has closed on financing for three projects within the past year, totaling more than $1.5 billion in construction loans.

The New York State Housing Finance Agency selected 80 DeKalb to receive $109.5 million in tax-exempt bonds and $27.5 million in taxable bonds. The lending institutions involved in the transaction were Wachovia Bank, N.A., and Helaba (both co-agents providing the credit enhancement to the $137 million in bonds issued by HFA), as well as the National Electrical Benefit Fund, which provided a $10 million mezzanine loan and $20 million of credit enhancement.

As part of its ongoing commitment to strengthen minority- and women-owned (M/WBE) businesses, FCRC has already awarded 19% of the project’s contracts to M/WBE firms. In addition, FCRC projects that 30% of the construction workforce will be made up of minority workers and 10% of women workers. Like all FCRC developments, 80 DeKalb will be built entirely with union labor.

The building, designed to achieve LEED Certification, is expected to meet or exceed the sustainable design measures set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council. 80 DeKalb’s “green” features include improved indoor air quality through the use of low or no volatile organic compound (VOC) emitting materials, water reduction by means of low-flow fixtures and diverting waste from landfills by recycling over 75% of construction waste and using recycled materials with recycled content. Major construction on the building began Monday, July7th, 2008. It is expected to open for leasing during the summer of 2009.

http://www.observer.com/2008/real-estate/new-glassy-tower-join-fort-greene-mini-city


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## krull

*Construction has begun at + Art ata 540 West 28th Street*

12-AUG-08

Ekstein Development of which Erick Ekstein is a principal is developing a two-tower residential complex in West Chelsea in conjunction with RD Management.

At 549 West 28th Street, it plans to build a *13-story condominium building with 88 residential and two commercial units*. 

Leonard Fusco of GF55 Partners is the architect.

The building, which is known as "+ Art," will have a red-brick facade with protruded window surrounds and two setbacks.

The building will have a 24-hour attended lobby, concierge services by Abigail Michaels, a fitness center, a landscaped courtyard, a roof deck with outdoor showers and wet bar and cabanas, and individually heating and air-conditioning in every room. 

Apartments will have 5-inch oiled white oak floors, double-glazed windows, dark stained walnut kitchen cabinetry, Hone Absolute Black granite kitchen countertops, Subzero refrigerators, Betrazonni ranges, and Bosch washers and dryers.

The complex also consists of a 101-unit rental apartment building at 537 West 27th Street that will also have a 20,000-square-foot catering facility.

http://www.cityrealty.com/new_devel...ted-lotta-condominium-west-118th-street/24402


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## krull

*Landmarks approves air rights transfer to 516 Fifth Avenue*


05-AUG-08

The Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously recommended today that the City Council approve a transfer of air rights from the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen building at 20 West 44th Street to 516 Fifth Avenue on the northwest corner at 43rd Street.

The transfer will permit the society to undertake a major restoration and renovation of its landmark facility and create a fund for its ongoing maintenance and it provides RFR Holdings, of which Aby Rosen is a principal, with about 60,000 square feet of development rights for its 678-foot-high, mixed-use project at 516 Fifth Avenue. 

The society's building was designed by Lamb & Rich in 1891 for the Berkeley Preparatory School. Several years later, the society acquired the building and commissioned Ralph Townsend to enlarge it.

RFR is also purchasing about 53,000 square feet of development rights from the Princeton Club at 15 East 43rd Street, and about 81,000 square feet of development rights from the Century Association, a landmark cultural club building designed in 1891 by McKim Mead & White, at 3 East 43rd Street.

The transfers from these three sites will enable RFR *to erect a building with some retail space, 241 hotel rooms and a score or so residential condominiums on the top 11 floors of the 55-story tower*. Pelli Clarke Pelli, which designed One Beacon Court, the Museum of Modern Art Tower and the Wintergarden at the World Financial Center at Battery Park City, and the Sea Hawk Hotel and Resort in Fukuoka, Japan, is the architect of the proposed tower.

The new tower is setback on a clear-glass-clad base that is designed to complement the famous, landmark bank building on the southwest corner at 43rd Street that was designed in 1954 by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and is one of the hallmarks of mid-20th Century modern architecture in the city.

According to Michael Sillerman, the attorney representing the developers before the commission, the proposed tower needs some public approvals relating to setbacks and bulk. The rendering shown at today's hearing indicated that the rectilinear, setback tower will be clad in reflective glass.

Robert Tierney, the commission's chair, noted that the "74-711" application to permit the air rights transfer in exchange for a significant restoration and preservation plan for the landmark building was "totally more than adequate," adding that the commission was not discussing the "interesting and provocative" proposed new tower. 

A statement read by the Municipal Art Society of New York, however, maintained that the new project's glass tower clashed with the dominant stone aesthetic of Fifth Avenue in midtown. "It has been the long-standing policy of MAS to encourage the continuation of the expression of stone along Fifth Avenue," it maintained, adding that "glass and steel buildings change the nature of the internationally-renowned avenue." The statement also noting that "the Manufacturers Hanover Trust building, an individual landmark, is obviously an exception" and "is revered precisely because it stands out about the Fifth Avenue buildings." The society therefore asked the architects to explore ways to incorporate stone into the new building's design to keep the context of Fifth Avenue intact."

Fifth Avenue, of course, has had previous glass "incursions" such as Olympic and Trump Towers and 717 Fifth Avenue whose Steuben Glass fountain and plaza were destroyed in an expansion some years ago.

Andrea Goldwyn speaking on behalf of the New York Landmarks Conservancy supported the preservation plan for the society and suggested it seek to have its impressive, skylit, library atrium designated an official city interior landmark. She also noted that her organization regrets the "demolition of several fine older structures" that are not protected by the City's Landmarks law at the site of the proposed new tower.

http://www.cityrealty.com/new_devel...es-air-rights-transfer-516-fifth-avenue/24362


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## krull

*Plans For Queens West Megadevelopment Move Forward*

by Gabby Warshawer | August 18, 2008

Last Wednesday the city held public hearings on three huge land-use plans, but only two of those were widely reported upon: the rezoning of the Lower East Side and the redevelopment of Willets Point. *The third hearing concerned Hunters Point South (formerly known as "Queens West") and the development there of 5,000 units of housing*, 60 percent of which, according to WNYC, would be set aside for residents who earn between $55,000 and $158,000 a year.

The massive project is on the 24-acre Long Island City land where the Olympic Village would have been built if New York won its bid for the 2012 Olympics. When plans for Hunters Point South were first announced a couple years ago, the city said all of the housing would be set aside for middle-income earners, but it has since changed its vision for the site to allow for the construction of market-rate units. 

Meanwhile, a deal that would have given the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) a large measure of control over the development remains largely theoretical, according to REBNY president Steven Spinola. 

"We're advising the city on the site as they bring it through ULURP," says Spinola. "We don't know how active a role they want us to play in the development, but right now we only have an advisory role, and it may continue to be just advisory. The city is talking amongst themselves about how to bring in the construction of the first phase." 

The City Planning Commission is expected to vote on the proposal next month, according to a Planning spokesperson, and after that it would head to the City Council for approval.

http://www.observer.com/2008/real-estate/plans-queens-west-megadevelopment-move-forward


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## xXFallenXx

Thanks for the updates krull. Great stuff.


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## krull

*City vote on E. 125th Street rezoning near
Step is seen as paving way for massive mixed-use development.*


Theresa Agovino 
August 22. 2008

The New York City Planning Commission is slated to vote on Wednesday on whether to rezone *the eastern portion of 125th Street, which would help the pave the way for the construction of a proposed 1.7 million square foot, mixed-use complex.*

But property owners in the development zone say city officials have yet to make any offers for their land, which they fear will be acquired through the use of eminent domain.

“I’m not a hold out but I don’t want to get stepped on,” said Damon Bae, who owns three lots in the proposed zone, which is roughly six acres and extends from East 125th to East 127th streets between Second and Third avenues. “I want fair value.”

In May city officials promised to make him an offer, but he hasn’t heard from them since. He worries that the city’s offer won’t reflect his property’s value as a development site. The city already owns 81% of the land designated for the project.

In a statement, the New York City Economic Development Corp. said it is having ongoing discussions with property owners and that they will all be dealt with fairly.

City officials spent months working with community activists and local politicians to create the concept for the project, which is slated to include stores, restaurants, offices and housing. However, strains began emerging in March because the city opted to start to rezone the parcel before selecting a developer. While not unprecedented, it is unusual. 

Some community activists argue that rezoning without a developer weakens the city’s bargaining position, making it harder to extract as many benefits for the neighborhood. City officials counter that delaying the choice extends the competition.

A developer will be chosen before the City Council votes on the rezoning proposal in October, according to an EDC spokesman. It is likely that the Council will approve the proposal because members usually vote in accordance with the representative who represents the district, and Melissa Mark-Viverito backs the plan.

Vornado Realty Trust, Thor Equities and General Growth Properties confirmed they are bidding on the project. 

General Growth owns South Street Seaport, and tenants at that mall are trying to kill their landlord’s attempt to win the 125th Street proposal. In conjunction with Local 32BJ, the South Street Seaport Tenants Association took out an ad in Crain’s New York Business expressing doubt that their businesses would be welcome at the site after General Growth redeveloped it. The ad said that the city’s neighborhoods will be hurt if developers like General Growth are allowed to disregard long-standing community businesses.

General Growth had no comment on the letter. 


http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pb...REE/50600/1059


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## ZZ-II

thx krull, NYC is still booming like hell. never heard of that 55 storey tower near the ESB, fantastic news :cheers:


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## NYCboy1212

ZZ-II said:


> thx krull, NYC is still booming like hell. never heard of that 55 storey tower near the ESB, fantastic news :cheers:


Yeah the council of the city approved 84 rezonings. If you want to know about more NYC construction check this website everyday http://curbed.com/


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## Buyckske Ruben

*A rendering of the proposed building at 516 Fifth Avenue.*
Source: Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects













some other news...

Deliriousness at 23 East 22nd Street








Rem Koolhaas became very famous with the publication of his marvelous book, "Delirious New York," in 1978 and would go on to create such dazzling new structures as the Central Library in Seattle in 2004 and, most recently, the CCTV Headquarters Building, a huge, angled, looping structure in Beijing.

The developers of the recently topped-out residential condominium tower known as One Madison Park designed by Cetra-Ruddy at the foot of Madison Avenue at 23rd Street recently created considerable excitement in architectural circles when they revealed they had commissioned Mr. Koolhaas to design a 22-story annex at the rear of the new tower at 23 East 22nd Street.

A rendering of the annex appeared August 22 in an article by Edwin Heathcote in the August 22, 2008 edition of the Financial Times. Mr. Heathcote is the architecture critic of the Financial Times.

In his article, Mr. Healthcote notes that good design has begun to reappear in Manhattan and claimed that "the real change is yet to come."

"But," the article continued, "the real change is yet to come. Three skyscrapers currently mooted are among the most intriguing proposals in contemporary architecture. The game was kicked off by French architect Jean Nouvel's MoMA tower (below), a 75-storey latticework spike. Engineering as aesthetic, this is structure stripped bare: even when complete, it will evoke the visceral beauty of the construction process. Herzog & De Meuron's Leonard Street Tower in Tribeca offers a new take on the skyscraper (the design of which will be fully revealed next month): a stack of crystalline boxes bearing down on and squeezing a blobby Anish Kapoor sculpture at its base. Finally, there is 23 East 22nd Street...by Rotterdam's Office for Metropolitan Architecture. It comes to us from the office of Rem Koolhaas....This is an eccentric, clever building, one to be taken seriously. The proposal (revealed exclusively to the FT) is typically provocative. Invoking a world of ziggurats and pyramids somewhere between Metropolis, Dada and Busby Berkeley, OMA brings us essence of Manhattan. It boils down to those steps, the set-backs and terracing so characteristic of the city - but used the wrong way round. Instead of set-backs, we have step-outs, a tottering tower cantilevered over its neighbours, allowing it to grab extra space from thin air while still permitting light to reach its neighbours. Twenty-three East 22nd Street is the zenith of a burst of creativity from the world's top architecture firms, each bringing to bear the intellectual, structural and aesthetic focus that has been so lacking in Manhattan's architecture since the last great explosion of corporate expression in the early 1960s." 

The "tottering" design of the tower's rendering, which rises from a quite small plot and cantilevers fully over a low-rise building just to its east, appears to be quite an astounding engineering feat although it bears no contextual relationship to its illustrious neighbors such as the Clock Tower of the former Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, its great north annex building and the Flatiron Building and it clashes madly with the sleek glass facade of One Madison Park, which will have 68 residential condominium apartments. Some of its cantilevered upper floors will have views up Madison Avenue but most will not have views of Madison Square Park.


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## ZZ-II

NYCboy1212 said:


> Yeah the council of the city approved 84 rezonings. If you want to know about more NYC construction check this website everyday http://curbed.com/


cool site, thx for the link


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## tronred

The relevants new buildings that i see on this topic for new york (and for me) are this…

New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge Expansion: 23 floors - 240 feet










The Saya (22 East 23rd Street): 51 floors - 617 feet 










The Brompton (200 East 86th Street): 20 floors - 210 feet










200 Eleventh Avenue: 20 floors (_*THE MOST BEAUTIFULL IN YEARS!!!, and is soooo new york)*_











210 West 91st Street: 25 floors









New York Times Tower: 52 floors - 1,046 feet









50 Gramercy Park North: 17 floors









92 Warren Street: 12 floors









The other buildings are trashi, its my opinion, sorry.

I think those architectures are destroying the city of new york, the history, the identity and the future of the city.

Specialy the identity.

Ist a shame how they are transforming New York in a plastic city like Miami or Panami in the architect point of view.


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## Woodstock88

tronred said:


> The relevants new buildings that i see on this topic for new york (and for me) are this…
> 
> New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge Expansion: 23 floors - 240 feet
> 
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> The Saya (22 East 23rd Street): 51 floors - 617 feet
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> The Brompton (200 East 86th Street): 20 floors - 210 feet
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> 200 Eleventh Avenue: 20 floors (_*THE MOST BEAUTIFULL IN YEARS!!!, and is soooo new york)*_
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> 210 West 91st Street: 25 floors
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> New York Times Tower: 52 floors - 1,046 feet
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> 50 Gramercy Park North: 17 floors
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> 92 Warren Street: 12 floors
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> The other buildings are trashi, its my opinion, sorry.
> 
> I think those architectures are destroying the city of new york, the history, the identity and the future of the city.
> 
> Specialy the identity.
> 
> Ist a shame how they are transforming New York in a plastic city like Miami or Panami in the architect point of view.


I agree with you Ny was awesome in 30's and now they destroying historical places


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## germantower

^^ arghhh why do you repost all the pictures that are just ONE post over your comment?


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## Skyscrapercitizen

^^

It happens so often these days in the international forums... very annoying...

But very good news that Koolhaas in finally doing a tower on Manhattan! I hope he'll do more, he's really off now creating masterpiece after masterpiece around the world...


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## webeagle12

The historic Coney Island amusement park, Astroland, is ending a 46-year run today as it closes up shop for the summer -- and for good.

Co-Owner Carol Hill Albert says she was unable to work out a lease extension with developer Thor Equities, and that she has no choice but to shut down.

Thor says its disappointed with the decision to close the park, but that's little consultation to the Brooklynites and advocates who oppose the major development plan for the beachfront area.

"It's just a damn shame that the City of New York and the developers who bought the property on Coney Island can't do something to preserve the heritage and the legacy of what this place was and the way we want it to be," said Brooklyn Borough Historian Ron Schweiger.

For many New Yorkers, Astroland is synonymous with their childhoods.

"We come here as much as possible and I feel like they're tearing down my whole childhood, my whole life, my legacy," said long-time area resident Terry Rosenzweig. "Everything I have is here. That's why I'm trying to capture everything I can – my last moments of my life growing up here on Coney Island today."

Even though Astroland is closing, fans of the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel shouldn't worry.

Both of those rides are covered by separate leases and are expected to reopen next year.

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/85558/after-46-years--game-over-for-astroland/Default.aspx


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## webeagle12

*Bird's Nest architects design N.Y. high-rise*

NEW YORK - The Swiss architects of the iconic Bird's Nest stadium at the Beijing Olympics are bringing their innovative style to New York City with a translucent glass skyscraper designed to look like houses stacked in the sky.

Architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron's $650 million, 57-story condominium featuring dramatic, cantilevered terraces is slated to begin going up in mid-October in lower Manhattan.

The architects liken their design to "houses stacked in the sky," with each level staggered progressively with different-sized boxes arranged at varying angles to create unique floor plans for each of the 145 apartments.

They said the tower reinvents the classic American skyscraper "as a lacy, pixilated Rubik's Cube." Its concealed framing results in a nearly all-glass structure with cityscape views from virtually every angle.

Herzog said the firm uses "well-known forms and materials in a new way so that they become alive again," just like Andy Warhol "used common pop images to say something new."

The building will feature a massive stainless steel sculpture by Anish Kapoor that will be "playfully squished" into the tower's base as homage to the city's culture, said developer Izak Senbahar of Alexico Group.

It will be the first permanent public artwork in New York City for Kapoor, best known for his enigmatic sculptural forms including "Sky Mirror," a temporary installation at Rockefeller Center, and "Cloud Gate" in Chicago's Millennium Park.

Senbahar said he commissioned Kapoor to create the balloon-shaped form as a permanent site-specific work because "great art and architecture are essential parts of everyday life." The sculpture also articulates the architects' vision of blending the indoors and outdoors.

The building will have an expansive 18-foot-high black granite lobby, a 75-foot pool, outdoor sun deck, library lounge, screening room and fitness center.

The apartments will be offered for $3.5 million to $33 million. The tower is slated to open in 2010.

Herzog & de Meuron is currently redesigning the Tate Modern in London. The twisted silver beams of its $450 million Bird's Nest stadium became one of the most enduring images of the Olympics.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26689139/


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## krull

And the city just keeps on booming.


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## krull

*Deliriousness at 23 East 22nd Street*


27-AUG-08	

Rem Koolhaas became very famous with the publication of his marvelous book, "Delirious New York," in 1978 and would go on to create such dazzling new structures as the Central Library in Seattle in 2004 and, most recently, the CCTV Headquarters Building, a huge, angled, looping structure in Beijing.

The developers of the recently topped-out residential condominium tower known as One Madison Park designed by Cetra-Ruddy at the foot of Madison Avenue at 23rd Street recently created considerable excitement in architectural circles when they revealed they had commissioned Mr. Koolhaas *to design a 22-story annex at the rear of the new tower at 23 East 22nd Street.*

A rendering of the annex appeared August 22 in an article by Edwin Heathcote in the August 22, 2008 edition of the Financial Times. Mr. Heathcote is the architecture critic of the Financial Times.

In his article, Mr. Healthcote notes that good design has begun to reappear in Manhattan and claimed that "the real change is yet to come."

"But," the article continued, "the real change is yet to come. Three skyscrapers currently mooted are among the most intriguing proposals in contemporary architecture. The game was kicked off by French architect Jean Nouvel's MoMA tower (below), a 75-storey latticework spike. Engineering as aesthetic, this is structure stripped bare: even when complete, it will evoke the visceral beauty of the construction process. Herzog & De Meuron's Leonard Street Tower in Tribeca offers a new take on the skyscraper (the design of which will be fully revealed next month): a stack of crystalline boxes bearing down on and squeezing a blobby Anish Kapoor sculpture at its base. Finally, there is 23 East 22nd Street...by Rotterdam's Office for Metropolitan Architecture. It comes to us from the office of Rem Koolhaas....This is an eccentric, clever building, one to be taken seriously. The proposal (revealed exclusively to the FT) is typically provocative. Invoking a world of ziggurats and pyramids somewhere between Metropolis, Dada and Busby Berkeley, OMA brings us essence of Manhattan. It boils down to those steps, the set-backs and terracing so characteristic of the city - but used the wrong way round. Instead of set-backs, we have step-outs, a tottering tower cantilevered over its neighbours, allowing it to grab extra space from thin air while still permitting light to reach its neighbours. Twenty-three East 22nd Street is the zenith of a burst of creativity from the world's top architecture firms, each bringing to bear the intellectual, structural and aesthetic focus that has been so lacking in Manhattan's architecture since the last great explosion of corporate expression in the early 1960s." 

The "tottering" design of the tower's rendering, which rises from a quite small plot and cantilevers fully over a low-rise building just to its east, appears to be quite an astounding engineering feat although it bears no contextual relationship to its illustrious neighbors such as the Clock Tower of the former Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, its great north annex building and the Flatiron Building and it clashes madly with the sleek glass facade of One Madison Park, which will have 68 residential condominium apartments. Some of its cantilevered upper floors will have views up Madison Avenue but most will not have views of Madison Square Park.


http://www.cityrealty.com/new_devel...walled-condos-being-added-1107-broadway/24422


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## krull

*Six stories of glass-walled condos being added to 1107 Broadway*


27-AUG-08

Yitzchak Tessler has commissioned Eran Chen of the Office of Design & Architecture *to add six floors to the 16-story building at 1107 Broadway on the northwest corner at 24th Street that was formerly part of the two-building complex known as the International Toy Center to residential use.*

According to a Department of Buildings permit issued August 14, the building will contain 123 residential condominiums.

The new floors are set back on the roof of the existing 16-story building and are stacked in seemingly random fashion and have floor-to-ceiling windows. The building, which overlooks Madison Square Park, is connected to the 15-story commercial building at 200 Fifth Avenue on the northwest corner at 23rd Street, the other building in the former International Toy Center complex, by a skysbridge that was constructed in 1968.

Mr. Tessler acquired 1107 Broadway last October from The Chetrit Group for about $235 million. The Chetrit Group had acquired the toy center in 2005 for about $355 million from a partnership headed by Peter Malkin. The Chetrit Group's had planned to convert the two-building complex, which it called Madison Park West to about 460 residential condominium apartments, about two-thirds of which will be in the 200 Fifth Avenue building. At one point, the Chetrit Group, contemplated creating a 1,300-room hotel and several hundred small rental apartments in the two buildings and there was considerable controversy over the fate of the toy industry in the city. 

The 670,592-square-foot building at 200 Fifth Avenue was built in 1909 and designed by Maynicke & Franke. It replaced the Fifth Avenue Hotel that was opened in 1859 by Amos F. Eno and was initially known as "Eno's Folly" because the area was considered too far uptown.

The 16-story, 337,000-square-foot building at 1107 Broadway was erected in 1915 and was designed by H. Craig Severance and W. Van Alen. It replaced the Albemare Hotel and it was joined to 200 Fifth Avenue by a skybridge in 1968.

In April, however, the Chetrit Group sold the 200 Fifth Avenue building to L&L Holding Company LLC for about $480 million. L&L Holding announced it planned to convert that building to Class A office space.

1107 is one of several new residential developments around the park. The former Gift Building at 225 Fifth Avenue has been converted to the Grand Madison residential condominiums and Africa Israel Investments last year acquired the former clocktower on the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company on the southeast corner of Madison Avenue and 24th Street for conversion to residential condominiums. 

Meanwhile a new condo tower known as One Madison Park, designed by Cetra-Ruddy has been recently topped out at the foot of Madison Avenue at 23rd Street and plans were recently published for a 22-story annex to it at 23 East 22nd Street designed by Rem Koolhaas.

Mr. Chen, who recently was with the architectural firm of Perkins Eastman, has been involved in several projects in the Flatiron and Ladies' Mile districts including Jade at 16 West 19th Street, the Grand Madison, 650 Sixth Avenue and 15 Union Square West. The latter project, which is under construction also has added floors of shifted boxes, a concept also applied at the recently completed New Museum of Contemporary Art on the Bowery.

http://www.cityrealty.com/new_devel...walled-condos-being-added-1107-broadway/24422


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## krull

*309 Fifth Avenue project switched from condos to hotel*


10-SEP-08	

The 34-story residential condominium tower planned for 309 Fifth Avenue between 31st and 32nd Streets will now be a hotel project and its design has also changed.

*The glass-clad building will have a low-rise base and a setback tower whose top will be illuminated at night.*

Ismael Leyva is the architect. His other projects include Plaza 57, Post Toscana, 15 Renwick Street, One Carnegie Hill and 785 Eighth Avenue.

309 Fifth Owners LLC, of which Haskel Cohen is a partner, is the developer.

*The mid-block building, which utilizes development rights transferred from a qualified Inclusionary Housing site and air rights from 313 Fifth Avenue, will be 452 feet high,* according to documents on file with the Department of Buildings.

The original apartment building design called for a blue-glass-clad tower about 100 apartments and had two cantilevered and angled sections and "sawtooth" northwest and southwest corners with many balconies.

The new design, also by Leyva, now has alternating bands of dark blue and dark green glass and no balconies facing the avenue and the only the top third of the tower is angled.

The area between 23rd and 33rd Street and Fifth and Madison avenues has recently witnessed substantial new residential activity.

A tall residential tower was erected at 425 Fifth Avenue at 38th Street, and another was recently completed at 325 Fifth Avenue, and plans were recently disclosed, among others, for a new mid-block tower at 224 Fifth Avenue across from the recent conversion of the former Gift Building at 225 Fifth Avenue. In addition a major tower is planned at 400 Fifth Avenue and construction is nearing completion at the Sky House at 11 West 29th Street and the new owner of the former Metropolitan Life Insurance Company clocktower building on the southeast corner of Madison Avenue indicated it was proceeding with its residential conversion, which is half a block north of the construction site for One Madison Park, another tall new residential tower at 22 East 23rd Street.


http://www.cityrealty.com/new_devel...th-avenue-project-switched-condos-hotel/24463


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## krull

*Marketing starts for The Charles at 1355 First Avenue*


10-SEP-08

Blue Rock Real Estate, which is headed by Ramin Kamfar, *plans to erect a 34-story residential condominium tower at 1355 First Avenue between 72nd and 73rd streets.

The 398-foot-high tower, which will be known as The Charles, will have 51 apartments.*

Ismael Leyva is the architect.

The glass-clad building will have many balconies and the western half of its north facade beginning at about the 13th floor.

The building is close to Sotheby's, the auction house, and New York Presbyterian Hospital, both on York Avenue.

There are many restaurants in the neighborhood and there is crosstown bus service on 72nd Street.

From 1988 to 1993, Mr. Kamfar was an investment banker at Lehman Brothers Inc.

He was formerly chairman of New World Restaurant Group Inc., which had about 750 restaurants included Einstein Bros., and Noah's NY Bagels.

*A rendering of the development indicated its top would be illuminated at night.*


http://www.cityrealty.com/new_devel...ng-starts-the-charles-1355-first-avenue/24462


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## ZZ-II

i want to live in NYC :drool:


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## xXFallenXx

Does NY never stop booming?


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## koolkid

Has there been a redesign for 309 Fifth Avenue!? What happened to it? Now that's what I call a mess...

That six story addition beng added to 1107 Broadway is looking alot like Herzog & de Meuron's Rubik's cube...

Thanks for the updates krull


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## ZZ-II

xXFallenXx said:


> Does NY never stop booming?


i hope not


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## krull

*City Meets Resistance Over New Housing Plan on NYCHA Land*


by Eliot Brown | September 15, 2008 

In late 2006, the Bloomberg administration announced an initiative to build new housing on the underutilized land (parking lots and such) of select city public housing projects. Vacant, publicly owned land is now in short supply, the city reasoned. So officials began to look to the NYCHA housing projects as a city-owned resource where space was aplenty, given the "tower in the park" construction that typified the apartment complexes, with large expanses of open space and sometimes parking lots.

Now, seeking to implement the plan in Hell's Kitchen, the city is clashing with the community and elected officials, who claim the city reneged on a promise to build middle- and moderate-income housing. 

*At NYCHA's Harborview Terrace housing project on West 55th Street, the city has selected Atlantic Development to build two buildings with a total of 342 apartments, with 148 low-income units, 72 middle- and moderate-rate, and 122 market-rate*, according to numbers presented to the community board. The project first went before the City Planning Commission last week and is being reviewed. 

But members of the community board and elected officials point to a city commitment to build moderate- and middle-income housing as part of the 2005 Hudson Yards rezoning, and they point to a pledge to use publicly owned sites including Harborview for that purpose. The new development at Harborview, the community board says, was supposed to be a mix of housing, with the majority being moderate- and middle-income. 

Many incentives built into the rezoning create low-income units as part of larger new apartment buildings, but new middle-income units are in relatively short supply, the community says. Thus the community board says the project needs far more middle-income units, perhaps with more city subsidy if needed (the community board wrote a letter that was critical of the project earlier this summer). 

"The market is producing low-income, using the 80/20 program," said Anna Levin, land-use co-chair of Community Board 4. "We want this to be an economically mixed community. We need levels of affordability for moderate- and middle-income people as well, because there are no tools to motivate the development [of that type of housing]."

Local Council Member Gale Brewer is backing the community board, and given that the project needs City Council approval, its fate is uncertain. 
"I support the community board," Ms. Brewer said. "We always thought we would have middle-income housing, and maybe some low-income, and very little market [-rate].This is a great deal of market housing."

Seth Donlin, a spokesman for the city's department of Housing Preservation and Development, said the breakdown of units by income at Harborview reflects a need for the project to be financially feasible. (Low-income units tend to be easier to finance and incentivize given an array of government programs, whereas middle-income units tend to require more city subsidy.) 

Further, Mr. Donlin said, the pledge to build moderate- and middle-income units is district wide, not specific to this site. 

"The agreement was not made project by project--the agreement was made for the area that was rezoned," he said.


http://www.observer.com/2008/real-es...ing-nycha-land


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## krull

*Financial crisis likely to slow NYC real estate*


By AMY WESTFELDT
September 17, 2008

The Wall Street crisis hitting the heart of the city's financial district *should slow construction of its biggest commercial real estate projects, including the World Trade Center and Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, real estate experts said* Wednesday.

"Basically, people are afraid," said Tom Geurts, a professor at New York University's Schack Institute of Real Estate. "Although a project could be profitable, they are afraid to put their money in it because they don't know what is going to happen."

In the short term, businesses in partnership with Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and American International Group Inc., which had over $50 billion invested in commercial real estate around the country, had their deals threatened. Lehman and AIG were investors in many large real estate deals.

*Barclays PLC's takeover of Lehman's assets included the midtown office building it owned and will keep many of the employees in the skyscraper*, valued at $1.7 billion. Lehman bought the tower earlier this decade after leaving lower Manhattan in the aftermath of Sept. 11.

"That's very good news, because otherwise 10,000 people would have been out of work and we would have had to deal with that. And we would have had another million square feet of office space on the market," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Wednesday. "This deal means that the building stays full."

Other real estate executives weren't so sure their office buildings would stay full. Investment bank Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., which was also sold amid this week's turmoil, had been courted by several developers as an anchor tenant in a tower near Penn Station, its current home at the World Financial Center and at a tower planned by developer Larry Silverstein at ground zero.

But the bank dropped out of talks at ground zero days after the owners of the World Trade Center site said plans for office towers, a Sept. 11 memorial and transit hub were all behind schedule and over budget.

*Silverstein said in a statement Wednesday that he was confident that there will be demand for more than 6 million square feet of office space he is responsible for building at ground zero.*

"The naysayers, then and now, don't seem to understand that we are building in anticipation of future demand, not based on today's market," he said. "Just as New York City's economy recovered from 9/11, it will recover from recent events."

*But Silverstein has no main corporate tenants for his trade center site towers. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is building two towers, also has no major financial companies; the government has committed to half of the space in one of the towers.*

*At the multibillion-dollar Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, developer Bruce Ratner long ago decided to postpone building a planned office tower until a major company agrees to move into the building.

A planned 26-acre development over a forlorn stretch of rail yards on Manhattan's far West Side has no tenants secured, although the developer Related Co. is still years away from seeking financing to build and has partnered with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. as an investor.*

*Analysts said that developers who want to build speculatively without corporate commitments will probably have to put off their plans.*

"There's no doubt that the big commercial projects will have to be brought online over a longer period of time," said Kathryn Wylde, chief executive of the Partnership for New York, a business group. "Because nobody wants to sit there paying debt service on an empty building."

Wylde said that other projects, such as Columbia University's expansion in West Harlem and a Goldman Sachs headquarters that is topping off across from the trade center site, are positive signs. And the plans for ground zero, which include five office towers, are partially financed with billions of dollars in insurance payments recovered after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The current agreement with Silverstein, for example, would force him to give up his rights to three towers if he does not finish building three towers by 2013. The Port Authority has said it will revise its schedule by the end of the month. Wylde said several agreements like it should be rewritten to space out building in the uncertain market.

"There is room for renegotiation in light of a fiscal and economic crisis that no one anticipated," she said. "The next five years are going to be a little dicey."


http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D938P8I00.htm


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## Kwame

New York never stops to intrigue my thoughts, thanks for the update krull! 

This building is just simply amazing to me. It reminds me of Eureka Tower in Melbourne, but with an astonishing twist!


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## hkskyline

I think once the dust starts the settle / market stabilizes the developers will still push projects ahead. By the time construction is done the down cycle would be over and the demand for more space will pick up and fill up these new buildings.


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## Newcastle Guy

Renders from Hayes Davidson's website, for all the New York peeps:banana::



















Wasn't sure if you guys had seen these yet? There are lots more in the site, go and have a look around!


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## NewYork-wala

^ Thats realy cool...


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## Hed_Kandi

Those towers won't be built. America is in a financial crisis.


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## Zicyx

Hed_Kandi said:


> Those towers won't be built. America is in a financial crisis.


:lol:
The crisis won't stop every building from getting build. Of course some banks or other compagnies decide to not build an new HQ yes. Build there will always be new buildings needed in a city.


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## webeagle12

Hed_Kandi said:


> Those towers won't be built. America is in a financial crisis.


Your head is in financial crisis. Please stop posting same thing in every NY thread, you look like an ass. hno:


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## nygirl

^^ Yes they will. My cousin is being assigned to the train yards where the platform IS going to be going up in the very near future. Hed Kani you have no clue what you are talking about when you say every project in New York City will be cancled. If you continue to troll around saying things that are going to get built will not I will have to report you to moderation for baseless comments that just keep getting repeated.

In the meantime for everyone else...my cousin is a local 3 electrician currently working at the Beekman Project downtown. He says after his furlow he is supposed to work on this platform for this very project.

Furthermore--noone said New York wasn't safe from seeing cancelations in projects but from what I've seen on curbed, wired (actually much more resourceful than this site on NY projects) that the only thing so far to be canceled due to lack of financing has been Steven Holls project for 10th Avenue and I don't even think that is canceled. 

Hed Kani--due yourself a favor and stay out of the Ny construction forums because I will be on you like white on rice and if you continue to troll with no information to back up your statements then what other choice will the mods have but to suspend your precious account.


So why would they begin hiring electricians for a site that will not be going up? Brookfield will not let this one go, believe me. To everyone else reading- Hed Khani just does not want to see buildings going up in New York and is most likely very much against new buildings going up in New York. The only english he probably knows is ( this is not going up because of the financial crisis) since he can't seem to respond to backlash that he has been getting and deserves.


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## Tico_ES

webeagle12 said:


> Your head is in financial crisis. Please stop posting same thing in every NY thread, you look like an ass. hno:


:lol::lol:

yeah! let's make this crisis disappear! all these speculators looks like asses.


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## nygirl

furthermore, since I have limited insider information on Brookfields property on 9th avenue....local 3 Union is indeed investing alot of money into the site. So while you certainly will see a slow down in NYC construction ( probably a job loss of 50,000-100,000) you will not see a complete stand still. Developers are not stupid. They are not going to fund a condo project they know is not going to get sold within the next two years but an office tower will go up with the expectation that that market will bounce back, which it will. 
People like hed khani just want to see failure in New York, they don't understand what it takes to stop a project or keep a project going during a financial crisis. I hope those of you reading that are awaiting the Midtown West project will trust my judgement over his.


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## Buyckske Ruben

Newcastle Guy said:


> Renders from Hayes Davidson's website, for all the New York peeps:banana::
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wasn't sure if you guys had seen these yet? There are lots more in the site, go and have a look around!


Hmmm... to boxy for me. Its i kind of boring design i hope they will change some things. And the building can be a little taller.


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## Buyckske Ruben

*Hudson Yards will be build!*



















http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/hyards/implementation.shtml


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## dunedin

Buyckske Ruben said:


> Hmmm... to boxy for me. Its i kind of boring design i hope they will change some things. And the building can be a little taller.


I agree needs to be more differebt shapes and colours to theres too much grey


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## Don Omar

New York by nature is a little boxy and this will be a nice flagship for the new Hudson Yards


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## Taylorhoge

I think there simple but elegant another great addition for my hometown


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## Ebola

NYgirl, that's great news. A few members of my family are Local 3 electricians too. This project really is serious business.


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## hkskyline

*Manhattan apartment fundamentals strong, despite turmoil*
8 October 2008
Real Estate Weekly

The escalating contraction of financial services and banking payrolls continue to be a modest drag on the Manhattan apartment market, though vacancy remains tight.

For college graduates and younger professionals, the smaller pool of jobs in the borough has softened leasing activity during the past summer. Consequently, apartment operators are pushing rent growth at a slower pace than in past quarters.

Supported by tourism and favorable exchange-rates, expanding payrolls in the hospitality, restaurant and retail sectors have partially offset the impact of losses in the financial services and banking industries.

Market experts, however, are cautiously looking toward the end of this year and the beginning of 2009. At that juncture, the lack of Wall Street bonuses and expiring severance packages are anticipated to weigh on residential demand.

Despite Manhattan's economic struggles during the past five quarters, leasing activity remains fairly strong and vacant units will still fill quickly as the employment market begins to stabilize, perhaps as early as in the second half of next year.

In Manhattan, builders filed permits for nearly 12,500 multi-family units in a recent 12-month span ending in August, compared with 8,200 applications in the preceding period. Developers rushing to beat the 421 a tax abatement deadline of June 30 caused the increase in activity.

Condominium prices continued to increase at a healthy clip over the past 12 months, with the median sales price appreciating 22% to nearly $1.3 million in the second quarter. The condo market has begun to weaken in recent months, however.

The impact of fewer qualified buyers has caused listing inventory to rise 28%, while sales velocity has declined approximately 22%.

The Department of City Planning has initiated efforts to rezone parts of the East Village and the Lower East Side. The changes would limit the density of multi-family development by cutting existing floor-area ratios (FAR) from 40% to 50%. To bolster affordable housing construction, however, the department is considering increasing FARs along small segments of Second Avenue and Delancey and Houston streets.

Facing budget constraints, the Housing Authority is considering selling air rights in and around the affordable housing developments it manages throughout the city. These development rights would fuel construction activity in areas such as the Upper and Lower East Sides and Central and East Harlem, where 85% of the unused air rights are located.

Despite temporarily increased permitting activity due to the 421 a tax abatement deadline, multi-family permit issuance is forecast to slow in 2008. Approximately 9,400 permits are projected to be issued this year, down slightly from the 9,500 approved in 2007.

Construction of large, market-rate apartment projects has yielded approximately 1,800 new units during the past 12 months. During the preceding period, developers completed nearly 1,700 apartments.

Supported by an elevated pace of construction in the beginning of the year, developers have completed 1,185 units year to date. Additionally, two major projects are expected to come online during the fourth quarter, totaling 300 market-rate rental units.

The Archstone Clinton was this year's largest addition to local inventory. The two-tower project in Midtown West was completed in the first quarter and includes 627 market-rate rental units. Spurred in part by anticipation of the Hudson Yards redevelopment, builders have remained bullish on the Midtown West submarket.

Approximately 60% of this year's apartment completion will occur in the submarket, and nearly 3,100 units are expected to come online between now and early-2010. Completions are forecast to total nearly 1,500 units in 2008, down from the 1,700 units that came online last year.

Vacancy in large, market-rate properties averaged 2.6% in the third quarter, up 40 basis points from the same quarter the previous year. After improving in the fourth quarter 2007, vacancy has increased 50 basis points so far this year. Year-over-year asking rents in large, market-rate properties rose 4.6% to $3,838 per month as of the third quarter; a year ago asking rents had gained 9.2% year over year. Meanwhile, effective rents advanced 4.9% to $3,746 per month, compared with a 9.4% gain a year ago.

Reduced housing demand stemming from job losses will cause vacancy to rise 70 basis points to 2.8% in 2008. Asking and effective rents are forecast to increase a respective 4% and 4.2% to $3,869 per month and $3,746 per month.

The reduced availability of capital continues to constrain investment activity in Manhattan. Lenders' lower loan-to-value requirements have stunted deal flow at opposing ends of the price spectrum. Transactions valued at $2.5 million or less and $50 million or more both declined by more than 50% during the past 12 months.

Speculators have continued to find solid investment opportunities, however; buyer demand persists for assets located in the in the Upper West Side due to the neighborhood's elevated rents and incomes.

Additionally, acquisition activity has been less affected in Washington Heights and East Harlem where flexible sellers and low-income housing tax credits have buoyed investment interest.

Although the turmoil on Wall Street will cast a shadow over the local investment market through year end, rising prices stabilizing velocity lends optimism to the extended outlook.


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## hkskyline

*High Line elevates far West Side
Innovative park spurs development in once-forlorn area *
6 October 2008
Crain's New York Business

People almost had trouble getting to Craftsteak on 10th Avenue to attend the annual gala benefit for High Line park last month. Formerly gritty, deserted sidewalks were thronged with restaurant-goers making their way to such establishments as Del Posto and Morimoto and window-shopping at the Apple Store, Hugo Boss and other trendy retailers.

What a switch.

"Just four years ago, there were so many abandoned buildings, crack dealers and homeless people that it wasn't a place I was comfortable walking through," says Josh David, who along with John Hammond co-founded the Friends of the High Line. The organization is credited with saving the remaining 1.5-mile stretch of the elevated freight railway line above 10th Avenue and turning it into New York's most-discussed park in decades. "The change in such a short time is beyond anything I would have imagined," Mr. David says.

Ever since the city turned a vast swath of Manhattan filled with squatters, waste heaps and sheep into Central Park--transforming the surrounding blocks into New York's choicest real estate--planners and developers have hailed the power of parks to draw people and generate prosperity.

"We've witnessed it time and time again," says Kent Barwick, president of

the Municipal Art Society. "Green open space is such a precious commodity in an urban setting that when you create a wonderful amenity like a park, the adjacent neighborhoods take bloom."

After decades of inaction, New York is rediscovering that important linkage. Brooklyn Bridge and Hudson River parks are taking root along once-inaccessible sections of the waterfront, while the High Line is blossoming on a railway that once served the city's manufacturing base.

Difficult trade-off

because such developments take cash, and lots of it, the financial crisis will undoubtedly slow the process, especially as the new green spaces are set up to be self-supporting. Revenue from developments is expected to cover the tab for park maintenance, a trade-off that has fueled rows between community groups and developers over the scale of construction projects.

Important progress has been made nonetheless, and more is on tap.

Nowhere has change come more quickly and dramatically than along the 22-block strip beneath the High Line, where $900 million worth of projects are under way, according to city figures. Though people won't be able to walk along its paths for a few weeks, the high-profile green space has helped make its environs into a center for art galleries, luxury boutiques, prestige apartments and even offices--and developers are lining up to add more.

Not bad for an industrial-era relic whose value was disputed by local property owners as late as 2003, when their attempts to get the city to demolish it were defeated once and for all. Back then, the area was home to a collection of abandoned factories, a scrap yard, a beer distributorship, and several garages and parking lots.

"The park has brought a sense of excitement and attention to the area," says Charles Blaichman, who is developing his third property there: the High Line Building, a 10-story, 110,000-square-foot office tower at 450 W. 14th St.

The building, which literally straddles the park, is still eight months from opening but has drawn tenant commitments, including from designer Helmut Lang, who has taken two floors.

Meanwhile, design and development firm Flank has lavished $42 million on converting a four-story hanger factory at 520 W. 27th St. into a 60,000-square-foot commercial condominium. Within five months of its opening in March, all 12 units, priced at $1,100 a square foot, had been sold, says Flank's managing director, Tim Crowley.

Far West Chelsea might have taken off regardless of the park, but not to this degree, Mr. Crowley says. He points to the starchitects working on projects there, including Renzo Piano, who is designing the Whitney Museum offshoot slated for the High Line's southern end.

"Shigeru Ban, Annabelle Selldorf, Jean Nouvel, Richard Meier--20 years from now, people will be coming from around the world to walk the High Line and see this architecture," he says.

An explosion in residential building spurred by soaring prices means many will have that view year-round. Average apartment rents have jumped nearly 44% since 2003, to $4,100 a month, according to Halstead Properties. Similarly, the average condo price has soared almost 47%, to $1,070 a square foot, over the same period.

+Art, a 13-story condo at 540 W. 28th St., is one of the 17 residential buildings that are finished or expected to be by year's end. Its sales office opened last month, and developer Erik Eckstein is marketing the 88 units--at an average of $1,325 a square foot--to the arts community. Amenities include what is being billed as a professionally curated art gallery in the lobby.

Sean Ludwick, principal at Black House Development, is also banking on the art set. He is spending $405 a square foot to build the 60-room High Line Hotel on West 27th Street. The hotel is expected to open in early 2010.

All the development, plus the park, is attracting people and shops.

"It's an incredible draw for retailers," says Karen Bellantoni, vice president at Robert K. Futterman & Associates, who placed Apple and Hugo Boss at 401 W. 14th St., the southern terminus of the High Line, at a reported $400 a square foot.

Asking for the moon

today, asking retail rents are close to $200 a square foot on 10th Avenue in the West 20s, including along the restaurant row from West 14th to West 24th streets. Five years ago, those rents ranged from $35 to $45 a square foot.

The district's newfound status has inspired landlords to ask the moon--and prompted developers to pay it. In the past 18 months, Ron Solarz, a director at real estate firm Eastern Consolidated, has sold land adjacent to the High Line for as much as $533 a square foot. Lately, typical sale prices range from $350 to $425 a square foot, about triple what owners were getting in 2003.

While the first section of the High Line is assured, the second part looks anything but. Supporters recently charged that The Related Companies, which is developing the vast Hudson Yards site along the river, is backing away from its commitment to restore the northern end of the High Line. What impact the financial crisis will have on plans to build millions of square feet of office space over the yards now looms as an even bigger question.


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## krull

Anyway the condo boom is slowly coming to an end. I won't be surprice if those new wonderful propose projects in NYC get cancel.  


November 11, 2008

*Toll on New York: It’s Dead*


Robert I. Toll, the chief executive of the luxury home builder Toll Brothers, used to say New York City was the bright spot for home sales. No more.

“New York City was a nice stand-alone beacon,” he said in a conference call this afternoon. “Now it has joined the rest of the country.” That happened, he said, in mid-September after the financial crisis worsened.

“The financial industry has to lose 100,000 jobs,” he said, before his colleagues evidently tried to tell him that was too negative, and he amended his statement to say the loss could be smaller. “That’s got to have an impact,” he added.

One more negative: “The foreign market is not there as it was to support the price of condos,” he said.

He said that one condo project that his company is building in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn was now being marketed as “rent-to-own.”

Mr. Toll was asked in the call if any members of Congress were on board to back his plea to subsidize home prices. He said there had been talks, but he had no endorsements.

As to why the government should be subsidizing home builders when there is an oversupply of houses, he said the country needed the construction jobs.


http://norris.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/toll-on-ny-its-dead/


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## krull

*Shine might be wearing off Manhattan real estate market*


Nov. 14, 2008
By Kelly Nolan and Dawn Wotapka 
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The shine might be wearing off the Big Apple's residential real estate market.

With Wall Street bonuses expected to decline significantly this year and the credit crisis only getting worse, Manhattan - where prices stood firm as those in the rest of the nation crumbled - is destined for a hit.

"It's going to affect all price points," said Jonathan Miller, president and chief executive of Miller Samuel, a real estate appraisal and consulting firm. "Consumers right now are in a wait-and-see mode, and it's not going to get better until the credit situation does."

The economy's recent tumultuous twists and turns haven't shown up in official data yet. In the third quarter, co-op and condo inventory numbers increased and sales numbers fell from their respective record lows and highs last year, according to a report from Prudential Douglas Elliman.

*Listing inventory for co-ops and condos climbed 34.6% to 7,003 units from the 5,204 units in the prior year quarter. Inventory levels in 2007 were near historic lows due to the record level of sales activity during the period that absorbed excess supply. The number of sales fell 24.1% to 2,654 from the prior year quarter of 3,499. Prices so far have held up.*

Some real estate executives say they are already seeing a slowdown. In an earnings preview earlier this week, Robert Toll, chief executive of luxury builder Toll Brothers Inc. (TOL:17.42, -0.63, -3.5%) , said New York, once a "stand-alone and a beacon," has now "joined the ranks of the rest of the country."

The region, which makes up 5% or less of sales, had performed well, but it deteriorated during October's meltdown. "We used to be able to claim New York City" as a top performer, he said. "We don't claim that any more."

Dolly Lenz, a top and well-known New York broker, said she has seen a lot more high-end co-ops hit the market, and Wall Street types putting multiple properties up for sale.

"They bought an apartment, for approximately $23 million. They had an apartment to sell for roughly $11 million," she said. "They don't feel comfortable keeping both."

A main culprit is the decline of the city's financial-services industry, which supplies a sizeable portion of the city's jobs and revenue. By the end of the year, for example, Citigroup Inc. (C:9.52, +0.07, +0.7%) says it will have eliminated 40,000 employees worldwide, with some in New York. This follows pink slips for most, if not all, of the sector's most storied monikers, including Bear Stearns Cos., a victim of the crisis.

*Earlier this month, the New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee forecast that financial activities industry variable wages would plunge 41.3% in 2009, compared with a 12.6% drop in 2008*, noting that "a decline of this magnitude is unprecedented."

Also this month, compensation consulting firm Johnson Associates said *Wall Street bonuses, which includes cash incentives and equity awards, will decline an average of 20% to 35% this year compared with 2007. Investment bankers and fixed-income professionals will be among the hardest hit, with their bonuses expected to go down as much as 45%, a figure some industry bears consider low.*

One recent survey found 31% of financial professionals expected a lower payment over 2007, while 34% predicted no payout at all.

"The magnitude of the decline is consistent with previous downturns," said Alan Johnson, managing director of Johnson Associates. "But 2009 isn't looking better in terms of pay or employment, which makes this feel so much worse."

There's also the mortgage issue. As lenders continue to feel the sting of the boom's lax lending standards, they have tightened requirements, preferring loans for those with a stellar credit score above 720 and money to put down, no small feat in pricey Manhattan. Meanwhile, the rates for jumbo mortgages - $625,000 in 2009 - remain at least a percentage point above smaller 30-year fixed loans, increasing monthly payments, said Jeffrey Guarino, who has worked in Manhattan's mortgage industry since 2001.

*Yet another problem: The nation's economic troubles have spilled into the rest of the world. Foreign buyers, who view New York's market as a bargain and helped save the market when last year's bonuses showed some strain, have since curtailed their buying. The value of the euro, which has been on the decline against the dollar in recent months, is making it less attractive for foreign buyers*, long a staple in Manhattan condo real estate, to snap up homes.

"They are still buying, but do appear more cautious," said Hall Willkie, president of Brown Harris Stevens, a New York residential real estate company. "I would expect there would be fewer sales."

Lenz, who is vice chairman at Prudential Douglas Elliman, added that she has seen more foreign buyers with urgency to make deals before they lose the benefits of the weaker dollar, which she said is expected continue to climb as a result of the upcoming Barack Obama presidency. For example, one European buyer just signed a deal for a roughly $40 million condo, a transaction he had been putting off for months.

Even so, while New York's residential market may experience some near-term pain, observers emphasize that it is much healthier than many others in the country.

Real estate appraiser Miller points to the absorption rate of co-ops and condominiums -* the number of months it would take to absorb the current number of listings at current pace of sales - as an indicator of the city's relative health. For the third quarter, it was 7.9 months, he said.

"Compare that to Miami, which is about 60 months, or D.C., which is over 40 months,"* he said. "It doesn't make the problem go away, but it does give some basis for comparison."

*And foreclosures remain manageable, unlike ailing Las Vegas, where one in every 62 housing units received a foreclosure filing in October, according to RealtyTrac. While the New York City boroughs of Queens and Staten Island have seen dramatic annual increases, in Manhattan, "foreclosure auctions remain virtually nonexistent"* with a 0.005% foreclosure rate per household in the third quarter, according to PropertyShark.com.

Despite current economic woes, some real estate brokers express confidence in the city's real estate long term.

"We know what this is about and we've seen this before," said Steven James, president of Manhattan brokerage Prudential Douglas Elliman. "I think that the city is still in great shape."

Lenz agreed. Manhattan is "an anomaly," she said. "Everybody from around the world wants to have an apartment in New York City."


http://www.marketwatch.com/news/sto...x?guid={179BF410-84D2-48D2-9B7A-2D7DDD1F7174}


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## Don Omar

RSHP win Manhattan terminal










The Port Authority of NY & NJ announced today that it has selected London–based Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners to design a new 42-storey tower and renovations to the Port Authority Bus Terminal located in Mid-town Manhattan.

The proposed air rights development will add approximately 1.3 million sq ft of sustainable first-class office space above the terminal and allow for significant improvements to the terminal facility, including new mass transit opportunities for commuters through increased bus capacity and the renovation of approximately 40,000 sq ft within the existing North Wing for retail use.

Rogers bested US finalists Pelli Clarke Pelli and KPF to land the job. Work is estimated to start in the spring of 2009.

_high def view_


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## **RS**

Some interesting projects.


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## CrazyAboutCities

Not bad! The design remind me of WTC 3 a bit.


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## paul.c.martens

*Four Seasons Hotel and Residences 80 floors 30 Park Place/99 Church 912 ft*

Four Seasons Hotel and Residences 80 floors 30 Park Place/99 Church 912 ft

Looked and looked, and surprised there isn't a thread on this. Foundation work already started back in June and demolition of the previous building started a few months before hand in October 07.

The Four Seasons Hotel New York, Downtown will occupy the first 22 floors of the 80-story tower, which will also include a specialty restaurant operated by the Four Seasons. The remainder of the tower, which rises to a dramatic skyline profile of full-floor penthouses and setback terraces, will accommodate private residences as large as 6,500 square feet. The Residences also will be managed by the Four Seasons.


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## AmyAmy48

*More of the Same*

Hudson looks like a cool project but nothing extraordinary--it looks like many of the buildings in New York City - just newer. I'd love to see something innovative but likely there is only space to build up. Amy, New York Hotels


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## ZZ-II

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12022008/business/luxury_hotel_to_rise_on_57th_st__141770.htm

*LUXURY HOTEL TO RISE ON 57TH ST.*










December 2, 2008


*A 1,000 foot-tall hotel and condo tower is coming to Extell's West 57th Street development site that's now a giant hole in the ground. *

That's according to the company hired to provide "physical and electronic security" for Gary Barnett's project. Aren't security firms supposed to keep secrets secure? 

Louisville, Ky.-based Aegis Security Design claims the tower diagonally across from Carnegie Hall will house a "5-star" Park Hyatt Hotel, stores and luxury condos. 

Extell hired Aegis to provide security-related services for the project that will run from 151-161 W. 57th St., on a site that extends all the way through to 58th Street. 

Extell spokesman George Arzt said yesterday: "No details have been finalized or resolved. Aegis is only a consultant on the project." 

But Aegis says it's "contracted with Extell to provide risk assessment, security programming, system design and construction administration services" on 57th Street. 

Its Web site says *Extell's tower will be LEED-certified and rise to as many as 80 stories. The hotel, stores and a garage will take up 356,467 square feet of a total 882,141 square feet, with condos above the hotel. 

The hotel will boast a "spa, pool area, ballroom and meeting rooms," and "the lobby may contain an atrium." *

Ever since Barnett started gobbling up land on West 57th and 58th streets between Sixth and Seventh avenues a few years ago, what he'll build has transfixed Midtown-watchers. 

The vast site - directly across from Metropolitan Tower and the Russian Tea Room - has been a crater since old buildings were demolished. Last winter, Barnett told us he'd probably do a "5-star" hotel of some sort rising up to 50 stories. 

Extell later fell silent. But now, Aegis appears to have let the cat out of the crater. 

*Sources said Extell is conferring with city agencies - possibly for zoning variances related to air rights purchases, and for landmarks-related approvals. The site is next door to two designated landmarks: the former CAMI Hall at 163-165 W. 57th St. and Alwyn Court on West 58th. *


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## xXFallenXx

a thousand huh?


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## stewartrama

hopefully it will be nice; they can either make it great or ruin the central park- south skyline, as well as the east or west view


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## DesignerVoodoo

*wtc #3 & #4*

Did anyone else see this?

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local...pedestals_may_standin_for_skyscrapers_at.html


this is about buildings 2 & 3, sorry


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## webeagle12

DesignerVoodoo said:


> Did anyone else see this?
> 
> http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local...pedestals_may_standin_for_skyscrapers_at.html
> 
> 
> this is about buildings 2 & 3, sorry


one word BS :bash:


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## hkskyline

*Transit agency, developer delay closing on $1 billion deal to develop Manhattan railyards*
4 February 2009

NEW YORK (AP) - Tough economic times have put off the closing of a $1 billion deal to build office towers and apartments over a huge stretch of railyards, transit officials said Tuesday.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the city's mass transit system, and the Related Cos. developer agreed to extend the Jan. 31 closing date of their contract for the Hudson Yards project by up to a year after the developer expressed concerns about coming up with a $50 million payment to start a 99-year lease for the property.

Related, partnered with Goldman Sachs, was the second developer chosen by the MTA to build more than 10 million square feet of apartments, office towers, shops and a public school over 26 acres of railyards on the West Side of Manhattan.

Tishman Speyer Properties dropped out of the deal last year over the price to lease the land. Related will pay at least $2 billion more than a lease price to build platforms over the railyards along the Hudson River.

The MTA, facing its own $1 billion-plus deficits and contemplating bus and subway service cuts and fare hikes, said it didn't intend to look for a third developer in an economy in which financing has been scarce.

"Today's agreement acknowledges current economic realities without derailing our partnership on this important site for New York's future," MTA Executive Director Elliot G. Sander said.

Related has paid millions of dollars in design fees, has obtained agency approvals and is moving through a process to rezone half the railyards for its project.

"When the markets rebound and with zoning in place, New York City will be poised to build a vibrant new mixed-use community at the rail yards," Related Cos. Chairman Stephen M. Ross said.

The delay on the closing doesn't affect construction schedules yet. Related had never set a date when it would complete the towers, parks, shops and hotels, and construction on the platforms over the tracks isn't expected to begin until next year.


----------



## kingsc

Some pics of BOA not finish but nice anyway I didn't take them and I don't know


----------



## Mr. Lion

Its only a matter of time before some new company arises and builds some massive 3000 foot tall tower. I want to be here that day. 

 :cheers:


----------



## webeagle12

Mr. Lion said:


> Its only a matter of time before some new company arises and builds some massive 3000 foot tall tower. I want to be here that day.
> 
> :cheers:


in NYC there is 0% chance it's get approved.


----------



## Mr. Lion

That is the sad thing.


----------



## CrazyAboutCities

Let's start with 2000+ feet tower first then more taller buildings come along. That will help balance Manhattan skyline better than having one tower pop out of the skyline.


----------



## YJBP809

Damm!! 
Great!!!


----------



## Mr Bricks

webeagle12 said:


> in NYC there is 0% chance it's get approved.


lol, are there height restrictions in Manhattan?


----------



## ZZ-II

of course :lol:


----------



## Don Omar

Van Valkenburgh Takes the Boulevard
*Hudson Yards landscape architect to design linked public corridor*









_LOOKING NORTH TOWARD 42ND STREET, MVVA'S DESIGN, WITH TOSHIKO MORI ARCHITECT, ENVISIONS FLUVIAL FORMS CULMINATING IN A CABLE-STAYED BRIDGE._

12.10.2008
Jeff Byles
archpaper.com

Many New Yorkers are wondering how the Related Companies will muster the wherewithal for its multi-billion Hudson Yards mega-development, but plans are moving ahead for Hudson Park and Boulevard, the newly mapped thoroughfare angling north from the West Side railyards to 42nd Street.

Bringing this linear swath of neighborhood one step closer to reality, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) has been selected as lead designer for the project, which will run west of 10th Avenue and include a 4-acre system of parks linking to the core of Hudson Yards.

Related’s executives let news of the decision slip during a presentation of updated railyard designs at a Community Board 4 meeting on December 1, although the Hudson Yards Development Corporation (HYDC) remains officially mum on the matter. “We’re still negotiating to select the design team, so we really can’t comment,” said Wendy Leventer, the HYDC’s senior vice president of planning and design.

The choice of Van Valkenburgh was perhaps no surprise, as the landscape architect is already on Related’s design team for Hudson Yards. The other finalists for the project were Gustafson Guthrie Nichol with Allied Works Architecture, West 8 with Mathews Nielsen, Work AC with Balmori Associates, and Hargreaves Associates with TEN Arquitectos.

Van Valkenburgh’s office, which will design the boulevard with Toshiko Mori Architect, adds the project to a busy New York portfolio, which includes Brooklyn Bridge Park, a stretch of Hudson River Park, and the revamp of the north end of Union Square Park. The office deemed the dynamic public spaces of this last project a prototype for their Hudson Boulevard scheme. 

“Our idea was to take the elements of Union Square and redeploy them so they would work on a long, linear site,” Matthew Urbanski, principal at MVVA, told AN. “It’s got a civic quality and a grand quality, and the plazas end up being these fantastic places that can support farmers’ markets and impromptu gatherings." 

In some ways, the boulevard is a remnant of the city’s quashed 2012 Olympics bid, once destined as a grand urban gesture leading to a stadium atop the railyards. Now, the city envisions residential and commercial towers stretching south from 42nd Street, where the project’s flashiest element would be placed: a cable-stayed pedestrian bridge, designed with Mori’s office and engineers Schlaich Bergermann, spanning the Lincoln Tunnel approach. The public space would then expand into what Urbanski called “fluvially informed shapes,” with grassy areas surrounded by more densely planted, tree-lined sections along the boulevard. Plans also call for an entrance to the No. 7 subway extension between 33rd and 34th streets, with a domed glass canopy designed by Mori. The park would terminate within the Hudson Yards site, focusing on a yet-to-be-determined cultural center.









_THE PARK ALONG THE CENTER OF THE BOULEVARD WOULD BE MODELED AFTER UNION SQUARE'S MULTIDIRECTIONAL URBAN PLAZAS._

Local residents have questioned how the boulevard would link to the large public space planned for the heart of the 26-acre railyard site, which Related is developing with Goldman Sachs. Asked about the plans at the community board meeting, Vishaan Chakrabarti, Related’s executive vice president of design and planning, described the boulevard as flowing seamlessly into the complex, although details within Hudson Yards remain to be refined.

“We’re still working on exactly how that’s done,” Urbanski told AN. “It flows south to the cultural center, then there’s a movement west to the river. It’s an interesting design challenge to figure out how to create a series of spaces that aren’t all one gesture—that would be kind of boring—but flow naturally from one to another.”

Given the economic meltdown, the full build-out may take a while. But plans are optimistically afoot to begin razing the dozens of structures in the new boulevard’s path, including the 65,000-square-foot former FedEx building on 34th Street, that the city has been busily acquiring. The HYDC aims to complete the project’s first phase, between 33rd and 36th streets, by 2013.


----------



## Don Omar

Fore!
*Nation's largest green roof atop Bronx water plant doubles as driving range*










02.26.2009
Matt Chaban
archpaper.com

Mosholu Golf Course in the Bronx is one of a dozen run by the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Its compact layout is typical of New York’s urban courses—nine holes, tree-lined fairways, the odd sand bunker—save for one highly unusual obstacle: the $2.1 billion drinking water treatment facility under construction on what used to be the driving range.

When this heavily secured compound is completed in 2012, it’s due to be topped by far more than just new turf. Grimshaw and landscape architect Ken Smith have designed one of the largest and most intensive green roofs to date, which is also a fully functioning driving range. And an irrigation system for the golf course. And an integrated security program for the facility below. Think Pebble Beach meets the Biosphere meets Rikers.

“The distinction here is it’s not just a green roof, but a performative green roof that needs to provide all these functions,” Smith said in an interview. “I think we’re pushing both the design of the green roof and the design of the golf course in new directions. We’re working to see how far we can push the diversity of the ecology and still adhere to the constraints of the golf course.”

This quietly radical project is the result of more than a decade of debate over whether or not water from the Croton Reservoir, the smallest of the city’s three, needed treatment after more than a century of going without. That was followed by battles with Bronx residents over which and even whether the borough’s parks would be torn up to make way for the new plant. The city finally broke ground on the facility in 2004, and the driving range has moved to a temporary site while the complex roofscape takes shape.









_THE CLUBHOUSE AND RANGE WILL SEAMLESSLY EXTEND VAN CORTLANDT PARK._

The engineering challenges are formidable. At nine acres, the $95 million driving range is the largest contiguous green roof in the country. So when it rains at the range, it pours, which creates a paradoxical hazard for the plant below. “It’s of paramount importance to the City of New York that this building stay dry, despite being full of water,” said David Burke, the project architect at Grimshaw. So to handle the millions of gallons that can accumulate on the green roof during a storm, the design team has devised a natural filtration system to collect, process, and store the runoff.

The range’s unique topography not only provides green-like targets for golfers, who tee off from the perimeter of the circular structure, but helps channel rainwater into the collection basins, where it meets groundwater pumped in from the plant’s four sump pumps. The water then travels through a series of ten cells that ring the range, each one modeled on a different native ecosystem to serve different filtration purposes. It takes up to eight days for water to travel through the cells, at which point it’s collected and used to irrigate the golf course.

“We’re not just dumping it in the sewer,” said Mark Laska, president of Great Ecology & Environments, one of two ecological designers on the project. “It’s a true display of sustainable green design in an urban environment.”

The design team wanted to convey such sustainable lessons to the public, especially the kids enrolled in the First Tee outreach program at Mosholu, and so the cells were left in plain view. Furthermore, because they are sunk ten feet below grade, they serve as a moat of sorts that helps protect the city’s water supply, which is seen as a potential target for terrorists.

To that end, Grimshaw has also designed the guardhouse and screening buildings that security constraints required, in addition to the new clubhouse and tee boxes on the range. (Grimshaw is not designing the plant, however, which is the work of a specialized engineering firm.)

It's an unlikely commission, to be sure, but one the architects embraced. “It’s very fitting for Grimshaw,” as Burke put it. “We tend to gravitate toward these oddball projects.”









_THE CLUBHOUSE, SPORTING A GREEN ROOF OF ITS OWN, IS SITED ALONG THE PERIMETER OF THE RANGE._


----------



## Don Omar

Fourth Transportation Mega Project in New York City Soon to Enter Construction Phase










12 March 2009
from The Transport Politic blog by Yonah Freemark
thetransportpolitic.com

*New Jersey Transit and the Port Authority soon to begin construction on Access to the Region’s Core*

Days like this make you step back and realize just how far we’ve come. On Friday, New Jersey Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will begin advertising bids for the first construction contracts for the Access to Region’s Core project. This rail tunnel will be the fourth major transit expansion project currently under construction in New York City, after the Long Island Railroad’s East Side Access project, the Second Avenue Subway’s first phase, and the extension of the 7 subway line.

The $8.7 billion project, to open for service in 2017, will provide new tracks for commuter trains under the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York City and create a huge new 6-track station under 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan (pictured above). The first construction will occur in North Bergen, though tunneling will follow soon after in Manhattan. New Jersey assigned $130 million of its transit stimulus funds towards the project. Both NJ Transit and the Port Authority have been generous in their distribution of funds to the project so far, though it still needs financial assurance from the federal government - likely to come this year - to complete the program.

I have a number of concerns about the project, many of which I addressed a few months ago here. As currently designed, the project will make it difficult to expand the tunnels to the East Side of Manhattan; the new station will be far too deep in the ground, making commutes inconvenient; and Amtrak will not be able to use the tracks for through service because there won’t be a connection to the existing Penn Station.

But those qualms aside, the fact remains that we haven’t seen investment in transit like this - together, the projects total more than $20 billion - since the 1930s. We’re virtually doubling commuter rail capacity into Manhattan, we’re taking dramatic steps to relieve the overcrowded Lexington Avenue lines, and we’re opening up a whole new area for central business district development. New York is being provided the vital arteries that will ensure its continued health in the 21st century.

In the early 1990s, it would have been difficult to imagine such a large investment in Gotham’s transport infrastructure, especially after the repeated failures in getting these projects started back in the 1970s.

It is ironic, then, that these investments are being implemented now, just after the conclusion of the truly transit-hostile Bush Administration. We can thank the renewed interest in urban life than began fifteen years ago, New York’s dramatic comeback, and the resilience of the metropolitan area’s politicians in the face of policy that would have otherwise kept these projects in the fantasy bin.

It also tells us that we need to work harder during the Obama Administration to make sure than a transit-friendly government maintains and increases the support Washington has provided for public transportation in recent years. This applies to New York, of course, but also to all of the nation’s metropolitan areas, each of which need and should expect money for better transit.

With these projects underway, it’s time to get started on the next batch. I’m thinking Second Avenue Subway phases II, III, and IV, Metro-North West Side Access, Moynihan Station, Triborough RX, and maybe even an Atlantic Avenue subway.


----------



## Don Omar

Too Big to Fail
*LPC approves St. Vincent's plans for hospital tower*









_THIRD TIME'S A CHARM: PEI COBB FREED & PARTNERS' DESIGN FOR A NEW HOSPITAL TOWER FOR ST. VINCENT'S, SEEN LOOKING SOUTH DOWN 7TH AVENUE._

03.10.2009
Matt Chaban
archpaper.com

The fate of Albert C. Ledner’s National Maritime Union headquarters was all but sealed this morning when the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the latest iteration of the tower proposed by St. Vincent’s Hospital for the site of the much-debated Greenwich Village landmark. At the same time, a coalition of preservation groups and neighbors opened another front in their long-running battle against the hospital and its plans, filing a lawsuit to stop the demolition of the 1966 structure known as the O’Toole Building.

In the 8-3 vote, the commission awarded a certificate of appropriateness for Pei Cobb Freed & Partners’ design for the tower, which has been reduced further to 278 feet, one of nearly a dozen new concessions made by the architect and endorsed by a majority of the commissioners.

“I really cannot recall anything this body has dealt with with such concern and compassion for such a challenging and complex application,” Robert Tierney, the commission chair, said. “But we live in a real world and we cannot ignore the important social concerns that are raised with this application. That said, I believe this building will contribute to the character of the neighborhood and that we, through this process, have pushed it to a place where I can find it appropriate.”









_THE O'TOOLE BUILDING, ON WHOSE SITE THE HOSPITAL TOWER WILL RISE._

St. Vincent’s has been one of the longest applications in recent memory, beginning in the fall of 2007. The hospital has partnered with developer Bill Rudin, who will pay $310 million toward the construction of the $850 million hospital tower in exchange for the right to build a condominium complex, designed by FXFowle, on the existing hospital campus across the street. In May 2008, the commission voted down the project on grounds that it was inappropriate in scale and character for the lowrise Greenwich Village Historic District, and that the applicant failed to justify the demolition of Ledner’s landmark, which is now owned by St. Vincent’s.

The team returned in June 2008 with a new proposal that included a hardship application, which the commission reluctantly supported in October. While today’s vote was not the last—the commission still has to determine the appropriateness of the condominiums—the biggest hurdle is over. Or, as Tierney put it before the vote, “This is a threshold point.”

Throughout the public review process, a quiet, though occasionally boisterous, battle between health care and preservation has been playing out. “There are good arguments on all sides of this, but the foremost is still the mission to heal, mend, and care for the community,” commissioner Christopher Moore said in casting his supporting vote for the project. “I can say, if O’Toole is going down for a good cause, this is a great cause.”









_A VIEW OF THE 7TH AVENUE FACADE._

Every commissioner who voted for the project found that the concessions made over the course of the public review had greatly improved the proposed building, which had once stood as high as 329 feet, before being reduced in June to 299 feet, and now rises 278 feet, though the final version technically reaches 286 feet at the setback.

To reduce the height, cooling towers that had been located in the basement have been moved to the roof of the adjacent Handling Center, a small building across 12th Street that serves as the loading dock for the hospital. This allowed for the transfer of one floor from the tower to the basement, while improving the appearance of the Handling Center. “What had once resembled a single-story suburban drive-in is now a much more appropriate building,” commissioner Fred Bland said. Additionally, a few inches were shaved off each floor, with diagnostic floor heights reduced from 16 feet to 15 feet 4 inches, and patient floors from 13 feet 4 inches to 13 feet.









_A DETAIL OF THE NEW TERRA COTTA LOUVRES._

Another change was the addition of terra cotta louvers to the ribbon windows that many commissioners decried in December as too institutional. While the ribbon windows still exist, some panes have been screened over with louvers in a pattern the commission found appropriate for the Village. Similarly, the entry and street wall have been enlivened with windows that more closely resemble the Village’s ubiquitous row houses, while an art installation has been proposed for one wall of the Handling Center.

Even the commissioners who voted against the project conceded that much thought had gone into the tower’s latest iteration. “I think what’s been proposed at the ground floor is generally an improvement and is appropriate,” commissioner Stephen Byrns said, “but my threshold is still the height, and it’s still too tall.” Commissioner Roberta Brandes Gratz, another dissenter, actually saw Pei Cobb Freed’s due diligence as a strike against the project. “I must say the innovations up to now are considerable, though that same approach could be applied to renovating the existing building or working on an alternative site,” she said.









_LOOKING EAST DOWN 12TH STREET AT THE INTERSECTION OF GREENWICH AVENUE. THE HANDLING CENTER CAN BE SEEN TO THE RIGHT._

For its part, the development team agreed that the process had been worth it. “We believe the design has actually become stronger through this process,” Ian Bader, the partner-in-charge, said. “Even though the situation at times has been daunting, the result has been far better for it.” Rudin said he saw the vote as a confirmation of the team's hard work, adding that he expects to go before the commission with the condominium project within “the next couple of months, as soon as their ready.”

Preservationists were disappointed by the vote, if unsurprised. “This is basically what we expected,” said Melissa Baldock, a preservation fellow at the Municipal Art Society. “The vote fell along the lines of the hardship, so we really see it as more a confirmation of that than a vote for this building.”


----------



## Kwame

Thanks for the updates Don Omar, all of those projects are excellent. :yes:


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## katafei

*Strand hotel*

HI,

sorry if this has been asked before, but the search button does not give any results and I can't really start browsing 51 pages. Well, I could, but it is a lot.

In the first post of the OP, the 35th building is the Strand Hotel in NY.
Does anyone know how this building is coming along?

thanks very much in advance!


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## Buyckske Ruben

*Clinton Park.*

Mixed-use block provides horse, car and human housing in central Manhattan
Located at the western edge of Midtown Manhattan, *the Clinton Park mixed-use development, currently in the first stages of construction,* will occupy more than half of a city block with 1.3 million sq ft of commercial and residential programs.










Designed by Enrique Norten and Ten Arquitectos, the building fills a void in the urban fabric by integrating multiple commercial uses at the base and providing 900 housing units in the 27 floors above. The base building will include a 50,000 sq-ft auto showroom fronting 11th Avenue with 250,000 sq ft of service floors below grade, a 30,000 sq-ft horse stable for the NYPD Mounted Police, a 7,500 square-foot neighborhood market, a 30,000 square-foot health club, and 200 parking spaces.










The overall massing of the project slopes up and away from Clinton Park, starting at 96 feet along 11th Avenue and climbing up to 348 feet at the middle of the residential block; this height transition negotiates two very dissimilar urban scales: the flat, horizontal one of the park located to the west of 11th Avenue and the vertical, windowless structure of the telephone switching tower to the east of the site. 

Securing light and air for a great majority of apartment units, the double loaded corridor shifts diagonally across the site in a unique orientation to the Manhattan grid, reducing the building’s mass adjacent to the neighboring buildings. 










Each floor steps up from the one below, allowing for unobstructed views to the park and Hudson River and providing private roof terraces with green roofs on every floor. A varied treatment of street walls and interior facades creates a solid exterior with smaller openings along the street edges of the building, while lighter facades skin the building where the form pulls away from the street. This language of interior and exterior makes reference to the historic court spaces of New York City housing. 

The building’s mirrored structure introduces the creation of two garden terraces, a unique green feature among the city’s urban grid. The gardens and the green roofs on each floor introduce a refreshing sense of proximity to nature into the otherwise massive structure.

source: worldarchitecturenews



THIS IS BEAUTIFULL !!! 

:banana: :banana: :banana:

This is buildingdesign of the future "green cities" :cheers:


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## DzD1358

^^ I like this project very much.


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## CrazyAboutCities

That is very interesting project. That building reminds me of one building in Sao Paulo in Brazil. I forgot the name of building.


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## nygirl

Yeah I love this Clinton Park project. I don't know why it drew in so many skeptics when it was first introduced. It will look terriffic from the street at night.


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## Buyckske Ruben

^^^^

That city deserve the number one place in the world. The world is looking to the U.S if it goes of new trends (point)


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## desertpunk

rencharles said:


> This topic is almost dead, any news?


I started a NY development thread in the New York City forum in hopes that people will post updates and news. I'll try to add what I can...


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## rencharles

Nice, I'll take a look!


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## rencharles

Off topic: I wish there were big projects, like those provided in China.:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=926448


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## Myster E

^^^ Hmmm...buddy, you may want to remove your post cause it's flame bait and off topic


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## rencharles

Take it easy. I only made one comment, and posted a link. But if it is forbidden I delete my comment.


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## Langur

New York does have lots of supertall scrapers on the way. Currently there are two supertalls under construction (Freedom Tower and 57 Carnegie) and another tower that misses supertall height by just 3m (4WTC). Next month, WTC3 will start, which will mean 3 supertalls + 1 almost supertall under construction at once. WTC2 will start before long, and there are a whole slew of other supertall projects in New York's pipeline:
http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=47168119

When you consider that New York already has two supertalls (Empire State Building and Chrysler) and another two which are supertalls including a separate* spire (New York Times and Bank of America), then it's clear that New York will retake the lead from Hong Kong (6 true supertalls, and a 7th if spire is included), and stay ahead of any mainland Chinese city when it comes to 300m+ buildings.

Shanghai, for instance, currently has just two convincing supertall skyscrapers, with just one and possibly two more under construction. Beijing has only one at present. There are some new skyscraper projects coming Beijing's way, but they're not enough for Beijing to catch New York.

It's actually Dubai that's really kicking arse, with 17 buildings already over the 300m mark, another two to rise above that height in the coming months, and the 20th (!!) Dubai supertall will probably be the 516m Pentominium.



* _I think Chrysler has a better claim to be a true supertall than the New York Times Building or Bank of America because its spire is integrated with the roof rather than separate._


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## desertpunk

There's a lot of stuff on the boards including 3 massive megadevelopments that will include supertalls. All in approval process or already approved and awaiting a rebound in the commercial real estate market which determines what gets built in the US.


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## HK999

i posted this before in other threads...

*NYC construction status* (updated list, includes U/C, App, Prep, Pro)​
*SUPERTALLS*

*U/C:*

- 1WTC (417m roof, 541m spire)
- 157W. 57th St. (306m roof)

*Approved:*

- Tower Verre (320m roof - needs a redesign, will be built)
- 3WTC (349m roof, 378m spire - construction starting soon, Prep)
- 2WTC (390m roof, 414m spire, construction starting this summer)
- The Gira Sole (305m roof- when they finish the subway tunnel (soon) this will be U/C, Prep)
- Tishman Speyer Towers (336m x 2, on hold, Prep)

*Proposed:*

- 15 Penn Plaza (365m roof, currently in the approval phase)
- Midtown Towers (371m roof - aka One Manhattan West)
- Brookfield Properties Towers (370m roof, they need to build the platform first)
- New York Tower (305m roof)

*SKYSCRAPERS*

*U/C:*

- 4WTC (297m roof)
- 440 West 42nd street (204m roof, still need conformation about the final height)
- 99 Church Street (278m roof, construction started, currently on hold)
- 56 Leonard Street (253m roof, construction started, currently on hold)
- Beekman Tower (267m roof, already T/O)
- The Setai (200m+, already T/O)

*Approved:*

- 250 East 57th Street (218m roof, Phase I already U/C, Phase II following)
- 366 10th Avenue (236m roof)
- 50 West Street (213m roof, on hold)
- 610 Lexington Avenue (215m roof, on hold)
- 5WTC (228m roof)

*Proposed:*

- 1 Madison Avenue Addition (285m roof)
- PANYNJ Tower (261m roof)
- 260 12th Avenue Hotel (252m)
- Two Manhattan West (285m roof)


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## rencharles

Good News, and really ... Eg in places like Shanghai, we see some tall buildings. While in NY, the entire city is closed and all tall buildings.


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## rencharles

*Projects Super Talls | Skyscrapers in New York*

Super Talls

Supertalls - at least 300m/1,000 ft tall

# 1WTC (Freedom Tower) | 541m | 1776ft | 108 fl | Under Construction
# 2WTC (200 Greenwich Street) | 408m | 1339ft | 76 fl | Approved
# 3WTC (175 Greenwich Street) | 383m | 1255ft | 71 fl | Approved 










# Brookfield Properties Towers | 370m | 1216ft | 284m | 935ft | Proposed 










# Tower Verre (320m roof - needs a redesign, will be built) Approved










# 15 Penn Plaza | 365m | 1198ft | 66fl | Proposed 










# Carnegie 57 | 306m | 1005ft | 75 fl | U/C










# The GiraSole | 305m | 1000ft | Preparation 










Skyscrapers - between 200-299m/650-999ft tall

# 4WTC (150 Greenwich Street) | 297m | 975ft | 61 fl | Under Construction 










# 1 Madison Avenue Addition | 285m | 937ft | Proposed 










# 30 Park Place | 278m | 912ft | 80 fl | Preparation/On Hold 










# Beekman Place | 267m | 876ft | 76 fl | T/O 










# 56 Leonard Street | 250m | 821ft | 57 fl | On Hold 










# 250 East 57th Street | 218m | 715ft | 59fl | Preparation 










# 50 West Street | 213m | 700ft | 69fl | Preparation/On Hold


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## desertpunk

^^56 Leonard was prepped and then placed on hold. The developer is sticking to a 2011 start date.


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## CrazyAboutCities

Wow! I never seen 15 Penn Plaza rendering before. It is great addition to midtown NYC skyline! I don't know what to say about Carnegie 57. This rendering isn't great and need to see more renderings. However, I like almost every projects going on in NYC. Do you guys think NYC will ever get hypertall?


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## rencharles

Well, on the 57th Carnegie project, believe it will be a great addition to the skyline of NY. The height of the 57 Carnegie is great, but I did not like the glass of the project. I think the glasses could be darker, which would fit better with the surrounding buildings near Central Park.

I believe that in coming years, the trend is to have more Super talls in NYC. There are many places that can be added amazing skyscrapers, we just need the economy to encourage us, that many designers will think of something to the space to be filled.


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## Chad

rencharles said:


> Super Talls
> 
> # 50 West Street | 213m | 700ft | 69fl | Preparation/On Hold


For Christ's sake ! They torn down one great copper top building and left it halted!


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## JC_Zwolle

It would be nice to see the two skylines (Financial District & Midtown) merge together in time. In between these districts should come some even higher buildings than the current highest U/C WTC1 (hypertalls as some would call them). THEN you would have an amazing skyline!


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## xXFallenXx

JC_Zwolle said:


> It would be nice to see the two skylines (Financial District & Midtown) merge together in time. In between these districts should come some even higher buildings than the current highest U/C WTC1 (hypertalls as some would call them). THEN you would have an amazing skyline!


No, it wouldn't.
The space in between the two skylines has some of the best urban neighborhoods in the world. It's some of the best parts of Manhattan, it doesn't need supertalls.


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## helghast

Do we have a Thread for 50 West Street ?


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## desertpunk

From Curbed http://www.tribecatrib.com/news/2009/august/305_arrested-developments.html



> *50 WEST STREET IF IT'S NOT ONE THING, IT'S ANOTHER*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rendering by Helmut Jahn / Photo by Carl Glassman
> 
> Developer Time Equities broke ground in June 2008 on a 66-story hotel/condo tower at 50 West Street. It was a grand affair, with the company’s CEO Francis Greenberger and city officials joined by a vicar, a reverend and a rabbi to bless the site. More than a year later, divine intervention may still be in order. By fall the work had stopped and today that ground remains a neatly maintained but dusty lot. Designed by architect Helmut Jahn, the $600-million mixed-use tower was to include a hotel on the first 14 floors, condominiums above and a public plaza.
> 
> According to a Time Equities source, who did not want to be identified, delayed completion of the foundation means that construction now must wait, not due to financing, but because the work can’t coincide with the State Department of Transportation’s planned reconstruction of West Street. “The impact that [foundation work] would have on the water table makes it not feasible for us to build,” the source said.


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## rencharles

Before late, than never to be done ^^


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## desertpunk

rencharles said:


> Before late, than never to be done ^^


At last word, Time Equities is projecting a 2012 start but they have had some problems of their own so who knows?


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## Jim856796

I expect the 1 Madison Avenue addition and 56 Leonard to be drastically redesigned or else they may be cancelled.


----------



## rencharles

rencharles said:


> Super Talls
> 
> Supertalls - at least 300m/1,000 ft tall
> 
> # 1WTC (Freedom Tower) | 541m | 1776ft | 108 fl | Under Construction
> # 2WTC (200 Greenwich Street) | 408m | 1339ft | 76 fl | Approved
> # 3WTC (175 Greenwich Street) | 383m | 1255ft | 71 fl | Approved
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> # Brookfield Properties Towers | 370m | 1216ft | 284m | 935ft | Proposed
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> # Tower Verre (320m roof - needs a redesign, will be built) Approved
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> # 15 Penn Plaza | 365m | 1198ft | 66fl | Proposed
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> # Carnegie 57 | 306m | 1005ft | 75 fl | U/C
> 
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> 
> 
> # The GiraSole | 305m | 1000ft | Preparation
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Skyscrapers - between 200-299m/650-999ft tall
> 
> # 4WTC (150 Greenwich Street) | 297m | 975ft | 61 fl | Under Construction
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> # 1 Madison Avenue Addition | 285m | 937ft | Proposed
> 
> 
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> 
> # 30 Park Place | 278m | 912ft | 80 fl | Preparation/On Hold
> 
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> 
> # Beekman Place | 267m | 876ft | 76 fl | T/O
> 
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> 
> # 56 Leonard Street | 250m | 821ft | 57 fl | On Hold
> 
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> 
> # 250 East 57th Street | 218m | 715ft | 59fl | Preparation
> 
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> 
> # 50 West Street | 213m | 700ft | 69fl | Preparation/On Hold


 Of the above projects, most of them being built, I'll be satisfied


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## rencharles

http://www.dnainfo.com/20100714/man...ne-giant-step-closer-demolition#ixzz0tiM12Dxh

Hotel Pennsylvania is One Giant Step Closer to Demolition

If approved by the City Council, the new 15 Penn Plaza office tower will become one of the tallest buildings in the city.

July 14, 2010 8:04pm
By Jill Colvin

MANHATTAN — It looks like lights out for Hotel Pennsylvania.

The City Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of razing the storied hotel to make way for a new Vornado Realty office tower, despite fierce opposition by Community Board 5.

If the decision is approved by the City Council, the new 1,200-foot 15 Penn Plaza tower will become one of the tallest buildings in the city and add nearly two million square feet of commercial floor space to midtown, according to an environmental impact statement filed with the commission.

The project also includes the re-opening of an underground passageway under the south side of 33rd Street, which will connect the Sixth and Seventh Avenue subway lines as well as the PATH trains so commuters no longer have to transfer outside.

Planning Commission Chair Amanda Burden said the property, directly across from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, is an "ideal location for high density development."

"At nearly 80,000 square feet, the site offers an opportunity for precisely the type of well-designed…office building that New York City needs to stay globally competitive," she said before casting a 'yea' vote.

Vornado Realty Trust, which acquired full rights to the hotel in 1999, would not comment on the decision.


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## desertpunk

Jim856796 said:


> I expect the 1 Madison Avenue addition and 56 Leonard to be drastically redesigned or else they may be cancelled.


Maybe but considering all of the hurdles of the approval process, it's doubtful that any developer would willingly give up hard-fought square footage and air rights. 56 Leonard will be built, accoding to the developer. I'm not sure that One Madison has gone through all of the approval obstacles...


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## rencharles

This reminds me of something ...
http://nyc-architecture.com/?p=687


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## Jim856796

The city has rejected landmark status of a building near Ground zero. That building is being torn down for a mosque. A mosque should not be built on that site, why couldn't a skyscraper be built on that location instead?


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## Atmosphere

Jim856796 said:


> The city has rejected landmark status of a building near Ground zero. That building is being torn down for a mosque. A mosque should not be built on that site, why couldn't a skyscraper be built on that location instead?


Ehm I thought that mosque is just a few floors IN a skyscraper.... But I'm not sure. So there shouldn't be a problem.


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## Roope E

Jim856796 said:


> The city has rejected landmark status of a building near Ground zero. That building is being torn down for a mosque. A mosque should not be built on that site, why couldn't a skyscraper be built on that location instead?


Haha. That'd be funny if they actually built one of these on the site http://openbuildings.com/buildings/sultan-salahuddin-abdul-aziz-mosque-profile-1443.html


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## Hed_Kandi

*One Central Park has just been Approved! - Construction set to begin this December!*










http://www.archdaily.com/71946/one-central-park-jean-nouvel/#more-71946


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## Uaarkson

Holy fucking shit that is awful. I'd rather the entirety of western Manhattan be covered in MSGs than have that thing within a hundred miles of the city. uke: uke: uke:


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## Atmosphere

Wow, I think it looks good. I'm really curious to see this one once finished.


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## sbarn

Hed_Kandi said:


> *One Central Park has just been Approved! - Construction set to begin this December!*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.archdaily.com/71946/one-central-park-jean-nouvel/#more-71946


This is in Sydney, not New York.


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## Middle-Island

sympathies to Sydney


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## desertpunk

It looks like a cross between the Bunker Hill apartments in LA and 56 leonard St. Not that bad and Sydney needs all the housing development they can get.


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## rencharles

*Approval is official*










A new 67-storey skyscraper has won the approval of the New York authorities despite efforts to stop the construction by the owner of the Empire State Building.

The full city council backed the 15 Penn Plaza by a 47-1 vote.

The office building will stand nearly as tall as the 102-storey Empire State Building (ESB), two blocks away.

ESB owner Anthony Malkin had argued the new building would ruin the "uniqueness" of the city's skyline.

But New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Manhattan should embrace new investments, adding: "Anybody that builds a building in New York City changes its skyline.

"We don't have to run around to every other owner and apologize," Mr Bloomberg told a news conference.

"One guy owns a building, and he'd like to have it be the only tall building. I'm sorry that's not the real world," he added.

A spokesman for the building's developer said the building would be an "an outstanding addition to New York's skyline".

In a statement, Mr Malkin said: "This is not about banning tall buildings, but about preserving the very uniqueness of the New York City skyline."

The Empire State Building, which stands 1,250ft (381m), was the tallest building in New York City until the construction of the World Trade Center in Manhattan's Financial District in 1970.

The building, built in 1931, once again held the title following the 9/11 attacks.

The new skyscraper will stand 1,190ft-tall (363m). Its development is still in the planning stages.

By: BBC News


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## Hed_Kandi

What is the status of this tower?


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## Simfan34

sbarn said:


> This is in Sydney, not New York.


phew.


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## DesignerVoodoo

http://ny.racked.com/archives/2010/09/15/ralph_lauren_womens_unveiled.php

Ralph Lauren's women's shop has been unveiled. Perfection! Brand new construction has never looked so good. The neighborhood thanks you Mr. Lauren.


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## DesignerVoodoo

There are better photos here.

http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2010/09/thank-you-ralph-truly-magnificent-new.html


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## Simfan34

desertpunk said:


> New Penn Station/MSG concourse rendering


..


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## desertpunk

*DNAinfo*



> New Seaport Owner Revives Development Talks
> Updated 5 hrs ago
> December 16, 2010
> By Julie Shapiro DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SOUTH STREET SEAPORT — Many downtown residents breathed a sign of relief when South Street Seaport owner General Growth Properties declared bankruptcy in 2009 and put its controversial development plans on hold. But those plans, or something similar, could now be making a comeback.
> 
> The new owner of the Seaport, a General Growth spinoff called Howard Hughes Corp., has begun speaking with city agencies and SHoP Architects about options for redoing the property, a SHoP member said.
> 
> Corie Sharples, principal at SHoP, said the firm has not done any "physical work" for Howard Hughes but has attended meetings with them. "They’re proceeding very, very cautiously," Sharples said. "They’re talking with the city before doing anything else." SHoP Architects designed General Growth’s original 2008 plan to raze the Pier 17 mall and build a hotel and retail complex anchored by a 500-foot tower.
> 
> General Growth Properties' 2008 plan for the South Street Seaport, including a new 500-foot tower. (SHoP Architects)Local residents were concerned about the height of the tower and worried that the upscale development would shut out the community. General Growth proposed several givebacks to assuage those concerns, including a community center and a school.
> 
> The plan had strong support from the city Economic Development Corp., which owns the Seaport property, but it hit a snag at the city Landmarks Preservation Commission.
> 
> In November 2008, Landmarks commissioners slammed the project, calling the design “inappropriate” for the South Street Seaport Historic District. Commissioners also raised concerns about General Growth’s plan to move the historic Tin Building from the base of the pier to its tip. The commissioners did not vote on the plan, but they suggested that General Growth revise it.
> 
> However, General Growth was struggling under $27 billion in debt and soon saw its stock price fall below 50 cents a share. In April 2009, before returning to the LPC with revised plans, General Growth declared bankruptcy and put all development on hold.
> 
> General Growth officially emerged from bankruptcy earlier this fall, after splitting into two companies. GGP retained more than 180 malls across the country, while the spinoff Howard Hughes Corp. — bolstered by investments from Pershing Square Capital, Brookfield Asset Management and others — took over the properties with development potential, including the Seaport.
> 
> Howard Hughes Corp. has not spoken publicly about plans for the Seaport, and the company’s staff has not responded to Community Board 1’s request that they attend a public meeting, the board’s staff said. A Howard Hughes spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
> 
> 
> Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20101216/downtown/new-seaport-owner-revives-development-talks#ixzz18JUJ7xPY


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## Dylan Leblanc

Here is the NYC highrise development map on SkyscraperPage - *http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/maps/?cityID=8&z=13&status=1* (IE users careful, loads slow - Chrome or Firefox recommended)

75 proposed and U/C buildings marked currently.


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## emigrant

3.13.2011
Brooklyn Barclays Center


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## japanese001

rencharles said:


>


This building resembles the A.I..


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Copy and pasted this list from SSP, thanks to SONY for writing it out. I added some. These are all at different stages of development, from just proposals to u/c. Sure I'm missing some.

160 west 62nd | 54 floors
29 Flatbush Avenue | 457 FT / 139 M | 42 FLOORS
425 Park Ave. | FT| Floors
100 Varick St | FT | 20 FLOORS | PREP
The Charles | 398 feet | 34 floors
309 Fifth Avenue | 449 feet | 34 floors
50 W 40th St. | Proposed
10 UN Plaza | 520 FT / 158 M | 40 FLOORS
Riverside Center | 526/535/487/456/393 FT | 44-31 FLOORS
140 W. 42nd St (Hotel) | FT | 30 FLOORS
610 W. 57th St. | FT | 48 FLOORS | SITE PREP
855 6th ave l 455 FT / 139 M l 30 Fl l Site Prep
740 Eighth Ave | FT | FLOORS
(Remy) 28th & 6th ave| FT | FLOORS
Duarte Square | 429 FT | FLOORS
W 57th St. (Pyramid) | 467 FT | FLOORS 
Tryon Center (Broadway & 190th St) | FT | 42, 39, 33, 23 FLOORS
78 Trinity Place | FT | 60 FLOORS
Hunter's Point South | FT | FLOORS
20 W 53rd St | FT | FLOORS
220 Central Park So.| 577' / 176m | 41 FLOORS
20 Times Square - Port Authority Bus Terminal Tower | 855 FT | 42 FL
1715 Broadway| 751 FT / 229 M | 67 FLOORS | DEMO
Fordham University Development | 630/580 FT tallest | FLOORS
West 54th Street | FT | 34 FLOORS
225 W 57th St | FT | FLOORS
Gotham West | ? ft | 14-31 floors
8 Stone St. | 404 FT / 123 M | 43 FLOORS
99 Washington Street (Holiday Inn) | 385 FT | 43 FLOORS
Drake Hotel redevelopment | 1,000+ ft / 305+ m | 70 FLOORS
Avalon West Chelsea | 27 floors
Park Tower| FT | 20 FLOORS
1045 6th Ave | FT | FLOORS
5 World Trade Center
Avalon Willoughby West | 596 FT | 58 FLOORS

1 WTC 1776 ft
2 WTC 1429 ft
3 WTC 1240 ft
4 WTC 980 ft
C57 1003 ft
Beekman 870 ft
30 Park Place 912 ft
50 West 714 ft
Clinton Park 348 ft
Mt Sinai Center for Science and Medicine 518 ft
56 Leonard 821 ft
International Gem Tower 590 ft
605 W 42nd 60 floors
East Coast LIC 200-316 ft
250 E 57th 715 ft
250 W 55th 592 ft
31 W 15th St 355 ft
111 Washington St 57 floors
292 11th Ave 30 floors
One Madison Ave 937 ft
39 W 23rd St 22 floors
237 W 54th St 34 floors
400 Park Ave S 476 ft
50 W 40th St
855 6th Ave 455 ft
Manhattan West 1216, 935 ft
15 Penn 1216 ft
1045 6th Ave
Girasole 1000 ft
Hudson Yards Phase I 900+ ft x2
Hudson Yards Phase II 10 towers
Atlantic Yards least 8 towers
Tower Verre 1100+ ft


----------



## desertpunk

*NY Post*



> $1.225B joint venture to develop WTC retail
> 
> By LOIS WEISS
> 
> Last Updated: 3:23 AM, July 29, 2011
> Posted: 11:28 PM, July 28, 2011
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The retail space at the World Trade Center site took a giant step toward becoming a reality yesterday as the executive board of the Port Authority was briefed on a $1.225 billion joint venture with Westfield Properties, The Post has learned.
> 
> Long awaited, the deal for the space could climb to $1.3 billion based on the final rental numbers, sources told The Post, which reported first on the deal yesterday at nypost.com. The 50/50 agreement covers 365,000 square feet of retail space with an additional 90,000 square feet to be added as 2 World Trade Center comes on line, the sources added.
> 
> *HANDOUT*
> 
> The World Trade Center (pictured here in an artist’s rendering) is being promised a world-class retail development for the site from Australianbased Westfield Properties, which is close to sealing a 50-50 deal valued at $1.225 billion with the Port Authority. The cost of the later square footage will be worked out at that time.
> 
> A written agreement still needs to be hashed out that both boards are expected to approve within the next 90 days. The retail space is expected to open in 2015. The deal works out to $3,356 a square foot for the first 365,000 square feet and additional monies will be paid for the next 90,000 square feet.
> 
> "After being initially involved with the World Trade Center prior to Sept. 11, 2001, and working with the Port over the last 10 years we are excited about our partnership with them to rebuild the World Trade Center," said Peter Lowy, CEO of Westfield America, who declined to discuss the financial terms of the deal. "We will be creating a world class iconic shopping experience for Lower Manhattan and the City of New York in keeping with the other projects we have done in Sydney, London, San Francisco and Los Angeles."
> 
> Westfield had been working with Silverstein Properties and the Port Authority on plans to update the retail mall when the towers were attacked. It later backed away from the rebuilding when it became mired in politics but reserved the right to jump back in. "It's no surprise but a relief that this is finally done because then they will be able to release information," said Robin Abrams of The Lansco Corp. "Before it was impossible to get specific information and now everybody will be focused and Westfield will be able to go forward with the brokerage community and specific tenants that have been waiting on the sidelines."
> 
> Abrams called the pricing "hefty," but in line with what has been going on in the city, and therefore expects the retail space will be priced in the "hundreds of dollars" a square foot. "But it will be the center of the universe down there," she added. "The retailers were all waiting to see what would happen at the trade center."
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*NY Observer*



> With Land Swap Flop, Moynihan Station Off the Rails Again
> 
> By Matt Chaban 7/25 9:51am
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is one of the most mythic and elusive redevelopment projects in the city, the plan to restore at least some of Penn Station’s former glory with a new station inside the old Farley Post Office. But this train could be delayed for good.Moyn* Station broke ground on a no-frills first phase last fall, but it looks like that could be as far as the ambitious station gets if Related and Vornado can’t figure out what to do with their half of the station, according to The Journal. With a year-end deadline looming, the two Steves are coming up short on retail options for Moynihan Station.
> 
> 
> *"Seeking other options, in recent months the developers have tried to get the City University of New York interested in a land swap plan with the Tribeca-based Borough of Manhattan Community College, the people said.
> 
> The developers would have built it a new campus in the back of the post office, and in turn, the developers would have been able to build apartments with unobstructed Hudson River views on the school’s valuable land of the five-block campus along the West Side Highway.
> 
> But those talks appear to have fizzled recently, as CUNY officials showed little interest, people familiar with the discussions said."*
> 
> As if it were not news enough that the Moynihan Station development deal was in doubt, who knew such an audacious, if now ill-fated, landswap was in the works? Those Steves never met a crazy landswap or air rights flip they did not like. After all, it was the plan to move Madison Square Garden into the Farley that derailed the Moynihan project most recently. The Journal also reveals that the developers have been trying to attract Nordstroms or Target, so far to no avail.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*NY Observer*



> Mo’ MA: Museum’s Inspired, Insipid Tower Returns
> 
> *Two years and a 200-foot haircut later, Jean Nouvel brings his Torre Verre back to Midtown.*
> 
> By Matt Chaban 7/26 11:00pm
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Death Spire. (Atelier Jean Nouvel)
> 
> New York City may have brought down Dominique Strauss-Kahn, but another torrid Frenchman will not be held up by the likes of us.
> 
> Jean Nouvel, winner of the Pritzker Prize and a severe man even by the standards of his profession, delivered unto the city a “real skyscraper” in 2007. The Torre Verre, more commonly known as the MoMA Tower, would rise to 1,250 feet, an obsidian shard piercing the heart of midtown, built on land traded by the museum to a developer, Hines, for $125 million and three floors of galleries in the base of the new building. A rival to the Empire State Building 20 blocks south, The Times’ Niccolai Ouroussoff called it “the most exhilarating addition to the skyline in a generation.”
> 
> Mr. Nouvel, in defending his creation to the City Planning Commission, which was then deciding the outsize tower’s fate, said at a July 2009 hearing, “It’s like music, part of the rhythm of the city and the skyline.” Commission chair Amanda Burden was less taken with Mr. Nouvel’s tune, and knocked 200 feet off the top of the tower, bringing it well south of the Chrysler Building it would have eclipsed (and much closer to its as-of-right height).
> 
> Among the issues, she deemed the building’s thorny crown an eyesore for visitors to the Empire State Building, a position that drew outcry from the tower’s legion of worshipers. “Approving the design of Tower Verre while lowering the height was not a compromise but an example of curatorial caution run amok, an attempt to turn midtown into an architectural preserve,” wrote Justin Davidson in New York magazine.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The tower will rise to something closer to the bottom of its crown, though its new profile has not been revealed.
> 
> Ms. Burden’s burden not withstanding , like many of the starchitectural erections proposed during the boom, the tower was put on hold, left for dead by some. Hines argued during the approval process that the project simply could not work if not approved at its original height. It would simply be too small to justify the expense of such an ambitious tower. So much for so much.
> 
> And yet, this is New York. Expensive real estate can always be justified.
> 
> Two weeks ago, Hines quietly filed a new set of plans with the Department of City Planning. They are compliant with two special permits that the commission and the City Council approved in the fall of 2009, which enforce the 1,050-foot height along with restrictions on things like a loading dock for the new building and the museum’s sculpture garden fence—something that has been bothering the neighbors ever since the 2003 renovations. According to a department spokesperson, the application is a chair certification, which does not require public approvals. The process is meant to ensure that the project is in accordance with what was previously agreed upon; a review has no set timeframe.
> 
> The resolutions required a tower of similar design proportions. How much the new design resembles the old one, just shorter, is not immediately clear. Initially, Hines said it had filed no new plans, but when The Observer pointed to a notice on the City Planning website, spokesman George Lancaster admitted that the project was back on and imminent. “We DID file revised plans with City Planning for the shorter tower adjacent to MoMA,” he wrote in an email. “We aren’t going to release drawings or details just yet but will in the near future.” He would not say whether the project had financing yet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The controversial crown.
> 
> MoMA was equally taciturn. “The filing is Hines’ so I don’t have any details on it here. Our plans with regard to the project remain unchanged,” emailed Margaret Doyle, the museum’s communications director. When asked about something Hines would not discuss, the recently acquired Folk Art Museum and how it might factor into the project, she replied, “MoMA has not yet announced any plans for the Folk Art Museum building.”
> 
> “Of course for the neighborhood it’s going to be a problem, because it’s a big, tall building,” said Al Butzel, attorney for the Coalition for Responsible Midtown Development, a local community group that filed an unsuccessful suit against the project last summer. “Ten-fifty is better than 1250, but it’s still much more than we wanted, which was 500, closer to the Financial Times building next door.”
> 
> Justin Peyser, co-founder of the group, put it more succinctly and cynically in an email: “Our city has always been for sale to the highest bidder and this bid is awfully high.”
> 
> In Paris, they forbid tall buildings, too
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*NY Observer*



> Scaling the Towers of Hudson Yards
> 
> By Matt Chaban 7/21 1:38pm
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It’s funny how a story comes about sometimes.
> 
> Following the news that Coach is poised to sign a lease at Hudson Yard, the first of possibly a dozen, a reader wrote in with a simple question: How tall is the bag-maker’s new redoubt? We turned to Google but there was no clear answer, so we asked around to our sources who know the site. Answer: about 1,000 feet. Also, a gentle reminder that, because this is one of the few pieces being built on terra firma, as soon as said lease and some financing is in place, construction can commence and be done by 2015.
> 
> What is interesting about this news is it sheds a little more light on the gigantic project and just how big it really is. At 1,000 feet, the KPF-designed south tower would be in the top five tallest buildings in the city, just barely ahead of 7 World Trade and right around the Chrysler Building—if we’re counting antennas, it’s technically surpassed by the Times Building, the old AIG tower and One Bryant Park, but everyone knows you shouldn’t count the antennas, much as Douglas Durst might like to.
> 
> Furthermore, a rendering The Observer unearthed back in December reveals this is potentially the shortest of the three commercial towers Related has planned. The rendering above, taken from that wild video, shows only two towers, though this is still a good deal shorter. The eastern flank of Hudson Yards could well surpass the 1,000-foot mark, possibly challenging Steve Roth and Tony Malkin‘s prides of place on the skyline. Our source preferred not to disclose details of the other towers, saying there is “flexibility” in the ultimate design.
> 
> Viewed in repose alongside the other buildings in the project in this rendering, it becomes clear that the residential buildings are pretty big, too. This really is like taking a huge chunk of midtown and and the Upper East Side, jamming it together, and plopping it down on two blocks of Hudson River real estate. Then again, 26 million square feet of development have to be wedged in somewhere.
> 
> ---


----------



## hkskyline

*It's never quite the ride time
NYers like bike lanes - but don't use 'em*
New York Post
By JENNIFER FERMINO Transit Reporter
Last Updated: 7:15 AM, July 29, 2011

New Yorkers widely support the Big Apple's widespread bike-lane expansion -- but no one is using them.

More than half of Big Apple residents believe the burgeoning bike lanes are a positive addition to the city, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday.

But only 29 percent of those respondents felt the lanes were "widely used" -- confirming complaints made by anyone who lives near the green-hued lanes.

The poll of 1,234 registered voters found that 59 percent agreed that the paths were a "good thing because it's greener and healthier," while 35 percent called the lanes "bad" for squeezing cars off the road. 

The rest were undecided.

But the bike lanes may not be empty for long, city stats show.

The Department of Transportation -- which has installed about 390 miles in lanes since 2002 -- claimed there was a 14 percent jump from last year in the number of two-wheeled commuters.

The average number of people riding into Manhattan by bike climbed to 16,809 this year, up from 16,463 last year.

It's a 62 percent jump from 2008 figures.

Officials tabulated the stats by dispatching counters to major Manhattan entryways -- like the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.

But critics charge that those numbers aren't completely accurate.

A better way to gauge the number of cyclists is conducting a survey or heading to the outer boroughs, said Ralph Buehler, a professor at Virginia Tech who studies bicycle trends.

"Doing a survey can be very expensive. It would be a huge amount of people," said Buehler.

"But it could help you learn the overall picture of cycling."

The DOT's process was an attempt to show trends in cycling, not reflect the number of total riders, a spokesman said.

The Quinnipiac poll also shows that the attitudes toward bike lanes are sharply divided by borough.

Manhattan and Bronx residents overwhelmingly support the bike lanes, with 63 percent giving a thumbs-up.

Staten Islanders, on the other hand, are about ready to tear the bike lanes out. Only 38 percent of people in the borough said they supported them.

Sixty percent of Brooklynites liked the lanes, while 55 percent of Queens residents gave them their blessing.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/it_never_quite_the_ride_time_N2rUihX23mAREYlU2m8z4N#ixzz1TVRN8evc


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## miau

desertpunk said:


> *NY Observer*


This is wonderful news. I do not care about the shorter design, I always thouht that the 'crown' was the weak part.


----------



## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> 1,000 Feet is Now the Magic Number on 57th Street
> 
> Monday, August 1, 2011, by Sara Polsky
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not content to let New York by Gehry hang onto the tall building spotlight for too long, there's an update today on One57, the 57th Street Extell-developed megatower that will probably be starting sales this fall. Twenty-two of 90 floors have been built for the 1,004-foot building, according to the Journal—and since New York by Gehry is only 870 feet tall, One57 might take away the "hemisphere's tallest" crown. The state attorney general's office has already approved sales, and there are contracts out, at prices of around $5,000/square foot. And for whatever doesn't get sold, Extell has an insurance plan: an Abu Dhabi government fund has promised to buy any unsold condo units.
> 
> If they do all sell, there will be two other 1,000-foot-and-up options nearby. There's the recently-resurrected, 1,050-foot Tower Verre, which will include residential units. Then there's the former Drake Hotel site, which has the rights to be at least 1,000 feet tall and could include luxury condos. Will there be that many takers for high-end, high-up real estate in Midtown?


----------



## desertpunk

*NY Observer*



> Explosive Extell Demoing West 57th Tire Tower
> 
> By Matt Chaban
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gary Barnett continues to bulldoze his way across the city. Just last week, his Extell Development unveiled plans for a new tower at Riverside South; found a partner for a stalled 50-story hotel near Times Square; and secured $700 million in financing from Abu Dhabi toward One57, the condo-hotel tower on West 57th Street that will be the tallest, and likely most expensive, when it is completed. As if that were not enough, the developer has begun work just down the block on another of its long-simmering projects.
> 
> At the corner of Broadway and 57th Street, Extell has plans for yet another soaring tower; it will be either commercial or residential, an official decision has not been made. That has not kept the developer from moving ahead with demolition of some of the buildings it owns on the site, a controversial task since Extell fought off an effort by the Landmarks Preservation Commission to preserve two of the structures in 2009.
> 
> Extell assembled the T-shaped plot last decade and then took out a $256 million mortgage on it, leading to quite a bit of consternation when the commission unexpectedly decided 1780 Broadway and 225 West 57th Street were worth saving. Once owned by B.F. Goodrich, they are part of a stretch of Jazz Age dealerships known as Automobile Row. In the end, the commission brooked a contentious deal to save 1780 Broadway while allowing 225 West 57th Street to be torn down.
> 
> The site, like so many others at the moment, had lain fallow through the downturn but has now reawakened. Between February and June of this year, Extell filed a series of demolition permits for various buildings on 57th and 58th streets, which the Department of Buildings approved last month. One of those buildings is now coming down, with others to follow. “We’re doing salvage work on the interiors of 217 and 221 West 57th and then start this week to take down the three-story 217 floor by floor,” an Extell spokesman said in an email last week.
> 
> The spokesman would not disclose whether the project had financing, but that has not stopped Extell before. Demolition commenced years before construction started on either the One57 site or the International Gem Tower in the Diamond District, and both began construction using only Extell’s equity. As shown at One57, this strategy allowed the developer to act faster because Mr. Barnett did not need to wait for the wrecking ball, and his construction progress helped attract investors, a particularly challenging prospect during the current economic malaise.
> 
> Extell also declined to discuss an architect or designs for the 57th and Broadway project, which brings the story back to Riverside South.
> 
> For years, Mr. Barnett was known for developing rather pedestrian buildings in line with the man he replaced on that redoubt overlooking the Hudson, Donald Trump. More recently, he has striven for greater architectural ambition, hiring SOM for the International Gem Tower and KPF for the aborted World Commerce Centre. Meanwhile, notable firms such as Lucian LeGrange and FXFowle have been designing some of his residential projects.
> 
> Perhaps no architect has benefited more than Christian de Portzamparc, the French Pritzker Prize winner who had built nothing in the city besides the LVMH headquarters a decade ago, with few buildings to his name elsewhere. Now, Mr. Barnett has become his biggest patron, tapping Mr. de Portzamparc not only for One57 but also for Riverside Center, the five-tower complex that is the final piece of the Riverside South puzzle. Extell won a tough rezoning fight for the project last year.
> 
> Now that Mr. Barnett has turned to Goldstein Hill & West Architects, a firm best known for working with Costas Kondylis on some of the city’s blander buildings, for the final Riverside South tower that is not a piece of Mr. de Portzamparc’s plan, it raises the question of what sort of designs New Yorkers can expect at 57th Street and Broadway. Will it be another Pritzker-worthy prize, or has Extell returned to more pedestrian fare?
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*WSJ*



> NY REAL ESTATE COMMERCIAL AUGUST 4, 2011.
> Tower Deal Is Teetering
> 
> By ELIOT BROWN And ANDREW GROSSMAN
> As a deadline nears, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and developer Vornado Realty Trust remain far apart over the terms of a deal to build an office tower atop the Port Authority bus terminal, said people familiar with the matter.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Port Authority NY/NJ
> A rendering of the planned tower atop the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
> 
> The plan to build a tower rising about 40 stories over the terminal has been on the drawing board for more than a dozen years, with momentum ebbing and flowing with the economy's cycles. A tentative deal struck in 2007 between the Port Authority and a team led by Vornado was put on ice during the economic downturn.
> 
> Now Vornado stands to lose its designation as the tower's developer if a deal isn't struck by Sunday, based on the terms of an earlier agreement. It is possible the two sides could also extend the deal, as they have done before.
> 
> The 2007 deal called for the Vornado team to pay about $500 million over a long-term lease. In the latest round of negotiations, Vornado has been offering less money than the agency has been seeking, people familiar with the discussions said.
> 
> The Port Authority is hoping a final pact would provide the agency hundreds of millions of dollars that it would use to renovate and upgrade the bus terminal, the people said. "We continue to be in active discussions with them," said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority.
> 
> Planners and Port Authority officials have long dreamed of capping the hulking terminal near Times Square with a glimmering office tower. Over the years, new towers sprouted nearby, changing the image of the once-squalid area and encouraging planners to forge ahead.
> 
> Vornado and its partner, Ruben Cos., have effectively had an option on the terminal since they first won the rights to develop it in 1999. But the project has been stuck in the planning stage. Its current plan calls for a 1.3-million-square-foot tower designed by Pritzker Prize-winner Richard Rogers.
> 
> The Vornado plan first got sidelined by an economic downturn in 2001. It came back to life toward the end of the last real-estate cycle. But by the time the Vornado team renegotiated its terms with the Port Authority in late 2007, the economy was already beginning to falter.
> 
> With the city adding jobs at a faster rate than the rest of the U.S. economy, demand for office space has been slowly rising. But vacancy is well above the low levels it hit in the boom years.
> 
> Given the high cost of construction in New York and a lack of clear demand for the new space, a new tower could be a risky bet without a major tenant. New office towers are already rising elsewhere in Manhattan, including at the World Trade Center. The most recent office building to be completed, 11 Times Square, on the other side of Eighth Avenue from the bus terminal, sits more than half vacant after opening in January.
> 
> Vornado has been showing detailed plans for the rectangular glass tower to potential tenants, according to people familiar with the matter. Its unusual plan calls for the building's elevators to be on its exterior. That would allow for large, open floors that large financial services companies like.
> 
> The firm also has been in discussions with additional investors. Billionaire Chinese real estate investor Zhang Xin is considering investing in the project, she said in a May interview. Ms. Zhang, chief executive of the large Chinese commercial property developer Soho China Ltd., said the potential investment would be separate from Soho China's business.
> 
> "It's me personally and privately looking at opportunities," she said.
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Glenwood takes control of stalled Midtown hotel and condo development site
> August 03, 2011
> 
> By Sarabeth Sanders
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Property on West 46th Street and rendering
> 
> Glenwood Management has acquired a stalled Midtown West development site for $76.3 million after purchasing the distressed mortgage last year and suing to foreclose on the original developer.
> 
> The site, on the west side of Eighth Avenue between 46th and 47th streets, was originally conceived of as a 38-story hotel and condominium tower by Tribeach Holdings, but work stalled in late 2008 when the economy began to slump.
> 
> Tribeach, led by principals James Mooney, William Fegan and Adrian Stroie, allegedly defaulted on $78.6 million in loans there in September 2010. As The Real Deal previously reported, Glenwood purchased those loans from Bank of Scotland for an undisclosed price later that month, and in October, moved to wrest control through a foreclosure lawsuit.
> 
> Now, Glenwood and Tribeach have settled the lawsuit, according to recent court documents. And a deed filed with the city today shows that on July 26 Glenwood closed on the site, which consists of vacant land, a vacant mixed-use building and a parking lot.
> 
> Glenwood, an owner and manager of roughly two dozen high-end rental apartments in Manhattan, is in the midst of an expansion push. Last year, Gary Jacob, Glenwood's executive vice president, told The Real Deal that the company was actively seeking new properties on the West Side. In February, it found one, and paid Fordham University $125 million to acquire a vacant development site and more than 300,000 square feet of development rights on the corner of 62nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue. The company is now planning a residential rental tower with ground-floor retail and parking there.
> 
> Tribeach's original plans at the Eighth Avenue site called for a 375-room hotel, and a mix of condos as well as market-rate and subsidized rental apartments. Amenities were to include a pool, bar and restaurant.
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*WSJ*



> NY REAL ESTATE COMMERCIALAUGUST 8, 2011
> Developer Unveils Plans for Site Near Bryant Park
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hines, of Houston, has become the latest developer to join the race to break ground on Manhattan's next office building.
> 
> The firm has unveiled the design of a 28-story tower overlooking Bryant Park. The entrance to the building, at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 40th St., will sit at a northeast angle to maximize park views. The design by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners features a concave hourglass and floating stainless steel disk over the entrance.
> 
> "This project has really been designed in a way that comes directly out of our residential experience, including outdoor spaces and maximizing daylight," says Tommy Craig, senior vice president of Hines, which is a partner with Pacolet Miliken Enterprises Inc.
> 
> But Hines likely isn't going to move forward until it pre-leases a large chunk of the space and obtains construction financing. There are a half-dozen or so other proposed Manhattan developments that are also in this category.
> 
> Mr. Craig says Hines is optimistic. "Our conviction about the market would be hard to overstate," he says. "We sold 750 Seventh Avenue with very full pricing and that only reinforced our confidence in the market both from prospective equity partners as well as major tenants."
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*NY Observer*



> MoMeh: Nouvel’s New Museum Tower Looks Very Familiar
> By Matt Chaban 8/08
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When Amanda Burden and the City Planning Commission cut Jean Nouvel’s Torre Verre down to size, the architectural cogniscenti were dismayed. Hines, the project’s developer, had sworn the project would be financially infeasible 200 feet shorter. At only 1,050 feet, it would no longer rival the Empire State Building on the skyline but instead share a midtown profile with the likes of the Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center and the MetLife Building. Still, even in a downturn brought on by bombastic overbuilding, real estate has a way of persevering in New York. As The Observer revealed two weeks ago, Hines is currently pursuing a new set of plans for the oft-called MoMA Tower. And here they are.
> 
> Hines declined to release new plans, and initially suggested there were none. Through a public information request, The Observer has obtained copies of architectural drawings from the City Planning Commission. While they may not be as sexy as the kind of full-color renderings architects usually prepare to wow the media , they shed plenty of light on the new shape of the project.
> 
> Having lost 200 feet in height cost Hines almost 30,000-square-feet of new development in the tower. Instead of rising to 85 stories, all but the top four of which were occupiable, there are now 78 stories, with four stories on top still reserved for mechanical systems, such as elevators and HVAC. The total square footage is roughly 629,000, or about half as much as the bulkier Chrysler Building.
> 
> This shrinkage has not appeared to cost Hines much, after all. In approving the project, the City Council required the developer to reduce the number of hotel rooms, a matter that had concerned the neighbors because it can mean lots of transient visitors—not that the Warwick Hotel isn’t across the street, or a huge Hilton on Sixth Avenue. Instead of 147,000 square feet of hotel space, with 167 rooms on the eighth through 17th floor, there is now 96,000 square feet on the eighth through 13th floor—the plans did not detail the number of rooms, but the City Council approval stipulated no more than 100 rooms.
> 
> There has actually been a net gain in residential space, to 480,000 square feet, up from 458,000. Instead of spanning the 19th floor through 81st floor, the apartments will be on the 14th floor through the 74th floor. The plans did not state how many units there will be, but some examples can be seen in the plans. Three apartments on the 23rd floor measure 1,847 square feet, 2,263 feet and 2,296 feet, compared to one 5,669-square-foot apartment on the 59th floor. The square-footage of the top most floor, which conceivably would be combined with units below to create a larger duplex or triplex, measures 3,204 square feet.
> 
> Space for MoMA in the tower will remain constant at roughly 52,000 square feet, and the plans also call for a restaurant located in the lobby and basement of the building.
> 
> As for the appearance of the building, compared to earlier drawings and renderings, it does look a little bit squatter, but not by much, and the articulation of the tower has changed slightly. Viewed from Brooklyn, across the East River, it would not be invisible, appearing somewhere in the lee between One Bryant Park and the old CitiCorp Center. Still, it will not tower over these buildings, either.
> 
> Hines declined to comment on the new details for the tower, but it describes the changes thusly in its new application:
> 
> 
> *The facade consists of several sloped planes at different angles, which ascend to a sharp needles at the top of the building. The tower top is distinguished by three distinct asymetrical peaks, of varying height and shape. The top peak has a vertex with an interior angle of 27 degrees. The facade treatment of the building consists of non-mirrored glass and painted aluminum elements. And the interior structure of the building is expressed on the facade in an aluminum web “Diagrid” pattern of nodes and spokes, which extends from the sidewalk to the top of the building, not including mechanical spaces. The mechanical equipment at the top of the building is set behind a facade of blades, or louvres.”*
> 
> That last point is of particular note because it was the under-designed nature of the tower’s top that led Ms. Burden to have it shortened.
> 
> As before, the redesigned tower is producing a mix of opinions, directed as much at Ms. Burden as at Mr. Nouvel.
> 
> Architecture critic and editor Jayne Merkel, when presented with the new plans, felt an appropriate response had been made by the developer. “Most people will see it from below, where it will still look quite tall, somewhat faceted, and thin,” she wrote in an email. “It will not appear to be quite as pencil thin on the horizon as the first scheme would have, but I am not at all sure that that is a problem either. It won’t be lonely in Midtown Manhattan, and I don’t think it is so brilliant that the original height was justified. I suspect that if the revised, shortened tower had been submitted originally, its champions would have liked it just fine.”
> 
> Carol Willis, director of the Skyscraper Museum downtown, believes the decision by the city to lower the tower was an unfortunate one. “Manhattan has two big defining characteristics, its vibrant streets and its competitive skyline,” she said. “We’ve done a great job in the past decade with protecting and improving the quality of experience of the ‘sidewalks of New York,’ but I think it’s a shame that the skyline seems to be losing its ambition and diversity.”
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Construction on Two-in-One Midtown Hotel Almost Underway
> 
> Wednesday, August 10, 2011, by Bilal Khan
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It looks like construction is about to be underway on the 68-story Courtyard and Residence Inn going up on Broadway and 54th. If you'll recall, the building will house two hotels (a 378-room Courtyard by Marriott and a 261-room Residence Inn), and is set to be complete in late 2013. If the semantics of the two-in-one hotel fascinate you, the Times explains the breakdown as such: "the tower will have a main entrance and arrival lobby on West 54th Street; the lobby for the Residence Inn will be on the building’s third floor, and the Courtyard lobby will be on the fourth floor. Courtyard guest rooms will be on floors 6 through 32, while Residence Inn rooms will be on floors 36 through 64; each hotel will have its own elevator banks." You got that?
> 
> *The Nobutaka Ashihara building is going to rise to 716-feet and the developer, Granite Broadway Property says that it will be the tallest building in New York that's used "strictly for lodging."* We suppose that means its 35' shortcoming when stacked next to the Mandarin Oriental at the Time Warner Center is forgiven due to those pesky condos. Officials from Granite Broadway Property and Marriott are expected to give an official statement later today.
> 
> ---


----------



## RobertWalpole

Zombie Zapata Lives!

Chelsea tower comes back to life.

by Alan G. Brake










While the real estate market in New York never stalled as fully as it did in the rest of the country, many projects went on ice. One that seemed unlikely to be revived, a 20-story tower on 23rd street designed by Carlos Zapata, is coming back to life. Initially planned as a hotel by Horizon Global, Abnau Enterprises acquired the lot 39-41 West 23rd for $18.5 million and plans to build the Zapata design as condominiums with ground floor retail.

“Anbau Enterprises’ development philosophy is to create architecturally distinguished buildings that make positive contributions to their neighborhoods. In the case of 39-41 West 23rd Street, we have the ability to bring a brilliant design to life and deliver exceptional, sustainable homes to a neighborhood that is becoming a true 24/7 community,” wrote Barbara van Bueuren and Stephen Glascock, principals at Abnau, in an email. The company is also developing nearby 124 West 23rd, in the belief that Chelsea/Flatiron will continue to perform well as a high-end residential area.

Located in the Ladies Mile Historic district, the Zapata design received approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2005, which was a major incentive for the developers to retain the scheme. “We really like the design and we have a good working relationship with the architect. This is great news for us since the site is in a landmarked district,” Glascock and van Bueuren wrote. “To change the design would mean going through a new two-year-plus approval process with uncertain results.”

The design respects the existing streetwall with a contextually scaled base, topped with an angled glass-clad tower reminiscent of Zapata’s Cooper Square Hotel. “It was important for the Commission and our team to arrive at a set of rules on which to evaluate the design,” Zapata wrote in an email. “Ultimately, we agreed that the design had to be consistent with the evolution of styles in the district, that the building should be representative of our times and make use of modern technologies, and that the design should maintain a level of quality consistent with the best buildings of the district.”

http://www.archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=5556


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## desertpunk

^
LOL The "Pope's Hat" building. An awful tumor rises...


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## pcrail

desertpunk said:


> *Curbed*


Looks like they put up the cranes today for the *Two-in-One Midtown Hotel* at Broadway and 54th.


Construction Site for Broadway & 54th by PeetThePhotographer, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> manhattanwestsignage1 by curbed, on Flickr
> 
> *Developer Brookfield Properties announced in April that it's finally planning to move forward with Manhattan West, the Hudson Yards-neighboring stretch between 31st and 33rd streets and Ninth and Dyer avenues. The first elements of the site: a deck over the rail yards, plus a two-million-square-foot SOM-designed office tower, with two more potential towers to come. Now we know all these plans are real—there's signage!*
> 
> 
> manhattanwestsignage4 by curbed, on Flickr
> 
> 
> manhattanwestsignage3 by curbed, on Flickr
> 
> 
> manhattanwestsignage2 by curbed, on Flickr
> 
> ----


----------



## desertpunk

Manhattan by PeetThePhotographer, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*WSJ*



> COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE - OCTOBER 19, 2011
> New York Placing Tallest Order
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> By CRAIG KARMIN
> 
> A Los Angeles real-estate company founded by two former Israeli paratroopers and a Drexel Burnham Lambert executive has emerged as one of the country's most active property buyers. Now it is poised to unveil plans for its main showpiece: New York's tallest residential tower.
> 
> CIM Group last year snapped up a prized Park Avenue development site in Midtown Manhattan for $305 million, well below the land's value during the boom years. Developers have considered it one of the most attractive sites in the world because of its location at the heart of New York City.
> 
> The firm and its partner, New York developer Harry Macklowe, have been quiet about their intentions. But plans show a more than 1,300-foot tall, slender condo and retail complex designed by Rafael Vinoly, the Uruguayan-born architect best known in New York for designing Jazz at Lincoln Center inside Time Warner Center.
> 
> The plans for the project, named 432 Park Ave., call for 128 condos with more than 12-foot high ceilings; a 5,000 square foot, partially covered, driveway to ensure privacy; and amenities like golf training facilities and private dining and screening rooms. The total price tag: more than $1 billion.
> 
> There is no scheduled completion date, and the project still faces challenges amid an uncertain economic and market environment. Crucially, CIM needs a construction loan of as much as $700 million. That isn't an easy type of financing to obtain these days, with European banks cutting back because of their debt problems and only a small handful of U.S. banks willing to lend.
> 
> Avi Shemesh, a CIM founding principal, said the firm is confident it will get a loan. "We have longstanding relationships with lenders," Mr. Shemesh said. "We anticipate our construction financing to be in place well in advance of any sort of deadline."
> 
> CIM's purchase of the Park Avenue site took advantage of the collapse of Mr. Macklowe's real-estate empire. Mr. Macklowe acquired the site, which then housed the Drake Hotel, in 2006. But before he finalized his plans he defaulted on the debt.
> 
> Mr. Macklowe is still working on the project, although he no longer has an equity stake, according to people familiar with the matter. A spokesman for Mr. Macklowe declined to comment.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Architects revive plans for new U.N. tower
> October 20, 2011 11:00AM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Architect Fumihiko Maki's original plans for the U.N. tower
> 
> State authorities reached a deal with the city and the United Nations to revive stalled plans for a $340 million new U.N. tower earlier this month, the New York Observer reported. That means that Japenese architect Fumihiko Maki, who was selected to design the building when the idea first emerged in 2004, will be dusting off his blueprints alongside local partners architecture firm FXFowle and getting back to work. "We have a saying around the office," Dan Kaplan, a principal at FXFowle, told the Observer. "It takes a long time for things to happen suddenly."
> 
> Much of the design work has already been completed for a 35-story tower on the site at the southeast corner of First Avenue and 42nd Street, but it will require some changes, Kaplan said. "We're not back to square-one, maybe square 1.5. It's a tight site and a tight building envelope, so I don't think the designs will change that much, but we are going back over everything," he said.
> 
> *Jeffrey Feldman, president and CEO of the U.N. Development Corporation, told the Observer that he hopes to have the final designs by early 2012. The project is slated to break ground in 2013.*
> 
> [...]


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## yankeesfan1000

I was just about to post that desertpunk! That may need its own thread soon.


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## eltodesukane

*432 Park Avenue, 57th Street Tower*



desertpunk said:


> *WSJ*


This project used to be called "57th Street Tower".
Now it's "432 Park Avenue".


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## Brice

it's gonna break with the wind


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## Spongebob-Lowpants

Cloud92 said:


> Some of the new buildings that have been planned I feel are going to ruin the Iconic Skyline of the city


by 'Some' you mean?


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## Wisch

eltodesukane said:


> This project used to be called "57th Street Tower".
> Now it's "432 Park Avenue".


This building looks about twice as tall as it should be. Its symmetrical design does not benefit the building.


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## studenac20

great projects but the last one is bad


----------



## desertpunk

*The Real Deal*



> Massive West Side development is finally underway
> October 24, 2011 08:30AM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A rendering of Gotham West
> 
> A Hell's Kitchen development site that's been stalled for more than 30 years has finally closed on financing and begun construction, the Wall Street Journal reported, for 1,258 apartments, more than half of which are affordable, a new school and stores. The $520 million four-building complex, called Gotham West, sits along 45th Street near 11th Avenue, and is being developed by the Gotham Organization. It will have a 31-story market-rate apartment building with 556 units, 682 affordable units across other buildings, 20 condominiums, a 670-seat school, stores and private gardens.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Luxury $170M UES project stalled by $6M loan dispute
> *Builder says it can't close $26M in Canyon Capital funding until fight settled*
> October 24, 2011 03:30PM
> 
> By Adam Pincus
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The developer of a $170 million project to build luxury apartments on the Upper East Side can't get a new loan because an earlier "white knight" lender now wants a piece of future profits even though its loan at the site has been paid off in full. Bluerock Real Estate's stalled high-end development known as the Charles at 1355 First Avenue between 72nd and 73rd streets, is being held up because an unidentified lender wants to remain in the deal even though its $5.57 million second mortgage was paid off in full. Developer Bluerock, led by former restaurant impresario CEO Ramin Kamfar, is claiming in a lawsuit filed Oct. 11 in New York State Supreme Court that the lender, known only as Glacier 1355 First Avenue LP, won't formally cancel the mortgage obligation despite the fact that the note has been paid off.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Stanford, Cornell release ambitious green plans for NYC campus
> October 24, 2011 09:30AM
> 
> 
> Roosevelt Island & UES - NYC (4-26-06) by hotdogger13, on Flickr
> 
> In the battle to win the city's favor, and the $400 million it promises for a new science graduate school on Roosevelt Island, Cornell and Stanford have released plans for their buildings that go far above and beyond the environmental standards set by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. According to the New York Times, the Cornell plan calls for four acres of solar panels, 500 geothermal wells, and two major buildings that would consume no more energy than they produce. Additionally, on hot days the building would actually generate additional power and feed it into the grid.
> 
> 
> AerialRendering_proposed by curbed, on Flickr
> 
> 
> Print by curbed, on Flickr
> 
> 
> Print by curbed, on Flickr
> 
> 
> InteriorRendering_proposed by curbed, on Flickr
> 
> 
> SunArcDiagram_proposed by curbed, on Flickr


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## babybackribs2314

I wrote an article on this building, but does anyone have any details regarding the building's specifics?

Article: http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2011/10/futuristic-tower-proposed-near-madison.html











image from http://www.helpern.com/portfolio/midtown-tower/


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## desertpunk

babybackribs2314 said:


> I wrote an article on this building, but does anyone have any details regarding the building's specifics?
> 
> Article: http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2011/10/futuristic-tower-proposed-near-madison.html
> 
> image from http://www.helpern.com/portfolio/midtown-tower/


As far as I know, it's a concept which Helpern says is for an "undisclosed client". Because most clients don't want an architect to release renderings before any announcements about their plans, I would assume that it's a dead project.

Would be interesting though...


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## Wisch

desertpunk said:


> *TRD*


R ther any pictures of Stanford's plans.


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## desertpunk

Wisch said:


> R ther any pictures of Stanford's plans.


Nothing detailed at this time but they have proposed a cleansing marsh as part of their plans.


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## Wisch

thnx


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## desertpunk

*DNAinfo*



> Interactive Look at Plan to Build New Midtown on West Side
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> By Mathew Katz and Billy Figueroa
> 
> HELL'S KITCHEN — An economic crisis that halted construction throughout much of the city was bad news for the Hudson Yards project, a sprawling set of new skyscrapers and development envisioned for the far west side of Hell's Kitchen. But where construction once stalled, the city-backed project to develop the last bits of prime land in Manhattan has begun to move forward again.
> 
> At least one developer is gearing up to start construction in early 2012, and several others are actively courting anchor tenants for their massive new projects. DNAinfo has put together a map of the ever-evolving Hudson Yards project, which is much more than a development over a rail yard, to provide an interactive glimpse at what the area might look like within a decade.
> 
> _Click the link to the article to view the interactive map_: http://www.dnainfo.com/20111025/che...n-yards-poised-build-new-midtown-on-west-side
> 
> 
> *A New Neighborhood*
> 
> The Bloomberg administration sees the far west side of Manhattan as the "one last frontier" available on the island. The largely industrial area between West 30th Street and West 42nd Street, from Eighth Avenue to the Hudson River, is primed to become a sort of new Midtown with gleaming office towers, high-priced condos, and chic hotels.
> 
> Much smaller is Related Companies' Hudson Yards development, a proposed plaza of 16 skyscrapers built on top of what's currently the West Side Yard. Related, along with the Oxford Properties Group, has leased the rail yard from the MTA for a period of 99 years. The plan is to build a deck over part of the yard, and towers on and around that. While numbers and statistics about the project have long been in flux since major work on it got underway in 2005, the city's Hudson Yards website anticipates the area at its full capacity could provide up to 26 million square feet of new office space, 20,000 units of new housing and 2 million square feet of retail space.
> 
> The area's gotten major city and state support. By the end of 2013, the MTA expects to finish a project extending the 7 Train to West 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue. The area also had to undergo extensive rezoning, with one section approved by the City Council in 2005, and the other in 2009, to transform the area from an industrial yard to a vibrant mixed-use district.
> 
> The city's help hasn't entirely pushed the project forward, but it has provided huge financial incentives to developers and property owners that help spur construction.
> 
> *Sweetening the Deal*
> 
> The city has set up two agencies to both attract and finance development. The Hudson Yards Infrastructure Corporation, set up in 2007, is the primary lender for the project's infrastructure, issuing bonds that will help pay for the massive undertaking of building what's essentially a second Midtown.
> 
> The Hudson Yards Development Corporation was established to administer the mind-bogglingly complex set of financial incentives open to developers, the largest of which is a massive property tax discount. Applying to the entire Hudson Yards area, property owners can get 15 to 40 percent off their property taxes for 15 years, depending on where and when they build. "The idea is to incentivize developers to build quickly," said Peter Wertheim, the development corporation's Vice President for Financial Development. "Once the first 5 million square feet is built, the discount is ratcheded down to 25 percent, and so on — early actors get the best deals."
> 
> Weirtheim said a significant amount of developers have taken advantage of some of the incentives, including one that allows builders to exceed the existing zoning's floor-to-area ratio — basically, how many floors a building can have based on its footprint — by contributing into a district improvement fund that will help build much-needed new infrastructure for the area. The end result: many of the planned new buildings will significantly alter the Manhattan skyline, topping out at 50 or 60 floors.
> 
> *Will They Build It? Who Will Come?*
> 
> Developers are largely optimistic that major work on the project will get underway soon, though only one has confirmed that construction is imminent. In January, Brookfield Properties is set to begin constructing Manhattan West, a three-building, six-acre complex bordered by West 31st and 33rd Streets and Ninth and Tenth Avenues. "Occupancy for the first of the new office towers is planned for 2015," wrote Melissa Coley, a spokesperson for Brookfield, in a statement. "We are currently in discussion with a broad range of potential tenants, from media-tech firms to financial services companies."
> 
> That lot, at Ninth Avenue and 33rd Street, is currently both a parking lot and a hub for discount carrier Megabus. Megabus has been asked to leave the area by January 2012. Along with Related and Brookfield, Sherwood Equities owns several other large lots in the area, and plans to eventually build them up into gigantic developments, including a 2.4 million square foot building on the west side of Tenth Avenue, between West 34th and West 35th Streets. The building would also stretch west to Hudson Boulevard, a new tree-lined park and street running from West 42nd Street to West 30th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues.
> 
> Several developers could not give specifics on their projects, but a number of them said they are waiting for Related to begin work on their large-scale development before beginning major work on their own projects. The West Side Yard is still surrounded by placards announcing Related's Hudson Yards project, and the developer noted that the already-delayed project has picked up some steam. Joanna Rose, a spokesperson for the company, said that the resurgence of the construction economy, along with tax incentives, have made the marketplace respond to what Related is offering. "We are currently in talks with several large-scale users and have seen great interest in the commercial space at the yards," she said.
> 
> Rose was optimistic that construction could begin in mid-2012, though it's unclear how much of the project would be underway by that point, if it begins at all.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20111025/che...-build-new-midtown-on-west-side#ixzz1buzv7vYN


----------



## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Stanford Ups Applied Sciences Ante to $2.5 Billion
> Thursday, October 27, 2011, by Kelsey Keith
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cornell may have the transparency thing down, but Stanford gets brownie points in the applied sciences campus battle for turning in its proposal two days ahead of the deadline. Not to mention all the glowing reviews from its alumni, like the founders of a little web start-up called Google. Points of interest: Stanford's 1.9-million-square-foot eco-friendly campus would cost $2.5 billion, not the previously reported $1 billion or the initial figure of $250 million (peanuts!). The 10-acre campus would open in 2016, housing 200 faculty and 2,000 students, and take 30 years to develop. In the meantime, StanfordNYC would partner with City College on an undergraduate entrepreneurship education program as well as a local K-12 school for a "community engagement program."
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> NYU wants science graduate center of its own in Downtown Brooklyn
> October 26, 2011 09:30AM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The former MTA headquarters would be transformed under the NYU proposal.
> 
> While the Bloomberg administration's eye is on Roosevelt Island for a new applied science graduate school, New York University would prefer to open one in Downtown Brooklyn. Specifically, the New York Daily News reported the school wants to take over the former Metropolitan Transportation Authority headquarters at 370 Jay Street and transform it into its Center for Urban Science and Progress. "It would make Brooklyn the urban center of the universe," said Paul Horn, NYU's senior vice provost for research.
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*Seen in Chelsea*


Chelsea Modern by curbed, on Flickr


Chelsea Modern by curbed, on Flickr


Chelsea Modern by curbed, on Flickr


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## el palmesano

^^ great!


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> NYU Reveals New Rendering for Downtown Brooklyn Campus
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The city's institutions of higher learnin' have been all over the headlines as they vie with universities elsewhere for a science campus somewhere within New York City. NYU is thinking about the now-on-the-market MTA headquarters at 370 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn. But NYU has always had DoBro and its Polytechnic campus in its sights as part of its 2031 expansion plan, and the university is moving forward with that regardless of what happens at 370 Jay. McBrooklyn digs up some fresh renderings, above, from the NYU-Poly website. Shown are two possible designs of the new buildings NYU is thinking of adding to the MetroTech campus. The NYU 2031 DoBro page notes that the campus will be expanded "taking advantage of available air rights,"
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*What's another $billion?*

*Curbed*



> Columbia Wants Science Campus, Too, But in Manhattanville
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Heads up, Stanford and Cornell—Columbia wants a shot at this applied sciences campus funding, too. The university submitted its bid yesterday, and unlike the other two schools, which are hoping to colonize Roosevelt Island, Columbia is sticking to the nabe it knows. The executive summary of the university's plan, spotted by DNAinfo, places its Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering within the already-in-progress $6 billion Manhattanville expansion. The three-building institute would eventually expand to more than 1.1 million square feet, with a 600-student first phase to be finished by 2018.
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*NY Post*



> Coach HQ to Hudson Yards
> 
> 
> IMG_5948 by nycmayorsoffice, on Flickr
> 
> 
> IMG_5949 by nycmayorsoffice, on Flickr
> 
> 
> IMG_5950 by nycmayorsoffice, on Flickr
> 
> By STEVE CUOZZO and LOIS WEISS
> 
> Last Updated: 12:32 AM, November 1, 2011
> Posted: 12:06 AM, November 1, 2011
> 
> Mayor Bloomberg and Related Cos. Chairman Stephen M. Ross today will announce what’s long been predicted: luxury leather-goods maker Coach Inc. will move its office headquarters to the first tower to be built at Hudson Yards. Coach is expected to take around 600,000 square feet in the new skyscraper, a step that kick-starts the massive, 26-acre project. Contrary to reports elsewhere, the deal is structured as a sale, not as a lease.
> 
> The Post first reported the Related-Coach talks on Nov. 30 last year. Since then, the sides have inched ever closer to a deal. The tower will have nearly 2 million square feet.
> 
> Hudson Yards -- bounded by 10th and 12th avenues and West 30th and 33rd streets -- is eventually to comprise 21 million square feet, including the corporate headquarter sites, nine apartment buildings, stores and a luxury hotel as well as 12 acres of open public space. The first tower will rise at the corner of 10th Avenue and West 30th Street on solid ground -- unlike other Hudson Yards buildings planned atop a platform Related will construct over the sprawling West Side rail yards.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busine...on_yards_2uMZTaUYWA7W18UGCVGtjN#ixzz1cUAXuQVa


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## desertpunk

*TheRealDeal*



> Related could facilitate Time Warner swap in Hudson Yards
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now that Coach is on the books, Hudson Yards' next office tenant could be Time Warner, according to the New York Post. The namesake of Related Companies' Columbus Circle complex has been looking to downsize from the 864,000-square-foot space it owns at the Time Warner Center, and other city office space, in an effort to cut costs. Related is considering offering the media giant an opportunity to swap its space for a smaller home in Hudson Yards
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*John Jay College moves into their new $600 million building*










http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2...ay-college-gains-a-whole-campus/?ref=nyregion


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Williamsburg Group Proposes Arts Center, Gallery-Condo for New Domino
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's been awfully quiet at the Domino Sugar Factory lately, which can only mean one thing: time for the community groups to swoop back in! The current $2 billion project encompasses 2,200 new units designed by architect Rafael Viñoly, plus a Beyer Blinder Belle-designed addition to three landmarked buildings collectively referred to as "The Refinery," all of which has been greenlit by LPC and the city's planning commission. *As Architectural Record reported in September, however, developers Community Preservation Corporation Resources (CPCR) and Katan Group are "in search of additional investors" before construction begins in 2012.*
> 
> ----------------


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## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Developer revives plans for Greenpoint monster project
> November 02, 2011
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Park Tower Group, one of the first New York developers to see potential in the Brooklyn waterfront, *is brushing off plans for 10 luxury apartment buildings with 4,000 units on a 20-acre plot of land at the old Greenpoint Lumber Exchange, which it purchased almost a decade ago, the New York Observer reported. At least one of the towers should break ground at the site, which is currently used for construction storage and movie lots, by 2012.* Park Tower, which is headed up by developer George Klein, had delayed the project during the recession and recently shifted its focus at the site to rentals from condominiums to more easily find financing. It hopes to secure construction loans in the coming months. [more]
> 
> ------------


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Oppenheim Wins Super-Secret, Supertall 'Burg Hotel Bid
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Miami-based architecture firm Oppenheim A+D is known for super-sleek, often left-in-the-conceptual-realm megaprojects like a green resort in the Jordanian desert and a rapper-backed youth center in Virginia Beach. Now, some of that Miami glitz might just make its way to Brooklyn's "gritty" waterfront, as principal Chad Oppenheim informs The Architect's Newspaper that his firm has won a competition to design a hotel at the base of the Williamsburg Bridge, right next to the Williamsburgh Savings Bank. While he can say the proposed structure called Williamsburghotel (one word, if you please) measures 86,000 square feet and takes up 440' of airspace resting on three 16-foot deep vertical slabs, what he cannot say is who or what the project is for.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*A look at One York*


One York by curbed, on Flickr


One York by curbed, on Flickr


One York by curbed, on Flickr


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## Bangroma-sky

Wow, huge project the Hudson Yards. What are the hights of the towers?


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## desertpunk

Bangroma-sky said:


> Wow, huge project the Hudson Yards. What are the hights of the towers?


So far it's looking like 600 ft. - 1,200 ft.


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## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Intrepid submits proposal for NASA shuttle
> November 04, 2011 01:45PM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rendering of Intrepid's new spaceAfter winning one of four NASA shuttles in April, the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum realized the structure might be too big for its existing grounds.
> 
> According to DNAinfo, this week, the Hell's Kitchen museum submitted plans and architectural renderings to the local community board for a new structure across the West Side Highway from the Intrepid Museum, at West 46th Street, that would house the shuttle. The museum does not yet own the land.
> 
> The new museum would be a spiraling glass structure with classrooms, labs, a theater and a rooftop restaurant centered around the shuttle. Community Board 4 members largely supported the proposal.
> 
> [...]


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## Bangroma-sky

@ desertpunk,

Thanks, so thats from 200-400 meter.


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## desertpunk

*1 WTC continues its rise:*


WTC-WFC by tectonic Photo, on Flickr


1 WTC & WFC by tectonic Photo, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*Revived??*

*360 Tenth Ave. once proposed by Extell and now owned by Sherwood Equities, reappears on their website.*












> [Site 4] is located on Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st Streets, adjacent to the High Line, where a 67 story, 600,000 square foot mixed use building has been designed. Uses can include office, hotel, and residential.


The Extell property on the west side of Manhattan near Hudson Yards was picked up by Sherwood at a bankruptcy auction in late October. The 67 story hotel tower, designed by Stephen Holl, reappeared mysteriously on Sherwood's website. Is the tower back on? PLENTY of other hotels being built right now...


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## el palmesano

great pictures!


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## desertpunk

CrazyAboutCities said:


> Is there any plans to replace NYC's low income housing projects with new and taller ones?


The NYCHA and HUD are both focused on incentives for private affordable housing development. A lack of meaningful federal funding has virtually ended much of the purely public housing development seen since WW2. If a private developer were to propose razing the pjs and building taller housing, they would face legal battles over replacing apartments for displaced people who do not meet the kind of income criteria needed to make such development financially feasible without huge subsidies from the feds. The scant subsidies already available are probably going to dry up with the coming austerity. And the city is too low on revenues to replace federal funding.


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## desertpunk

*Gehry Gone!*

*Curbed*



> Atlantic Yards' Modular Rental Tower Will be World's Tallest
> Thursday, November 17, 2011, by Kelsey Keith
> 
> 
> 
> Putting to bed a year of speculation over the trajectory of the first Atlantic Yards residential building, Forest City Ratner announced this morning that so-called B2 will indeed be built with modular construction. And, once completed, the SHoP-designed, Arup-engineered edifice will be the world's tallest modular building, clocking in at 32 stories. It's the first of three residential towers planned for the site bordering Barclays Center, clustered around Flatbush Avenue and Dean Street. Citing the aesthetic of the firm's previous work on Curbediverse obsession Porter House (bold!), ShoP showed us fresh renderings of the tower and its two facade materials.
> 
> ---
> 
> Assuming Forest City Ratner can make peace with the unions and secure financing, which we are assured are "parallel paths," groundbreaking on B2 will happen in early 2012, with expected completion in 18 months. Aaaaand about those unions: though only 40% of the labor force will work onsite, the labor required at the factory adds up to what the developer claims is the same amount of total labor hired for the project, around 190 workers. (As the Times reports, the project once promised upwards of 17,000 jobs and "under current wage scales, union workers earn less in a factory than they do on site.") Ratner is currently deciding among three empty factory sites, two in Brooklyn and one in Queens, to house the modular build-out, which requires between 70,000 and 100,000 square feet.
> 
> In choosing the route of modular or pre-cast construction, a debate that occupied over a year's worth of planning between developer, architect, engineer, and modular expert, the team actually designed two separate buildings, finding that the modular option costs 15-20% less than its traditional equivalent, weighs half as much, produces 70-90% less waste, and has "a reduced energy consumption of up to 67%." This is all assuming a scaled-up production pipeline is in place, which a 340,000-square-foot building demands. As Ratner puts it, "by working with smaller pieces you can do articulation better."
> 
> ---------


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Fifth Avenue and 31st Street Finally Getting 35-Story Tower
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The trouble that Sunshine Developers had getting their Ismael Levya-designed 35-story condo/hotel at Fifth Avenue and 31st Street off the ground might be a warning sign to some about the perils of such a project in such a spot. Not so to Urban Development Partners, which is getting ready to begin construction on, uh, a 35-story building at Fifth Avenue and 31st Street, Crain's reveals. There's no hotel in the cards this time, just a residential tower with 165 market-rate rental units and 10,400 square feet of ground-floor/basement retail space.
> 
> [...]


*Previous designs for this tower:*


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## desertpunk

*What Megaprojects Will Make New York Look Like in 2061*


----------



## desertpunk

*NY Post*



> Another facet to Gem Tower
> 
> Last Updated: 12:41 AM, November 29, 2011
> Posted: 12:32 AM, November 29, 2011
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As the elegant International Gem Tower rises at 50 W. 47th St., the 34-story, crystalline lady stretching steel limbs has taken on a second address: 55 W. 46th St., the entrance to the project’s office component.
> 
> After weighing options for a few years, Extell Development Co. is pursuing a strategy that was part of its original plan, then temporarily placed on hold — creating “two different buildings” in one, Extell president Gary Barnett said.
> 
> Of the total 745,000 square feet, more than 400,000 on the first 20 floors are being sold as condominiums to diamond, gem and jewelry-industry users. The units are already more than 65 percent sold, at a reported average asking price of $1,000 per square foot.
> 
> But above them, Extell is now for the first time offering 315,000 square feet for lease to traditional office tenants. The office floors from 21-34 will have a West 46th Street lobby and elevators entirely separate from the gem side. Completion is scheduled for late next year. Office leasing rebounded strongly once aftershocks of the 2008 market crash subsided.
> 
> Now, despite what Barnett called a relative “change for the negative in the last three months” — much of it due to anxiety over the European debt crisis and how much it will affect the US economy — he’s enthused about finding takers for the tower’s office floors.
> 
> Extell has tapped a Cushman & Wakefield team led by Stuart Romanoff, Franklin Speyer and Alan Wildes to lure tenants. Romanoff said asking rents will be $100-to-$135 a square foot. “The 22,500 square-foot floors have fantastic light, floor-to-ceiling glass and 10-foot ceilings,” he said, “which should appeal to very high-end corporate, financial and legal users.“This is one of the only new buildings in central Midtown coming on stream at this period,” Romanoff noted.
> 
> The $750 million Gem Tower has been an audacious enterprise from the outset — an architecturally distinctive edifice inserted in the middle of one of Manhattan’s more anachronistic-looking blocks.
> 
> While some industry old-timers regarded it as an unwelcome interloper, more looked forward to a location custom-tailored to the jewelry trade’s specialized needs.
> 
> Perhaps first among them was for a dedicated, state-of-the-art facility like those in other world gem-industry capitals, offering secure underground delivery access.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busine...em_tower_OhlupyqmjdHatqZX6jxIIK#ixzz1f7iZEofX











http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=5496966


----------



## desertpunk

*Crain's*



> Related lands $200M loan for West Side tower
> 
> *Credit will be used to finance construction of apartment tower on West 30th Street and Tenth Avenue, near spot where developer plans to build headquarters for Coach Inc.*
> 
> By Theresa Agovino @theresaagovino
> 
> November 28, 2011
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The new Coach Inc. headquarters isn't the only building Related Cos. will be constructing on the far West Side in the near future.
> 
> Sources say the company has reached a deal for a loan of roughly $200 million to be used to finance construction of a 30-story apartment house on a lot on West 30th Street and Tenth Avenue, close to Related's massive Hudson Yards project. The loan is slated to close early next year.
> 
> The developer is building the 400-unit property along with partner with Abington Properties. The tower will be built under New York State's 80/20 Program, which means that 20% of the apartments must be reserved for low-income residents.The program provides for low-interest bond financing for construction, but the loan provides credit enhancement for the bonds.
> 
> It was unclear when the building might be completed, but sources said it would likely be before the Coach tower which is slated to be ready in 2015.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20111128/REAL_ESTATE/111129926#ixzz1f7kpXF6f


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## Hull

desertpunk said:


> What Megaprojects Will Make New York Look Like in 2061


What does slated mean? It say 15 Penn plaza would is to be slated by 2014, does that mean it will be built by then?


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## azn_man12345

That 2061 picture is somewhat odd. We can't have any idea of how many more tall, big, and beautiful projects NY might develop between now and 2061. Maybe "NY in 2020" would have been a better title. By 2061, NY might have 30 buildings taller then ESB, some of the other Boroughs might have supertalls and more. 

I'm sorry, that's just weird to me.


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## el palmesano

what is est river greenway??


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## desertpunk

Hull said:


> What does slated mean? It say 15 Penn plaza would is to be slated by 2014, does that mean it will be built by then?


It may begin construction by 2014. The rosiest scenario is a 2016 completion. So much still to be determined...


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## desertpunk

el palmesano said:


> what is est river greenway??


The NYC Parks Dept. has a masterplan for ringing Manhattan with parks along the waterfront. The East River Greenway is a portion of that plan but is more complicated than other areas to develop as a greensward.


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## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Stalled UES condo development site gets $25.6M loan
> November 30, 2011 12:30PM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A rendering of the Charles
> 
> A vital bridge loan from Canyon Capital Realty Advisors for the stalled condominium development at 1355 First Avenue known as the Charles has finally gone through, according to a press release from Canyon.
> 
> The $25.6 million senior loan for developer Bluerock will enable the $170 million Upper East Side project to "refinance existing debt and to resume pre-development activities," at the embattled site between 72nd and 73rd streets. The infusion from Los Angeles-based Canyon has been held up by legal issues since last month. Bluerock will retain development firm Victor Homes to get things going at the site where construction should begin in the next 12 months, according to the release.
> 
> Bluerock, which is led by former restauranteur Ramin Kamfar, had previously sued an unnamed lender who refused to officially write off a $6 million loan it provided to Bluerock in 2010. Glacier 1355 First Avenue LP, as the entity was known in documents filed in the New York State Supreme Court, effectively blocked the needed funds from Canyon in a bid to receive a percentage of the revenue stream, despite the fact that their loan had been repaid in full. The construction loan's terms did specify that modifications allowing it to invest in the project were allowed, although the original loan amount was minimal compared with the $90 million Bluerock needs for the project.
> 
> Ismael Leyva Architects P.C. will design the planned tower, which should rise to 32 stories upon completion.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*WTC progress Nov 27:*


Lower Manhattan - Freedom Tower Construction and New York by Gehry at 8 Spruce Street from Brooklyn Bridge Park by BostonCityWalk, on Flickr


1 World Trade Center - Construction - New York City by BostonCityWalk, on Flickr


1 World Trade Center - Construction - New York City by BostonCityWalk, on Flickr


1 World Trade Center - Construction - New York City by BostonCityWalk, on Flickr


One World Trade Center - Facade - New York City by BostonCityWalk, on Flickr


One World Trade Center - Facade - New York City by BostonCityWalk, on Flickr


1 World Trade Center - Construction - New York City by BostonCityWalk, on Flickr


1 World Trade Center & Seven World Trade Center - Facades - Construction - New York City by BostonCityWalk, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> East Coast Tower Gets Funding
> 
> Thursday, December 1, 2011, by Sara Polsky
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> LONG ISLAND CITY—LIC is scheduled to get approximately a bazillion new apartments with TF Cornerstone's East Coast project, but who's paying for 'em? Apparently, Wells Fargo, M&T Bank, Bank of America, and Capital One, which together just gave the developer a $265 million loan for one of the complex's towers, 4545 Center Boulevard. The building is an 820-unit rental that should be finished in 2013.
> 
> [...]


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## el palmesano

^^ oh! great!


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## desertpunk

*Andre Balazs Buys Cooper Square Hotel For $67 Million*


Cooper Square Hotel, designed by Carlos Zapata, Manhattan,New York City, New York, USA by Jake Rajs, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Robert AM Stern's Museum for African Art Design*


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Whole Foods moves into 250 East 57th Street
> December 05, 2011 04:00PM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> From left: interior of Whole Foods at 250 East 57th Street and exterior
> 
> Construction for the Whole Foods market at at the massive $700 million, 1 million-square-foot mixed-use project rising at 250 East 57th Street is complete, according to a statement from the World-Wide Group. The organic grocer has moved into their 39,000-square-foot space on the ground floor and begun building it out.
> 
> The site was a hole in the ground just two months ago.
> 
> The public-private partnership mixed-use project by World-Wide Group and the Educational Construction Fund will include two new schools, a 59-story residential tower with rental and condominium units, and 78,000 square feet of retail in addition to Whole Foods, which will have entrances on both 56th and 57th streets.
> 
> Whole Foods and the schools are slated to open in fall 2012.
> 
> The mixed-use project will include two new schools, a 59-story residential tower with rental and condo units, and 78,000 square feet of retail in addition to Whole Foods.
> 
> Neighbors worry that too many mega-developments are underway on the same block, as a water main is being constructed by the city in the same time frame.
> 
> When the two schools, PS 59 and the High School of Art and Design, are completed, the second phase of construction will begin on the residential and retail portions of the development. A school at 250 East 63rd Street was built to house the students of PS 59 while the new school is constructed. The residential and additional retail portions of the development are set to open in 2014.
> 
> ---
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 250 E 57th St. Construction on the tower begins once lower sections containing the school nd supermarket are completed.


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## desertpunk

*TRD*



> French luxury conglomerate eyes Drake site for hotel
> 
> December 07, 2011 10:00AM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Luxury brand operator LVMH is sizing up CIM's Drake site at 440 Park Avenue between 56th and 57th streets as a potential site for its upcoming Cheval Blanc Hotel and other retail opportunities, the New York Post reported.
> 
> LVMH founded the Cheval Blanc brand in 2006, opening a hotel in the Alps, and has since developed a hotel management concept.
> 
> "They are looking at developing a high-stakes hotel, apartments and retail for their brands," a person with knowledge of LVMH's interest told the Post. "This is the best single piece of land in the city."
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*DNAinfo*



> Completion of High Line's Third Section Could be Fast Tracked
> 
> December 7, 2011 6:54am | By Mathew Katz, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> CHELSEA —The High Line's operators are hoping Hudson Yards developers will help fund completion of the last section of the popular Chelsea park.
> 
> Friends of the High Line co-founder Robert Hammond told an audience of more than 100 people at a public information meeting Tuesday that building the park's third section has become a priority after news that construction of the first building of the Hudson Yards development — which will surround the High Line — will begin next year. “Now that [Hudson Yards developer] Related [Companies] is moving quicker, we’re hoping they're going to fund some of the final build out,” he said.
> 
> The proposed third section is about 31 percent of the overall 1.45 mile long elevated rail structure, and will travel west along West 30th Street from 10th Avenue, before looping north along the West Side Highway. It will border the Hudson Yards development on two sides. The park currently runs from Gansevoort Street to West 30th Street, where it abruptly stops at a chain-link fence through which visitors can see the remaining section of abandoned tracks.
> 
> While involved parties agreed in principal in November to maintain the third section of the High Line, there’s no signed agreement holding them to that. The Friends’ proposal, which Hammond stressed is a tentative idea, would involve building a completed park on the section roughly east of 11th Avenue — right next to where Related will construct the first Hudson Yards development, a building anchored by luxury leather-maker Coach.
> 
> The section west of 11th Avenue and looping northward would be more basic. Designers would merely put down some planks so that visitors could explore the area, and keep interest going until funds can be raised to fully build the whole project.
> 
> When the Hudson Yards development is completed, the new section of the High Line will have significantly different surroundings than the old ones: it will be surrounded by skyscrapers that are more like Midtown than the Meatpacking District and Chelsea.
> 
> Hammond estimated the overall project would cost roughly $70 to $90 million, which he admitted the Friends don’t currently have. "I like it because it's a way you can extend the permanent High Line farther, and you can get people to experience the wild space that’s there, and get it to 34th Street as soon as possible," Hammond said.
> 
> It also lines up more with the overall development of Hudson Yards — Related plans on building the eastern section of it before starting development on the western portion.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20111207/che...d-section-could-be-fast-tracked#ixzz1fsPE8YbA


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## desertpunk

*The Drake Hotel 432 Park Ave.*

*Curbed*



> Here Now, a Peek at the Model for Rafael Vinoly's Superscraper
> Thursday, December 8, 2011, by Sara Polsky
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The folks at Elite Daily managed to get their hands on a photo of the model for Rafael Vinoly's superscraper, the 1,300-foot-tall tower coming to the former Drake Hotel site. Looks a lot like the vague renderings that have been floating around for the past few months. The final building is supposed to have 128 condos; Elite Daily places the completion date in 2015-2016.
> 
> 
> ---


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## desertpunk

*WSJ*



> Arts Center Plan in Limbo
> By JENNIFER MALONEY
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The fate of a performing arts center slated to be designed by Frank Gehry for the World Trade Center site is in limbo as its boosters await the creation of a board of directors necessary for $100 million in funding.
> 
> According to a person familiar with the matter, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a major supporter of the arts center, has lined up appointees to the board, which must be formed by Dec. 31 to remain eligible for funding from the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo hasn't named any appointees, despite repeated requests from the mayor's office, this person said. The governor isn't required to name representatives to the arts center's board, LMDC records show, but City Hall nevertheless is waiting for the governor's input before moving forward.
> 
> The delay has caused City Hall to worry that the governor may want the LMDC funds for other projects and is waiting for the deadline to pass, the person familiar with the matter said. Mr. Cuomo in October announced the consolidation of LMDC operations next year into the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which faces billions of dollars in cost overruns in redeveloping the World Trade Center site. Julie Wood, a spokeswoman for the mayor, declined to comment about why City Hall hasn't announced board appointees. She said in an email: "We've always envisioned the performing arts center as part of the rebirth of Lower Manhattan, and we look forward to working collaboratively with other stakeholders to make it a reality."
> 
> The center is currently planned for the northwest corner of Fulton and Greenwich streets, which is owned by the Port Authority, over which Mr. Cuomo shares control with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. The site of the former Deutsche Bank building—owned by the LMDC—has been proposed as an alternative because the first location is occupied by a temporary PATH station and infrastructure complications exist.
> 
> The lack of a board of directors by Dec. 31 wouldn't necessarily doom the arts center, said LMDC president David Emil. He said his agency would likely approve an extension at a January meeting. "There is no doubt that the downtown community would benefit hugely from a downtown performing arts center," he said. "It should be built as soon as possible."
> 
> There is no timetable for starting construction. Josh Vlasto, a spokesman for the governor, didn't respond to a request for comment. The Port Authority declined to comment. The LMDC board in 2006 allocated $55 million for the project, and last year approved another $100 million in funding, on the condition that a board of directors form by the end of 2011. The arts venue would include a 1,000-seat theater, rehearsal space, classrooms and a public cafe.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*CUNY Harlem Building gets glassy:*









http://harlembespoke.blogspot.com/2011/12/introducing-more-glass-at-cuny-building.html



> The new CUNY science building overlooking St. Nicholas Park has been making major progress since it started rising back in Spring 2010 and now more glass has appeared on the building at the City College campus. Most of the east side had been glassed late summer this year but the west side which faces the park still consisted of steel beams until the past month or so. This one of buildings in the $300 million expansion to the campus which will provide more classroom space and is expected to finish in 2012.


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## el palmesano

amazing all the projects!


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Brooklyn's New Tallest Towers Will Break Ground in 2012
> Monday, December 12, 2011, by Sara Polsky
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 388 Bridge St. and 88 Willoughby St.
> 
> The Brooklyner's reign as Brooklyn's tallest residential building was nice while it lasted. But next year ground will break on two new buildings vying for the Borough's Tallest title. The Journal reviews the contenders: 388 Bridge Street, which just got a much-needed loan and will break ground early in 2012, and Avalon Willoughby West, which expects to begin construction later next year. The 388 Bridge project, at 590 feet, will contain 234 rentals on the lower floors and 144 condos on the upper floors (a format that's all the rage these days). The Avalon project is expected to be—ruh-roh—596 feet tall, with 861 rental units. According to the renderings we've got on file, both towers were designed by SLCE, so it seems the firm's the real winner here.
> 
> ----


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## desertpunk

*NY Observer*



> Hope Floats! Muncipal Art Society Revives Plans for East River Waterfront [Update]
> By Matt Chaban 12 12 2011
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> Building booms come and developers go, but a good project has a way of sticking around. Times Square, Columbus Circle, Hudson River Park, Queens West, all have seen their ups and downs, all are in various states of repose.
> 
> It was almost five years ago that the Municipal Art Society began conceiving of ways to remake a stretch of the East River waterfront in front of the old Con Ed plant between 38th Street and 41st Street. At the time, the question was how to not only bring access to the water but also how to make it work with a massive residential development planned by Sheldon Solow–how to make sure this would be public space for all, and not just a Sutton Place-style backyard for luxury apartment towers.
> 
> Mr. Solow is gone, at least for now, but another benefactor has taken his place. Since the city and the United Nations reached a deal in October to hand over half of the Robert Moses playground in exchange for, among other things, $150 million for waterfront redevelopment, MAS has revived its plans for this piece of East River real estate.
> 
> “There’s almost a new neighborhood being created, between Solow and the U.N.,” said Raju Mann, director of planning at the Municipal Art Society. “We need to create a vision for that neighborhood. Because this waterfront has really been neglected, a lot of people don’t even know it’s there.”
> 
> Building on the ideas cultivated in 2007, at the height of the development boom, MAS held a charrette in July, even before the city reached its deal, to look at new ways to engage the waterfront at the old Con Edison pier, which the utility continued to rent for parking until 2010. The results of that charrette have been codified into a study that the MAS will release today.
> 
> The idea was not to create a specific design but a framework that could influence the official planning effort, which is already in its formative stages. The city has hired the engineers at AECOM to come up with a study for potential redevelopment.
> 
> “The process of deciding what gets built here is just beginning, and we wanted to take an early role in helping shape that process,” Mr. Mann said. MAS has been reaching out not only to neighbors but also local institutions like the N.Y.U. Langone hospitals to form a broad coalition backing this new vision for the waterfront.
> 
> Another booster is local Councilman Dan Garodnick, who agrees that now is the time to get to work on planning out the pier. “It’s a welcome and thoughtful way to try and tackle an important issue,” Mr. Garodnick told The Observer. “The project is the first piece of what will eventually be a connected East River greenway, so it makes sense to focus on its design and purpose now.”
> 
> Two of the most important factors in developing a new plan for the pier were access and topography. The site is challenging because, like so much of the East Side, it is cut off from the city by the FDR. As it stands, there will only be access on the south side of the pier from the adjacent Glick Park, which runs from 34th Street to 38th Street.
> 
> One interim option that has been championed is repurposing half of an underutilized FDR off-ramp, that starts around 39th Street and connects to 42nd Street. Half the roadbed would be given over to pedestrian and bikes, creating a roundabout entrance from the north. Eventually, when the Solow site is built out, connections at 40th and 41st streets could be incorporated.
> 
> The steep elevation changes between the river and First Avenue are another reason MAS is recommending some sort of sloping landscape, which would eventually terminate at the water, allowing some form of access.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

Tectonic over at Wired NY took these great shots of Barclays Center:




























WNY: http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4322&page=224


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## desertpunk

*Fulton Transit Center coming along:*









http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2011/11/fulton-street-transit-center.html


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## desertpunk

*The New School is coming up:*









http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2011/11/new-new-school-building-reaches-ground.html


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## el palmesano

new school?? of what??


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## desertpunk

el palmesano said:


> new school?? of what??


The New School For Social Research.


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## desertpunk

*ArchDaily via TRD*



> Green Hotel in Williamsburg / Oppenheim Architecture + Design
> By Alison Furuto — Filed under: Hotels and Restaurants ,Sustainability , Brooklyn, New York, Oppenheim Architecture + Design, United States
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> Oppenheim Architecture + Design recently won the international competition to design a new hotel in Brooklyn, NY. A third pillar of the Williamsburg Bridge to emerge after 108 years. Their design of the Williamsburg hotel attempts to capture the essence of this vibrant neighborhood. Adjacent to both the Williamsburg Bridge and the historic Williamsburg Savings Bank, the building expresses itself as three dramatically proportioned, rectilinear volumes of varied height and materiality. Soaring high above the neighborhood, the hotel becomes the third pillar of the bridge, while serving as an archetypical tower to the domed basilica of the historical bank.
> 
> Sustainability was once again an important issue for Oppenheim Architecture + Design. The hotel will have geothermal, wind, and solar power generation, along with other resource saving strategies, for which they achieved Platinum LEED rating. More images and architects’ description after the break.
> 
> [...]


Amazing given all the naysayers! Details as they emerge.


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## desertpunk

*Mercedes House Gets Financing For Second Phase*









http://nyapartmentblog.com/mercedes-house-555-west-53rd-street/


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## sbarn

desertpunk said:


> *Mercedes House Gets Financing For Second Phase*
> 
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> 
> 
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> 
> http://nyapartmentblog.com/mercedes-house-555-west-53rd-street/


:? I think this is old news, this building is nearly complete.


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## desertpunk

sbarn said:


> :? I think this is old news, this building is nearly complete.


Read the article I linked from today. Most larger developments require financing at different steps in the process. Banks will start off on equity and pre-sales but hold off on the rest until various sales and construction progress goals are reached. This means that the second phase with the tower section can be completed without delay.


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## el palmesano

^^ Oh great, do you have pictures??


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## sbarn

el palmesano said:


> ^^ Oh great, do you have pictures??


I don't, but if you click HERE and scroll to the bottom you'll see some recent ones.


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## el palmesano

^^ thanks


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## sbarn

desertpunk said:


> Read the article I linked from today. Most larger developments require financing at different steps in the process. Banks will start off on equity and pre-sales but hold off on the rest until various sales and construction progress goals are reached. This means that the second phase with the tower section can be completed without delay.


Gotcha, I was under the impression they were fully funded on this one. Great news, thanks for the update!


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## sbarn

Had to share this rendering, its pure gold!! :cheers:









Source [thanks to NYGuy over at SSP]


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## Kohen_Heim32

^^ what project is that? looks REALLY good..


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## dino2010

Plagiat? :lol:

Second image: Kulczyk Tower in Warsaw


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## Kohen_Heim32

the one in New York looks better imo :colgate:


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## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Developers unveil plan to replace South Street Seaport mall
> December 16, 2011 02:00PM
> 
> 
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> 
> South Street Seaport leaseholder Howard Hughes Corp. unveiled plans to the local community board to replace the mall that currently sits on Pier 17 with a three-story glass retail building. According to the Tribeca Tribune, the community walked away impressed with the plan -- *but aware that a taller tower will likely follow.*
> 
> "You can't just be doing one building without knowing what your master plan is for the rest of the pier," said John Fratta, chair of Community Board 1's Seaport Committee. "I'm willing to bet there is going to be a high-rise in the future."
> 
> But without available financing there was no mention of the tower. Instead, Howard Hughes and project architect SHoP Architects showed off an open ground-floor, a mezzanine and a third floor with unique shops and restaurants. Unlike the generic mall that sits on the pier today, the new structure would have sweeping views of the water, and according to community board members, would leave visitors with a better sense that they are at the Seaport. (The plans were not made available to the public.)
> 
> Under the plan, Howard Hughes would also replace the sand behind at the former Water Taxi Beach with trees and benches to create a more park-like public space. The firm hopes to complete the project in 2014.
> 
> ---


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## dino2010

Kohen_Heim32 said:


> the one in New York looks better imo :colgate:


Yes, i agree  but the project in Warsaw is older


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## desertpunk

*NY Times*



> December 16, 2011, 2:56 pm
> Cornell’s Bid for City Campus Gains and Stanford Bows Out
> 
> By RICHARD PéREZ-PEñA
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> Stanford's planned tech campus in NY
> 
> Update, 5:27 p.m. | New York City’s contest to build a science graduate school took a startling turn on Friday, as Stanford University bowed out of the competition, shortly before Cornell University announced receipt of a $350 million gift to help pay for its proposed campus on Roosevelt Island.
> 
> The two universities had long been regarded as the front-runners in the contest, with the city expected to pick a winner in January. Officials said Stanford had dropped its bid in part because it was being outpaced in fund-raising by Cornell. Cornell did not identify the source of the $350 million, the largest donation in its history.
> 
> Until Stanford officials sent a statement to reporters and alumni at 2 p.m. Eastern time, there had been no public sign of wavering in the university’s commitment to the $2 billion project. In fact, Lisa Lapin, a university spokeswoman, said, “our negotiating team is still in New York; they were still working on it yesterday.”
> 
> John Hennessy, the university’s president, said in a prepared statement, “Stanford was very excited to participate in the competition, and we were honored to be selected as a finalist.” The statement continued, “We were looking forward to an innovative partnership with the City of New York, and we are sorry that together we could not find a way to realize our mutual goals.”
> 
> Mr. Hennessy said he and the university trustees made the decision to withdraw on Friday morning.
> 
> Stanford officials had become frustrated by the city’s attempts to negotiate new terms after the university submitted its proposal in October, according to people briefed on the matter, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal private discussions.
> 
> The city received seven proposals, but Cornell and Stanford were considered the top contenders. Both are national leaders in engineering and computer science, and they proposed the most ambitious plans, each calling for about two million square feet of space on Roosevelt Island, which is one of three sites that was offered by the city. If anything, Stanford, the catalyst for Silicon Valley – Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s model in dreaming up the project – was seen as having a leg up.
> 
> Columbia proposed about 1.1 million square feet in West Harlem, while much smaller plans were submitted for Brooklyn, one from a consortium led by New York University, and one from Carnegie Mellon University. They are also still in the running.
> 
> [...]











Cornell's planned tech campus on Roosevelt island got a $350 million pledge.


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## sbarn

Kohen_Heim32 said:


> ^^ what project is that? looks REALLY good..


One57, which is about halfway up!

You can find out more HERE.


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## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Astoria proposal to bring 2,300 residential units to waterfront
> December 22, 2011
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Developer Lincoln Equities Group is proposing to build 2,300 residential units, a park and a supermarket along the East River in Astoria, according to the New York Daily News.
> 
> The proposal, dubbed Hallets Point, calls for seven towers with 1,900 market-rate units and 400 units reserved for affordable housing. It's slated to begin the public review process next year.
> 
> The project has received strong support from the community, the Daily News said, for the new residents, supermarket and other amenities it could bring to the neighborhood. Local City Council member Peter Vallone Jr., however, worries the neighborhood cannot sustain a project of that size.
> 
> Chris Chames, a broker at Astoria Realty, said he believes the projects would push rents up in the neighborhood.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Christian de Portzamparc Shares New One57 Renderings
> 
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> 
> Another day, another reveal of new renderings for pricey Midtown behemoth One57. International Business Times sits down with the building's architect, Christian de Portzamparc, and while de Portzamparc was distracted by questions, grabbed some renderings from his filing cabinets. The architect sees the building as "a tribute to the great scene of Central Park." And also, apparently, as a practical structure, since he tells IB Times that "every gesture, every shape must be justified by various reasons that would reinforce their reason to be, their use, and will give more sense to their beauty." Wonder if he finds the pricing similarly justified?
> 
> ---




















http://lower-manhattan-real-estate.com/tag/one57/


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## desertpunk

*WSJ*



> NY REAL ESTATE RESIDENTIAL JANUARY 3, 2012
> What's Ahead for 4 Projects
> 
> *Developers Hope Economy in 2012 Will Bring Progress on Big Manhattan Towers*
> 
> By ELIOT BROWN
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> It's been a quiet few years in the world of Manhattan development. Since the economy turned more than three years ago, reams of plans for gleaming new towers have sat collecting dust on shelves, while the starts of office or condominium buildings have been few and far between.
> 
> Now, after two years of slow but relatively consistent job growth, a few developers are hoping 2012 will be one in which lenders warm to the market once again, and cranes start rising.
> 
> Here's a look at a few projects in the works and their outlooks for getting started this year.
> 
> *432 Park Ave.*
> Developer: CIM Group/ Harry Macklowe
> 
> Outlook: Good
> 
> In one of the largest Manhattan purchases of the downturn, in January 2010, Los Angeles-based CIM Group picked up one of the country's most desirable development sites: 432 Park Ave., home of the former Drake Hotel.
> 
> Now the firm, working with developer Harry Macklowe, wants to build a 1,300-foot tower filled with condominiums and retail space.
> 
> In the past year, the market for high-end condos has been strong, although remaining below peak levels.
> 
> Still, CIM is in a good position to build. The main remaining hurdle is securing financing from lenders at a time when few banks are willing to give large loans for condo projects, even in Manhattan.
> 
> *Hudson Yards first tower*
> Developer: Related Cos.
> 
> Outlook: Fair to good
> 
> For decades, planners have hoped to develop the 26-acre West Side rail yards, by the southern end of the Javits Convention Center, in a bid to remake Manhattan's far West Side into a business district.
> 
> Now Related Cos. is getting closer than anyone before: Handbag maker Coach Inc. has announced plans to buy one-third of the 1.8-million-square-foot planned first building on the site, and Related says it expects to start construction early this year.
> 
> Still, the Coach deal isn't final and Related, the New York firm headed by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, is looking for another commitment to fill the 1.2 million square feet of the tower not yet slated for a tenant. It's questionable whether lenders will embrace the project until more deals are finalized.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *3 World Trade Center*
> Developer: Silverstein Properties Inc.
> 
> Outlook: Fair
> 
> The third building slated to rise at the World Trade Center site, the base of the planned 2.8 million square foot 3 World Trade Center is already under construction.
> 
> But based on a deal struck for a public-sector-financing package in 2010, construction won't continue above the first few floors of retail space until Larry Silverstein, the 80-year-old developer, finds tenants for at least 400,000 square feet.
> 
> That's going to be tough, given the other office development under way at the World Trade Center site. There's already about 5 million square feet of space being built but tenants have signed commitments for only half of that.
> 
> *15 Penn Plaza*
> Developer: Vornado Realty Trust
> 
> Outlook: Poor
> 
> Vornado Realty Trust has long dreamed of demolishing the Hotel Pennsylvania across from Pennsylvania Station, and replacing it with a soaring office tower.
> 
> But Vornado, one of the most cautious large developers in the city, has no tenants for the 2.8-million-foot tower. Further, the 1,700-room hotel generates gobs of cash—$18 million in the first nine months of 2011—and its revenue goes up every time the economy improves, offsetting the appeal of an office tower.
> 
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*Flyover video of Cornell's winning Roosevelt Island Tech campus bid:*


----------



## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Fresh Renderings Unveiled for Helmut Jahn's 50 West Street
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Helmut Jahn-designed hotel/condo at 50 West Street showed some tentative signs of life this summer with the issuing of a permit for the building. Developer Time Equities told us at the time that the project was still in "pre-development" and that the permit filing was just an administrative move. But the folks at Wired New York dug up a few more renderings of the project, including what appear to be some interior images from the Time Equities website. A sign that we'll see more life in this project in 2012?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> ---


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Lam Poon Team Digs For Fairfield Inn at South Street Seaport
> 
> Wednesday, December 28, 2011, by Pete Davies
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Down at the edge of the South Street Seaport Historic District the hospitality crew from Marriott are digging down, readying a site for a new 31-story hotel set to rise above the East River, just a stone's throw from the spanking new Pier 15. The lot is at 30 Fletcher Street, and it backs up to one of the more storied building plots from the high-flying times before the economy hit the skids, namely number 80 South Street. That's where WTC Transportation Hub-ster Santiago Calatrava hoped to hit the heavens with his sky-high priced tower of penthouses, first announced in 2004. Those heady times are far behind and now this block, close to the water and in the middle of a flood zone, will get something more mundane: two hundred guest rooms in a Fairfield Inn.
> 
> The Marriott plan is being developed by the team at Lam Generation, working with a batch of busy designers from Peter Poon Architects. That creative crew has rendered a stack of glass and metal, with a couple of setbacks up top and—to hold back rising tides—a battalion of flood gates set down low. The lot, measuring a mere 32 feet wide by 93 feet long, is awaiting a foundation and was recently ripped open. It's in the middle of what the city dubs a "Zone A" Hurricane Evacuation Zone, and that could mean trouble. The Department of Buildings labels the area a "Flood Hazard Zone" so what's going up "must be built to the most stringent standards to ensure minimal damage in case of flooding." That means the new hotel must construct flood barriers and a whole host of other techno-contraptions to keep the guests safe and dry. Holy Budget Busters!
> 
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Pier A In Worse Shape Than Thought, Restoration To Be Costlier, Take More Time*


Pier A, Battery Park, Hudson River, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr



> BATTERY PARK CITY — The cost of the massive redevelopment of Pier A has ballooned and the project is slated to run behind schedule, as officials have discovered that the rotting landmark is in worse shape than initially believed, they revealed this week.
> 
> The overhaul of the 126-year-old landmarked building will now cost taxpayers $36 million, up from $30 million, and the pier will not reopen to the public until at least the middle of 2013, Battery Park City Authority officials said.
> 
> "There was a great deal more rot … than we had anticipated when the project started," said Gwen Dawson, senior vice president of asset management for the authority, at a Community Board 1 meeting Tuesday night.
> 
> "There was a significant amount of water damage, rot and structural deterioration," she said.
> 
> 
> Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20120104/dow...riginally-thought-officials-say#ixzz1icVvjCAC


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## rychlik

dino2010 said:


> Plagiat? :lol:
> 
> Second image: Kulczyk Tower in Warsaw


They look almost identical. Hope they go for the other design.


----------



## Minsk

*Selldorf Architects completes new residential tower in West Chelsea*

This residential high-rise is located in New York's West Chelsea neighbourhood, a burgeoning residential area forged from a former industrial zone and home to the City’s contemporary art galleries. The client desired a building that would make a unique contribution to the neighbourhood, as well as one that would draw together uptown and downtown clienteles, through a contemporary design that echoes tradition.

Parking was critical to the client, given the site’s distance from subway lines, that residents would likely own cars, and that the site’s small footprint would prohibit building a conventional parking garage. In response, the design blends the context and tradition of West Chelsea with contemporary innovation.

The 3-storey plinth is designed to connect the building to the surrounding context by reflecting the neighbourhood’s low-rise scale, and through a material palette (terracotta cladding and blackened steel window frames) that matches the masonry façades and industrial details of the surrounding buildings. Terracotta, widely used as architectural ornament during the 19th century in New York, is applied to the plinth but with a pared down, contemporary tone. Above the plinth, the tower energises the neighbourhood with a new architectural expression: the metallic sheen and curvilinear forms of its custom-fabricated stainless steel rainscreen.

The sculptural curves of the rainscreen are matched in the terracotta base, creating formal continuity between the tower and the plinth. The 16 units are configured as duplexes - a strategy which increases the building height to maximise river views. Inside, a double-height living space gives each unit the feel of a private home. Interiors are modern, but also recall the tradition of prewar apartments with tall ceilings and casement windows. In response to the parking requirement, each unit has a private en-suite garage which is serviced by a car elevator.



















http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=18584


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Casino The Key to Queens Convention Center Funding
> 
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> 
> Why would a company agree to fully fund the construction of a multi-billion-dollar convention center miles away from midtown Manhattan, when such projects are regularly heavily subsidized money losers? If you answered "casino", then you're a winner! Part of the deal that Governor Cuomo signed with Malaysia's Genting Group to build a convention center at the Aqueduct site near JFK includes an agreement to allow the expansion of Genting's existing gambling site at Aqueduct into an all-out casino in New York City, according to the WSJ.
> 
> An analyst with one of the two largest banks in Malaysia remarked that a beneficial outcome for Genting relied on the addition of a full casino to the convention center plan. "I think the key thing here is the potential introduction of table gambling games as opposed to only slot machines at the Aqueduct Racetrack. This could fetch higher margins for Genting Malaysia." Any benefits, however, are not expected for at least two years, to give New York time to amend its state constitution, which limits casino gambling to locations on Native American reservations.
> 
> ----


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## desertpunk

*DNAinfo*



> Replace Javits Site With Park and Housing, Locals Say
> January 6, 2012 7:35am | By Mathew Katz, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> HELL’S KITCHEN — Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan to raze the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center was met by widespread approval from a Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood group that has already drafted a plan to replace the building with park space and residential land.
> 
> Shortly after Wednesday's announcement during Cuomo’s State of the State speech, the Hell’s Kitchen Neighborhood Association sent around a modified version of a plan for the site, drafted in 2007.
> 
> The proposal would replace the entire center with a park-filled, mixed-use residential neighborhood on the Javits space, re-opening West 35th to West 39th Street. It also proposes to redevelop half of nearby Pier 76 as community park.
> 
> The plan roughly lines up with what Cuomo proposed Wednesday, including building a new mixed-use neighborhood in the model of Battery Park City, with residential units, hotels and parks. He believes the state could attract $2 billion in private money to develop the 18-acre site.
> 
> The convention center would move to a 3.8 million square foot complex at the Aqueduct Race Track in Queens.
> 
> The neighborhood group's goal for the existing Javits site is to increase neighborhood access to Hudson River Park, alleviate traffic going to the West Side Highway and provide more affordable housing for the area.
> 
> “We look forward to working with the governor and his agencies to develop this 18-acre site with genuinely affordable housing and an expanded Hudson River Park," said Kathleen Treat, head of the Hell's Kitchen Neighborhood Association.
> 
> With the Javits gone, neighbors would like to see Hudson River Park expanded from a sliver on the shore of the Hudson to having a second section east of the West Side Highway.
> 
> “I hate to say it, but [Hudson River Park’s] really inadequate around here and everyone knows it,” said Meta Brunzema, the chair of the HKNA’s planning committee. "The Javits Center is really an obstacle to it really becoming a great park."
> 
> In his speech, the governor also mentioned the possibility of keeping some convention space in Manhattan, though neighbors don't want to see it on the current Javits site. Advocates pointed towards space in the nearby James A. Farley post office for small ballrooms and meeting areas
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20120106/che...te-with-park-housing-locals-say#ixzz1iiNNJuxX


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> NYU Stretches The Streets in 2031 Plan Renderings
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> NYU's 2031 Core Plan Update (September 2011) is filled with renderings of its proposed expansion plans and historical maps for illustration. We couldn't help but notice that one pair of maps—showing the area bounded by West Third and Houston Streets on the north and south, and Laguardia Place and Mercer Street on the east and west—stretches the street grid horizontally and gives the "after" view of NYU's plan a more wide-open appearance.
> 
> The two map illustrations appear on pages seven and eight of NYU's 2031 Core Plan Update, and they're titled Existing Conditions and Proposed Plan Site. We've animated the difference between the two maps and highlighted in red the four streets mentioned above for comparison purposes.
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*Brownstoner*



> Developer Still Planning Super-Tall Williamsburg Hotel
> 
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> 
> Back in early November there were reports about how the firm Oppenheim Architecture+Design had won some sort of design competition for a skyscraper hotel next to the landmark Williamsburgh Savings Bank. Juan Figueroa, who owns the site and is currently developing the former bank into a gallery and event space, quickly denied the reports, saying there was no way to finance the project. Permits that were recently filed with the city indicate, however, that Figueroa is at least trying to get the official OK for a tower in the spot, whether or not he’s planning on building it anytime soon. Figueroa filed an application to build a 420-foot-tall hotel with 36 stories and more than 200 rooms. The original news about the hotel was that it would be 440 feet tall and, in fact, Oppenheim isn’t named on the application: A firm called Diego Aguilera Architects that’s based in Rego Park is referred to as the applicant of record.
> 
> ---


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## Myster E

I'm not surprised this being NYC, not a week goes when you hear about another supertall proposal in the pipeline, absolutely amazing city unrivalled IMO.


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## desertpunk

3WTC rises above street grade:


WTC 3 construct by Ro.E.H, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Bids to develop two Riverside towers due this month
> January 11, 2012 09:30AM
> 
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> 
> Just a handful of bidders remain for 1.35 million of Extell Development and Carlyle Group’s buildable square feet along West End Avenue, and final bids are due by the end of the month. But the New York Post reported that the site is burdened by several major restrictions.
> 
> The parcel, named Riverside Center, is located between West 59th and 61st streets, the southernmost part of the massive Riverside South complex. *The portion for sale is slated for two residential towers of 43 and 44 stories.*
> 
> ---











Riverside Center


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## desertpunk

*NY Observer*



> “Over Pier, We Have A New Plan!” More Developments at South St. Seaport
> 
> By Stephen Duffy 1/12 5:42pm
> 
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> 
> 
> Avast, downtown!
> 
> Howard Hughes Corp. is set to reveal its plans for the renovation of Pier 17 at South Street Seaport, according to Crain’s. The plans will first have to get the all clear from Landmarks Preservation Commission, which oversees the seaport historic district, and it is hoped the plans will be submitted sometime in the first half of 2012.
> 
> The bid faced opposition in the past from the commission when it was presented by General Growth three years ago, prior to the massive mall operator’s bankruptcy.
> 
> Dogged in the past by building problems, the firm is ready to move forward with its presentation, after they recently conducted “thought-provoking” discussions with city organizations. One of these was with the Landmarks Preservation Commission, who they recently met a number of times, according to Crains New York.
> 
> Howard Hughes, a spin off of the bankrupt General Growth Properties, are treading carefully, considering their plans astutely, so that they are sure to appease the locals. The last leaseholder of the Seaport incurred their wrath after they proposed a large tower on the site. To satiate them, some of the latest plans being drawn up by SHoP Architects, the pier’s designers, are thought to include more greenery and greater access to the street.
> 
> The delay in the pier project has be aided by an almost comic communications failure. In 2008, Community Board 1 approved the then General Growth plan once they they set aside space for a new school. Then they committed a complete about turn, rescinding their decision, after the city said they didn’t need a school there.
> 
> Julie Menin, chair of CB1 and nascent borough president, told Crains that the board wanted to see the plans for the pier in the context of the whole development.
> 
> Once Landmarks is through with the project, it is on to City Planning and the City Council for a whole other round of reviews and approvals.
> 
> ---


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## desertpunk

*New Glassy Offices For The High Line*












> The High Line is turning into the new Park Avenue. On the northern end are luxe apartment buildings, some of the finest in the city, and to the south, cutting edge office towers. While it is not quite Seagrams or Lever House, 837 Washington and the High Line Building are nothing to sneeze at. Now the Albanese Organization is constructing yet another such project, according to the Times, though it will be a little farther north, on 22nd Street.
> 
> Even long before Google purchased 111 Eighth Avenue, this was a popular place for hip companies to set up shop, and since some corners of the area were not rezoned residential, it can be cheaper to build boutique offices than boutique condos. That seems to be the thinking this time out.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Brokers and landlords in the area are keeping a close eye on the development. “The office market down here is relatively small when it comes to number of buildings,” said Charles R. Bendit, a co-chief executive at Taconic Investment Partners, which owns several buildings in the neighborhood. “I’m not sure what the demand is for 100,000-square-feet signature properties like this, but I would say there are a lot of cool companies that want to plant their flag down here. It will be very interesting to see how they do.”
> 
> 
> 
> The project is being designed by Cook + Fox Architects, and the hope is to create a LEED Platinum building, just like the firm’s work for the Durst Organization at One Bryant Park.
Click to expand...


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## Jex7844

I really love this project, so classy & impressive! It looks like the polish project indeed but who cares, as long as they're both built... .

Well done NY!!!


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## desertpunk

*City weighs promoting upgrades in aging Midtown East office buildings*












> Having already ceded some of its demand to recent upstart office markets like Midtown South and downtown Manhattan, Midtown East is the subject of a Department of City Planning review intending to probe whether it needs to incentivize commercial property upgrades in the area, Crain’s reported.
> 
> Midtown East has more than 70 million square feet of office space, 13 Fortune 500 companies and about 250,000 jobs. But few new office buildings have been built in the area of late, and the aging stock could become increasingly disadvantageous as tech firms play a larger role in the office leasing market. Crain’s said current regulations may be discouraging landlords from making improvements.


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## desertpunk

*TRD*



> For the record
> 
> *The New York real estate records smashed in 2011*
> 
> January 03, 2012
> By Leigh Kamping-Carder
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> 
> Even in a year marked by continued economic malaise, buyers, sellers, landlords, lenders, builders, investors and even tourists broke records in New York in 2011. Below, a list of the all-time highs — and lows — reached in the last year.
> 
> *Tallest buildings*
> 
> Several developers last year made headway on towers that, when built, are set to surpass the highest points in the current skyline. The most notable, of course, is One World Trade Center, which will be New York’s tallest building when it reaches its full height of 1,776 feet.
> 
> The lofty One57 condo tower, which broke ground about six months ago, is slated to become the city’s tallest residential building at 1,000 feet, eclipsing the current residential giant: the 870-foot New York by Gehry at 8 Spruce Street.
> 
> Marriott International’s under-construction hotel at 1717 Broadway, which was announced in August, is set to become the tallest standalone hotel structure at nearly 753 feet. Meanwhile, Bruce Ratner’s Forest City Ratner recently unveiled plans to build the largest-ever prefabricated tower, which would rise 32 stories at Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards (see story on page 62).
> 
> *Priciest office tower*
> 
> One World Trade Center is not only tall — it’s expensive. Indeed, at $3.2 billion, or $1,250 per square foot, the central structure to go up as part of the World Trade Center’s reconstruction dwarfs the cost of other glitzy office buildings in the city — and the country.
> 
> *Priciest retail buy*
> 
> Spain’s Inditex, parent company of fashion retailer Zara, in March closed on a deal to pay $331.6 million for a 39,000-square-foot slice of a 666 Fifth Avenue retail condo, city records show. At $8,300 per square foot, it was the highest price ever paid for a U.S. retail property, according to Real Capital Analytics data.
> 
> *Highest retail asking rent*
> 
> In April, Vornado Realty Trust began quietly shopping the 1,402-square-foot retail space at 691 Fifth Avenue occupied by Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door Spa, sources said. Several brokers told The Real Deal at the time that the $3,000-per-square-foot asking rent for the ground-floor space was a record for Fifth Avenue, the city’s priciest retail district. The property is still available, according to Vornado’s website, but the broker handling the listing was not immediately available for comment.
> 
> *Priciest residential sale*
> 
> The sale of former Citigroup chairman Sandy Weill’s 15 Central Park West penthouse may be the most expensive residential deal ever. Weill put the spread on the market in November for $88 million and vowed to donate the proceeds to charity. Mere weeks later, he found a buyer. Ekaterina Rybolovleva, the 22-year-old daughter of Russian fertilizer magnate Dmitry Rybolovlev, claimed to be the purchaser, saying through a spokesperson that she plans to stay there while studying at a U.S. university. The spokesperson declined to confirm how much Rybolovleva paid, and public records on the final price won’t be available until the sale closes. But even at a generous 39 percent discount, the price would knock out J. Christopher Flowers’s 2006 purchase of the Harkness Mansion, which set the bar at $53 million.
> 
> *Priciest foreclosure auction*
> 
> The Henry T. Sloane Mansion at 18 East 68th Street, once on the market for $64 million, could have set a record for the city’s priciest townhouse sale. Instead, it went to billionaire Alexander Rovt at the city’s costliest foreclosure auction in June. Rovt, who also made his fortune in fertilizer, successfully bid nearly $40 million — the total owed to first mortgage lender Madison Realty Capital.
> 
> *Record residential asking price*
> 
> The estate of fitness mogul Lucille Roberts put the Woolworth Mansion on 4 East 80th Street up for sale in March. The $90 million asking price is the largest on record for a townhouse property (see story on page 43.)
> 
> ---
> 
> *Tourist volume*
> 
> The number of hotel rooms in New York hit a record high of 90,000 in 2011, growing 24 percent from 2006, according to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has been pushing to increase tourism to the city. Likewise, the 50.2 million tourists who visited New York last year represented the highest number yet, topping the 48.8 million who came in 2010.
> 
> ---


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## desertpunk

*W 42nd St To Gain New Hotels*



> 136 W 42nd St
> 
> 
> The high-profile block of West 42nd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues has long needed an upgrade, according to the New York Post, and after tracking developments on the block it’s clear that progress is being made.
> 
> The partnership of Highgate Holdings, Crown Acquisitions and Ashkenazy Acquisitions has completed interior demolition work in its bid to revert the former Knickerbocker Hotel, at 1466 Broadway, back to a luxury hotel from Class B office space. Highgate has filed paperwork to construct model hotel rooms on the ground floor. Next door, at 136 West 42nd Street, the partnership is slated to begin construction in April on a hotel it will sell to Diamond Rock Hospitality. But the partners will hold on to the ground-floor retail and market it through Cushman & Wakefield.


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## ZZ-II

thx desertpunk for posting all the news


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## desertpunk

^
You're welcome!


*Nothing to See There at New Four Points on Platt Street*









realhospitality group



> A new rendering of the planned 264-room Four Points by Sheraton at 6 Platt Street may be a brilliant new concept in increasing the hotel's pay-per-view revenue by placing guests in windowless rooms with nothing else to look at but the TV. Our first impression of the rendering was that we were looking at an inversion of SOM's Toren in Brooklyn, with the ratio of dimpled aluminum accent panels per window turned upside down. We know that the privacy of hotel guests is probably a concern along the narrow canyons of the Financial District, but we hope that the solution devised by Nobutaka Ashihara and the Lam Group wasn't to make 80% of the building's 27-story facade opaque.


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## desertpunk

*TheRealDeal*



> NYU 2031 Plans Cast Their Shadow Over Greenwich Village
> Thursday, January 19, 2012, by Pete Davies
> 
> After sitting through a slew of NYU 2031 presentations, the local populace will get its turn to say a thing or ten when Community Board 2 gathers tonight for a full board neeting at PS 41 in Greenwich Village. Over the past two weeks the public has been meeting with Big Purple and the university's design teams; the five nights of hearings covered everything from open space to sky exposure planes. The planning professionals all used the driest of prose to sell their big expansion proposal, intoning in ULURP-speak about traffic, noise, and shadows that will fill the blocks south of Washington Square for the next two decades.
> 
> 
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> 
> Beyond the pretty pictures showing trees and flowers that will bloom some twenty years hence, NYU came armed with charts and tables. University officials reported that construction noise will hover just below the allowable maximum decibel level and that traffic signals in the area can be adjusted by a second or two to keep things moving, with barely a wait for anyone. Villagers who were watching weren't buying it, especially the folks living nearby who might want to open their windows or step out for a walk at some point prior to 2031.
> 
> Nearby residents questioned the validity of Big Purple's data and an NYU faculty member declared that the massive expansion doesn't have the support of a broad range of either faculty or students. The professor said it shouldn't be called the "NYU Plan" but rather the "Sexton Plan," laying the blame for the proposal on the ambition of NYU President John Sexton.
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> East Village Turning Luxurious East Side
> 
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> 
> 
> The gilding of the East Village slowed when the market downturn put the brakes on financing for new developments, but properties that got built or set in motion are now starting to fill. The idea that people would be willing to build—and pay for—multi-million-dollar units east of Avenue A would have gotten one written off as a Tompkins Square Park babbler or locked up in Bellevue 20 years ago. Now, a penthouse two blocks north of Tompkins Square is listing for $1.7 million. A few blocks away, musician John Legend is asking more than $2,000 a square foot ($2.95 million) for his 2BR condo. Up on Third Avenue and 11th, 123 Third is offering duplex and full-floor penthouses on the same lot that housed a porn store and a nail salon five years ago. Time to rename Loisaida Avenue, El Dorado Drive?
> 
> [...]


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## I(L)WTC

:wow: Interesting proyects!


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## JeDarkett

yeah, very interesting!, I love NY


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## macbeth008

It's touches the sky. these buildings are really so high.
corbett tour package


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## desertpunk

Related has inked a contract with a California builder for $4 billion *Hudson Yards* project. http://therealdeal.com/blog/2012/01...he-beaten-path-for-hudson-yards-construction/


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## royal rose1

Desertpunk, you are the man!


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## moustache

Ugly ...


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## ZZ-II

to me, it looks nice


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## SO143

Jex7844 said:


> I really love this project, so classy & impressive! It looks like the polish project indeed but who cares, as long as they're both built... .
> 
> Well done NY!!!


it looks stunning :cheers: 

hope this kind of architecturally outstanding tower will be built in my town as well :colgate:


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## desertpunk

*Crain's*



> Silverstein still hopes to land 3 WTC tenant
> 
> *Developer Larry Silverstein is talking with several potential occupants for the second of his planned Trade Center towers as he hopes to avoid capping it at seven stories.*
> 
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> 
> Developer Larry Silverstein said Monday that he is speaking with a number of potential tenants and is optimistic that he will sign a lease so he can complete the second of the two towers he is building at the World Trade Center site.
> 
> Mr. Silverstein's statement was in response to an article in Monday's Crain's, which said the developer is planning to halt construction of 3 World Trade Center by the end of the year and cap it at seven stories—73 short of its planned height—because he can't find a tenant, sources close to the company said. Minor modifications have been made to ongoing construction so it can be capped. The seven-story podium would then be used to house retail tenants.
> 
> “We are 100% committed and determined to build 3 World Trade Center to the top as quickly as possible,” said Mr. Silverstein, CEO of Silverstein Properties Inc., in a statement.
> 
> Other sources close to Mr. Silverstein said that that the podium won't be fully completed until some time next year since the company will still be working on the interiors. That would give Mr. Silverstein nearly two years to find a tenant or call a total halt.
> 
> Under an agreement with the site's owner, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Mr. Silverstein must lease 400,000 square feet in the tower, line up $300 million of private equity and secure private construction financing in order to qualify for needed debt guarantees from the Port Authority, the city and the state
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120123/REAL_ESTATE/120129972#ixzz1kKwFl1jx


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## desertpunk

*Toll Bros Building French-Style Condos In UES*












> About a year and a half ago, I wrote an article in The Real Deal about 535 West End Avenue, a fine example of contextualism by the Chicago-based architect Lucien Lagrange. It was the architect’s first building in Manhattan and, I assumed, his last: citing a growing disenchantment with the profession, a downturn in the Chicago market, and impending bankruptcy, Lagrange had just announced his retirement at the relatively young age (for an architect) of 69. But, after Lagrange closed his own firm, he went on to join VOA Associates, also of Chicago, which describes itself as specializing in “luxury residential, hospitality and commercial mixed-use markets.”
> 
> But, after Lagrange closed his own firm, he went on to join VOA Associates, also of Chicago, which describes itself as specializing in “luxury residential, hospitality and commercial mixed-use markets.” And now he has designed for Toll Brothers a new building that is just starting to arise at 132 East 65th Street at the corner of Lexington Avenue. To judge from the renderings, it will be a fine looking residence which, even before it exists, has nearly sold out.


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## el palmesano

it seems that in all the world the french style turns to be a trend


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## desertpunk

*Work is progressing at the new Marriot at 325 W 33rd St:*










http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16030&page=4



2012_01_325W33Marriott_3 by curbed, on Flickr


2012_01_325W33Marriott_2 by curbed, on Flickr


2012_01_325W33Marriott_4 by curbed, on Flickr


2012_01_325W33Marriott_6 by curbed, on Flickr


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## arkanet

eh guys which year it is supposed to be the 4 towers finished?


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## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Bloomberg vows to build 10 more Gehry buildings
> January 31, 2012
> 
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> 
> Frank Gehry's Signature Theater
> 
> Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants 10 Frank Gehry buildings in New York City in the next two years, the mayor told a crowd outside the Signature Theater, the latest Gehry building to open in his purview, at its opening today.
> 
> As the New York Observer reported, the mayor is prepping his New York legacy with Gehry’s help. “You should know that Frank and I had a conversation backstage,” Bloomberg said and looked at Gehry adding, “and we both committed to each other that we would get 10 more Frank Gehry projects going here — in the next 700 days. If my math is any good, Frank, that is one every 70 days, so we should meet some time later today to get going.”
> 
> And the architect had some borderline schmaltzy words for the mayor in return: “I hitched my wagon to the most incredible group of dreamers you’ll ever imagine,” Gehry told the crowd, “including the dreamiest dreamer of all, the mayor of this city, Mayor Bloomberg.”
> 
> Among pet projects of Gehry’s for the next 700 days were a new home for the Joyce Theater, which will lose its lease in 2016.
> 
> 
> [...]


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## Eastern37

^^ That will be amazing if it happens!


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## desertpunk

Eastern37 said:


> ^^ That will be amazing if it happens!


Not sure if Bloomberg's srs but it would be great!


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## desertpunk

*Durst Fetner residential tower in north CP East is almost ready:*









http://ny.curbed.com/tags/durst-fetner-residential

Next up: The SHoP Pyramid at W 57th & 11th!


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## DesignerVoodoo

I just saw this n Curbed. http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/...ng_actually_getting_built.php#reader_comments


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## desertpunk

*1 WTC today:*









http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/38416/photos-from-1wtc/









http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/tag/1-wtc/









http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/38416/photos-from-1wtc/









http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/tag/1-wtc/


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## desertpunk

DesignerVoodoo said:


> I just saw this n Curbed. http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/...ng_actually_getting_built.php#reader_comments


Oh lawdy! Here it is: 

*Curbed*



> Park Place's Most Shocking Building Actually Getting Built
> Friday, February 3, 2012, by Sara Polsky
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The rendering for a new 21-story condo building at 19 Park Place was mind-blowing enough when the Ismael Leyva design came to our attention in late 2010. Here's what's even more mind-blowing: it's actually getting built. Tribeca Citizen recently noticed a construction update sign at the skinny lot and uncovered the intel that construction on the building will begin in the next few weeks. The sign gives the construction an end-date of November 2013. The Leyva design—which the developer confirms is still the one being used—has thoroughly normal interiors, at least according to the old renderings. But it's not the interiors the neighborhood's likely to worry about.
> 
> [...]


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## Hed_Kandi

http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/02/renderings-for-450-hudson-boulevard.html


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## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Extell’s Times Square Hyatt to have 54 stories, 487 rooms
> 
> September 07, 2011 03:30PM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The new Hyatt Hotel Gary Barnett’s Extell Development Company is building in Times Square will have 54 stories, 487 rooms and is expected to be completed in 2013, Hotels Magazine reported. The hotel will rise 550 feet at 135 West 45th Street and will be designed by SLCE to feature a rooftop terrace and sky lounge. As The Real Deal previously reported, Barnett sold the site to HHS TS REIT LLC in a deal that closed in July, but remained the developer of the hotel. Barnett had originally intended to build a 50-story condominium and hotel, according to plans presented to the community board in 2007.
> 
> [...]


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## richuyuy

desertpunk said:


> *1 WTC today:*
> 
> 
> 
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> http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/38416/photos-from-1wtc/
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> http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/38416/photos-from-1wtc/
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> http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/tag/1-wtc/


Nice development.


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Metropolitan Musem of Art Finally Plans New Fifth Ave Plaza
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> The crowded and, well, blah plaza outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art is headed for a makeover, now that museum trustee and philanthropist David H. Koch has promised $60 million for the project. The Times has the details on the redo, which could begin this fall if various city departments give the thumbs-up. The plan from Philly-based firm OLIN involves smaller fountains—"programmed by computer to provide a variety of water patterns during the warm months"—which will become reflecting pools in winter. The revamped plaza will have double the current number of trees, including some topiaries; benches and retractable parasols; bronze kiosks for information and food; spots for street vendors; and night-time LED lighting
> 
> [...]


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## jotrespo




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## jotrespo

*Does anyone know the BEST college in NYC to study architecture?
I'm looking for a 4 year college, so then i can get a master and so somewhere else like the NYU but for the moment i need a college not too expensive, one that accepts FAFSA
A school that is very helpful, how about the people? a don't want to sound racist, but i'd like to go somewhere not too guetto. *

*NYIT
citycollege
also NJIT
whats the best in everything?*.

thanks


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## desertpunk

*NY Times*



> In Long Island City, Pepsi Sign Gets More Company
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> By ALISON GREGOR
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> Published: February 9, 2012
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> TWO more glass skyscrapers are being added to the growing collection of towers on the waterfront in Long Island City in Queens.
> 
> The rental towers are part of East Coast, a project being developed by one of the city’s most prolific builders, TF Cornerstone. When completed in early 2014, East Coast will consist of six skyscrapers clustered around the giant Pepsi sign on the East River waterfront, with almost 2,800 units.
> 
> The East Coast collection already includes 47-20 Center, a tower with 498 rentals built in 2006, and the View, a condominium building with 185 units at 46-30 Center, finished in early 2010. One of the new buildings, a 42-story tower at 46-15 Center Boulevard, will open next month. The building is angled so that every one of the 367 apartments has at least a small view of Manhattan, and most have sweeping vistas of the city skyline. A second tower, at 45-40 Center, with 32 stories, has 345 apartments and should be renting by June.
> 
> A third tower, with 820 rental apartments, at 45-45 Center, is already under construction, along with a 1,000-car parking garage and a fitness and recreation center with 50,000 square feet of outdoor space. The recreation center will have a great lawn, two tennis courts, a beach volleyball court and a children’s playroom, among other amenities. It will be open to all residents of East Coast buildings, though each building also has its own small fitness center.
> 
> Ground has not yet been broken on a fourth tower, at 46-10 Center, which will have 586 rentals, and will be on the waterfront in front of 46-15. Rents in 46-15 Center will start at $2,000 a month for a lower-floor studio apartment; $2,600 for a one-bedroom; and $3,350 for a two-bedroom unit, said K. Thomas Elghanayan, the chairman of TF Cornerstone. Rents in 45-40 Center, the tower opening in June, will be a bit higher, and that building will also have three-bedroom apartments for families, he said.
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Toll, Equity to stick with Christian de Portzamparc design at 400 Park Avenue South
> February 13, 2012 12:00PM
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> After more than a decade in the works, a Christian de Portzamparc-designed tower at 400 Park Avenue South will be built by the site’s new owners, Toll Brothers and Equity Residential, which purchased the development lot in December, the New York Observer reported.
> 
> Toll and Equity Residential decided to retain the plans laid out by the previous developer, who fell victim to the recession, because it would streamline the process of getting construction off the ground, since the design was already approved by the city. The plans call for a 40-story condominium and rental apartment tower.
> 
> “If we wanted to abandon that design, we could have actually built something much taller, but it was a sort of pencil building going straight up,” said David Von Spreckelsen, senior vice president at Toll. “At the end of the day, it was too inefficient, because too much of it would have been taken up by the core. You weren’t going to have the living space on the floors.”
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> In what was the most expensive development site deal of 2011, the partners reportedly paid $134 million for the large development site.
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> “It’s obviously really going to change the way Park Avenue South looks,” Von Spreckelsen said. “I know that it’s one of Christian’s favorite buildings he’s ever designed, and I know the city administration loves it, so I think it’s going to be great for everyone.”
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> ----


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## desertpunk

*"The Hub" Brooklyn*

*The Real Deal*



> Steiner plans 720-unit rental in Downtown Brooklyn
> February 13, 2012 08:30AM
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> *The Steiner family is planning a 52-story, 720-unit tower at Flatbush Avenue and Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn with 50,000 square feet of retail space, the Wall Street Journal reported.*
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> As The Real Deal previously reported, the family acquired the four-parcel site late last year for $30 million, in a deal where a commission lawsuit filed by Massey Knakal Realty Services is ongoing.
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> Steiner, famous for developing a film production studio at the Brooklyn Navy Yards, plans to invest at least $100 million in the $325 million to $350 million project, and will seek financing for the remaining costs through the “80/20″ subsidized housing program. The developer plans to rent the market-rate units for $40 to $50 per square foot.
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*Brookfield’s Heart of Glass: Developer Fetes New Glass Pavilion at World Financial Center*



> In a cordoned off and seemingly unremarkable construction site situated along the West Side Highway, a collection of high-ranking Brookfield Office Properties executives, construction managers and architects donned hardhats and stood in front of a symbolic pile of dirt that had been lined up neatly atop wooden boards.
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> A Rendering of the new Glass Pavilion at The Winter Garden (courtesy of Brookfield Properties)
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> Holding a platinum shovel, the sun refracting off its blade that’s been buffed to a flawless shine, Brookfield’s Sabrina Kanner, senior vice president of design and construction, joined eight of her colleagues in digging their shovels into the symbolic dirt while holding big smiles for the press cameras.
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> The occasion was the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new glass pavilion at the World Financial Center, seen as the complex’s new front door on West Street.
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> It is also part of the World Financial Center’s $250 million renovation project, which will include a new dining and retail center for the ever-changing landscape of Lower Manhattan.
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> Construction on the new pavilion will bring back several people who worked on the original construction of the World Financial Center when it was first erected in the late 1980s.


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## royal rose1

^^ Whoa! Didn't expect it to happen so soon! Sad to see the pavilion go! Will the stairs remain!


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## desertpunk

royal rose1 said:


> ^^ Whoa! Didn't expect it to happen so soon! Sad to see the pavilion go! Will the stairs remain!


The Winter Garden will still remain but be mallified while a new glass pavillion is built in the open space at the entrance to the Winter Garden. And the stairs will also remain!



> June 16 (Bloomberg) -- Brookfield Office Properties plans to spend about $250 million to upgrade and expand the retail portion of lower Manhattan’s World Financial Center.
> 
> The plan calls for a “dramatic” glass pavilion along West Street, across from the World Trade Center, which will link the 8 million-square-foot (743,000-square-meter) complex with downtown’s two new mass transit hubs, Brookfield said in a statement. It also includes a dining concourse overlooking the Hudson River, and would save the Winter Garden staircase, which had been slated for elimination in earlier proposals.
> 
> “These improvements to the World Financial Center are coming at the perfect time, given the $20 billion private and public investment in lower Manhattan,” Richard “Ric” Clark, New York-based Brookfield’s chief executive officer, said in the statement. “We are pleased to be moving forward with a plan that incorporates the existing Winter Garden staircase and repositions the World Financial Center for decades to come.”


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## Minsk

*HWKN scoops coveted MoMA PS1 Young Architects prize with air-cleansing nylon star*


Brooklyn-based HWKN (HollwichKushner) has been selected as winner of the 2012 Young Architects Program at MoMA PS1, one of the top discovery venues for up and coming designers. Along with the publicity blitz that comes with winning, HWKN will get the opportunity to transform PS 1’s courtyard to ready it for the museum’s popular summer music series Warm-Up. Now in its thirteenth year, the Young Architects Program has launched the careers of many emerging architects and the courtyard installations that have resulted, have been nothing short of amazing. This year’s proposal, Wendy, by HWKN is one of the most visually arresting of all and sure to be a favourite among environmentalists.

Dubbed an ‘air-cleansing nylon star’ by New York Times arts writer, Robin Pogrebin, Wendy features a deployable scaffolding systems composed of nylon fabric treated with a ‘cutting-edge’ titania nanoparticle spray that will neutralize pollutants. It is estimated that Wendy’s air-cleaning ability is equivalent to taking 260 cars off the road. Its bright blue spiky arms reach out with micro-programs like blasts of cool air, music, water cannons and mists to create social zones throughout the courtyard. When fully deployed, the structure creates a 70’ x 70’ x 45’ volume that’s bridges over the walls into the museum’s large and small courtyards.

“HollwichKushner’s proposal for YAP 2012 is sure to make a memorable impression over the summer at MoMA PS1”, said Pedro Gadanho, Curator in MoMA’s Department of Architecture and Design. “It is iconic, but with a twist. By combining ‘off-the-shelf’ materials and scaffolding systems with the latest cry in nanotechnology it is able to produce both an ‘out-of-the-box’ ecological statement and a bold architectural gesture”.

The other finalists for this year’s MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program were AEDS|Ammar Eloueini Digit-all Studio (Ammar Eloueini, Paris, France/New Orleans, LA), Cameron Wu (Cambridge, MA), Ibañez Kim Studio (Mariana Ibañez and Simon Kim, Cambridge, MA), and UrbanLab (Martin Felsen and Sarah Dunn, Chicago, IL). An exhibition of the five finalists' proposed projects will be on view at MoMA over the summer, organized by Barry Bergdoll, MoMA Philip Johnson Chief Curator, with Whitney May, Department Assistant, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art.




























http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=18919


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## sbarn

^^ That's only a temporary structure (for the summer), but cool none the less!!


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## desertpunk

*New renders for 51 Astor Place:* http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/02/15/renderings_revealed_tenants_rumored_for_51_astor_place.php









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/02/15/renderings_revealed_tenants_rumored_for_51_astor_place.php





















> Developer Edward Minskoff describes his Starbucks-crushing 51 Astor Place office building as "black glass with black granite and silver fins," and for a few years now we've had just one rendering to demonstrate that. Now the building's teaser website is up, with a few more images of the 12-story Fumihiko Maki-designed building. Above, one look we haven't seen before. A few notable building features: a private green roof on the fifth floor, a tenant-accessible green roof on the 13th floor, and an urban plaza on the corner of Astor Place and Third Avenue. The lobby will include a James Carpenter-designed art installation "constructed of back-lit cast glass, which complements the building's overall design." The Astor Place plaza, meanwhile, gets an Alexander Calder sculpture.


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## Chad

desertpunk said:


> The Winter Garden will still remain but be mallified while a new glass pavillion is built in the open space at the entrance to the Winter Garden. And the stairs will also remain!


I really really do hope that they will keep all those palm trees.


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## hkskyline

*Dig it! 7 subway-extension tunnels finished*
New York Post 
February 14, 2012









_Photos: Joseph M. Calisi
ALL A-B0RED: An entrance (above) and the mezzanine at the 34th Street station.









The mezzanine _

Here’s another miracle on 34th Street — or, at least, under it.

As these pictures show, the MTA has finished all of the tunneling for the 7-train extension to 11th Avenue and completed carving out the mezzanine — a complex job that paves the way for train operation by 2013.

The future 34th Street station’s mezzanine is all but finished and features a soaring, curved roof with a 1,200-foot-long cavern — about the size of the Empire State Building if it were laid on its side.

The station will certainly need the space.

City Hall estimates that 35,000 passengers a day will use the station by 2030, when the area is expected to be a bustling neighborhood with skyscrapers and stores lured in by the new subway.

The city is so confident the one-stop addition to the 7 will revive the desolate area that it has agreed to fork over the $2.1 billion to pay for it.

Trains are expected to be in operation by December 2013.

Construction snafus could move the grand opening to early 2014.

It hasn’t been an easy feat bringing the 7 west.

Boring machines dug two tunnels deep underground, beginning at 42nd Street.

Because of existing infrastructure — like the Lincoln Tunnel and old railroad lines — those tunnels had to be dug extra deep and are steeply curved in spots.

Workers also had to make sure to avoid the Eighth Avenue subway line, as well as Amtrak and NJ Transit.

The westward expansion also cuts through the famous abandoned E-train platform at 42nd Street, which was featured in the movie “Ghost.”

Unfortunately, straphangers hoping for a glimpse of Patrick Swayze’s old stomping grounds are out of luck.

Although parts of the platform survived the 7-line work, they won’t be visible from the trains.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/dig_it_up_jpSb7LyrbGftfkxxLlA8zL#ixzz1mfb7v7zR


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## desertpunk

*TRD*



> J.D. Carlisle buys Madison Avenue condo-hotel site, plots new rental
> March 01, 2012 10:30AM
> By David Jones
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> 158 Madison
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> J.D. Carlisle Development, the boutique firm behind the Beatrice rental project, told The Real Deal yesterday that it acquired a stalled condo-hotel site in the Murray Hill section of Manhattan, and will construct a new rental building on the property in 2013.
> 
> J.D. Carlisle, led by company president Evan Stein and Chairman Jules Demchick, acquired the site, at 158 Madison Avenue, from lender North Hill Capital Management, a Manhattan-based lender that took over $34 million in defaulted loans at the property.
> 
> The original project, a planned 38-story condo-hotel between 31st and 32nd streets designed by Ismael Leyva, was considered difficult to finance, not only because of the economic downturn, but because it was configured in a T-shape and was located in a submarket that is more suitable for commercial development than luxury condominiums.
> 
> “The timing made it hard to finance period, but the odd shape didn’t help,” said a source familiar with the project. “The original plan was a condo-hotel. That doesn’t work in most places in Manhattan, but that’s not a condo neighborhood.”
> 
> In 2006, the site of Andy Warhol’s former Factory, was planned as a 50-story condo project called Sundari Lofts & Towers from Buttonwood Real Estate and Thor Equities. The project was later revised under investors John Rice and Joseph Ingrassia, of Manhattan-based Capstone Business Credit, who acquired four separate parcels between 2007 and 2008, totaling $42.9 million, and sources say the project was highly leveraged.
> 
> North Hill filed suit in New York state Supreme Court in January 2010, alleging the guarantors, Rice and Ingrassia, defaulted on $34 million in loans. The two investors quickly filed a countersuit alleging North Hill engaged in coercive tactics to not only force them into personal guarantees, but also refused to allow them to find alternative financing.
> 
> The court ruled in favor of the lenders, but court filings show an agreement was reached between the parties to sell the site to a third-party and use the proceeds from that sale to cover the funds owed to the lenders. J.D. Carlisle officials did not comment on the terms of the deal, but a source familiar with the deal, said the original debt was being sold at a discount. Court records show that the original loan balance had risen to $43.1 million with accumulated interest.
> 
> Core Group, led by Shaun Osher, won a lawsuit in 2010 against the developers, claiming it was owed an $113,800 termination fee after being fired as the broker for the proposed condo. Core would have earned $4 million if the project had moved forward.
> 
> J.D. Carlisle officials said they expect to launch construction on the rental building in January 2013, and the project would be completed within two years. The firm is still working on a marketing plan and designer for the project.
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*The Real Deal*



> NYC increases lead over London as top commercial property market
> February 27, 2012
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> After taking over the top spot for global property investment in the third quarter, New York City widened its lead over competitors. The city attracted $35.7 billion in commercial property sales, including multi-family buildings, compared to $29.2 billion in London and $22.6 billion in Tokyo, according to a global property market report released today by Cushman & Wakefield.
> 
> Excluding multi-family sales, however, New York City’s lead shrunk to $1.1 billion, as it recorded $28.2 billion in sales compared to London’s $27.1 billion. The Americas as a whole led the world in the rate of office and residential rent increases, perhaps accounting for the city’s multi-family dominance.
> 
> Overall, global sales activity, including multi-family properties, rose 14 percent in 2011 to $808 billion, and the volume is now 83 percent greater than 2009′s lows. Half of all activity occured in Asia, but the North American market showed the greatest improvement in the last year, with investment volumes rising 52 percent. That increased demand led to the greatest compression of yields in the Americans, as capitalization rates fell in the region by 31 basis points, compared to the global average of 20 points. And overseas investors took notice, as the Americas saw a 94 percent increase in cross-border investment activity.
> 
> “The global investment market has been very polarized over the past year, with the best stock seeing demand and price pressures but second tier property failing to gain traction with buyers or occupiers,” said Cushman & Wakefield President Glen Rufrano. “That looks likely to continue this year but we do expect higher risk strategies to grow in popularity as the year goes by, helped by the promised flow of assets from financial institutions at last starting to pick-up.” — Adam Fusfeld
> 
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> ---


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## desertpunk

*DNAinfo*



> Donations Flood In to Support 'Low Line' Park Under Delancey Street
> February 23, 2012 11:30am | By Julie Shapiro, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
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> LOWER EAST SIDE — Donations are pouring in to support a bold proposal to build a sunlit park under Delancey Street.
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> Less than 24 hours after the founders of Delancey Underground, nicknamed the "Low Line," launched a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, they have already received more than $12,500 from 60 supporters.
> 
> "This is just the beginning," Delancey Underground co-founder Dan Barasch said in a video on Kickstarter. "Help us create the Low Line, a beautiful park that all New Yorkers can enjoy for generations to come."
> 
> The project would convert an abandoned trolley terminal beneath Delancey Street into an inviting 60,000-square-foot public space by funneling in enough natural sunlight to grow trees and flowers. The park would stretch from Essex to Clinton streets beneath the entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20120223/low...line-park-under-delancey-street#ixzz1nvLOnXFY


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## desertpunk

*NY Post*



> New Nets arena shaping up
> 
> 4:01 AM, February 22, 2012ι By RICH CALDER
> Hoop fans take notice – an arena is truly growing in Brooklyn.
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> Workers earlier this month buttoned up the top of the under-construction Barclays Center in Prospect Heights by completing its steel-roof deck, and they also recently began insulating the rooftop and waterproofing it with a light-gray covering.
> 
> “This is that magic time when the building really begins to take shape, so that you can finally feel it’s an arena,” said Bob Sanna, executive vice president for construction at Forest City Ratner Cos., developer of the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets’ 18,000-seat arena. Sanna during an interview with the Post yesterday said about 35 percent of the 188,425-square-foot roof is complete and that Barclays Center is still on schedule to open in September. “We got lucky with the warm weather we've been having. You usually aren't able to get roofers on a roof in February,” said Sanna.
> 
> Although it will be months before the Nets' future hardwood-playing floor is installed, much of the arena's interior is starting to shape up. Premium seats are now being installed in the arena’s lower bowl. The upper-bowl’s seating is already complete, along with the lower and upper concourses. The arena’s entrance to an abutting transit hub is also ready for game day tip-offs. National Grid earlier this month began powering the site, so it could be heated, allowing temperature-sensitive work like floor- and wall-tiling to begin.
> 
> Next month, workers will begin work on the exterior’s most eye-grabbing feature -- a canopy with an oval window called the "Oculus" in its center. It will extend out 80 feet from the arena entrance and hover 36 feet above a public plaza., A video screen that can display everything from game highlights to art installations will wrap the Oculus’ perimeter.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/brook...aping_up_8fqUqryYIQLOxg2zRe0nMN#ixzz1nvO0H6Ys


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## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Brookfield awaits Amtrak’s OK to start construction on Manhattan West’s deck
> February 21, 2012 09:00AM
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> A rendering of Manhattan West
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> Brookfield Office Properties is awaiting only the go-ahead from Amtrak, which operates the train tracks beneath the site slated for its massive Manhattan West project, before it begins construction on a deck to cover the rail yards.
> 
> The New York Post reported that while Brookfield officials say they are 95 percent of the way to an agreement with Amtrak executives, Amtrak in turn said the sides still have “some substantive” issues to iron out. The developer had previously said construction would start in January.


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## desertpunk

*Fulton St. Transit Center progress:*


FTC_2775 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr


FTC_2770 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr


FTC_2675 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr


FTC_3083 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr


FTC_3053 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Long-Dormant Pearl Street Sheraton Comes Back to Life
> Friday, March 2, 2012, by Sara Polsky
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> A tipster sends word (and photos) of a little Pearl Street surprise: the planned and canceled hotel at 213 Pearl Street appears to be back on. The site was once earmarked for two hotels, a Sheraton and an Aloft, but financing dried up before the 53-story project could get off the ground. *New signage at the site advertises a 260-room Four Points by Sheraton, with the official address of 6 Platt Street. DOB records show a permit issued for a partial job as of January, and that permit calls for a 27-story building.*
> 
> ---


An earlier render of 6 Platt St showing both the Sheraton and Aloft towers:









curbed


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## desertpunk

*UN Renovation Will Cost $2 Billion*












> The East River-facing U.N. building, which has been under renovation since 2009, has received a final cost for the work: $2 billion, the Associated Press reported, which is 4 percent over the project’s initial budget.
> 
> This marks the first renovation of the building since its opening 60 years ago, the AP reported, which includes changes such as asbestos abatement, shared work stations from private offices and blast-proof windows that cannot be opened for security measures


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## desertpunk

*Durst, PA plan broadcast antenna for 1 WTC*



> There’s a new plan for the 480-foot 1 World Trade Center spire that could lure more tenants at the expense of the architect’s vision for the final structure. The Wall Street Journal reported the Durst Organization has gotten the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey on board to install a radio and television broadcast antenna inside the building’s spire.
> 
> “Our expectations would be to become the premiere broadcast facility in New York City,” said Thomas Bow, senior vice president at the Durst Organization. Durst hopes the tower will lure some broadcast tenants away from the Empire State Building, which generated some $16.1 million in rent and usage fees for its antenna in 2010. Durst expects 1 WTC to generate $10 million and will offer the antenna at 4 Times Square as a backup to tenants.
> 
> The antenna would be located inside a slimmer, less conical spire than initially planned that would save $20 million but drew criticism from the project’s architects, Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Durst would fund $27 million in infrastructure and buildout costs to help land the tenants.


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## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Architects Chosen for First Hudson Yards Residential Tower
> Monday, March 12, 2012, by Sara Polsky
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> The team at Kohn Pedersen Fox is already hard at work on its design for a pair of towers at Hudson Yards, with Coach set to move into the first one in 2015. Developer Related wants the site's first residential building to be done around the same time, and Related's just chosen the architects at Diller Scofidio + Renfro for the project. *The Journal has the deets on the building: it will be around 800 feet tall and have 700 units.* DS+R, which has never built a skyscraper, would work with the Rockwell Group on the design. The DS+R-Rockwell team is also working on an arts center to the east of the tower, and Elizabeth Diller tells the Journal they're "very conscious of the adjacency to the High Line," so until renderings are available, we can imagine what that means for the building's design.
> 
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## desertpunk

*AP*



> Designs For 3rd Section Of NY's High Line Unveiled
> March 13 2012
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> New York - New York City parks officials and advocates have unveiled designs for the third and final section of the High Line, an elevated stretch of historic freight rail line in Manhattan that has been converted to a public park.
> 
> The final section will wrap around the Hudson Rail Yards between West 30th and West 34th streets.
> 
> Construction will be closely coordinated with the development of Hudson Yards, which will feature more than 12 million square feet of new office, residential, retail and cultural space.
> 
> Officials say the final section will cost about $90 million. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2013 with a full public opening scheduled for the spring of 2014.
> 
> The designs were presented at a community meeting on Monday night.
> 
> [...]


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## Uaarkson

Currently, NYC is kicking every city's ass when it comes to engaging urban spaces.


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## desertpunk

*NY Observer*



> SCOPE-ing Out West 57th Street: Art Fair Takes Over Durst Pyramid Site
> By Matt Chaban 3/12 6:30pm
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> Next month, one of the most anticipated groundbreakings is set to take place at the corner of 57th Street and the Hudson River. There, the Durst Organization will sink its shovels in preparation for Bjarke Ingel’s unusual apartment pyramid. Before that fanfare begins, another triangular structure has quietly risen on the lot, only the latest project to occupy the not-quite dormant site. The giant white tent is this year’s home for nomadic SCOPE art fair.
> 
> “I was hoping if we built it, they would come, and so far, they have come,” Alexis Hubshman said. “This is easily our best year yet.”
> 
> It does not hurt that the tent is just a block north of Pier 94, where the Armory Show has camped out for the past few decades. “I would be lying if I said that the convenience of it wasn’t important,” Mr. Hubshman said.
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*Now with 60% more curves!*

*Greenpoint Landing comes ashore*



> *Renderings Released for 'Greenpoint Landing': More Miami on the East River*
> 
> While only vague massing studies have previously been seen regarding the redevelopment of Greenpoint's waterfront, we now have some concrete renderings from the apparent master plan, dubbed 'Greenpoint Landing'. The Greenpoint Lumber Yard is being redeveloped by the Park Tower Group, who--as the Observer notes--are working with Handel Architects to create a vision for the revitalized neighborhood.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Handel's website gives a great description of the plan, which is said to include 4.2 million square feet of mixed-use development. The project is expected to provide over 4,000 new units of housing in addition to a mix of retail and public parks. With 11 new buildings and 20% of the future housing set aside as affordable, the scale of the project is quite large. Perhaps most exciting is the project's integration with a marina, which could provide part of the new backbone this waterfront neighborhood so badly needs.


A previous plan set out by Costas Kondylis:









http://www.ckdllc.com/


----------



## desertpunk

*1715 Broadway reaches skyward:*









http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/03/construction-update-250-west-55th-1715.html


----------



## desertpunk

*450 Hudson renderings:*

This 40 story, 600 ft tower is slated to rise near Hudson Yards.









http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/02/renderings-for-450-hudson-boulevard.html









http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/02/renderings-for-450-hudson-boulevard.html









http://alloyllc.com/portfolio/450-hudson-park-boulevard


----------



## el palmesano

the 3rd Section Of NY's High Line seems amazing!!! If you have more renders it would be amazing to see it

the Pyramid building is also amazing! 
they are doing designs that convert back to NY in a worthy capital of skyscrapers, so hopefully continue


----------



## el palmesano

desertpunk said:


> *Greenpoint Landing comes ashore*
> 
> 
> 
> A previous plan set out by Costas Kondylis:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.ckdllc.com/


:cheers::cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

el palmesano said:


> the 3rd Section Of NY's High Line seems amazing!!! If you have more renders it would be amazing to see it
> 
> the Pyramid building is also amazing!
> they are doing designs that convert back to NY in a worthy capital of skyscrapers, so hopefully continue




*More renders:*









http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Designs-for-3rd-section-of-NY-s-High-Line-unveiled-3400707.php









http://www.timesunion.com/news/arti...ection-of-NY-s-High-Line-unveiled-3400707.php









http://www.timesunion.com/news/arti...ection-of-NY-s-High-Line-unveiled-3400707.php









http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...4-section-3-reaches-34th-st-article-1.1037813


----------



## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Look Inside The New Proposed Pier 17 at South Street Seaport
> Tuesday, March 13, 2012, by Dave Hogarty
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://inhabitat.com/nyc/green-roof...south-street-seaport-tourist-mall-at-pier-17/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.capitalnewyork.com/artic...-renderings-take-us-inside-shops-pier-17-plan
> 
> 
> The latest renderings of the new design by SHoP Architects for Pier 17 that replaces the red shed by the Brooklyn Bridge show a more open glass and steel structure that has transparent curtain walls and an open air plaza on the lower level. The illustration above makes it appear that SHoP's design is exchanging one form of openness for another. The present structure of Pier 17 is that of a conventional mall, with shops around the edges of the building and a central atrium that provides an open vertical space. The flat stacked floors of the redesign trades this vertical space for lateral sightlines and cross-ventilation, at least on the lower level. The glass curtain walls on the upper floors should provide equally impressive views of the waterfront and the Brooklyn Bridge, whereas the red shed Pier 17 blocked its interior from the surrounding waterfront environment.
> 
> [...]


Here's the old "Red Shed":


----------



## LCIII

Its really incredible how much there is to be excited about in NYC. I love it! Thanks for constantly updating this thread!


----------



## desertpunk

LCIII said:


> Its really incredible how much there is to be excited about in NYC. I love it! Thanks for constantly updating this thread!


You're welcome! 

ps. there's more:

610 Lexington back On Track









http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5616&page=14



> http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busine...le_foods_in_billy_burg_MXKSFxcmtNZjDu2Aw7M4vL
> 
> In what we hope will be a first step towards a new, classy skyscraper, Aby Rosen and Michael Fuchs have recapitalized their major 610 Lexington Ave. stalled development site and modified a loan with RCG Longview. Documents show RCG Longview, a nimble funding group founded by Peter Cohen, Jeffrey J. Feil, Jay Anderson, Jonathan Estreich, Michael Boxer and Mort Olshan, took over what was a $66,395,143 loan from ING.
> 
> Before it went belly-up, the original lender, Lehman Bros., had grown several loans to $145 million prior to ING taking over. RCG further reconstituted a mezzanine loan, leaving RFR owing a mere $64,735,264. RFR also transferred the property to another entity with a value of $78,041,438. After Lehman and the markets tanked, a deal with Shangri-La hotels to anchor a towering new luxury condominium project faded into the vacant lot.
> 
> *In an e-mail, an RFR spokeswoman said the company bought back the 610 Lexington Ave. note and is starting to redevelop the site as a hotel and residential condominium development, as previously planned.“Currently we are going to market to source an appropriate hotel operator,” she said.*
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busine...lly_burg_MXKSFxcmtNZjDu2Aw7M4vL#ixzz1p85TBDzw


----------



## desertpunk

105 West 57th: Hotel Crillon Coming to Midtown? New Skyscraper Proposed! 










http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/03/105-west-57th-another-new-skyscraper.html



> Wednesday, March 14, 2012
> 
> Documents filed with the city reveal that another tower is in the proposal phase along 57th Street. *The future building, at 105 West 57th, will contain 51 floors and rise 671' high.* Despite the building's height, there will only be 27 apartments! The building is likely to be extremely luxurious, and prices on the finished product are likely to be quite astronomical. 10,000 square feet of the building will also be dedicated to ground-floor retail, with any tenant likely to be quite high-end given the building's prime location.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*International Gem Tower Tops Out*









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/03/15/gem_tower_tops_out_nycha_audit_shows_waste.php



> A group of leading officials from Extell Development and Tishman Construction, as well as hundreds of construction workers, gathered at the site of the International Gem Tower today to celebrate the building’s topping out, Tishman announced today.
> 
> Among the attendees at the 50 West 47th Street plot were Extell President Gary Barnett and Tishman President and CEO Daniel Tishman.
> 
> As mentioned in an architectural review of the tower the current issue of The Real Deal, the 34-story, 750,000-square-foot building will be completed by the end of this year. Designed by Skidmore Owings and Merrill, the building plans were originally unveiled five years ago. However, due to the recession’s effects on both the development and diamond businesses, the project faced delays.
> 
> Construction began last April and, when complete, the building will have commercial condos, as well as commercial space available for lease. Tishman said the building would be fully operational by mid-2013. — Zachary Kussin











http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=5615546


----------



## el palmesano

desertpunk said:


> *Curbed*
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the old "Red Shed":


really bad new to me

it looks better right now....









http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidnyc/6977615851/sizes/l/in/photostream/


----------



## CrazyAboutCities

^^ Agreed. I don't think it need to be redeveloped at all. It is still looking attractive right now. I went there before and I loved it.


----------



## desertpunk

*CIM Group Takes Over Turtle Bay Tower*









http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10491&page=4









TRD



> Los Angeles-based CIM Group closed its majority stake in a high-rise residential tower and retail development site in Midtown, according to a statement from the developer yesterday.
> 
> The site, at 303 East 51st Street, will be co-developed by CIM Group and Ziel Feldman’s HFZ Capital and construction will begin later this year, the statement said. The project will rise at the corner of Second Avenue and upon completion will have 123 units, averaging 1,568 square feet per unit, plus 9,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. SLCE Architects will design the 32-story residence.
> 
> The previous majority stakeholders in the development, Acro Real Estate and Polar Investments, will remain involved as minority equity partners, according to the statement.


----------



## el palmesano

CrazyAboutCities said:


> ^^ Agreed. I don't think it need to be redeveloped at all. It is still looking attractive right now. I went there before and I loved it.



^^ the don't now how to spend money... haha


----------



## desertpunk

*St Patrick's Cathedral Embarks On 2 Year, $175 Million Renovation*









http://www.idontgetit.us/2012/01/ma...atholic-church-whats-wrong-with-this-picture/


----------



## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Hudson Yards: Look Out, Here Comes the Neighborhood
> Mar. 16 2012
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> New promotional materials for the Hudson Yards project, passed along by a tipster, outline the transformation of of the train yards site between 10th and 12th avenues into a completely new neighborhood, or high-end superblock shopping/condo/office enclave. The prospectus is titled Hudson Yards: New York's Next Great Neighborhood, although the renderings convey a sort of Corbusier-superblock grandiosity that flies in the face of the word "neighborhood." Plan diagrams show the first building slated for completion is the south office tower in the Eastern Rail Yard (2015). There are no scheduled dates of completion for the proposed primarily residential Western Rail Yard's development, but there's no disputing that the entire project could be transformative to the West Side.
> 
> One feature we enjoyed in the plans: a Cultural Shed exhibition space in the Eastern Rail Yards. It sounds like a place where one can store one's over-sized sculptures next to the lawn care equipment. Case in point: one can see Jeffrey Koons' proposed long-stalled hanging locomotive piece suspended from the ceiling of the Cultural Shed in the background of a rendering. We don't care what type of engineering miracles that will require
> 
> ----


----------



## desertpunk

*Herald Square To Get 28 Story Hotel*





> The Herald Square area is getting a new hotel. It is slated to rise right behind the new low-rise retail building on West 34th Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues, where shoe and accessory retailer DSW opened earlier this month.
> 
> The owner of the 7,357-square-foot lot located at 218 W. 35th St. has been in discussions with three different hotel operators and is working on finalizing financing for the project, according to sources. Owner 34th Street Penn Association plans to build a 28-story hotel boasting as many as 330 rooms. The cost of the development could not be determined immediately.
> 
> The planned hotel is still in its early stages, but excavation on the site is well underway and the foundation is already being poured. Final paperwork has not been filed with the city Buildings Department, but SRA Architects has been hired, a source said.
> 
> Owner 34th Street Penn Association is a partnership between three different families. One of the partners of the company confirmed that a hotel was planned, but did not elaborate.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120315/REAL_ESTATE/120319936#ixzz1pEheFYwP


----------



## desertpunk

*CitizenM Budget Luxury Hotel Rising Near Times Square*









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/03/16/citizenm_budget_luxury_hotel_rising_near_times_square.php



> CitizenM, the Dutch hotelier aiming for budget-minded travelers with an eye towards luxury, is building up at 218 West 50th Street, where 230 guest rooms will soon be welcoming some of the 50 gazillion visitors who come to town each year. The concept for the 19-story hotel is by Concrete, the Amsterdam firm that's put together a batch of hospitality sites for CitizenM in "target cities" worldwide. Concrete uses a modular system, "completely prefabricated in CitizenM's own production facility and subsequently transported to the building site, where they are assembled to create the hotel." What's rendered inside for the New York flagship near Times Square is a blend of bar and work-place lounge, perfect for cocktails and laptops with lots of room for communing with friends and fellow travelers.


----------



## aquablue

desertpunk said:


> *CitizenM Budget Luxury Hotel Rising Near Times Square*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/03/16/citizenm_budget_luxury_hotel_rising_near_times_square.php


The cube sign at the top is something you'd find in Tokyo.

Is this visible from Times Sq?


----------



## desertpunk

aquablue said:


> The cube sign at the top is something you'd find in Tokyo.
> 
> Is this visible from Times Sq?


Interesting comparison given that the hotel is only going to be 19 stories. And It won't be that visible from TS but but I guess it's in the spirit!


----------



## aquablue

CrazyAboutCities said:


> ^^ Agreed. I don't think it need to be redeveloped at all. It is still looking attractive right now. I went there before and I loved it.


Really? The mall is a dump for tourists and NY's don't use it. The new one is hardly amazing, but is far better then this cow shed. It is something that all NY'ers will use and enjoy.


----------



## aquablue

desertpunk said:


> Interesting comparison given that the hotel is only going to be 19 stories. And It won't be that visible from TS but but I guess it's in the spirit!


Yes, but it's in the sign district, correct?


----------



## aquablue

el palmesano said:


> really bad new to me
> 
> it looks better right now....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidnyc/6977615851/sizes/l/in/photostream/


I'd like to see some of those old brown 80's buildings in the foreground re-clad in the future. A little more glass would help brighten up downtown.


----------



## desertpunk

aquablue said:


> Yes, but it's in the sign district, correct?


Yes but at the northern boundary near the Gershwin Theatre.


----------



## desertpunk

*Crews are readying the site at Brookfield Properties' Manhattan West platform*

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5499&p=390492&viewfull=1#post390492

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5499&p=390796&viewfull=1#post390796










http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5499&page=12


----------



## SouthMegaCity

New York is still the reigning city...today, it even looks lovelier...


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Ace Hotel owner, others buy Temple Court building in FiDi
> March 16, 2012 04:00PMBy Katherine Clarke
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://abandonedplaces.livejournal.com/2445316.html
> 
> A joint venture partnership including New York Ace Hotel owner and GFI Capital Resources Group President Allen Gross’ GB Lodging is set to puchase the Temple Court building, a nine-story city landmark at 5 Beekman Street formerly owned by the Chetrit Group and Bonjour Capital, GFI told The Real Deal today.
> 
> The acquisition is one of the private equity hotel investment firm GB’s first since it was founded last year by Gross and former Chartres Lodging Group partner Bruce Blum. GB is a division of GFI, a spokesperson for the company said, declining to comment further on the acquisition other than to say there were others involved in the deal. The price was not clear.
> 
> Hillel Spinner of Venture Capital Properties said he brokered the off-market deal on behalf of the seller. Speculating that GFI would transform the abandoned building into a hotel, he said: “The new owners have the kinds of experience necessary” to make the project successful. The deal, which is currently in contract, will likely close in the next few weeks, he said.
> 
> Temple Court, an historic brick and terracotta office building built in the 1880s, has been vacant for many years, according to news reports, and has only been used for fashion industry photo shoots and events, including a shoot for Harper’s Bazaar and for AMC television series “Rubicon,” canceled in 2010. The landmarked property is configured around a nine-story atrium surrounded by Victorian era railings.
> 
> The building was reported to be in contract to hotelier Andrew Balazs last year; but a spokesperson for Balazs, who had been interested in sprucing up the declining building and converting it into a hotel, said he had never signed on the dotted line.
> 
> “[Balazs] took a close look at it but then walked away from the deal because it didn’t make sense,” the spokesperson said.
> 
> [...]


Fingers crossed for Ace. This outrageously well-located historical gem is LONG overdue to reclaim its grandeur! 

*UPDATE:*



> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/categories/fidibattery_park_city.php
> 
> A press release that just landed in the Curbed inbox offers a few more details on what's to become of 5 Beekman Street, the decayed urban treasure that was briefly in contract to Andre Balazs before selling to a joint venture that includes the owner of the Ace Hotel. The new owner is planning a "297-room luxury boutique hotel with 90 residences." It might be sacrilege to say so, but 5 Beekman with condos might be even better than 5 Beekman redone by Andre Balazs.


----------



## webeagle12

aquablue said:


> The cube sign at the top is something you'd find in Tokyo.
> 
> Is this visible from Times Sq?


dear god....:cripes::cripes::cripes:

what a POS


----------



## aquablue

webeagle12 said:


> dear god....:cripes::cripes::cripes:
> 
> what a POS


Hardly. I've seen much worse. I'll take this over a McSam any day. Oh, and if you know NY development, you know that there is a lot of shit worse than this going up.


----------



## webeagle12

aquablue said:


> Hardly. I've seen much worse. I'll take this over a McSam any day. Oh, and if you know NY development, you know that there is a lot of shit worse than this going up.


Ooo.. watch out we got a bad ass over here.

Oh oh...... and I do know what is being built in NY... captain obvious. This is looks like something gene kaufman would design.


----------



## desertpunk

*Supertalls A-Go-Go!*

Journal Square Development: Jersey City's First Supertall? 









http://handelarch.com/projects/type/residential/journal-sqaure-residential.html



> Monday, March 19, 2012
> 
> Renderings retrieved from the website of Handel Architects reveal a massive new project coming to Journal Square in Jersey City. While no height figures have been released, Handel does state that the tallest building will rise to 82 floors. Given modern floor heights, that means the tallest tower is likely over 1,000 feet tall--a major milestone that Jersey City has yet to surpass (its current tallest, the Goldman Sachs Tower, is 781 feet to the roof).
> 
> The project is going to consist of three towers, and a mix of office, residential, and retail, although the project will be chiefly residential, with 2,000 new units. One of the main components is a large plaza occupying a portion of the lot, providing a focal point for public gathering and much needed open space in an area that is densifying quite rapidly. As development pressures continue to rise, Jersey City should continue gaining substantial verticality. It will be interesting to see whether Brooklyn and Long Island City answer their competition across the Hudson River with supertall developments of their own.
> 
> [...]











http://handelarch.com/projects/type/residential/journal-sqaure-residential.html









http://handelarch.com/projects/type/residential/journal-sqaure-residential.html









http://handelarch.com/projects/type/residential/journal-sqaure-residential.html


----------



## Arawooho

^^
That is awesome! Great for Jersey!


----------



## Eastern37

Love the design!


----------



## LCIII

The design is very simple, nothing special but still a great plus for the area!


----------



## LCIII

desertpunk said:


> *TRD*
> 
> 
> 
> Fingers crossed for Ace. This outrageously well-located historical gem is LONG overdue to reclaim its grandeur!
> 
> *UPDATE:*


 
EXCELLENT!!


----------



## DesignerVoodoo

If you lived in NYC or even NYS you would understand why this doesn't belong in this thread. Jersey City is in New Jersey, look at a map!


----------



## desertpunk

*RFP Issued For High Line Phase 3, Construction Could Begin As Early As July!*












> CHELSEA — Work on the High Line's third and final section could begin as early as July, DNAinfo has learned.
> 
> The city put out a request for proposals early Monday morning to manage the construction of the elevated park's third section, which will run from from West 30th to West 34th Streets, stretching from 10th to 12th avenues.
> 
> Companies interested in the project have until April 20 to put together a plan to build the third section and preliminary work would begin on July 15.
> 
> According to the request for proposal, the project will last roughly 29 months.
> 
> Friends of the High Line, which helps fund raise for and run the park, has previously said the project will cost roughly $90 million and will open to the public by spring 2014.
> 
> It was not immediately clear how many contractors the city would hire or what the contracts would be worth.
> 
> Friends of the High Line could not immediately be reached to comment on any changes to the construction timeline.
> 
> Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20120402/che...-lines-third-section-start-july#ixzz1qwois9Nc


----------



## desertpunk

*NY Aquarium Makeover: Sharks Won't Just Be On Wall St Anymore!*









TRD



> The New York Aquarium is betting its $150 million renovation on the appeal of sharks with the inclusion of the marquee exhibit "Ocean Wonders: Sharks!", in which visitors will be able to walk beneath a 500,000-gallon tank where sharks will swim around them on all sides. Along with the shark exhibit, the new main building will resemble a shimmering wave—small aluminum squares will sparkle in the sunlight and move with the wind for 1,000 along the boardwalk. The new design is meant to bridge the gap between the aquarium and the beach and boardwalk. Currently, the aquarium is hidden from view from the boardwalk behind a long, tall wall that is attractively decorated, but still an imposing wall. The Wildlife Conservation Society hopes to open the redesigned aquarium by 2015.


----------



## desertpunk

*Queens*

*TRD*



> City scores federal approval for key step in Willets Point development
> April 03, 2012
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NY Sun
> 
> The Federal Highway Administration delivered good news to the city’s longstanding effort to redevelop the Willets Point neighborhood of Queens. According to Crain’s, the federal agency ruled that proposed ramps for the Van Wyck Expressway would not significantly affect traffic and businesses in the neighborhood.
> 
> While the city’s Economic Development Corp. praised the decision, it did little to stifle opponents of the new highway ramps and the redevelopment plan in general. They say the findings work only under the assumption that the city’s development plans for WIllets Point come to fruition. Without that development, they note, the city has found that the ramps would make traffic “intolerable” on the Van Wyck.
> 
> Still, the city expects to move forward with the 20-acre first phase of the project, which calls for commercial, residential and hotel development along with park space.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

Portzamparc's Second New York Masterpiece Set to Rise: 400 Park Avenue South 












> April 3, 2012
> 
> While much activity is occurring in Midtown, the area surrounding Madison Park has been relatively quiet. This is about to change, as the city's Department of Buildings indicates that plans for 400 Park Avenue South have finally been approved, meaning that Christian de Portzamparc's skyscraper can finally begin to rise.
> 
> ...
> 
> Site diagrams filed with New York's Department of Buildings give a better look into the dynamics behind the structure, with detailed drawings of each 'shard' within the building. The many components come together as an extremely graceful (and tasteful) whole, which will eventually contain over 400 residential units, in addition to ground-level retail space.
> 
> Designed by Portzamparc, the building will contain both condominiums and rental units. The rentals will be on the lower floors and controlled by Equity Residential, while Toll Brothers will have ownership over the condos. All said, the building will contain 476 units in total--a welcome addition to a neighborhood that doesn't have too many skyscrapers.
> 
> ...
> 
> Besides the retail and residential, the plans for 400 PAS also include a subway entrance, which will be a welcome amenity for the public. The building should start construction this year, and while no completion date has been given, the end of 2013 or early 2014 would seem likely.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.chdeportzamparc.com/content.asp?LANGUEID=2


----------



## SO143

desertpunk said:


> *TRD*


:applause:


----------



## ZZ-II

fantastic news again :cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

*NY Times*



> Development Thrives in the Hudson Rail Yards
> 
> By JULIE SATOW
> Published: April 3, 2012
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 509 W. 38th St.
> 
> A 200-unit rental building will begin rising later this year at 509 West 38th Street west of 10th Avenue, one of dozens of developments that are being planned in the Hudson Yards district over the next several years.
> 
> With the No. 7 subway extension on schedule to open next December, the third section of the High Line moving ahead and residential and commercial development within the rail yards themselves (from 30th to 33rd Streets, west of 10th Avenue) advancing, the neighborhood’s transformation is starting to come into focus after a city rezoning to residential and commercial from manufacturing.
> 
> “The activity really began to pick up about six months ago when the announcement that the extension of the No. 7 subway line was on budget and, more importantly, on time,” said Robert A. Knakal, the chairman of the brokerage firm Massey Knakal. The line will curve through the yards area; it currently ends at Eighth Avenue.
> 
> The decision by the luxury brand Coach to anchor the first office tower within the rail yards has further spurred activity, Mr. Knakal said, adding, “This is the most active period we have seen since the Hudson Rail Yards project was first announced.”
> 
> Since the main rezoning of the area from 28th to 43rd Streets and west of Eighth Avenue in 2005, more than 5,000 apartments have been built and more than $5 billion in private development has poured into the area, according to the Hudson Yards Development Corporation, a city entity overseeing the area’s redevelopment.
> 
> Iliad Development hopes to break ground in the fourth quarter on the building on 38th Street, which will have 200 rental apartments, mostly studios and one-bedrooms. Ismael Leyva Architects is the architect of record and is responsible for the layouts, while BKSK Architects is designing the brick and glass facade. AvroKO, the firm that has designed restaurants like Beauty & Essex on the Lower East Side, is designing the lobby and apartment interiors. The 30-story building will also include an outdoor roof garden, a screening room, a party room and a gym.
> 
> The building will front the Hudson Yards Boulevard, a parklike thoroughfare that is planned to bisect the area, and will have views of the next phase of Hudson River Park, if it is built.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*One57 today:*









http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/04/construction-update-one57-willow-hotel.html









http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/04/construction-update-one57-willow-hotel.html


----------



## desertpunk

*The Willow Hotel starts to rise:*









http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/04/construction-update-one57-willow-hotel.html


----------



## ZZ-II

wow, One57 looks so slim in that shot from behind.


----------



## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Related and Friends Return for Another High Line Tower
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> bloomberg
> 
> Following up on the recent report of the land rush for new developments around the burgeoning Hudson Yards mega-hood, we direct you to the southwest corner of West 30th Street and Tenth Avenue, where the Related Companies is digging down for a new 33-story residential tower. The architect of record is Ismael Leyva, father of sharp dark glass and futuristic fantasies in Midtown and downtown. Related's development partner at 500 West 30th is Abington Properties; as Crain's reported recently, the project is financed by a $200 million construction loan. When it's done, this new stack of residences will be a neighbor to another new West Chelsea tower set to rise one block south above the gardens in the sky.


----------



## desertpunk

*250 W 55th gets glassy*


IMG_8218 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


IMG_8219 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*1715 Broadway still naked:*


IMG_8233 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


IMG_8231 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


IMG_8230 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


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## SO143

great updates, thank you :cheers2:


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## desertpunk

*The pit at 51 Astor gets deep:*


Cooper Union pit by Scoboco, on Flickr


----------



## sbarn

I made another photomontage demonstrating the evolution of the NYC skyline over the next few decades. I went a little crazy with this one, including some visionary proposals. 

*Original Photo Source: *ill-padrino www.matthiashaker.com


----------



## Nikonov_Ivan

Great work! But as i know, Moynihan station towers will never be build, right? And i think in 2030 in New York will be much more skyscrapers, than on this pictures=) Maybe it is 2020?


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## Arawooho

^^
Agreed, even in New York there can be 800ft+ towers that randomly pop up almost out of no where.


----------



## ZZ-II

wow, that's really awesome!


----------



## richuyuy

I wanna wake up in a city that doesn't sleep...... I wanna be a part of it, NEW YORk ,NEW YORK!!! :cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

From: New York Yimby: http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/04/57th-street-development-boom-becoming.html



> 57th Street Development Boom: Becoming New York's Most Prominent Artery
> 
> 
> While 42nd and 34th Streets have been the historic focal points of Manhattan, the newest wave of development will propel 57th Street to a similar significance. The difference will be in terms of who actually uses each artery; 34th and 42nd are both dominated by transit hubs (Penn Station and Grand Central, respectively), while 57th's significance will be purely from a density/architectural standpoint. Thus, while 34th and 42nd are dominated by tourists and commuters, 57th could potentially be the most legitimate hub for people who actually live in Manhattan.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> At the moment, there are at least eight projects under construction (or imminently so) along 57th Street, with two of these projects exceeding 1,000 feet. Impressive height is only one of the features of the projects along 57th Street--groundbreaking designs that could change the direction of modern architecture are another.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Immediately across the street at 610 West 57th, AvalonBay has plans for a 48-story mixed use tower. The bulk of the tower will be residential, but the lowest floors will contain approximately 270,000 square feet of retail space. The residential component is expected, but such a large addition of retail would be a major transformation for the western portion of 57th, currently devoid of large stores.
> 
> Further east along 57th, development promises enormous potential. Nothing official has been released for 225 West 57th, but the large plot (owned by Extell) holds promise for something incredibly large--the site has roughly 1.3 million square feet of air rights, 30% more than Extell's One57 rising one block to the east.
> 
> The next block has the most activity of all, with three projects now in various stages of construction. As mentioned, One57 continues to rise, with topping-out likely before summer. One57 will be 57th Street's first 1,000'+ building, but it won't be the sole holder of the distinction for long. On the same block, the Hotel Willow is also under construction, and the building is almost above street-level. Across the street, the lot of 105 West 57th lies vacant, however recent buzz indicates the site should be under construction as well by the end of the year, adding another almost 700' tower to an incredibly dense block.
> 
> The most impressive proposal of all lies another few blocks to the east, at 432 Park Avenue. The retail component fronting 57th may have the address of 50 East 57th, and the building's location at the intersection of two of New York's most desirable thoroughfares couldn't be more prime. Recent Department of Buildings filings indicate the building will rise to just short of 1,400 feet, although nothing has been finalized.
> 
> Finally, the project at 250 East 57th will be rising soon as well (718' to the top). The building on the project's site is currently a school, and the developer has almost completed its replacement nearby--demolition should begin shortly, allowing construction to proceed on the large project (which will also feature a new Whole Foods as part of its retail component).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> An interesting caveat for the projects along the eastern end of 57th Street is the potential rezoning of the neighborhood. Mayor Bloomberg wants to upzone the 'Midtown East' district by 20-30%, as New York's current office market is incredibly old by global standards. 250 East 57th is beyond the scope of the rezoning (as it's along Second Avenue), however 432 Park would definitely be impacted. Fast-tracking the zoning change, which seems to be Bloomberg's intention, could mean a tower even taller than the already proposed behemoth at 1,400' or so.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*One57*









http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/04/construction-update-one57-willow-hotel_17.html









http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/04/construction-update-one57-willow-hotel_17.html


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## Jex7844

*CHLOROPHYLL TOWER*

It will copy the mecanism of photosynthesis...




























Really an amazing project...

http://www.gentside.com/gratte-ciel...-le-mecanisme-de-photosynthese_art39226.html#


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## RobertWalpole

I anticipate 225 W 57th. To compete with 432Park and Torre Verre, Extell will build a magnificent landmark.


----------



## RobertWalpole

I love all of the structures from the early 1800s which surround Astor Place. Abraham Lincoln came to the Cooper Union building shown above give a speech against slavery before he was president.


----------



## SO143

sbarn said:


> I made another photomontage demonstrating the evolution of the NYC skyline over the next few decades. I went a little crazy with this one, including some visionary proposals.
> 
> *Original Photo Source: *ill-padrino www.matthiashaker.com


:shocked: seems like new york will build only a few towers in the next 18 years?


----------



## bring

This should







be proud!!!!!


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## Nikonov_Ivan

SO143 said:


> :shocked: seems like new york will build only a few towers in the next 18 years?


Not 18. Maybe 10-12. And i think that soon will appear some interesting projects.


----------



## SO143

imo not all the proposed towers will be built and even some of those currently approved towers might have a chance to be cancelled, fingers crossed :angel:


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> L&L Seeks Architect For New Park Avenue Tower
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> L&L Holdings has taken a major step towards erecting the first new office tower along Park Avenue in more than 30 years. The Wall Street Journal reported the firm has reached out to 11 big-name architects, including three Pritzker Prize winners, for design ideas on a new skyscraper at 425 Park Avenue, between 55th and 56th Streets.
> 
> L&L Holdings acquired the long-term lease on the existing building in a partnership with Lehman Brothers Holdings in 2006. In an effort to boost revenue on the prime Park Avenue site, it wants to demolish the existing 31-story, 567,000-square-foot, circa-1950s office tower and replace it with a new $750 million building. The property is currently mostly leased with rents of about $50 to $70 per square foot. The Journal speculated that a new building would attract rents of more than $100 per foot.
> 
> *To build as tall as possible per building codes, L&L Holdings must keep 25 percent of the existing structure, although Bloomberg is working to change those rules.* In the meantime, L&L hopes to have the building vacant by 2015 so that demolition can start and the building can be complete by 2017.
> 
> The land underneath the building was purchased last year by TIAA-CREF for $315M.
> 
> [...]


This will likely be a skyscraper although in the era of 432 Park Ave, a supertall can't be ruled out...


----------



## desertpunk

*25 Story Hotel Sneaks Up On Meatpacking District*



> Permits filed with New York's Department of Buildings show a new hotel is set to rise at 414 West 15th Street, which is possibly confirmed by these renderings from Stonehill Taylor. The project, which is in the heart of the Meatpacking, adjacent to Chelsea Market, will rise to 25 stories and 284 feet, and have 158 rooms.
> 
> [...]


----------



## yankeesfan1000

SO143 said:


> :shocked: seems like new york will build only a few towers in the next 18 years?


That's doesn't account for the entire Hudson Yards neighborhood outside of Relateds development which will see dozens of new buildings, the towers that will follow East Midtowns rezoning, anything in Lower Manhattan outside of the WTC like 99 Church, 50 West, 56 Leonard, Nobu Tower all over 700 feet, or anything in Brooklyn, Jersey City, Queens, Long Island City, or anything in Manhattan below about 550 feet because there is just far too much to keep track of.

Even just the projects showed in that render include 17-22 projects over 700 feet, and at least 12 supertalls, depending on the Hudson Yards. I think any city in the world would be happy with 20 700+ footers over 18 year.

Plus, projects that get built between now and then that we don't know about. Like this 600+ footer in Midtown is already doing site preparation, and will be done in about 2 years and came together really quickly. 


*Starwood's Crystal Vision*
April 24, 2012, 4:20 p.m. ET
By CRAIG KARMIN And KRIS HUDSON










"Trying to tap into Manhattan's hot market for luxury apartments and high-end hotels, Starwood Capital Group's Baccarat Hotels and Resorts is launching a plan to develop a project across from the Museum of Modern Art...

Starwood is entering a heavily populated Manhattan hotel market but one with limited high-end options, said some hotel analysts.

"New York City has about 90,000 hotel rooms, but five-star hotels are lacking in Manhattan compared to other cities like Paris or London," said Tom McConnell, a hotel analyst with real-estate broker Cushman & Wakefield."


----------



## Arawooho

desertpunk said:


> *25 Story Hotel Sneaks Up On Meatpacking District*


Wow, I had no idea this was gonna go up, and I live right near the Chelsea Market.


----------



## Jim856796

Ideal height for new 425 Park Avenue should be around 240 metres.


----------



## tone99loc

Cross-posted at Wired NY & SSP: I've created a Google map overlay with NYC construction here: http://g.co/maps/45g64 Trying to include any projects that are either actively under construction OR proposed (but not totally dead in the water). Please let me know what I'm missing or any errors. Thx.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

tone99loc said:


> Cross-posted at Wired NY & SSP: I've created a Google map overlay with NYC construction here: http://g.co/maps/45g64 Trying to include any projects that are either actively under construction OR proposed (but not totally dead in the water). Please let me know what I'm missing or any errors. Thx.


Nobu Tower comes to mind right off the bat, there have been some recent rumblings there. Um, 225 W 57th should be there, as should 610 Lexington Ave, and Riverside South, and the Girasole.

Also, not to nit pick, but the first phase of the Hudson Yards is being built on the other side of 11th Ave. Overall, that's a really comprehensive map though. Thanks for sharing, looking forward to seeing some of those green icons turn blue.


----------



## ebgun

wow, new york city is beyond even the world could for me, I'd love to visit this city, new york city very much different from my city, but in my town has two markets that are floating above the river, I hope you'll look and been to my city. 

What is new york city now done this, whether I should know?


----------



## desertpunk

*One57 reveals more skin:*









http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/04/construction-update-one57.html


----------



## desertpunk

*Related's third Hudson Yards supertall will be slender, svelte: *









http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/04/renderings-released-relateds-third.html



> While vague diagrams and models had showed Related's mixed-use tower at Hudson Yards to be quite tall, the latest renderings confirm the suspicions. The mixed-use tower is going to be enormous yet slender, and definitely looks like it will surpass the 1,000 foot mark (although barely--the height would likely be around One57's).
> 
> More amazing than another supertall in the neighborhood is how this building will still fail to stand out all that much, given the much larger giants adjacent. The Coach Tower may be the same height but it will be much bulkier, and the Hudson Yards North Tower will be almost 1,300' feet tall.
> 
> The renderings of the mixed-use tower aren't too detailed, but they do show a building whose profile is at least different from most other tall towers. More detailed renderings are sure to come as the opening date (per the below Related brochure) is 2017.











http://newyorkyimby.blogspot.com/2012/04/renderings-released-relateds-third.html


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## desertpunk

*Star Ledger*



> World Trade Center's main tower to be topped by state-of-the-art radio, TV broadcast facility
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Published: Friday, April 27, 2012
> 
> NEW YORK — Taking advantage of its 1,176-foot height, including a 408-foot antenna, the main tower at the new World Trade Center site will be topped by a state-of-the-art radio and television broadcast facility expected to generate $10 million a year, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said yesterday.
> 
> The Durst Organization, the real estate firm that manages and has a $100 million equity stake in the tower, formally known as WTC 1, will invest $34 million in the new broadcast facility, which will serve as a transmitter for signals generated by broadcasters at their own studios elsewhere.


----------



## italiano_pellicano

desertpunk said:


> *Curbed*


its a mall ? 

what is the best mall of NY


----------



## desertpunk

italiano_pellicano said:


> its a mall ?
> 
> what is the best mall of NY


Malls are anathema to New Yorkers so while there are a few malls in the city, mainly in the outer boroughs, they don't elicit much enthusiasm and none could be descibed as 'the best' of anything. The proposed lower floor areas in Hudson Yards that you linked to will be a mix of uses from trading floors for a big financial firm to small shops and restaurants. Upscale mall-type retail environments can be found at Trump Tower, Time Warner Center, World Financial Center (U/C) and the new Westfield development at World Trade Center (U/C). As always, the best shopping is on Fifth and Madison Avenues.


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## desertpunk

*1WTC now higher than the Empire State Building*


----------



## desertpunk

*ArchPaper*



> Unveiled> City Point Phase Two
> *Cook+Fox designs a pair of towers in Downtown Brooklyn.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> With a four-story retail complex ready to open along Brooklyn’s Fulton Street Mall, City Point’s second phase, designed by Cook+Fox with Lee Weintraub Landscape Architecture, is ready to move forward. Phase two consists of two residential towers—standing 19 and 30 stories and holding a combined 650 units—sitting atop a 500,000-square-foot retail podium. “The whole project is envisioned conceptually as one project, a big mixed-use transit-oriented development,” said Cook+Fox partner Rick Cook. “This is a perfect spot for a tall building in Brooklyn.”
> 
> Cook said the towers’ skins are currently being designed, but each building will have its own identity. “We intend to play off a similar fenestration pattern and skin” of the first phase, Cook said, which could incorporate the same custom-glazed white terra-cotta tiles. Landscaped areas are subtly incorporated into the site and on the rooftops. “We’ve created a series of recesses on the street wall where we could incorporate green spaces,” Cook said. A glass market hall leads through the site to the planned Willoughby Park by Michael Van Valkenburgh. *A future third phase calls for an even taller building that Cook said will anchor the corner with a strong sense of verticality.*
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Barnett poses obstacle to Vornado’s Central Park South development
> April 30, 2012 08:30AM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Vornado Realty Trust’s plans for a luxury condominium along Central Park South are being stalled by rival developer Gary Barnett, according to the Wall Street Journal. *The Extell Development CEO holds a lease for the ground-floor garage at 220 Central Park South, a building Vornado wants to demolish to make way for a 41-story new development, and is refusing to vacate the property.*
> 
> Vornado has spent $40 million to buy out residential tenants, but has been unsuccessful in attempts to reach a similar agreement with Barnett, who bought an interest in the lease a few years ago and holds it for another five years.
> 
> “We have a little issue there, but we’re trying to resolve it,” Barnett said.
> 
> Vornado, which bought the existing structure for $132 million in 2005, is weighing demolishing the entire structure except for the space Extell leases, but Barnett has bashed Vornado for even considering the alternative, which he deemed unsafe.
> 
> The Journal noted that Barnett owns a neighboring site on 58th Street where he was planning an 18-story development whose views could eventually be compromised by Vornado’s current plans. Meanwhile, Vornado Chairman Steven Roth said the site would be better than what Barnett is building at 157 West 57th Street
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*ArchPaper*



> Unveiled> City Point Phase Two
> *Cook+Fox designs a pair of towers in Downtown Brooklyn.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> With a four-story retail complex ready to open along Brooklyn’s Fulton Street Mall, City Point’s second phase, designed by Cook+Fox with Lee Weintraub Landscape Architecture, is ready to move forward. Phase two consists of two residential towers—standing 19 and 30 stories and holding a combined 650 units—sitting atop a 500,000-square-foot retail podium. “The whole project is envisioned conceptually as one project, a big mixed-use transit-oriented development,” said Cook+Fox partner Rick Cook. “This is a perfect spot for a tall building in Brooklyn.”
> 
> Cook said the towers’ skins are currently being designed, but each building will have its own identity. “We intend to play off a similar fenestration pattern and skin” of the first phase, Cook said, which could incorporate the same custom-glazed white terra-cotta tiles. Landscaped areas are subtly incorporated into the site and on the rooftops. “We’ve created a series of recesses on the street wall where we could incorporate green spaces,” Cook said. A glass market hall leads through the site to the planned Willoughby Park by Michael Van Valkenburgh. *A future third phase calls for an even taller building that Cook said will anchor the corner with a strong sense of verticality.*
> 
> [...]


----------



## sbarn

Photomontage I made of 432 Park :cheers::

*Original Image Credit:* manhattan skyline by rubalisciousness, on Flickr










Edit: I may have made it a little too tall, but oh well.


----------



## Victhor

Has anybody seen The Avengers? Anyone noticed where and how the Stark Tower is made? it's a really funny idea .
It's the Metlife tower, but partly dismantled, you can see the tower cranes at the base of the tower, dismantling the lower floors. The Stark Tower "comes out" of the Metlife, and keeps part of the original facade:








Pic from: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/joshw24/news/?a=47954


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## Bricken Ridge

what? one 57's clad reveal is hot!


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## ebgun

and let us return to the topic, because there is no end we will discuss it? now in new york city there are how many projects are being done in building a skyscraper?


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## royal rose1

ebgun said:


> and let us return to the topic, because there is no end we will discuss it? now in new york city there are how many projects are being done in building a skyscraper?


English? 

I don't think there's any accurate count, but last time I heard it was something like 52 skyscrapers. I presume that is just under construction and is probably composed of buildings with 25+ floors.


----------



## desertpunk

*Public Slams Chelsea Market Expansion*









http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/29113



> Last night Chelsea residents had an opportunity to publicly comment on the Chelsea Market Expansion plan and the sentiment in the room ran strongly against the project. The main line of argument during the public hearing portion of the Manhattan Community Board Meeting held at St. Luke's Hospital was that the community had fought long and hard to zone the neighborhood, so CB4 members were urged to maintain that zoning and not carve out exceptions in the hopes of gaining concessions from the developer Jamestown Properties. The alleged threats of the expansion included economic development displacing current residents, the dilution of the neighborhood's socio-cultural diversity, and the fact that Jamestown was going to make a shit-ton of money from this project and they're not even Americans.


----------



## desertpunk

*Domino Developer Loses Lawsuit Over Site Ownership*









http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=5474



> As promised, the court has handed down a ruling in the latest Domino lawsuit, developer Isaac Katan's attempt to stop a restructuring deal at the site. And? No injunction, according to the Commercial Observer. Which means joint site owner the Community Preservation Corporation is free to give the majority stake in the project to its lender. Both Katan and CPC will hold much-reduced stakes in Domino as a result. Of course, Katan hasn't given up the fight yet: his attorneys say Katan has a "newly-inked white-knight offer" in hand to bring "an experienced real estate developer" into the Domino mix.


Not looking good at all for this project as condos. As rentals, it might stand a chance but without Vinoly's overpriced designs...


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## desertpunk

*TheRealDeal*



> Pier 40 to have residential development, cinema?
> May 03, 2012 03:00PM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pier 40 could be home to a new 600,000-square-foot housing development. The Villager reported that a new study focused on the best ways to enhance the economic outlook for the cash-strapped Hudson River Park proposes housing on the pier as a way to bring in some income and save the now-decaying pier.
> 
> Other scenarios for the pier include erecting a cinema, a Cirque du Soleil venue and a retail store on the pier, located just off West Houston Street.
> 
> A task force tapped to review the study favors a combination of residences and a hotel for the pier, the Villager said. The combination would be the most profitable in terms of rent, the Villager reported, and would leave 70 percent of the pier open for public sporting use.
> 
> As previously reported, the Hudson River Park Trust is currently working to secure bond power from state legislators. The Hudson River Park project is now 14 years old, 70 percent complete and in need of $200 million to finish its development.


----------



## マイルズ

^^

I really hope so, it's time we give the pier a makeover :lol:


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## ebgun

royal rose1 said:


> English?
> 
> I don't think there's any accurate count, but last time I heard it was something like 52 skyscrapers. I presume that is just under construction and is probably composed of buildings with 25+ floors.


^^ wow, 52, was incredible once in new york city building, whether it's all a skyscraper? concept applied in new york city in constructing a building, whether the concept with a green city where planted with trees


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## desertpunk

*Permits Filed: 105 W.57th St. Rising Soon, Likely Topping Out Over 700 Feet*









Old rendering: will the revived tower change dramatically?



> New permits filed with the Department of Buildings likely indicate that construction is imminent on 105 West 57th Street. The future building will be 52 stories tall, which is one story greater than previous permits indicated, meaning the height will likely exceed 700 feet. Along with the other developments along 57th Street, this will dramatically transform the skyline and the corridor, giving it another notch when it comes to ultra-luxury developments.


----------



## desertpunk

*88 Willoughby Construction Begins*












> The 57-story condo/rental tower is finally going up at 388 Bridge Street in Downtown Brooklyn! Just yesterday, a lot of heavy-duty construction work started up at the site. It looked like workers were pouring concrete into the foundation, but our view through the fence wasn’t great. Last month there were stirrings here after years of inactivity. At its completion, this development will hold 234 apartments and 144 condos, both market and affordable rate. Construction on the H&M down on the corner of Bridge and Fulton started up late April. Onward and upward!


----------



## ebgun

^^ Permits Filed: 105 W.57th St. Rising Soon, Topping Out ​​Likely Over 700 Feet

was very charming at all these buildings, if any of the building with the green concept to fight global warming?


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Brookfield plans apartments for Manhattan West
> May 07, 2012 09:00AM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Long considered only for its office and retail potential, Brookfield Office Properties’ massive Manhattan West development site could include residential, too. Citing information from an investor call, Bloomberg News reported that the developer may include up to 900 residential units in its 5.4 million-square-foot plan.
> 
> “We’ve always highlighted the office density because we’re an office landlord,” said Brookfield Office President Dennis Friedrich said. “But we have the ability to build 900 units on that site. That market has really taken off, and may drive greater value for us, so we took a little bit of time to study that.”
> 
> The current plans calls for two skyscrapers on the site, located along Ninth Avenue across from Pennsylvania station. New Chairman Ric Clark said the firm is still negotiating to begin construction on the platform above the rail yards.
> 
> [...]


----------



## fooddude

UrbanImpact said:


> Buildings can be built above the world trade center's height but, no building can be above 2,000ft in the USA due to the federal aviation administration's rules (would need special permission).


2000ft to tip? Or 2000ft only roof height? If just to roof height, 1900 would do, and add a few more hundred ft for a spire or some frame and windows past the roof. If entirely to tip, then heck, we could go 1,999.99'... he he he :nuts:

"Special permission?" I am pretty sure there are many ways around this.. and heck, if any city in the usa could get "special permission," I am sure it would be nyc


----------



## hadeer992

マイルズ;91155839 said:


> Found it!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Credit goes to sbarn


Although it looks fabulous, but are there any plans to rezone the western side of Manhattan? because I'm noticing the tall skyscrapers would be on the western riverfront.... if so, we would have three major skyline areas, Downtown, Midtown ,and Western riverfront (whatever the name of the area is).


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## tim1807

Hell's kitchen.


----------



## iloveclassicrock7

マイルズ;91167546 said:


> Here's a key for the picture I posted earlier:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Credits to sbarn again


Not a fan of this, it makes ESB look tiny. Some of the buildings are great, but 432 park sticks out like a sore thumb, and really overshadows ESB. I wish that Tower Verre was taller, it has a strikingly beautiful design.


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## carolineboyle90

Great post!


Thank you, for sharing information in this forum..


regards,


Caroline


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## redbaron_012

Uaarkson said:


> Kanto finally losing it?


But if your happy what else matters?

and........ I don't like this thread straying off thread but reading previous posts I only wish the view of the ESB from Top of the Rock is classified as a national monument. Yeah it's one thing to save a building but you also have to save it in context of what it means and has meant to this city. I have been looking at a mounted giant classic view picture of this in a local store and think I'll have to buy it ! 
Now back to WTC 1............it looks great in the background as well : )


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## Kanto

マイルズ;91167546 said:


> Here's a key for the picture I posted earlier:
> 
> http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/7069775981_557f299865_b.jpg
> 
> Credits to sbarn again


Hmph, I find it rather curious that there are so many new towers in midtown, but except for the WTC there are none in downtown. Is there no space left in downtown or what?


----------



## raider12

Kanto said:


> Hmph, I find it rather curious that there are so many new towers in midtown, but except for the WTC there are none in downtown. Is there no space left in downtown or what?


welcome back Kanto...................i would say that they would have to raze something downtown ( my favorite part of the city) to put something else up, just as they do in almost every area of the city as how many open spaces are there in Manhattan? perhaps a few along the Hudson?? I'm excited there is even more to go on 1WTC........... thanks to those who posted those pics above showing whats left vs current height


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## HK999

Kanto said:


> Hmph, I find it rather curious that there are so many new towers in midtown, but except for the WTC there are none in downtown. Is there no space left in downtown or what?


Ever heard of 99 Church, 56 Leonard, 50 West and the towers on Washington Str.? All in Downtown. Not to mention all the small hotels (300 - 600ft) going up which don't even have a thread here. Also many towers shown in that render will be completed in a couple of years (<2020), not in 2030.


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Lehman could facilitate second new Park Avenue office tower
> May 8 2012
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just two weeks after L&L Holdings requested proposals for Park Avenue’s first new office tower in three decades, speculation is growing that a second new tower could rise on the avenue. According to the New York Post, now that Lehman Brothers Holdings has full control over 237 Park Avenue it is considering building a new tower on the property, near 45th Street.
> 
> Monday Properties both manages 237 Park Avenue and owns the neighboring building at 230 Park Avenue. The addresses were going to be merged for zoning lot purposes in order to construct a new tower around 237 Park Avenue. But to build that new tower, developers need about 1.5 million square feet of air rights, which is owned by Lehman Brothers and Argent Ventures.
> 
> Now that Lehman has a stake in the properties, and considering it already has a stake in the air rights, perhaps the landlords can strike a deal for additional air rights and expand atop the existing structure or build a new one entirely, the Post said.
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*High Line area residentials begin their big dig:*

*Avalon West Chelsea:*








http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2012/05/related-avalon-dig-deep-at-top-of-high.html









http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2012/05/related-avalon-dig-deep-at-top-of-high.html


*Related site at 30th and 10th St.:*








http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2012/05/related-avalon-dig-deep-at-top-of-high.html

MAYBE rendering:








http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2012/05/related-avalon-dig-deep-at-top-of-high.html


----------



## desertpunk

*NYU Seeks Approval To Build $1.2 Billion Pavillion*

*The 22-story, 830,200-square-foot building for inpatient and outpatient service will be located on the medical center's existing campus, at East 34th Street.*












> NYU Hospitals Center is expected to announce Monday that it has filed for state regulatory approval of its long-awaited $1.2 billion project to build a new clinical facility, the Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Pavilion.
> 
> The certificate of need, filed last month, calls for a 22-story, 830,200-square-foot building for inpatient and outpatient services. It will be located on the medical center's existing East 34th Street campus, between First Avenue and the East River, where the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation and the Ronald O. Perelman Research buildings now stand. NYU said the project could generate 10,400 construction and related jobs in New York, $1.44 billion in economic output and 9,100 nonconstruction jobs.
> 
> If approved, the new pavilion will have 374 inpatient rooms with one bed each. That design could help the hospital's bottom line by helping it control costly infections and making patients feel better about their hospitalization—at a time when reimbursement will be based in part on patient satisfaction scores.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120507/REAL_ESTATE/120509919#ixzz1uJAqJmGs


----------



## el palmesano

Dream Downtown Hotel / Handel Architects


http://www.archdaily.com/232361/dream-downtown-hotel-handel-architects/


----------



## yankeesfan1000

hadeer992 said:


> Although it looks fabulous, but are there any plans to rezone the western side of Manhattan? because I'm noticing the tall skyscrapers would be on the western riverfront.... if so, we would have three major skyline areas, Downtown, Midtown ,and Western riverfront (whatever the name of the area is).


They already did rezone the Far West Side of Manhattan. That's what is allowing the development of that area, like Related's mammoth Hudson Yards, and the many other towers that will rise there.



redbaron_012 said:


> But if your happy what else matters?
> 
> and........ I don't like this thread straying off thread but reading previous posts I only wish the view of the ESB from Top of the Rock is classified as a national monument. Yeah it's one thing to save a building but you also have to save it in context of what it means and has meant to this city. I have been looking at a mounted giant classic view picture of this in a local store and think I'll have to buy it !
> Now back to WTC 1............it looks great in the background as well : )


Yeah, and hinder Manhattan's economic growth? Awful idea.


----------



## Godzilla Ranger NYC

Victhor said:


> Has anybody seen The Avengers? Anyone noticed where and how the Stark Tower is made? it's a really funny idea .
> It's the Metlife tower, but partly dismantled, you can see the tower cranes at the base of the tower, dismantling the lower floors. The Stark Tower "comes out" of the Metlife, and keeps part of the original facade:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pic from: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/joshw24/news/?a=47954


Lol, I saw this. I felt the tower should've been taller. Really interesting how the Metlife Building got deconstructed.


----------



## desertpunk

*But wait, there's more!*

*NY Times*



> Bidders Compete to Run Trade Center Observatory, 1,200 Feet Up
> 
> By CHARLES V. BAGLI
> Published: May 7, 2012
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (NY Observer)
> 
> Seven companies submitted bids Monday afternoon to operate what will be New York City’s highest and largest observatory, at 1 World Trade Center, according to real estate executives.
> 
> Observation decks like the two at the Empire State Building have become so lucrative that the bidding for the three-level attraction on floors 100 through 102 drew bidders from as far as Canada and France, as well as a local restaurant owner.
> 
> Under the plans, five high-speed express elevators will transport visitors more than 1,200 feet above the street to a perch near the top of the tower, for $20 and $25 per person. The observatory will offer unobstructed views of the city, Long Island, New Jersey, and Westchester and Rockland Counties.
> 
> Annual revenues could exceed $100 million.
> 
> But the trade center observatory will have to compete not only with the Empire State Building, which draws four million visitors annually, and Top of the Rock, the observatory at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, but also with the Statue of Liberty and the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.
> 
> The seven companies, which were ordered not to discuss their offers, submitted bids to the Durst Organization, which owns 1 World Trade Center with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The owners did not return calls seeking comment, but real estate executives briefed on the submissions identified the following bidders:
> 
> ¶ Montparnasse 56 USA, an affiliate of the French firm that runs an observatory and roof terrace at the Montparnasse Tower in Paris.
> 
> ¶ Legends Hospitality Management, which runs food services and merchandising at Yankee Stadium and the Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
> 
> ¶ Danny Meyer, who owns a string of local restaurants, including Union Square Cafe, Blue Smoke and Shake Shack, and concessions at Citi Field and the Saratoga Race Course. He teamed up with GSM Projects, a Canadian firm.
> 
> ¶ Aramark, a large food services company.
> 
> ¶ Anthony E. Malkin, who operates the Empire State Building. Its 86th- and 102nd-floor observatories generate over $60 million a year in profit, more than any other deck. In the last decade, annual attendance has climbed to four million, from three million.
> 
> ---


----------



## Minsk

*SOM's new hospital & pavillion takes its form from the Vescia Pisces*

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=19749


----------



## desertpunk

*Long-Stalled Moynihan Shocker!*

*TRD*



> First phase of Moynihan Station construction to begin later this year
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The first phase of the delayed Moynihan Station project is slated to begin later this year, Reuters reported. The upcoming project will expand Pennsylvania Station’s access to underground passenger platforms and is projected to cost $270 million.
> 
> The plans include creating street-level entrances on two corners of Eighth Avenue, one at 31st Street and the other at 33rd Street, to train platforms underground. There will also be reconstruction of an underground passageway to Penn Station to make it both wider and extend further for better access to Amtrak, New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Railroad. Additional plans include the installation of an underground ventilation system.
> 
> The first phase is expected to be completed in 2016. The second phase of the project will convert the James Farley Post Office, which is located across Eighth Avenue from Penn Station, into a six-story passenger hub.
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Morphosis Goes First on Roosevelt Island Tech Campus
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> From the six final candidates, Cornell chose Morphosis Architects to design the first building on its Roosevelt Island applied sciences campus. University officials made the announcement last night at a Manhattan Community Board 8 meeting on Roosevelt Island to discuss a master plan for the campus. It's a safe bet that Morphosis will not choose to create a carbon copy of the Cooper Union building pictured above in the SOM flyover rendering, but it is an example of the firm's work on an academic building and architect Thom Mayne's other structures that veil glass buildings behind perforated metal. The Morphosis building will be the first of three academic buildings located on the campus, which will be aligned on a north-south axis, with the first being closest to the 59th Street Bridge. The plan calls for the structure to be 150,000 square feet and, probably no more than eight stories; "Academics don't like to work in high-rises," explained Kathy Dove, VP of CornellNYC Tech. First drafts of Mayne's plans for the building are expected by November 2012, with a schematic design in March 2013.


----------



## desertpunk

*One World Trade Center: After Redesign, Official Height Only 1,368 Feet *












> These renderings, via the New York Times from the Durst Organization, show the re-imagined spire (or antenna) of One World Trade Center. The former design was much more bulky and was an actual spire--the new design is simply an antenna mast, which would be used for communications.
> 
> The contrast is clear, as the old spire was much bulkier and larger, with the new antenna plainly mechanical. Besides the change in function, the official height of the building will also be different. The Council on Tall Buildings defines spires as architectural elements, a category antenna do not fall under. Thus, the design change also alters the building's official height from 1,776 feet tall to only 1,368. The difference is trivial, but would make One World Trade's reign as New York's 'official' tallest very short, as 432 Park's official height will be almost 1,400 feet.
> 
> Durst representative Jordan Barowitz said “We never have, never will, refer to it as an antenna,” but that doesn't change the fact that the rendering on the right most definitely depicts an antenna rather than a spire. Semantics are everything when it comes to deciding the official heights of buildings. Durst is free to consider the antenna a spire, but anyone with eyes can see that it is plainly an antenna, and not an architectural addition to One World Trade.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Supertalls 'R' Us!*

*NYO*



> “We’re Like The Avis Guys:” An Afternoon With Gary Barnett
> 
> In the world of Gary Barnett, everything is the best.
> 
> The president of Extell Development, a company he launched in the 1990s following a stint as a diamond trader in Belgium, made this plainly clear during a recent tour of One57, his 1,005-foot-tall tower near Carnegie Hall on West 57th Street. When completed, the building will rank not only among the city’s tallest properties, but, with its views of Central Park, among its most luxurious as well. In other words, the best.
> 
> On the One57 amenities: “This will be the best amenities package in the entire city. All the others are good. But they don’t have everything.”
> 
> On the One57 finishes: “Look at this kitchen. Where will you find a kitchen anywhere like this? It’s the best, and we have two of them.”
> 
> On the One57 floor plans: “We have the best floor plans on the market.”
> 
> [...]
> 
> Mr. Barnett might deserve pride of place were it for his singular One57 alone, but he has so much more going on, it is amazing he, or anyone, can keep track. While some of his rivals and compatriots might have bought and sold more in recent years, no one is building more, and more different, projects. “He’s very focused on what he does, more than some of the others,” REBNY president Steven Spinola said. “Not that they don’t focus, but he seems to focus in his own way.”
> 
> The Rushmore and the Aldyn, two developments at Riverside South, finished just as the market was headed south, along with the Lucida on the Upper East Side and the mock-historical 535 West End Avenue on the Upper West Side. Yet they have attracted the likes of David Wright, Robin Williams, Tyson Chandler and Mr. Real Estate himself, Alex Rodriguez, who flipped a Rushmore penthouse for a 50 percent profit after owning it for less than a year. Like One57, the neighborhood transforming International Gem Tower is finally rising on an otherwise dowdy 47th Street. A new Hyatt is headed skyward nearby, in Times Square, harkening back to Mr. Barnett’s early days in hotels. Another luxury building on West 43rd Street is in the works, as well as one downtown—Mr. Barnett would not say where—and the Carlton House is well underway. Certainly something has been forgotten.
> 
> *And, according to sources outside the developer, Mr. Barnett has tapped another Pritzker firm, Herzog & de Meuron, of 40 Bond fame, to build a 1,250-foot residential tower at Broadway and 57th Street. Yes, One57 was not enough. When it stops being the best, this project, and so many others, will be ready to carry on the legacy. When asked about the project, Mr. Barnett did not deny it, though he noted that, “Nothing had been settled, not the height, not the architect.” So be it. Perhaps now that Harry Macklowe’s 432 Park is climbing toward 1,395 feet, maybe Mr. Barnett wants to build a 1,400-foot tower.*
> 
> [...]


A *THIRD* supertall for 57th St? It's getting downright crazy over there!


----------



## Nikonov_Ivan

desertpunk said:


> *One World Trade Center: After Redesign, Official Height Only 1,368 Feet *


WHAT?????????????????????? WHY?


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> City Point lands Century 21 as anchor tenant needed to launch construction
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Century 21 has agreed to open a store at the Fulton Mall in Downtown Brooklyn, the Wall Street Journal reported, expediting the groundbreaking of the long-awaited City Point development. The discount retailer is the first new traditional department store to open in Downtown Brooklyn since the 1970s and will serve as the anchor tenant for City Point, a planned development of 675,000 square feet of retail and commercial space and 690 housing units at Dekalb and Flatbush avenues.
> 
> *With the tenant in hand, Acadia Realty Trust and Washington Square Partners plan to break ground on the project this summer and have pushed forward the ground breaking date for the last phase of the complex, a 680-foot residential tower, to 2017.*
> 
> “We would not have moved forward without an anchor. Century 21 was what we really needed to make this project a reality,” said Washington Square President Paul Travis.
> 
> [...]


And away we go! Hopefully the tallest component can begin sooner. Market forces will determine...


----------



## desertpunk

*Brookfield Polishing Key Hudson Yards Property*









http://www.nysonglines.com/33st.htm



> Views and light also make towers worth more, which is why Brookfield Properties is considering replacing the relatively small windows at its Hudson Yards behemoth, 450 W. 33rd St., with floor-to-ceiling beauties.
> 
> Speaking at the Bisnow Tech Summit last week, which was held on the 12th floor of the building, Brookfield’s David Cheikin said the developer wanted to take advantage of the 14-to-16-foot slab-to-slab heights as well as the views.
> 
> There are massive floors available, including the third floor of 138,680 square feet; the 11th floor of 91,431 square feet; and the full 12th floor, with 110,955 square feet. Asking rents range from $35 to $45 a square foot, sources said.
> 
> The former John Hancock Building has views to the west over the Hudson Yards, the High Line and the Hudson River. Those to the east are of the company’s own upcoming three-tower Manhattan West project of 5.4-million-square feet.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/gc_tower_has_rail_shot_B90Wv6zeupHC78nyXQDIlK#ixzz1uUyt7kUl


I wonder if there's air rights over this big fat concrete Baby Huey?


----------



## desertpunk

Nikonov_Ivan said:


> WHAT?????????????????????? WHY?


Antennas are never considered as structural or architectural elements that add to a building's *official height. I personally couldn't care less about this matter: roof height is what matters most, call it for what it is.


----------



## sbarn

How about another montage?! :cheers:

Original Image Credit: Mattron @ flickr


----------



## desertpunk

^^

Beautiful job! :applause:

I like your robust 225 W 57th St!


----------



## Nikonov_Ivan

Where are other frojects of midtown?


----------



## desertpunk

*One57 looking lofty:*


One57 by tectonic Photo, on Flickr


One57 by tectonic Photo, on Flickr


One57 by tectonic Photo, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Hyatt Times Square gets glazed over:*










http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2012/05/extells-glassy-hyatt-time-square-soars.html









http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2012/05/extells-glassy-hyatt-time-square-soars.html


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Massive Seward Park development nears approval
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A plan for 1.65 million square feet of development is about to clear the first hurdle needed for it to rise on the largest city-owned plot of developable land south of 96th Street. Crain’s reported that Community Board 3 is likely to approve a plan to bring residential, commercial and retail space to the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area east of Delancey and Essex streets on the Lower East Side.
> 
> The area has been in flux for the last 47 years, after the city demolished tenements that once occupied the seven acres. Past visions for the site were held up by fights over the housing mix, with many community activists demanding an entirely affordable complex. But those opponents have finally relented. Forty percent of the 1.65 million square feet would be reserved for 900 apartments, and only half of them would be affordable.
> 
> Community Board 3 is expected to approve the plan next week, and City Council should give its thumbs up by the fall.
> 
> “There is no doubt that it will become a reality,” said David McWater, co-chair of the board’s committee on land use, zoning and housing.
> 
> [...]
> 
> Here's a look at this Lower East Side development:


----------



## desertpunk

*Construction Begins On 432 Park Ave. NYC's Latest Supertall*


















NY YIMBY



> *Construction Officially Begins on 432 Park, New York's Future Tallest*
> 
> While excavation on the site of 432 Park has been ongoing for several months, no foundation work had yet been completed. This morning marks the first laying of rebar for the base of the building, a major milestone and yet another sign that the building's rise is imminent. The work on rebar is visible on the northwestern corner of the site, and the retaining walls have almost been completed as well.
> 
> With foundation work now formally underway, 432 Park should be at street level within several months. The only similar tower in the city--One57--rose to grade fairly quickly, although financing issues paused the actual building's rise several times through construction. The simplicity of 432 Park's design could mean that the tower will rise even faster than One57 has, meaning that One World Trade's reign at the top of New York's skyline could be over as early as 2014. While speculation is unreliable, CIM still hasn't released detailed renders of 432 Park, which leaves Department of Building permits as the only source of information on the project.
> 
> If CIM takes a tact similar to the one Gary Barnett used with One57, detailed renders will remain undisclosed until the building is well under construction, as competition for the high-end residential market in New York is extremely fierce. CIM's tight-lipped approach makes even more sense in light of Gary Barnett's confirmation that 225 West 57th will rise 1,250 feet (or higher), as views are one of the key drivers of the northern Midtown residential boom.
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Robert A.M. Stern Designing Finally-in-Progress 220 CPS?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The long developer face-off at 220 Central Park South may finally be coming to an end. Keen real estate observer Michael Gross notices that the building's rear facade is thoroughly scaffolded and that it was covered with workers this morning, "likely signaling its imminent demolition." That seems in line with site owner Vornado's most recent plan for the building, to demolish everything above the second floor even though Gary Barnett, owner of 220 Central Park South's underground parking garage, has refused to make way. Will Barnett change his mind now that Vornado's making some serious moves?
> 
> And we mean starchitect-level serious. Gross hears from a few sources that Robert A.M. Stern has been asked to design the future 220 Central Park South (which Vornado chair Steven Roth promised would be better than Extell's One57). No permits have been filed, so we don't know whether Stern is on board—but if Vornado is looking for a One57-killer, that's certainly one way to go about it.
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*Durst-Fetner Tower complete*


1214 Fifth Avenue by mbaron85, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*One57 Penthouse Rumored Under Contract For $100 Million*


----------



## desertpunk

*On West 54th: Three Hotels, One Office Tower, One Rat, Plenty Of Glass!
*









Foreground: 1717 Broadway, Background: 250 West 55th


----------



## desertpunk

*L&L Needs Rezoning To Fully Redevelop 425 Park Ave*









http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blo...s-compete-to-design-new-manhattan-skyscraper/



> The “iconic” new building L&L Holdings plans to replace its obsolescent 425 Park Ave. with could be a lot more iconic if the city rezones the Grand Central office district before 2015, when work is to begin.
> 
> *Right now, L&L plans on keeping 25 percent of the tower’s core while it entertains design proposals from “starchitects” including Sir Norman Foster and Renzo Piano for a mostly new structure.*
> 
> That’s because retaining one-quarter of the existing structural steel would be the only way L&L could replicate the tower’s roughly 600,000 square feet under existing zoning, which dates to 1961.
> 
> Incredibly, the 1961 zoning requires new buildings near Grand Central to be roughly 25 percent smaller than those constructed in the 1950s.
> 
> “If they make the modification to City Planning, we would do full demolition and take advantage of it,” L&L Chairman/CEO David W. Levinson said of the $750 million project.
> It would allow him to create a truly new building “and would give the architects a freer hand,” he said.
> 
> The 32-story building, opened in 1957, is built to a floor-area ratio of 20. If L&L were to tear the whole structure down and start from the ground up, its replacement could be built only to an FAR of 15 under 1961 rules.
> 
> But although L&L needs to start planning soon, it still has some time, since it can’t start work until 2015 when leases expire.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busine...t_mantle_MnGttwcQZpMl2UedQXsPwM#ixzz1uyoQgEYU


----------



## Eastern37

^^ That should be interesting!


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> Food market, Howard Hughes battle over use of Fulton Fish Market buildings
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lower Manhattan’s popular New Amsterdam Market wants to make a permanent home of the abandoned Fulton Fish Market warehouses, but it’s facing opposition from Howard Hughes Corporation, DNAinfo reported. The South Street Seaport developer has first rights to the city-owned properties that the market covets around the seaport.
> 
> The buildings that the market’s founder, Robert LaValva, hopes to occupy are the Tin Building and the New Market Building, located near the base of Pier 17. Though Howard Hughes plans an overhaul of the Pier 17 mall, the work does not include the two warehouses, which company officials say need work and for now, are better left untouched. Howard Hughes declined to comment on specific plans for the buildings.
> 
> Howard Hughes officials have reached out to LaValva with an olive branch, telling him that he can move his operation into the Pizzeria Uno building on Pier 17, but he rejected the offer.
> 
> “The Fulton Fish Market space is so vital and iconic and important,” LaValva said.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Starchitect Annabelle Selldorf's New 10 Bond Plan Revealed
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Annabelle Selldorf presented a second plan for a new residential and retail development set to rise at 10 Bond Street on Tuesday, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission gave her new design a big dose of love. Gone are the rounded corners overlooking Lafayette Street, as seen in the previous plan that was termed "too timid" by the LPC in April. The horizontality that prevailed before has been replaced by a more robust framework, clad in terra cotta and Corten steel. The penthouse has been rethought, and is now topped with a trellis, a "celebratory moment" in the words of Selldorf, whose creative team envisions it softened by plantings growing tall over Noho.
> 
> ---


----------



## yankeesfan1000

I know buildings under a few hundred feet never get much attention on this site especially in New York, but I love 10 Bond and the Morris Adjmi building directly to the north of it. Maybe it's because the current site is such a POS, but that will be a fantastic addition to the area and blends right in.


----------



## streetscapeer

All the development and projects going on in New York is just incredible when you think of everything as a whole... just the last few pages of updates has my head spinning!!


----------



## desertpunk

*One World Trade Nearing Topping Out:*


----------



## desertpunk

*NY Observer*



> Citi Field’s Suicide Squeeze! Redone Willets Point Will Bracket Stadium With Malls
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It may be a strike for the mayor, but Steve Ross and Fred Wilpon have scored big time with the latest Willets Point do-over.
> 
> It was revealed earlier this month that after a year of weighing competing proposals, the city had selected the Related Companies and Sterling Equities to redevelop the Iron Triangle, albeit in vastly revised form. Housing and other development would be put off in favor of a large mall.
> 
> Make that two malls, surrounding the new-ish throwback stadium, a veritable retail double play.
> 
> According to both The Times and The Journal, before much gets built in Willets Point, the 62-acre swath of chop shops and heavy industries just east of Citi Field, a mall will be built on the west side, on the site of the current Mets parking lots. Per The Journal:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The first step for the developers would be to take on a costly 20-acre environmental cleanup and build the new parking lots for the stadium [on the Willets Point side to the east], the people said. They would also be required to build a hotel and a small amount of retail just to the east of Citi Field.
> 
> Then they would be able to build more than 800,000 square feet of retail on the parking lots to the west of the stadium. Only then would construction begin of the new neighborhood first envisioned by the Bloomberg administration, with the construction of the 400 apartments and 680,000 square feet of retail. That aspect of the project could grow, the people said.
> 
> 
> 
> The Times said the cleanup could cost more than $40 million, but also notes that the added development is seen as a positive, not a negative, to the plan.
> 
> "According to the executives, Related Companies joined forces with Sterling Equities to come up with a new proposal that embraced Citi Field. Proponents argue that the city will get what it had always planned at Willets Point, but the timeline and sequencing will be different."
> 
> How long it will take for any of this to ever be built is an open question, though there is said to be a $35 million penalty if no housing is completed by 2025. How much housing, beyond the initial 400 units planned, remains to be seen. All four developers reportedly argued that the project, with 5,500 units, a third of which were meant to be affordable, is too complex to complete as originally planned.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The original plan, going nowhere fast. (NYC EDC)
> 
> ----
Click to expand...


----------



## desertpunk

A high-end Gramercy Park condo development nearly written off for dead has sold out in just a few months. Another sign that the NYC condo market is returning to vibrancy:

*57 Irving Sells Out*









manhattanmiami



> The long-stalled boutique condo 57 Irving Place is now sold out, after re-starting sales in November, the project’s developer told The Real Deal. Sales at the nine-unit Gramercy Park building originally started in 2010, but stalled later that year due to the collapse of the original lender for the project, according to developer Robert Gladstone.
> 
> But the modern,10-story building re-launched sales last November, and business has been brisk since then, according to Corcoran Sunshine’s Marie-Claire Gladstone, the wife of the developer, who handled sales at the building along with Elaine Diratz and Norma-Jean Callahan.
> 
> *Most of the units sold without ever hitting the market, she said.*


----------



## desertpunk

*DOB Issues Permit For City's Tallest Residential Tower*












> The 84-story tower at 440 Park Avenue will be NYC’s loftiest
> 
> The New York City Department of Buildings has issued a permit for the construction of a new, 84-story residential building, slated to be the city’s tallest, at the 440 Park Avenue site where CIM Group and Macklowe Properties plan to build condominiums, the DOB confirmed today. The permit, for a 1,300-foot-tall residential tower at the site of the former Drake Hotel, was issued earlier this month.
> 
> *The application for the site, at 56th Street, was filed last May, the DOB said. If construction proceeds as planned, the tower, which will offer retail as well as the ultra-luxury apartments and will be designed by SLCE Architects, will reach 1,398 feet in 2016.* That heights tops One57, which will become the city’s tallest residential tower when it is completed later this year.
> 
> CIM and Harry Macklowe — who has no equity in the project but is involved — plan to erect a mixed-use complex designed by Rafael Vinoly. With 128 residential units and 12-foot high ceilings, the project is expected to cost $1 billion, according to previous reports. The permit means that the ambitious project — which is slated to include golf training facilities and private dining and screening rooms — can move forward.
> 
> *But the 440 Park Avenue site may not be the city’s tallest for long. The GiraSole tower proposed for 11th Avenue could rise to a similar height when it is completed. The project has been stalled for years, after initial reports said the tower, which architects hope to design as essentially a huge solar panel, would be completed by 2011.*
> 
> CIM, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm which acquired the Drake Hotel site for $305 million in 2010, has said it is confident that it will get the $700 million construction loan it needs to complete the project, according to previous reports. Calls to CIM’s representatives were not returned.


*Could the GiraSole rise over 1,400 ft.?*


----------



## desertpunk

*JDS Purchase From Starwood To Result In 50 Story Tower*



> JDS Development Group, the company behind the recent conversion of the Ralph Walker-designed Verizon building on West 18th Street, has purchased a majority interest in a development site formerly owned by Starwood Capital at 105 West 57th Street for $40 million, the company told The Real Deal today.
> 
> The firm is planning to break ground on a new 100,000-square-foot, mixed-use retail and luxury residential project in the spring or early summer, a spokesperson for JDS said. The project, which will rise to over 50 stories between Sixth and Seventh avenues, will feature condominium units as well as a significant retail component, the spokesperson said.


----------



## desertpunk

*Developers Vie For Tallest Designation Next To Residential Towers*









From left: a rendering of 432 Park Avenue, 1214 Fifth Avenue rendering, 8 Spruce Street and One57 rendering




> New York City has entered the age of a residential arms race, where developers continue to try top each other, literally, in the height of their developments, according to the New York Times. By 2016 the city could have six of the country’s 10 tallest towers and three of its highest residential buildings.
> 
> Last year, 8 Spruce Street became the country’s tallest rental tower. (The Times noted that architect Frank Gehry urged developer Forest City Ratner to build a few feet short of Trump World Tower so as not to draw The Donald’s ire.)
> 
> Meanwhile, Extell Development’s One57 just broke a Manhattan sales record on its way to 1,004 feet in height, which will make it the tallest residential tower in Manhattan. But it won’t hold that title for long. The residential structure CIM Group and Harry Macklowe plan for 432 Park Avenue is slated to reach 1,398 feet in 2016, and even later, the GiraSole tower proposed for 11th Avenue could rise to a similar height.
> 
> In the short-term, a Related Companies rental tower scheduled to open June 15 is staking claim to the “tallest residential building on the Upper East Side” title, as it rises 53 stories on 1214 Fifth Avenue, which is actually in Harlem. At 513 feet, it will be the 183rd tallest building in the city.


----------



## desertpunk

*TRD*



> One57 penthouse sells for more than $90M, breaks price record
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gary Barnett has set a new record for a New York apartment sales price with the deal for a penthouse apartment at his One57. According to the New York Times, an undisclosed but recognizable buyer has signed a contract, worth between $90 million and $100 million, for the 10,923-square-foot penthouse on the 89th and 90th floors of the forthcoming building.
> 
> The price breaks the record set earlier this year when Dmitri Rybolovlev paid $88 million for a penthouse at 15 Central Park West, but still pales in comparison to the more than $13,000 he paid per square-foot.
> 
> The buyer agreed to the purchase more than three months ago, before the “bargain” asking price was raised to $115 million from $98.5 million. Barnett said he nearly broke the $100 million barrier with a buyer who was looking at combining the 13,000-square-foot “Winter Garden” duplex unit with another full-floor for a price between $100 million and $150 million. But that deal fell through.


----------



## desertpunk

*John Jay Law School Tops Out At 65 Fifth*


















Both photos: Curbed


----------



## desertpunk

*Third tower!*

*TRD*



> Brookfield affirms Far West Side’s residential appeal
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Phil Wharton
> 
> The Far West Side earned the latest confirmation of its potential as a residential neighborhood when office developer Brookfield Office Properties recently said it was considering adding 900 apartments to its Manhattan West project, according to the New York Post. The area already has thousands of new rental units from developers such as TF Cornerstone, Glenwood Management and the Related Companies, and has thousands more on the way from those developers, the Gotham Organization and Iliad Development.
> 
> But the office landlord’s decision to enter residential development with a tower in that particularly area affirms its appeal. Brokers say many renters covet the Far West Side for its plethora of new buildings and the amenities they offer.
> 
> However, the neighborhood still lacks many of the basic retailers that New Yorkers crave — although fancy restaurants, including another outpost of Brooklyn Fare, are on the way.
> 
> “There are signs of life; there are buildings that have been completed,” said Sherwood Equities CEO Jeff Katz, who is planning a development at 360 10th Avenue. “But it’s really not even a drop in the bucket compared to what is going to happen.”
> 
> Recognizing that potential was key to Brookfield’s decision to consider residential units for the development site, Philip Wharton, the former AvalonBay executive that Brookfield hired to boost its residential development team, told GlobeSt.com.
> 
> *“There are parts of the site that lend themselves better to multi-family,” he said. “They are a little more secluded and we also think the proximity to the High Line is a nice alternative.”*
> 
> [...]


----------



## Minsk

*HOK win in New York*

After winning a global design ideas competition, HOK has been selected to design the new University at Buffalo (UB) School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences on its downtown campus in New York. Located at the centre of the region’s emerging bio-sciences corridor, this new transit-orientated medical school development will anchor a lively, urban mixed-use district on campus and bring 1,200 students, faculty and staff downtown. http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=19807


----------



## desertpunk

^^

Buffalo is not NYC. But it looks nice.


----------



## desertpunk

*World Trade Center Vehicle Security Center moving along:*


IMG_1635 by pbellamy1, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*1,500 feet?*

*New York YIMBY*



> Rumor Mill: Could The GiraSole Rival 432 Park Avenue?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Most news regarding supertall residential development has been focused on the northern end of Midtown, which is high-end enough to attract residents and investors with millions to spend on real estate. That might be changing, as the latest rumors out of Midtown West (per The Real Deal) indicate that the proposed 'Girasole' development could challenge its larger Midtown rivals.
> 
> Originally proposed at 1,060 feet, the development was already quite large. Still, with the three Hudson Yards supertalls rising immediately to the south, the development would neither be noticeable nor iconic. Exacerbating the problem, more 'supertalls' are slated to rise along the new 'Hudson Boulevard,' the pedestrian park/walkway extending from 33rd to 42nd Streets.
> 
> Increasing the height of the Girasole would make sense from a development perspective, especially as so many residential/mixed-use towers are now breaking the 1,000 foot barrier. As so many towers are increasingly slender--obviously 432 Park leads the pack--it would make much more sense if the Girasole took on a model-esque profile to maximize future views. The tower has 1.6 million square feet of air rights, 600,000 SF more than One57 and triple the amount that 432 Park has. The Girasole certainly doesn't lack the space needed to rise higher--perhaps even 1,500 feet is possible, given the latest trends to emphasize height over all else.
> 
> With competition for the best views increasingly fierce, the Girasole sits in a sub-market of its own. The developers could definitely monopolize (for however long) the luxury residential market in Midtown West, as nothing else in the neighborhood comes close to breaching the 1,000 foot mark (the twin 'Silver Towers' are closest, at 653 feet). While 432 Park and One57 will offer amazing views of Central Park, the Girasole could corner the market on those seeking the best Hudson River views, given it's only a block away. Regardless of where you happen to be looking, a view is always desirable. Rumors are all the height-change of the Girasole is based on, but the speculation is certainly warranted, especially given the state of Manhattan's real estate market.
> 
> FXFowle, the tower's architect, has more information on the project, with completion scheduled for 2016.
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*Curbed*



> Condo Towers Springing Up All Over Midtown
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 124 W.57th St. site of new JDS tower
> 
> With One57 breaking all kinds of records (you may have heard something about that), things are looking good for luxury condo development in Midtown. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports that Starwood Capital Group, led by Brent Sternlicht, and JDS Development Group are set to break ground on a new 50-story condominium and retail tower just down the street from One57. Apparently, the site is currently a vacant lot on West 57th between 6th and 7th Avenues, which means that the Google Streetview snapshot pictured above is the only thing that fits the bill (approximate address: 124 West 57th Street.) Although Starwood has owned the site since 2005, JDS is taking over the development with Starwood remaining a partner. Construction is set to begin in late spring or early summer.
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*'World's Tallest Holiday Inn' Coming To Lower Manhattan*









Hotel Chatter




uke:


----------



## desertpunk

*New Hotel Coming To WTC Area*









cpexecutive.com


----------



## desertpunk

One57 May 17


ONE57 by amphilyon715, on Flickr


----------



## Portskydiver

Does anyone know what would be the next World Trade Center building to b built after the transport hub, one WTC, and 4 WTC are completed?


----------



## desertpunk

*One57 Nearing Topping Out*









http://www.newyorkyimby.com/2012/05/construction-update-one57-nears-topping.html


----------



## Guest

^^ Ya gotta respect Larry Silverstein !!


----------



## desertpunk

*Fordham Lincoln Center rising:*









http://www.fordhamobserver.com/provost-discusses-business-school-expansion/


----------



## desertpunk

sbarn said:


> Hard to tell exactly what it will look like (doesn't look great, especially with that big box base)... but no complaints, this is positive news!


That's a placeholder design. They're still working on a design. I would expect something similar to the Silver Towers though.


----------



## sbarn

desertpunk said:


> That's a placeholder design. They're still working on a design. I would expect something similar to the Silver Towers though.


Just looked at a map, didn't realize how close this one is to his twin rental towers. Interesting... it will definitely be a positive for the neighborhood.


----------



## desertpunk

*Proposal For 25 Story Tower In The Cooper Square Renewal Area on Chyrstie St.*












> The Cooper Square Urban Renewal Area (“CSURA”) – the eleven blocks of real estate between Bowery/Second Avenue/Stanton/East Fourth Street – has certainly faded from public attention in recent years. Or at least since the Avalon Bay motherships invaded both sides of East Houston Street back in 2005-2006. Much of the neighborhood attention remained focused on the undeveloped lots along Delancey. Times change.
> 
> Last summer, 9 and 11-17 Second Avenue (Mars Bar!) received their own “renewal” treatment – razed and soon to be replaced by another glass structure housing predominantly market rate housing (construction just reached street level). But there is another undeveloped CSURA parcel along Chrystie Street that is now on deck for mega-development. Next week, the Community Board 3 zoning committee will meet to discuss the fate of 215 Chrystie, and whether to approve the construction of a 25-story, as-of-right mixed-use project.
> 
> If developers get their way, the vacant 215 Chrystie Street, currently a parking lot-garden combo, might sprout the 195,000 square-foot tower in the coming years.


----------



## desertpunk

*JLL joins hunt for Hudson Yards tenants*













> A top level team from Jones Lang LaSalle is set to join the hunt for West Side tenants after being tapped by Extell to lease its new 1.7 million square foot Hudson Yards tower.
> 
> Derek Trulson, Frank Doyle and Randy Abend will lead the effort to fill the new tower that Extell is calling One Hudson Yards. “There have been few things more exciting in my 25-year career in Manhattan real estate than being part of the emergence of a vibrant, new commercial district,” said Doyle. “We are pleased to represent Extell in leasing One Hudson Yards, which will be the first project delivered within the Hudson Yards district.”
> 
> Extell announced yesterday (Tuesday) that it would revive its plan to build the office tower that will occupy the eastern side of 11th Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Streets, facing a new four-acre park and sitting behind the entrance to the new Hudson Yards No. 7 subway station.
> 
> ...
> 
> According to Gary Barnett, president of Extell, “If you looked at a map of the Hudson Yards district, our site is dead center, smack in the middle. “In addition to great architecture and a superb location, we’re also offering the most competitive rents in the Hudson Yards district.”
> 
> Derek Trulson, managing director with Jones Lang LaSalle, said, “One Hudson Yards will rise on the most strategically situated site in the up-and-coming Hudson Yards district. This state-of-the-art office tower will benefit from having direct access to the No. 7 line subway station, the beautiful new Hudson Boulevard Park and the main 34th Street corridor.” Trulson said the team has already begun targeting high profile, large scale tenants looking to establish a flagship presence in the new Class A tower.
> 
> *The building was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and will feature a pointed tower with a glass and metal curtain that will wrap the floor plates then peel away from the tower at the base, according to Extell. “The diagrid structure is revealed three-dimensionally as it reaches the ground with lobby entries and storefronts set between large diagonal steel members, dramatically juxtaposing the monumental scale of the tower with the finer textured pedestrian surfaces,” read a statement from the company.*
> 
> The building will obtain LEED-certification and offer “leading-edge telecommunications and energy management systems,” high speed elevators and a state-of-the-art security system, according to Extell. A spokesman for Extell said construction would get underway once half of the tower had been pre-leased.


"Pointed tower"? I think this one's definitely a supertall! :cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

*Developers Announce New Apartment Projects*
















225 Rector refurbish and 316 Bergen St. Brooklyn



> Two New York developers, workhorse Related Cos. and newcomer Naftali Properties, this week unveiled plans to take advantage of the city’s tight condo market with in-demand new condos.
> 
> Related Cos. is redeveloping the 181-unit 225 Rector Place, a luxury condo by the designer Clodagh, in Battery Park City. And former Elad boss Miki Naftali has announced a deal to build an apartment building in Brooklyn, where a dearth of new apartments is pushing prices back to pre-recession highs. “316 Bergen Street will be one of the premier buildings in the neighborhood,” said Naftali, who left Elad last summer to start his own company.
> 
> New development supply has diminished throughout the city, particularly at the high-end of the market, according to most recent market reports. New developments in prime locations are being absorbed quickly, and, according to StreetEasy.com, the median listing in Manhattan has increased 12.6 percent since January 2011, to $1.42 million from $1.26 million.


----------



## desertpunk

*Check Out a Bonkers Proposal for Gary Barnett’s 1,250-Foot Broadway Tower *












> *Blind item:* Which architecture firm displayed a mind-boggling model for a skyscraper that may well never be built, at least in this lovely form, on the corner of Broadway and 57th Street for Gary Barnett? The model was on display last night inside one of the firm’s downtown projects, which is all The Observer can say lest we give the devilish designers away.


----------



## desertpunk

*At Least One Huge Housing Development Is Still on Track: Hunters Point South Will Break Ground This Fall *






























> It may seem as though there has been limited tangible progress since Related Companies was tapped to develop the project in February of last year, but that is because most of the work is being done below the surface—with on the banks of the East River and the banks of housing finance.
> 
> Since last spring, HPD and the city’s Economic Development Corporation have been at work on building new infrastructure in Hunters Point South, which had been a Daily News printing plant until a few decades ago but otherwise little else. “There was nothing there,” an HPD official told The Observer.
> 
> According to the EDC’s construction report for May, sanitary sewers are 100 percent complete, storm sewers are 96 percent complete and water mains are 82 percent complete. Parks infrastructure is coming along, as well, with subsurface work more than halfway finished and features like a dog run, playground, concession building and waterfront walkways taking shape.
> 
> Furthermore, the department has pegged financing to be wrapped up this fall for the first phase of the project—project financing usually closes in May and June, but given the cost and complexity of this deal, more time is being set aside to get it done. After that, a groundbreaking is scheduled for October.
> 
> At full build out, Hunters Point South will have 5,000 apartments, 60 percent of which are to be affordable, with a particular focus on middle class housing. Related is developing the first phase with Phipps Houses and Manadnock Construction, a builder of affordable housing throughout the metro area. The two towers are being designed by SHoP Architects and KPF and will house 950 units.

























































All images: http://observer.com/2012/05/at-leas...unters-point-south-to-break-ground-this-fall/


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## Hed_Kandi

*151-161 MAIDEN LANE*
































































In 2011, JFA was commissioned to design a mixed use tower in the financial district of Lower Manhattan. The developers desire to maximize the allowable buildable floor area meant creating a building which included residential, commercial and retail floor area. The property on which the proposed tower will sit is unusually narrow and will thus require special engineering considerations. JFA is presently working with and coordinating the efforts of world class engineering firms Langan Engineering and Thornton Tomasetti to create a viable and economically sound solution while maintaining a dramatic architectural vision. The project is presently in a concept stage of design. It is anticipated that the building will be constructed in 2014-2015.

http://www.fotiadis.net/archives/projects/151-161-maiden-lane


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## Nikonov_Ivan

Great!!! Downtown received new interesting project


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## Minsk

*Update: John Jay College of Criminal Justice / SOM*

http://www.archdaily.com/239619/update-john-jay-college-of-criminal-justice-som/


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## sbarn

Anyone know what is going up on 5th Avenue between 27th and 28th Streets (Just north of Madison Square Park)? No crane, so it can't be too tall.









EDIT: My photo.


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## sbarn

Couple of photos I took the New School project on 5th Avenue and 14th Street.










Close up:









Bonus of the smallish residential going up next door:


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## desertpunk

^
Nice!



*Related Gets Loan For First Hudson Yards Residential Tower*












> NEW YORK CITY-It has been a busy month for the real estate group at Manhattan-based law firm Morrison & Foerster. In the last four weeks, the firm has closed $1.6 billion worth of deals, including a New York 80/20 bond-backed multifamily construction loan, a mortgage loan for a Washington DC office portfolio and an unsecured line of credit for a major public homebuilder.
> 
> The firm represented Wells Fargo in the closing of a $188 million construction loan for the financing of an apartment complex under development by the Related Cos. and the Kalimian Family near the Hudson Yards development site. The 32-story tower will include 385 rental apartments, retail space and a parking garage situated at 30th Street and 10th Avenue.
> 
> The financing for the Far West Side tower consists of proceeds of bonds that are part of the New York State Housing Finance Agency’s 80/20 program. The bonds, which are enhanced with a letter of credit issued by Wells Fargo, are backed 50% by JPMorgan Chase. MoFo’s Mark Edelstein and John McCarthy led the transaction.


----------



## desertpunk

*Avalon's "West Chelsea" gets Underway*









An illustration of what Avalon's "West Chelsea" project may look like. (see article)









The site at 11th Ave and 28th St.



> On the NE corner of 28th Street and 11th Avenue, and along 28th east nearly to the High Line, work continues on what will be the future "Avalon West Chelsea". The building is to peak at 27 stories on the corner and taper back to 13 stories mid block. It is a large lot so the final product, though not particularly tall will contain an impressive 700 units and 25,000sf of retail for a total of 583,000sf. The building, designed by SLCE or Fogarty Finger (or both?) looks like an Avalon building- plenty or red brick, steel, and plenty of curtain glass facing west. It is much like Avalon Christie but with a tall tower and a little more glass. *It is widely believed that SLCE is the architect, yet the rendering above is found on Fogarty Finger's website.*


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## italiano_pellicano

wow amazing very nice projects


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## ZZ-II

Amazing how many towers in NYC are UC or will be soon :cheers:


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## Arawooho

desertpunk said:


> ^
> Nice!
> 
> 
> 
> *Related Gets Loan For First Hudson Yards Residential Tower*


Site excavation is underway:








(photo by me)


----------



## el palmesano

all the projects seem the same lately... :/


----------



## desertpunk

*16th supertall?!?!*



RobertWalpole said:


> There's no information about the height of this structure, but between the rezoning and the small foot print, it will easily exceed 300m.
> 
> http://professional.wsj.com/article...07867628&user=welcome&mg=id-wsj&mg=reno64-wsj
> 
> NY REAL ESTATE COMMERCIALJune 3, 2012, 10:26 p.m. ET SL Green's Dreams of Development .
> 
> By LAURA KUSISTO and ELIOT BROWN
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SL Green Realty Corp., SLG -3.61%New York's largest office building owner but a relatively untested developer of new buildings, has taken a step forward in its ambitious plans to build a trophy office tower across the street from Grand Central Terminal.
> 
> SL Green has brought in one of the country's most prominent office developers, Hines of Houston, Texas, to act as a consultant on the 1.2 million-square-foot project. The team is in the preliminary stages of drawing up plans for the block-long site on Madison Avenue between 42nd and 43rd streets, according to people familiar with the matter.
> 
> Above, the block west of Grand Central Terminal where SL Green is planning to build a 1.2-million-square-foot office building.
> .
> SL Green has assembled the prime development site across from Grand Central Station by buying up low-rise buildings over the course of more than 10 years. It closed on the purchase of the last building, at 51 E. 42nd St., in December.
> 
> Of course, SL Green will need cooperation from the economy to be able to break ground. Typically developers don't move forward with major office projects without pre-leasing a big chunk of the space. Given the weak recovery and the rival developers who also have projects on the drawing board, it could be many years before the SL Green tower is built.
> 
> Still, SL Green executives clearly want to move forward. According to the transcript of an investor conference in December, Edward Piccinich, SL Green's executive vice president of property management and construction, said *the company plans to build "a spectacular trophy asset with designs inspiration from around the world," drawing on iconic modern towers such as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the International Commerce Centre tower in Hong Kong. *
> 
> "I imagined how the lines and the curves of these designs will make a huge impact on the city skyline. I thought about how great it would be [to] construct one of these tower over Grand Central Terminal," Mr. Piccinich said.
> 
> While SL Green owns more than 25 million square feet of office space in the city, most of its development experience has been with overhauling existing office buildings.
> 
> Development of new buildings "is not in their DNA," says Michael Knott, an analyst at Green Street Advisors. "I don't think that they have an intention to dive headlong into ground-up development. It's more of a one-off, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
> 
> Hines, in contrast, is known for designing ambitious office towers with star architects, including Philip Johnson's Lipstick Building and the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed 450 Lexington Ave. Indeed, fewer than five blocks away from the SL Green site, Hines has plans to build its own office tower overlooking Bryant Park.
> 
> SL Green's site would likely be included in a proposed rezoning of the area around Grand Central that would allow larger office buildings. The details of the rezoning haven't been settled.
> 
> The city is poised to see millions of square feet of new office space hit the market in the coming years, but much of it is at the World Trade Center and on the far west side. In the past two decades, there's been very little new construction in the Grand Central area, a highly desirable location because of its proximity to the commuting hub.That's, in part, because the current zoning makes it difficult for developers to build tall new office towers. "The fact that there's someone who's willing to build a modern office building [near Grand Central], that's sending a message that this will continue to be the most important business district in the city and around the world," says Steven Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York.
> 
> Write to Laura Kusisto at [email protected] and Eliot Brown at [email protected]




The combination of high-profile site, small footprint and transferable air rights and incentives will easily push this development over 300 meters!


----------



## Dale

Please make it stop.


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## Arawooho

desertpunk said:


> The combination of high-profile site, small footprint and transferable air rights and incentives will easily push this development over 300 meters!


:banana:
Yess! I can't wait for the details


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## moustache

2 great buildings will be destroyed ... shame


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## dexter2

Again - NYC should finally start protecting It's unique heritage. 

Demolishing those two would be a crime.


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## el palmesano

WTF?? are they crazy?? please, people from new york. stop the ones that authorize demolish those buildings!!! they are destroying all the buildings that represents new york!! without these buildings, new york will look like some other city in china or wherever..

the city is loosing his charm...


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## accadacca

Yep, NYC will start to look like just another Chinese city if this keeps happening. Who cares if its a supertall, its not worth it. Replace the crappy 60s/70s towers instead.


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## el palmesano

is there any page in facebook of people angry with taht?? In Buenos Aires or Montevideo for example there are pages on faceook called "Basta de Demoler"(enough of demolishing) and in Montevideo one that is called Basta de demoler Montevideo because comes after the one from Buenos Aires and they have their own web site. Is people from the city that wants to protect the heritahge of the city. I hope some people from NY do the same..


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## el palmesano

oh! I search in facebook and.. :
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-Demolishing-Historical-New-York-buildings/129323287115111

everyone on skyscrapercity should click like


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## yankeesfan1000

Foreign investment in NYC commercial properties doubles

"While foreign investment in New York City residential real estate has captured the headlines, Massey Knakal Realty Services Chairman Robert Knakal appeared on CNBC’s “Street Signs” this afternoon to say foreign investors have also sought commercial properties (see video above). He reported seeing twice as much foreign investment in real estate thus far in 2012 as he did during the same period last year...

...Like the residential buyers, commercial investors are making their investments completely in cash despite the record low mortgage rates. Knakal attributed the trend to global financial uncertainty and said foreigners most covet the highest-quality properties.

“They are loking at buildings in New York City as safety deposit boxes,” he said. The buildings provide an average annual return of about 4 percent to 6 percent, according to Knakal."


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## Minsk

*Thomas Phifer and Partners Unveils Design for Corning Museum of Glass*

New York practice Thomas Phifer and Partners have unveiled their design for the new 100,000 square foot North Wing expansion at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York. The state of the art, “energy smart” building will provide the ideal interior environment for preserving the Museum’s unparalleled collection of glass art through natural lighting, an intelligent building envelope and sophisticated temperature and air quality controls. The $64 million North Wing is scheduled for completion in 2014. http://www.archdaily.com/242055/thomas-phifer-and-partners-unveils-design-for-corning-museum-of-glass/


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## ZZ-II

simple design outside...and VERY simple inside


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## Varghedin

I made my own NYC diagram:


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## Сталин

Nice diagram, but what does the blue mean again?


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## Andre_idol

Means that are just proposals for now.


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## Manitopiaaa

So is this just a generic picture or is the "mystery supertall" actually gonna get built in this space. That would be a grave injustice to architecture, to history and to New York's cultural heritage. Call me old-fashioned, but I'd rather keep these gems than build another supertall. There are plenty of spaces in New York for supertalls. These two need to be saved and protected. A lot of people here on SSC thinks being a fan of skyscrapers means rooting for taller and taller structures and that's not right


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## minsamol

el palmesano said:


> oh! I search in facebook and.. :
> http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-Demolishing-Historical-New-York-buildings/129323287115111
> 
> everyone on skyscrapercity should click like


No way!


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## erbse

No way what? It's important to protect historical identity, everywhere in the world.

NYC is just losing more and more of it and that's a huge failure.


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## Manitopiaaa

^^ I agree. I'm surprised a lot of these buildings aren't protected. Here in Tulsa, Oklahoma we have a bunch of scrawny, ugly buildings from the 50s that have National Register of Historic Places status. I'm shocked that some of these bigger New York highrises can be demolished so easily.


----------



## el palmesano

Manitopiaaa said:


> So is this just a generic picture or is the "mystery supertall" actually gonna get built in this space. That would be a grave injustice to architecture, to history and to New York's cultural heritage. Call me old-fashioned, but I'd rather keep these gems than build another supertall. There are plenty of spaces in New York for supertalls. These two need to be saved and protected. A lot of people here on SSC thinks being a fan of skyscrapers means rooting for taller and taller structures and that's not right


I agree 100%


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-Demolishing-Historical-New-York-buildings/129323287115111


----------



## ParadiseLost

I did click like on the page. Strange that people would be against that... Supertalls are nice and all but if New York becomes just another city of steel and glass exclusively it will lose most of it's charm.

I'm fine with facade-ectomy's btw as the public doesn't get to see the interiors of these buildings anyway.


----------



## desertpunk

*Two Trees In Contract For Domino Sugar Factory*









Ted Walentas orf two Trees ande the Domino Sugar Refinery 



> Two Trees Management is in talks to purchase the Domino Sugar Factory site on the Williamsburg waterfront for $160 million, the New York Daily News reported. The property’s owners, Community Preservation Corp. and the Katan Group, have engaged in a legal battle over development plans in recent months, and Katan is planning to block a sale to Two Trees.
> 
> The site was first reported to be hitting the sales block in March as CPC faced financial difficulties on the site, in part because of rampant real estate speculation during the boom. Consequently, Katan Group filed suit against CPC alleging mismanagement of the property.
> 
> The plan for the sugar factory calls for the $2 billion development of 2,200 housing units, including 600 affordable ones, on the waterfront. Katan and CPC acquired the development site for $55 million in 2005 and spent years clearing development hurdles at the property. Katan believes CPC is undervaluing the asset and that it should get $200 million in a sale.
> 
> Crain’s reported that Two Trees has already signed a preliminary term sheet for the purchase. “Two Trees understands waterfront development, is well-capitalized and is the best chance for this site to get developed into the mixed-income, mixed-use community it was intended to be,” said CPC CEO Rafael Cestero, who added that proceeds from the sale will enable CPC to fund affordable projects elsewhere.


Will Walentas stay true to all this?


----------



## erbse

I don't really like those proposed towers. They're repeating failures of the past (huge monolithic and look-a-like building blocks) and make the impression of social housing.

It should be completely redesigned if they want 13 towers there, they should engage more than one architect to create more diversity and vitality.


----------



## sbarn

Below is the massing diagram for 107 W 57th Street, another tower proposed for 57th Street just east of One 57 (on the same block). 










Here is the site currently (photos by me):



















If/when it gets built, it will be quite a sliver.


----------



## desertpunk

^^

Cool!


----------



## desertpunk

*Manhattan west Tie-In*

*Brookfield Weighs Massive Renovation Of Former Daily News headquarters At 450 W.33rd St.*












> In an effort to better integrate its existing West 33rd Street tower with its forthcoming multi-billion-dollar Manhattan West project, Brookfield Office Properties is considering undertaking a massive renovation of the former home of the New York Daily News, according to the New York Observer. The 1.7 million-square-foot tower, at 450 West 33rd Street, is adjacent to the rail yards where Brookfield will begin construction in the coming months on a $300 million deck that will serve as the base of a four-tower development. Brookfield has yet to lay out specific plans for the potential renovation, although Jerry Larkin, Brookfield’s senior director of leasing, noted that it could include installing an all-glass facade, a new lobby and upgrading other building systems.
> 
> However, the developer does have the potential benefits of that renovation fully planned out. It would allow the Cushman & Wakefield team marketing Manhattan West to offer potential tenants the ability to take some pricier space in the brand new office towers and complimentary cheaper space at 450 West 33rd Street.


----------



## desertpunk

*Moinian's Long-Stalled 605 W.42nd St Tower Being Rewvived by Starwood, Rose*


----------



## yankeesfan1000

*Once-stalled boutique hotel back on track*

English private equity firms buys 31st Street site for $13.5M
June 20, 2012 06:30PM










"... Commune, a joint partnership between Thompson Hotels and Joie De Vivre Hotels, will manage the 33-story, 260-room boutique hotel, which is slated to have a 125-seat restaurant and a rooftop bar.

Construction is slated to begin in early 2013, with the hotel opening in 2014 or early 2015, according to Simon..."


----------



## sbarn

^^ Gross, I'm seriously over these hotels that are setback from the streetwall. I don't understand why they don't change the zoning to forbid this type of development.


----------



## Eastern37

^^ There not going anywhere! Setbacks let more light in, and make the streets feel alot more 'open'. Most places have rules that buildings have to be setback from the street! Nothing wrong with it either?


----------



## ThatOneGuy

desertpunk said:


> *Brookfield Weighs Massive Renovation Of Former Daily News headquarters At 450 W.33rd St.*


That's one hideous building. Time for a glass facelift.


----------



## desertpunk

*New 432 Park Ave Renderings: It's Really THAT Tall*









NYO









NYO


----------



## desertpunk

*One57 Tops Out*









http://www.newyorkyimby.com/2012/06/construction-update-one57_19.html


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## ThatOneGuy

No, it didn't.^^


----------



## ZZ-II

yeh, still a few meters to go


----------



## Dale

ThatOneGuy said:


> That's one hideous building. Time for a glass facelift.


Or, massive as it is, just build a 120-story tower on top.


----------



## ParadiseLost

ThatOneGuy said:


> That's one hideous building. Time for a glass facelift.


Has a pretty unique 70s space-age look to it. Like BART, MARTA, the DC metro and others.


----------



## Minsk

*A Bright Future for Willets Point – Redevelopment on an Environmentally Marred Peninsula*

The New York Economic Development Corporation and Mayor Bloomberg of NYC announced the completion of the final plan for Willets Point - a peninsula on the Flushing River in Northern Queens, New York. The development of Willets Point is part of the urban renewal project associated with Citi Field – the Mets’ new stadium. Nicknamed the Iron Triangle, the project will include housing for mixed incomes, retail and entertainment amenities, a hotel, a convention center, office space, parks and open space, and a new public school, all of which falls under the umbrella of LEED-certified buildings and infrastructure. As with every redevelopment plan, there are positives and negatives to restructuring the community.

The Willets Point Redevelopment Plan is a ten- to fifteen- year commitment to the regeneration of this district. There are many environmental concerns associated with this land. Historically, the 60-acre peninsula was used as an ash dump. It accumulated approximately 100 railroad car loads of ash per day. Since, it has also been contaminated by petroleum, paint, cleaning solvents and automotive fluids. A high water table exacerbates the environmental hazards, threatening to spread into other bodies of water. It also lies within the 100-year flood plain which requires that the grade be elevated significantly. In addition, storm water and sanitary infrastructure is lacking. Its neighbor, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, was marred by the same kind of environmental damage, but was restored in the early 20th century in preparation for the 1938 World’s Fair. Now officials believe it is time for Willets Point to follow suit.

Willets Point is valuable due to its geographic location. It has the potential to become a hub for a variety of activities from entertainment, residential use, outdoor recreation, and commercial and retail use. It is regionally well connected to the subway towards Manhattan, to the LIRR towards Long Island, the highways and airports. It is already well positioned in proximity to other popular destinations such as Flushing, Corona Park, the National Tennis Center, Shea Stadium and Citi Field. The benefits are tangible – the plan promises 25,000 “person-years of construction employment”, 5,000 permanent jobs, 1,000 indirect jobs that come from the convention center, mixed-income housing, a new diverse community and hub, an estimated 30-year fiscal impact of $4.2 billion dollars, and the rebuilding of environmental infrastructure throughout the peninsula, in addition to a LEED buildings.

Despite its advantages, there are challenges to the city’s plans. According to Smriti Rao’s article in DNAinfo on New York Neighborhoods, residents and local businesses in the area are reluctant to relinquish their properties to eminent domain. It is a legitimate claim to private property but is often pushed aside for development such as these. However, Bloomberg ensures that 95 percent of the property has been or is being acquired. Is there no way that the future plans could be incorporated into the already existing architecture and infrastructure that the community there has established? It is frequent tug-of-war between the two. As the project goes out to bid, we will be able to see if and how the redevelopment unfolds and changes the district for the better.

http://www.archdaily.com/247874/a-bright-future-for-willets-point-redevelopment-on-an-environmentally-marred-peninsula/


----------



## aquablue

It's at the end of a runway BTW. Noisy place.


----------



## desertpunk

*Is Coney Island the next Times Square?*












> In a cleanup similar to that of Times Square two decades ago, Coney Island is shedding its seedy amusements for new tourist-attracting retail brands, G-rated entertainment and dreams of huge residential and commercial developments. According to Crain’s, Coney Island’s Luna Park saw 640,000 visitors last year, a number that hadn’t been reached since the Steeplechase Park closed in 1964. The annual Mermaid Parade attracted 750,000 people last month.
> 
> Larger crowds are paving the way for new developments, and in turn, new developments are attracting bigger crowds every year. “The momentum is real,” Dick Zigun, the organizer of the Mermaid Parade, said. “Coney’s hit a critical mass.” Restaurants are on their way too: the Dumbo pizzeria Grimaldi’s opened a Coney Island location last month and the Prospect Heights diner Tom’s Restaurant recently signed an eight-year lease on the boardwalk.
> 
> In 2009 the Bloomberg administration rezoned Coney Island to allow more shops and residential buildings to open, and promised approximately $150 million in infrastructure upgrades in the area. The city also bought seven acres of prime Coney Island real estate from developer Joseph Sitt for nearly $100 million that it wants to use to revive the graying park.
> 
> Sitt wants to bring Las Vegas-style casinos to the area if the state legalizes gambling in the near future, but he is also considering massive residential towers and hotels, according to Crain’s. New York City Economic Development president Seth Pinsky has promised that the city would begin upgrades to the neighborhood to help accommodate new developments by the end of this year.


----------



## desertpunk

*Fiterman Hall nears the finish line:*



















http://www.downtownexpress.com/new-fiterman-hall-prepares-for-grand-opening/


----------



## desertpunk

*Approval Process Begins For Durst Fetner's West Side Pyramid*













> More than a year after unveiling plans for a pyramid-shaped building on West 57th Street near the West Side Highway, Durst Fetner Residential will begin carrying the plans through the land-use review process. According to the Wall Street Journal, the developer will start the seven-month effort, which includes votes by the City Planning Commission and City Council today.
> 
> When the renderings were first released in February 2011, the local community board expressed general support for the project and the Journal said Douglas Durst appears confident the plan will get approved. Excavation work on the site has already begun.
> 
> The building, which was designed by Danish architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group to feature a sloped roof and blend the European block look with a traditional Manhattan high rise building, calls for 750 units. One-fifth of them are slated to be affordable. The Journal speculated that the community would call for more open space and below-market rate units to be included in the project.


----------



## desertpunk

*Foundation Finally In At 388 Bridge St.*












> After years of sitting stalled, there’s definitely progress being made at 388 Bridge Street, the 53-story residential tower planned for Downtown Brooklyn. As far as we could tell from our vantage point on the street, it looks like the foundation, or most of it at least, is in–a definite step forward from when we got an aerial view last month.











WSJ


----------



## ZZ-II

great news :cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

*The Zombie Walks!*

*The Real Deal*



> Restart in works for 80 South Street skyscraper
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> July 10, 2012
> 
> The site at 80 South Street could see some activity down the line. Curbed reported that there are now plans to construct a 300,000-square-foot, 780-foot mixed-use tower at this site, with a mix of hotel, residential and community space.
> 
> Cord Meyer Development owns the plot, and according to Curbed, is examining the property’s air rights to see if half of the proposal’s square footage can be dedicated for residential use. Morali Architects is behind the design, which will have some green elements, including hanging gardens flowing down the façade, which will be sheathed by photovoltaic glass.
> 
> The property is where Santiago Calatrava had planned his staggered cube tower in the days before the recession.
> 
> However, the plan has not yet started breaking ground — approvals are needed first from the City Planning Commission and the Department of Buildings. The approval pipeline could take as long as a year.
> 
> [...]


It's like Calatrava channeled through Gene Kaufman! *Blech*









Calatrava's original scheme for 80 South St.


----------



## ZZ-II

even better news . i always loved that project. especially the old design would have been something totally new for NYC. though the new one doesn't look bad too .


----------



## desertpunk

*Moynihan Station Renderings Unveiled*









airliners.net









http://transportationnation.org/2012/07/09/pics-renderings-of-amtraks-future-nyc-moynihan-station/









http://transportationnation.org/2012/07/09/pics-renderings-of-amtraks-future-nyc-moynihan-station/









http://transportationnation.org/2012/07/09/pics-renderings-of-amtraks-future-nyc-moynihan-station/



> Amtrak released renderings of the planned interior of its Moynihan Station expansion, the New York Observer reported. In yesterday’s updated vision for its Northeast corridor high-speed rail, Amtrak laid out its plan to expand the present terminals across Eighth Avenue into the Farley Post Office Building for a new station.
> 
> The new station will consolidate the train service’s operations and, by 2030, allow for travel from the city to Philadelphia in 37 minutes and to Washington, D.C. in 94 minutes, according to Transportation Nation.
> 
> However, that construction is still years off. As previously reported, after much delay, the first phase of the project is slated to get off the ground this year with the construction of new entrances to access the tracks that already exist under the post office, an underground walkway between Penn Station and Moynihan Station and new ventilation systems.







































http://observer.com/2012/07/inside-...plans-are-a-throwback-to-the-old-post-office/


----------



## salvador28

Axelferis said:


> ^^ This tower already exist in ...Paris
> 
> EDF tower:


love this building.. i went up to it and stood below the line..amazing. thanks for sharing. oui oui


----------



## sbarn

Here is a picture I took of a mystery project rising on 8th Avenue just north of 23rd Street:










Anyone got more info / renderings?


----------



## sbarn

desertpunk said:


> *Approval Process Begins For Durst Fetner's West Side Pyramid*


I really hope this design doesn't get changed or watered down during the public review process. Its the same process that got the Torre Verre clipped.


----------



## desertpunk

sbarn said:


> Here is a picture I took of a mystery project rising on 8th Avenue just north of 23rd Street:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anyone got more info / renderings?


Looks like Winick Realty's *320 8th Ave* development. Typical condos above retail...









http://winick.us/2012/04/02/320-eighth-avenue/


----------



## desertpunk

*"Restrained elegance"*

*TheRealDeal*









425 Park Ave. _curbed_



> Four starchitect finalists selected for 425 Park Avenue redevelopment
> 
> July 11, 2012 12:00PM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> From left: L&L Holdings Chairman David Levinson, Rem Koolhaas, Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers and 425 Park Avenue (credit: PropertyShark)
> 
> Four high-profile finalists will compete to design an office tower to rise at 425 Park Avenue. Norman Foster of Foster & Partners, Rem Koolhaas of OMA, Zaha Hadid of Zaha Hadid Architects and Richard Rogers of Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners have been selected to present their proposals to the developer, L&L Holdings, the New York Times reported. The finalists were chosen from 11 architects that L&L had reached out to in the spring.
> 
> “We wanted the broadest view,” Levinson, in an interview with the Times, said of the finalists. “It was important to select four architects that were very different.”
> 
> Levinson, along with an advisory committee — headed by Vishaan Chakrabarti of Columbia University’s Center for Urban Real Estate — will pore over the designs this summer. A final selection is slated to be made this fall.
> 
> As previously reported, L&L Holdings has to wait until 2015 to begin the tower’s redevelopment. This is when the building’s original land lease and office leases will expire.
> 
> According to the Times, not all of the original 425 Park structure will be razed. Zoning regulations permit Levinson to keep the 18-to-1 floor ratio if 25 percent of the original structure gets preserved.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Make it a double!*









http://www.urbanedgeny.com/property/one-sutton-place-north-apartments/189537

*Ground, Hearts Break at Sutton Place North as View Dims*












> Sequels don't have to be the worst. A lot of people think the The Empire Strikes Back and The Godfather Part II were superior to their cinematic predecessors. But if you live in a 42-story glass curtain-walled tower with unobstructed views of the East River and points north, south, and east, a sequel building rising directly in front of you is going to get thumbs down reviews. That is the case these days over on Sutton Place North, aka York Avenue between 60th and 61st Streets, where ground has broken on Two Sutton Place North. Its footprint is situated diagonally in front of the extant One Sutton Place North, and will eventually stand between the original tower and views of the Queensboro Bridge, the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, and the East River. The two buildings are expected to be the same height.


----------



## gsegal

wow!


----------



## desertpunk

*Fordham Lincoln Center Progress*









http://www.newyorkyimby.com/2012/07/construction-update-fordham-lincoln.html


----------



## desertpunk

*Stalled High-Profile Condo Projects Begin Comeback Trail*












> The city hasn’t exactly reverted to the go-go days of the boom, but as The Real Deal reported in its July issue developers are revisiting planned condominium projects and completing them — not as rentals, for a change — to meet the growing demand. In 2007, 511 condo projects were planned for Manhattan and Brooklyn. In 2012, 255 such developments are in the works and the New York Times provided updates on some of the most closely watched ones.
> 
> Starwood Capital’s Baccarat Hotel, for example, which will have 114 hotel rooms and 64 condos across 45 stories is under construction at 20 West 53rd Street. At 56 Leonard Street, where Alexico laid the foundation for a planned 57-story Herzog & de Meuron tower, Hines has come on board and led a big push to secure financing. Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group will open the project’s sales office by year’s end. Sales also began this month at RFR Holding’s 20-story condo conversion of an apartment building at 530 Park Avenue.
> 
> At One Madison Park, which has a history of trouble almost as lengthy as the 50-story building itself, Related Companies is renovating the lobby, completing construction and will likely bring the units to market this fall. Lastly, the Zeckendorfs’ 18 Gramercy Park is slated to hit the market in September.
> 
> In the next year and a half, five more high-profile projects should begin sales. They include 388 Bridge Street, the tallest building in Brooklyn, 432 Park Avenue, the city’s tallest residential tower, the Carlton House at 680 Madison Avenue, *the 78-story Jean Nouvel-designed Tower Verre, at 53 West 53rd Street*, and 737 Park Avenue.


----------



## desertpunk

*Levya-designed 23-foot-wide skyscraper hits rental market today*

Originally developed as Icon, a high-end condo tower, this Hells Kitchen sliver now opens as rentals.









http://www.prweb.com/releases/BridgeStreet_Worldwide/corporate_housing/prweb721363.htm

and finished:









http://www.nydailynews.com/life-sty...tal-article-1.1113225?localLinksEnabled=false


----------



## desertpunk

*NY Observer*



> Crystal Palace! Here Comes Christian de Portamparc’s 400 Park Avenue South
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Our pal Elevator View (one of the best photo tweeters/bloggers in town) shot us this photo of new construction fencing going up at 400 Park Avenue South, suggesting that Christian de Portzamparc’s long-delayed crystalline apartment building will finally rise there starting this year.
> 
> Almost a decade in the works, the project was left for dead in the doldrums of the recession until Toll Brothers and Sam Zell decided to team up this spring to take on the project. According to public records, building permits were approved between April and June, so the 42-story tower, with 363 units, is ready to rise. Neither of the developers were immediately reachable.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*NY observer*



> How About Another Empire State Building or Two?
> City Outlines Mega Midtown East Rezoning
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> By Matt Chaban 7/12
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It’s the moment developers, planning geeks, and perhaps the entire city without knowing it, has been waiting for all year: the unveiling of the city’s plans, first hinted at in the mayor’s State of the City address, to remake the face of Midtown Manhattan.
> 
> It is big. No, really big. Bigger than almost anything the city has ever seen. Empire State Building big. While that will not be the case for every tower that is eventually built through the program, it could be for at least a few.
> 
> The parameters, unveiled at Community Board 5 last night, are close to what had been previously hinted at, an area stretching from 39th Street up to 57th Street, emanating out from Grand Central. Fifth Avenue has been eliminated from the original study area, as has the northern reaches of Third and Lexington avenues, which were considered too residential. Still, the plan affects all or part of 74 blocks in the heart of the city.
> 
> Far fewer of them will be developed because a provision in the plan limits development sites to only those that stretch the length of an entire avenue blockfront, and they must sit on a site that covers at least 25,000 square feet, or a little more than half an acre. Still, that is already the case for many Midtown towers, including landmarks like the Seagram and Lipstick buildings, for example. The bigger challenge would be emptying old towers of tenants so new buildings can be built.
> 
> Just how big? As suggested at another public meeting last month, the focus of the rezoning is on the blocks surrounding Grand Central Terminal as well as the length of Park Avenue to 57th Street. Surrounding avenues will see their density bumped up slightly, from a floor area ratio of 15 to 18 (excuse the technical numbers for a moment). Park Avenue and the Grand Central subdistrict, which will expand one block north to 49th Street and two blocks south to 39th Street, between Madison and Lexington Avenues, will have an FAR of 21.6. A new Grand Central core district will be created for the blocks immediately around Grand Central with an FAR of 24. (See: map.)
> 
> To put that all in perspective, the massive Pan Am/MetLife tower that currently looms over Grand Central has an FAR of 18. City Planning pointed to the old Bear Stearns headquarters around the corner, at 383 Madison Avenue, as having an FAR of 21.6. One Bryant Park, just down 42nd Street, hits 24 FAR, and is one of the biggest buildings in the city. Frank Ruchala, the project manager for the rezoning from the Department of City Planning, mapped out scenarios with towers rising between 575 feet and 700 feet on Park Avenue and between 700 and 800 feet around Grand Central, approaching the height of 30 Rockefeller Center.
> 
> “We think that’s what’s appropriate to build the kinds of building we need,” Mr. Ruchala said. After all, this plan is predicated on preparing the Central Business District for a major modernization over the coming decades.
> 
> But the fun does not end there. All these big new buildings can be built as of right, meaning no cumbersome public reviews. But should a developer wish to aim high, really high, they can go for an additional FAR bonus, a jump to 24 along Park and around Grand Central, while the Grand Central core subdistrict, the eleven small blocks around the train station, jumps up to a whopping 30 FAR, on par with the skyline defining Empire State Building (FAR of 33, the only thing in town that comes close). As if to drive this point home, City Planning’s presentation showed a spindly tower, which looked not unlike the MoMA tower it once rejected, piercing the skyline above Grand Central.
> 
> To achieve this, a developer must submit to a special permit, requiring the standard (and often torturous) public reviews. There would be a considerable emphasis on quality design, both at the top of the building, which would almost certainly take a prominent place on the skyline, as well as at the base, where “a significant public space” would be required, as Edith Hsu-Chen, director of the Department of City Planning’s Manhattan office, put it.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Westfield Inks WTC Retail Deal*












> After 11 years of grueling talks, a $93.9 million payment yesterday finally clinched a deal between the Port Authority and Westfield Group for control of the World Trade Center’s retail space.
> 
> Global shopping mall developer Westfield wired the Port Authority a check, sources told The Post — the first installment of $612.5 million Westfield will pay the PA for a 50 percent, joint-venture stake in the site’s eventual 460,000 square feet of retail.
> 
> Although a tentative agreement was struck last year and the PA board approved it in February, like many other concrete-sounding “deals” at the WTC, it had no teeth — until now.
> 
> “Remember, the PA board also approved Vornado’s office tower over the bus terminal years ago. Have you noticed an office building over the bus terminal?” an insider cracked.
> 
> Westfield will lend its skills in developing, leasing and operating an initial 365,000 square feet inside under-construction 4 WTC, the WTC Transportation Hub, above-ground along Church and Dey Streets and inside 3 WTC in the planning stage.
> 
> It will also include 90,000 square feet more when 2 WTC is developed in the future.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busine...ail_deal_vQuAeJsMxffUvBTaMgI2jI#ixzz20XwtBRZx


----------



## desertpunk

*Mercedes House, July 10*









http://constructbirmingham.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/tale-of-two-cities/


----------



## desertpunk

Cloudy One WTC by michael.2999.pics, on Flickr


----------



## ZZ-II

awesome shot :cheers:


----------



## garret_jax

*trump soho*

Hello to everyone,
I need help to found New York Trump Soho floorplan, specially ground-third floors...


----------



## sbarn

There was a great photo update on Curbed the other day with more details about the design of 400 Park Avenue South:














































All photos courtesy of Curbed.


----------



## sbarn

Photo update from Curbed, showing 120 West 57th Street (Willow Hotel) one continuing to rise. I think the glass will either make or break this building.


----------



## sbarn

I had a work-related visit to the Lower East Side on Monday. I was able to snap a few shots of some construction in the area (and beyond).

Looks like the infamously stalled ghost building of the LES has resumed construction. This one sat as an empty concrete shell for over 3 years.









In the foreground there are a few projects that I'm unfamiliar with... and beyond the WTC complex.









Close up of the WTC.


----------



## ZZ-II

garret_jax said:


> is there an old thread about Trump Soho CondoHotel??
> 
> I need info to know what is there from the ground to seventh floors....
> 
> images are welcome...
> 
> 
> p.s. I'm sorry for my english :nuts:


it's in the archives: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=988721&highlight=trump+soho


----------



## sbarn

Photo update on the Willow Hotel (120 W 57th St). Despite its poorly placed setback, it really is shaping out to be a pretty good looking tower. Apparently black vertical struts will be added to the facade to accentuate its verticality. Could be interesting. Too bad the other hotel developers in the city couldn't learn a thing or two from this project. Anyway, to the photos:









Source: Wired New York

Close up of the new windows:








Source: Wired New York


----------



## desertpunk

*DNAinfo*

Sneak Peek at New High Line Designs Show Train Car Cafe, Playground












> CHELSEA — A train car-turned-food-shop, a beam-and-girder playground, and many more plants are all in store for the High Line's upcoming third section, according to documents obtained by DNAinfo.com New York.
> 
> The new plans for the High Line's final section show significant changes since renderings were originally presented in March, with more plants, a clearer path for visitors to walk on, and a unique new play area for kids.
> 
> Friends of the High Line presented the plans for the $90 million project as a draft to Community Board 4's Waterfronts and Parks Committee. They were meant to be released on Aug. 6.
> 
> The park's history of innovative design is on full display in the renderings, which show off a variety of new flourishes not seen in the park's first two sections. The final segment of the park travels west from West 30th Street and 10th Avenue, then loops up 12th Avenue around the West Side Rail Yards to West 34th Street.
> 
> Designers plan to put an actual boxcar at the very end of the High Line on West 34th Street that will open up to host a food vendor, currently called "Cold Train." Visitors will be able to enjoy their food in a new picnic area, complete with bright green umbrellas that spin in the wind.
> 
> The park's unique take on playgrounds include a "beam exploration area" west of 11th Avenue that, by coating them in rubber, turns the beams of the original High Line structure into a play area that kids can twist, turn and play hide-and-seek in.
> 
> A large, plant-filled section east of 11th Avenue is tentatively called the "Grasslands." Hanging vines also dangle off the sides of the elevated park in the new plans.
> 
> An interim walkway traveling up 12th Avenue has been enlarged since previous plans, creating more space to walk and more places to sit while maintaining aspects of the "wild" plants already on the elevated track.
> 
> CSX Transportation, the owner of the defunct stretch of railroad slated to become the final section of the High Line officially handed over the elevated structure to the city on Tuesday, clearing the way for construction of the park's much-anticipated third segment.
> 
> Construction on the project is expected to begin later this year.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/201...show-off-food-serving-train-car#ixzz224wdO6CE


----------



## desertpunk

*NYU Expansion Wins Final Approval*












> The City Council approved New York University’s modified expansion plan last night by a 44-to-1 vote, meaning the school has cleared the final hurdle in its effort to develop 2 million square feet of classrooms, dorm rooms and office space on the Greenwich Village superblock south of Washington Square Park.
> 
> “I think this plan appropriately balances the need of an important university to grow and expand — which is good for our city — with the historic neighborhood it’s in,” Speaker Christine Quinn said before the vote. The size of the approved plan has been reduced by 26 percent since its initial proposal.


----------



## desertpunk

*Manhattan panorama*









Beanhead4529


----------



## desertpunk

*New Hotel To Rise Near WTC*









133 Greenwich St.


----------



## desertpunk

*State Approves Harlem Tower Plan*









http://welcometoharlem.wordpress.co...eater-to-be-hub-for-arts-and-cultural-center/



> The Empire State Development Corp. has approved Danforth Development Partners’ proposal to build a $143 million addition to the legendary Victoria Theater on 125th Street in Harlem. The plan calls for 360,000 square feet to be built across two 26-story buildings that feature 229 apartments and 210 hotel rooms. They will sit atop 25,000-square-foot non-profit art complex that is replacing the theater, although the Victoria’s lobby and fountain will be preserved.
> 
> The ESDC’s approval marks a major step forward for the long-planned project that now appears to be a reality. Officials began seeking a developer in 2005 and reached a deal with Danforth in 2007, but financing difficulties delayed the project further.


----------



## desertpunk

*MTA seeks Fulton Center retail manager as new spaces flood Lower Manhattan*












> The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is issuing a request for proposals Thursday to find a manager for 70,000 square feet of high-end retail space under construction at the Fulton Street Transit Center. While the Wall Street Journal noted that this is just some of the nearly 1 million square feet of new retail space being prepared for the area, retail brokers believe there is enough demand to fill the flood of new supply.


----------



## desertpunk

*Horizen Developer Closes On Site*









http://www.cz-studio.com/horizen-tower.php


----------



## sbarn

A quick montage I did using ChodHound's amazing midtown photo, gives a rough idea of things to come (minus several proposals I'm sure I overlooked).

Original Photo Source: ChodHound


----------



## desertpunk

*John Catsimatidis getting ready to build his second of four Downtown Brooklyn buildings*









curbed



> It’s not happening as quickly as everyone would have hoped, but billionaire John Catsimatidis appears to be preparing to build his second of four promised buildings on Myrtle Avenue between Ashland Place and Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn. As you may recall, he had to shelve plans to do the whole complex (initially two towers then scaled backed to four smaller buildings) at once when the world fell apart a few years ago, opting instead to do a single rental building (The Andrea) as a good faith gesture. But at the end of June he filed for a new 15-story mixed-use building at 81 Fleet Place. The DOB application calls for about 160,000 square feet of residential and 13,000 square feet of commercial. This filing was followed up by structural drawings at the end of July. This is what the rendering looked like back in 2007 but we can’t find anything more recent:


----------



## desertpunk

*London Taxes Steer Luxury Buyers To New York*



> August 03, 2012 08:30AM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pricey apartments at One Hyde Park in London
> 
> A new tax policy instituted in London could bolster the market for trophy apartments in New York City, according to the New York Times. Transaction taxes in London are already double what they are in the city for homes worth more than £2 million ($3.1 million), and in March the British government increased the “stamp duty” on properties bought for more than £2 million to 7 percent from 5 percent. In a move meant to discourage tax avoidance, the “stamp duty” tax for offshore corporations making such purchases increased all the way to 15 percent
> 
> Additionally the government will charge an annual tax on pricey properties already owned by such entities and make foreigners subject to capital gains taxes when they sell British real estate.
> 
> The move could weaken the demand for trophy apartments in pricey central London. In the last three years property prices in that area, London’s most coveted, have grown by 50 percent, whereas overall prices remain flat. But sales of £2 million-plus are down 3 percent annually from April to July, hinting that the new tax may already be showing its affects on the property market.
> 
> The added costs, especially for the privacy that many of the world’s richest covet, could compel the world’s wealthiest to park their money in safe New York real estate rather than apartments in London. The Times said that because of New York’s awareness of the local importance of its real estate industry, it likely wouldn’t impose similar taxes.


----------



## desertpunk

*With New Tenants, PABT Retail Gets An Upgrade*









inhabitat



> NEW YORK CITY-In an effort to revitalize the facility and improve amenities for commuters, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey gave two national retailers the green light for space inside the aging Port Authority Bus Terminal at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan at a public meeting on Aug. 1. The Port Authority Board of Commissioners approved retail leases for Starbucks and PNC Bank, a Port spokesman confirms to GlobeSt.com.
> 
> According to a resolution from the Port, Starbucks inked a deal for approximately 2,165 square feet on the ground floor of the terminal’s south wing for a 10-year term and will invest approximately $1 million over the next four months to build its new store. On the other side of the building, PNC Bank is leasing 4,910 square feet of space located on both the ground level and second floor of the north wing, with another 150 square feet for ATMs on the ground floor of the south wing. Under its lease agreement with the Port Authority, the bank will invest more than $3 million in terminal improvements. Both deals were brokered by Vornado Realty Trust.
> 
> The new tenants are the latest businesses to set up shop in the bus terminal since the bi-state agency began discussions to revamp and make improvements to the facility. Earlier in the year, the Port also approved a three-year, 2,774 square foot deal for Discovery LLC, which will house the Cake Boss Café, an offshoot of the famed Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken, and a 20-year lease renewal for pharmacy retail chain Duane Reade in the south wing. As part of these lease deals, Discovery will invest $2 million toward the store, and Duane Reade will plunk down $2.7 million toward infrastructure enhancements. Existing tenants at the PABT include Jamba Juice, Au Bon Pain, Bolton's, Strawberry and Heartland Brewerty Restaurant.
> 
> Port Authority vice chairman Scott Rechler, also CEO of RXR Realty, says the Port’s efforts to attract top shelf tenants to the PABT are paying dividends, both for the customers who use the facility every day and for the agency. “All of our new tenants are investing private dollars to enhance the appearance of this transportation facility, supporting critical improvements to this vital transportation hub that serves 7,000 buses daily,” he says.
> 
> The terminal – which serves 64,550,000 passengers and 2,263,500 bus movements – is also experiencing steady increases in ridership. Chris Ward, the former executive director at the Port, said at a New York Building Congress event last year that more people are coming into the city by bus than by rail to the central business district, citing a 42% rise in bus travel over the last 25 years between New York and New Jersey.
> 
> *At the same time, a joint venture between the Port and Vornado to construct a 1.3-million-square-foot class A office tower atop the facility was put on pause due to the city's sluggish office market in late 2011.*


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## desertpunk

Crane's up at the New Whitney Museum in the Meatpacking District:


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## SO143

desertpunk said:


> *Manhattan panorama*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Beanhead4529


*GOD BLESS NEW YORK CITY & THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!* :bow:


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## sbarn

I did a little more work on an earlier montage I did, and came up with an NYC 2030 version that demonstrates the impact on the skyline with some new ~1,500 to 1,700 foot towers near Grand Central. (I'm sure I'm missing many proposals, and even more that wouldn't even be visible from this angle.)

Original Image Source: ChodHound


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## Kanto

^^ Incredible work :drool: Thanks :cheers:

Btw, that right Grand Central building looks exactly like the Lotte Super tower in Seoul, which is good cause I think it is one of the best designs ever made :cheer:


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## ThatOneGuy

^^ But they're just placeholders. I hope the actual designs are a bit simpler to fit NYC.

If I were ever chosen to design a building for NYC, I would design a boxy international style building, but with a slight torque/twist, just to alter the style a bit. It would be interesting. NYC's the only massively-growing city without a twisted tower.


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## desertpunk

*AP*



> August 4, 2012
> 
> Hudson Yards: NY's urban town within a city
> 
> By Verena Dobnik
> 
> NEW YORK (AP) — New York didn't let its loss of the 2012 Olympics keep the city from moving on to another venture: building up the largest undeveloped parcel in Manhattan.
> 
> The old Hudson rail yards on Manhattan's West Side might have become the Olympic stadium if the city had won the summer games when it bid on them years ago. Instead, a $15 billion small city within a city will soon start rising on the 26 acres of land by the Hudson River, with the construction on the first building set for this year. Eventually, Hudson Yards is expected to dramatically change New York's skyline. The cluster of commercial and residential high-rises is flanked by parkland, a cultural center, restaurants, shops, a hotel and a school, according to the latest renderings obtained by The Associated Press.
> 
> The main developer, Stephen Ross, told the AP that groundbreaking is planned sometime in October for the 12 million square feet of real estate space — New York's most ambitious private construction since Rockefeller Center was built in the 1930s amid the Great Depression. Some have dubbed the neighborhood "Manhattan's final frontier." Bounded by 10th and 12th avenues and West 30th and 33rd streets, it is Manhattan's largest tract of land still available for major development, followed by the World Trade Center being rebuilt downtown a decade after the terrorist attack. Surrounding the rail storage yards in this once bleak industrial area were potholed roads leading to car and horse-drawn carriage garages, warehouses, low-rent brownstones, cheap delis and strip clubs.
> 
> Hudson Yards' first building, set to open in 2015, is a $1.3 billion, 46-floor tower — nearly half of it to be occupied by the Coach luxury leather goods manufacturer. Its glass atrium will stand alongside the High Line, a mile-long, elevated public greenway transformed from a defunct freight railway weaving through the artsy Chelsea neighborhood to the south. This inaugural tower is part of a master plan designed by the Manhattan architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, which has produced the tallest towers in China, Korea, Hong Kong, France and Great Britain.
> 
> Still, in New York, "to build these very large structures on top of the tracks is a huge challenge," says the firm's co-founder, architect Bill Pedersen. "It's like dental work, threading through down below." An $800,000,000 platform will cover the field of open tracks that will continue to be used by the Long Island Rail Road, stretching under the nearby Pennsylvania Station transport hub linked by Amtrak to other parts of the country. The load-bearing main pillars of the first tower will be firmly planted into the ground, not on the platform.
> 
> Ross told the AP that the chosen architect for another high-rise along central, tree-lined Hudson Park and Boulevard is David Childs, who designed New York's tallest building — One World Trade Center, to be occupied by 2014 "They're creating a whole new landscape, a whole new district of New York City," says Bob Yaro, president of the not-for-profit Regional Plan Association think tank. "It will ensure that as the economy recovers, New York will have places for new business."
> 
> [...]


----------



## 1Filipe1

incredible o.o does it seem like everytime the economys not in the best place more skyscrapers are made? great deppression-empire state building- 70s recession, you got the twins, sears etc, and now all of these...mind boggling o.o


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## desertpunk

1Filipe1 said:


> incredible o.o does it seem like everytime the economys not in the best place more skyscrapers are made? great deppression-empire state building- 70s recession, you got the twins, sears etc, and now all of these...mind boggling o.o


That's because real estate is cyclical. At the peak of the market is usually when the most ambitious proposals are created. By the time developers are ready to build, the market has softened. Right now everybody is timing their projects to a 2014-17 completion timeframe when they believe the market will be robust again.


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## desertpunk

*40 Mercer Getting Savanna Retail Store*









http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/380603-condo-40-mercer-street-soho-new-york


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## desertpunk

*Rose Takes Over At 70 pine St.*



> Venerable New York real estate dynasty Rose Associates has taken the lead role at 70 Pine St., the vacant landmark skyscraper still awaiting conversion to apartments after two disappointing false starts. Rose Associates quietly bought the widely reported stake previously held at 70 Pine by Nathan Berman’s Metro Loft Management, Realty Check has learned.
> 
> AIG’s former headquarters will have up to 1,000 rental apartments in 750,000 square feet and 40,000 square feet of retail. Completion is slated for late next year or early 2014. That’s all according to Luxembourg-based Eastbridge Group, the financial muscle behind 70 Pine’s rebirth. Completion is slated for late next year or early 2014.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 70 Pine Street
> 
> There’s no word on how the top-floor observatory will be used — a unique Art Deco space with wraparound windows and vertigo-inducing balconies. Rose Associates declined to comment on the stake in the project it quietly acquired in May.


----------



## desertpunk

*DNAinfo*



> Quadriad Realty to Present City Revised Wahi Skyscraper Proposal
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Curbed
> 
> WASHINGTON HEIGHTS - After more than a year and a half of discussions regadring a suite of skyscrapers that could radically alter Upper Manhattan's skyline, developer Quadriad Realty said it will soon submit its revised plan to the city.
> 
> *Officials from the New York-based developer Quadriad Realty said they plan to submit revised plans to the Department of City Planning for approval to build two to four 29 to 31-story skyscrapers on West 190th Street and Broadway for its project dubbed the "Tryon Center."*
> 
> The developer presented a preliminary plan to Community Board 12 last month, which includes more affordable housing units and buildings that sit up to 10 stories shorter than originally proposed in 2010. Quadriad officials said they planned to submit the new proposal to the city in late July, but agency reprentatives said they have not yet seen the new plan.
> 
> Last year area residents and community leaders said they opposed the plan because of the height of the proposed buildings, which are significantly taller than most of the existing buildings in Washington Heights. Developers argued in an initial proposal that they needed the extra space to include affordable housing, but critics said their rates were pegged to Manhattan's median income levels, which are still too high for the lower income averages of Upper Manhattan residents.
> 
> *Quadriad officials had argued they would move ahead with an as-of-right plan for the building, which will include no affordable housing units, if unable to hammer out a compromise with the community.*
> 
> According to the developer, Quadriad's new plan was hammered out after meetings with local leaders, including State Sen. Adriano Espaillat, Assemblyman Guillermo Linares and City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, where the group attempted to determine the right mix of income levels for the neighborhood.
> 
> In addition to building affordable housing units, the developer has promised renovations to public facilities, such as a facelift to neighboring Gorman Park, and a plan to renovate the 191st Street 1-train station's entrance. The units will offer more than 400 market rate rental units.
> 
> The latest plan, which includes a mix of residential and commercial space, increases the number of affordable housing units from 160 to 184 to accommodate more low- and moderate-income individuals and families. The development will provide 52 units for low-income individuals and 133 units for moderate-income.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/201...evised-wahi-skyscraper-proposal#ixzz22udA36vF


----------



## aquablue

ThatOneGuy said:


> ^^ But they're just placeholders. I hope the actual designs are a bit simpler to fit NYC.
> 
> If I were ever chosen to design a building for NYC, I would design a boxy international style building, but with a slight torque/twist, just to alter the style a bit. It would be interesting. NYC's the only massively-growing city without a twisted tower.


I hope they are not simple towers though I suppose people have different aspirations for NYC. For me, boxes are something that ny has enough of, to last a lifetime. Boxes are just practical and economical, but hardly something ny should build just because of historical reasons. Why should ny only build boxes just because it did so in the mid to late 20th century? Before that ny built art deco. More complex geometry will not harm ny, it will improve it and rejuvenate its skyline for the 21 st century. Getting locked into building one style, the box, would herald the end of my interest in future NYC projects. So, I will respectfully disagree with you on this issue. My hope is that ny continues to move away from the box as much as possible, even with the zoning limitations, etc.


----------



## sbarn

aquablue said:


> I hope they are not simple towers though I suppose people have different aspirations for NYC. For me, boxes are something that ny has enough of, to last a lifetime. Boxes are just practical and economical, but hardly something ny should build just because of historical reasons. Why should ny only build boxes just because it did so in the mid to late 20th century? Before that ny built art deco. More complex geometry will not harm ny, it will improve it and rejuvenate its skyline for the 21 st century. Getting locked into building one style, the box, would herald the end of my interest in future NYC projects. So, I will respectfully disagree with you on this issue. My hope is that ny continues to move away from the box as much as possible, even with the zoning limitations, etc.


Agreed that the developers of the possible towers should aim for something a bit more imaginative than just boxes.


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## sbarn

Here's an update on some smaller projects:

*The Warren Lofts (Tribeca)*









Construction update, with the Trade Towers looming behind.









*Mystery Project* (Broadway & Worth Street, Tribeca), anyone got renderings?









Close up.









*SoHo Infill* (Broadway & Howard Street, SoHo). I can't tell but this one may be stalled. There was no activity on the site during the middle of the day.









Close up on the rendering.


----------



## Tomato Soup

aquablue said:


> I hope they are not simple towers though I suppose people have different aspirations for NYC. For me, boxes are something that ny has enough of, to last a lifetime. Boxes are just practical and economical, but hardly something ny should build just because of historical reasons. Why should ny only build boxes just because it did so in the mid to late 20th century? Before that ny built art deco. More complex geometry will not harm ny, it will improve it and rejuvenate its skyline for the 21 st century. Getting locked into building one style, the box, would herald the end of my interest in future NYC projects. So, I will respectfully disagree with you on this issue. My hope is that ny continues to move away from the box as much as possible, even with the zoning limitations, etc.


I don't think much of what happens in NYC has to do with artistic aspirations. Most NYC architecture has been and still is driven by efficient space use (money) and zoning. The reason art deco became so popular in the city (and cities in general) is because it didn't oppose either of these forces and retained enough versatility to stay artistically and architecturally interesting. Modern architecture hasn't found a language like that for cities yet, and it may never.

Zoning is very restrictive, but it adds a good deal of value to the city in a number of ways. Some could argue that it hasn't "caught up" to these new design types, but I can't even begin to imagine how they would adapt the 3,500 page text to accommodate all of them. As for developers, they'll always give monetary prospects priority over good architecture.


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## Andre_idol

Think this is the right place for this



> *Luxury Living in Old Temple of the 5 and Dime*​
> The Woolworth Building’s neo-Gothic tower, one of New York City’s most recognizable landmarks, is about to be turned into luxury condominiums, a transformation that would be second only to placing penthouses atop the Chrysler Building or the Empire State Building.
> 
> The world’s tallest building when it opened in 1913, the Woolworth Building was called the “Cathedral of Commerce,” its copper-domed tower soaring 792 feet into the skyline. Now, in a $68 million deal made final last week, the tower will be turned into about 40 luxury apartments, including a five-level penthouse in the cupola.
> 
> In a condo market still recovering from the Lehman Brothers crash in 2008, some developers have focused on conversions as a way to create new luxury apartments that cater to an eager, astronomically wealthy clientele who in the past few months have spent tens of millions of dollars on sumptuous apartments. With its historic status downtown, the Woolworth Building has the cachet to give it an edge over its competitors.
> 
> An investment group led by Alchemy Properties, a New York developer, bought the top 30 floors of the landmark on July 31 from the Witkoff Group and Cammeby’s International, which will continue to own the lower 28 floors and lease them as office space. “It’s very exciting for us,” said Kenneth S. Horn, president of Alchemy Properties. “We’ve done a lot of historic buildings in the city, but this is ‘the mama,’ as they say.”
> 
> [...]


From: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/r...g-to-be-remade-as-luxury-apartments.html?_r=1


----------



## desertpunk

*New York Times*









56 Leonard St.



> The Rewards Of Patience
> 
> 
> By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO
> 
> Published: August 9, 2012
> 
> IN the darkest days of the housing crisis, paralysis was the word of the day. Even in the rarefied world of high-end New York real estate, developers and buyers alike had to put their dreams on hold, at least for a while.
> 
> The day that Lehman Brothers crashed in September 2008, instantly deepening the crisis, Michael Stern, a New York developer, took his first tour of the 1929 Walker Tower in Chelsea. He closed on the building in December 2009 for $25 million, hoping to convert much of it to condos. But then he made a strategic decision that is likely to pay big dividends: he leased the building back to Verizon for two years while he waited out the chaos. “The first time I ever looked at the building was the day the world fell apart,” Mr. Stern said.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 1929 Walker Tower
> 
> A little patience can go a long way. At least that’s the lesson to be drawn from developers who have crawled from the ashes of the housing crisis — or from behind the barricades where they waited it out — to a Manhattan high-end market that has become a first-choice destination for the cash of the world’s wealthy.
> 
> New downtown buildings that were shelved during the financial crisis, like One Madison Park and 56 Leonard, are moving forward again, while conversions like Walker Tower are surging into a market constrained by low inventory, soaring prices and seemingly inexplicable sales to Russian oligarchs and Las Vegas casino titans. “It is a very powerful moment in new development right now,” said Kelly Mack, president of the Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group. “Developers are seeing a very strong opening in the market to really push their projects forward. These two years were really worth the wait.”
> 
> Consider how much the landscape has changed. By the fall of 2008, contract signings for new development essentially stopped. By the first quarter of 2009, buyers were too afraid to buy. “Open houses were packed, but no one could make a decision,” recalled Jonathan J. Miller, president of Miller Samuel, a real estate appraisal firm.
> 
> One by one, new development projects stalled, because their pricing did not reflect the new market. “New development went through this period called ‘pretend and extend,’ or ‘pray and delay,’ or ‘a rolling loan gathers no loss,’ ” Mr. Miller said. But this year has seen a stunning turnaround. Across the Manhattan market, contracts are up 26 percent across the board from the second quarter of 2010, while new development inventory is down 58 percent over the same period.
> 
> Things are getting tighter, and that has encouraged developers beaten down by the market to get off the canvas and back in the match. Some 58 percent of the projects that Corcoran Sunshine is planning were conceived before the downturn, Ms. Mack said. Some projects on the drawing board in the boom years — when even newcomers fancied themselves developers — have ended up in steadier hands.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One Madison Park
> 
> Consider the situation at a troubled condo project called One Madison Park. It is moving forward after its original developers, Ira Shapiro and Marc Jacobs, ran out of money and the project went into bankruptcy. The Related Companies, along with HFZ Capital Group and Amalgamated Bank, took title on the building in April, shepherding it through bankruptcy and settling most of the lawsuits involving the debtor, a Related spokeswoman said.
> 
> The original developers sold 12 apartments out of a possible 69, generating only $38 million, far too little to cover outstanding debts. Desperate for cash, the developers were looking for money anywhere they could, to help cover cost overruns. Among those still involved in litigation is Ian Bruce Eichner, a developer whom Mr. Shapiro offered an unfinished apartment for $5 million, in exchange for a $4.5 million loan. Construction has begun again, and Related plans to sell 54 more apartments (3 fewer due to combinations). The company says it expects to start sales early next year. The Related spokeswoman would not comment further.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 99 Church St.
> 
> Other developers are content to wait even longer. *Larry Silverstein, the developer of the World Trade Center complex, says he hopes construction can start next year on a Four Seasons Hotel project designed by Robert A. M. Stern at 99 Church Street. It will be topped by some 50 floors of condos (a private entrance for the condos is planned at 30 Park Place). His strategy is to start selling the 143 condos by the middle of 2015, when the World Trade Center will largely be completed. The project was conceived in 2008, but the developers were able to hold off because they bought the land and paid predevelopment costs for just under $300 million. “We own the land debt-free,” he said, “so there is no pressure of any kind.”*
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Two Trees Begins Redesign Of Domino Project*









http://www.flickriver.com/photos/johnsen/tags/newyork/



> During our conversation with Two Trees managing director Asher Abehsera on the success of the firm’s massive Mercedes House project, we turned briefly to the topic of the Domino sugar refinery in Williamsburg.
> 
> *As we previously reported, Two Trees is rethinking the entire Domino project, including the controversial move of how much affordable housing to include.* We asked Mr. Abeshsera how things are progressing. According to him, the planning process is just getting under way.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "Domino is really about us working internally and optimizing the best development plan and also working with the powers that be to make sure it’s something we’re all excited about executing, that’s good for the city and good for everybody. It’s so big, you can’t—right now we really don’t know.
> 
> You think about in what’s the best and highest use? Obviously the previous owners, well, they’re still the owners until we close, but maybe their plan wasn’t the most viable for the site, and paying homage to the culture of the area, and, more importantly, what people want, and we do a very good job at that.
> 
> So the honest answer is, we’re thinking, creatively about how can we use the footprint, how can we use the allowable FAR, how can we use the market-rate component, the affordable component, and come up with the most exciting project, that’s well program and that’s not too saturated in one respect or another. Programming is the real word there right now, we’re focusing on how to program it right now."
> 
> 
> 
> Should be an interesting one to watch.
Click to expand...

Will they retain Rafael Vinoly's design for the complex? Or go with the 'value option'?


----------



## desertpunk

*Curbed*












> MePa Condo Now Shrouded in Fancy Construction Netting
> 
> Friday, August 10, 2012, by Jessica Dailey
> 
> 345 West 14th Street, aka 345 Meatpacking, is officially the coolest kid on the block. The condo building is now covered with the most awesome construction netting ever, designed by famed Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. A Curbed tipster sent along a couple photos of the black and yellow spotted netting being installed, and we must say, it looks just like the rendering in the Journal. Hats off to developer DDG Partners, who paid for the 120-foot-tall artwork. It will remain up through September 30.


When completed, 345 Meatpacking will look like this:








buzzhome.com


----------



## yankeesfan1000

More filler. 

*Permit Filed for Crane Collapse Building's 28-Story Neighbor*
Tuesday, September 4, 2012, by Sara Polsky










"A tipster living on the corner of 51st Street and Second Avenue reported last year that demolition was underway for 301 East 50th Street, a lot adjacent to the site of a crane collapse that killed seven in March 2008. Since then, a few more details have emerged about the lot's future: namely, that developer Fishman Holdings had picked up the lot and planned a Cook + Fox-designed condo building there. Now, a tipster points out that a permit has been filed for the new building at the site. Signs of life at last!

*The permit calls for a 28-story building with 54 residential units.* That works out to 111,429 square feet of residential space and 6,200 square feet of commercial space. Last we heard, construction was supposed to start late this year. Anyone seen renderings? Please share!"


----------



## sbarn

I made another photomontage, this seems like a pretty good place to post it.

Original Photo *SOURCE*


----------



## ZZ-II

great work sbarn kay:


----------



## desertpunk

ZZ-II said:


> great work sbarn kay:


X2!


----------



## desertpunk

*NIMBY Alert:*

*South Street Seaport community fears new tower*









NY Times



> Though the city’s Economic Development Corp. approved Howard Hughes Corp.’ overhaul of the South Street Seaport retail complex, the local community was quick to tell Downtown Express that it’s far from a done deal. The project still has to undergo the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, which usually endures for seven months, and there are still significant concerns, according to Michael Levine who directs Land Use and Planning for local Community Board 1.
> 
> The ULURP board will raise questions as to what the community would get in exchange for approving the complex, work to ensure there is enough open space and demand assurances that Howard Hughes has the financial wherewithal to complete the project. But it’s main concern is a master plan for the South Street Seaport area, which Howard Hughes has declined to provide.
> 
> *“I think their master plan, which they don’t want to talk about right now, is probably going to include a tower on the site of the Tin Building and the New Market Building, which our community, of course, is going to be opposed to,” said John Fratta, who heads CB1′s Seaport Committee.*
> 
> While Howard Hughes does not currently own the buildings, it has an agreement with the EDC to gain control of the properties, according to Fratta, who said the community supports an alternate proposal to expand the New Amsterdam Market into a permenant feature of the existing structures. [Downtown Express] – Adam Fusfeld


----------



## desertpunk

*Barclays Center nearing completion:*
































































http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/09/05/photos_inside_the_nearly_complete_barclays_center.php


----------



## desertpunk

Work on the Hotel Chelsea continues:









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/categories/chelsea.php


----------



## webeagle12

sbarn said:


> Update on a couple Kaufman Hotel 'specials' on West 37th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue.
> 
> On the north side of the street, one is currently being clad... somehow. TBD how it will turn out. I believe this tower is 20-stories. There are no renderings that I know of... here are some photos I took:
> 
> 
> On the south side of the street, another hotel is well under construction. There was a frenzy of activity on the foundation when I walked by. The address is 312 W 37th Street and believe completed tower will be around 20-stories.
> 
> A few renderings (source):


----------



## desertpunk

*Proposed: New Hotel at 11 East 31st Street*












> 11 East 31st Street has sat vacant for several years, after the Simon Development Group (SDG) originally purchased the lots in the 2000s. The project was put on hold for several years, but construction is finally slated to begin in 2013.
> 
> The empty lot is the future home of a 33-story hotel, which will have 260 rooms. The specific name of the hotel is still undisclosed, although SDG has brought in Thompson Hotels as a partner on the project.


----------



## desertpunk

*Durst won’t try for LEED certification at West Side pyramid condos*












> Updated at 4:07 p.m.: The Durst Organization will not seek LEED certification for its pyramid-shaped condominium project on West 57th Street — opting instead to use its own criteria to assess the environmental impact of the building.
> 
> The decision, from a developer known for its embrace of “green” building practices, could alter the way other builders evaluate the sustainability of their developments, the Wall Street Journal reported.


----------



## desertpunk

*215 Pearl: Downtown's Newest Dual-Marriott in the Works *












> Permits have been filed with the Department of Buildings for another new hotel in Lower Manhattan. 215 Pearl Street will have 39 stories and 320 hotel rooms, although the permits are pending due to the review process.
> 
> The building will be occupied by two Marriott hotels, a Residence Inn and a Courtyard. The Residence Inn will take up the building's upper floors and have 120 rooms, while the Courtyard will be on the bottom floors and have 200 rooms.
> 
> The architect of record, Nobutaka Ashihara, actually designed another dual-Marriott hotel that's currently rising in the city as well--1715 Broadway.


----------



## desertpunk

*151 Maiden Lane Could Rise Soon*











With many thanks to New York YIMBY! :cheers:


----------



## yankeesfan1000

desertpunk said:


> ...


Mother of god. Looks like a prison.


----------



## ZZ-II

desertpunk said:


> *151 Maiden Lane Could Rise Soon*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> With many thanks to New York YIMBY! :cheers:


woah, this one looks fantastic :cheers:


----------



## dexter2

yankeesfan1000 said:


> Mother of god. Looks like a prison.


It's awesome! :cheers:

Windows could be a little bit bigger, but I love this ascetic design.


----------



## vanbasten

desertpunk said:


> *151 Maiden Lane Could Rise Soon*


http://www.fotiadis.net/archives/projects/151-161-maiden-lane


----------



## ZZ-II

thx for the bigger renders, this tower really fits perfect at this location!
it's not the tallest but definitely an eye-catcher to me .


----------



## desertpunk

*Hyatt Hotel At Union Square Revealed (before trees)*









EV Grieve

And a render of what the finished product should look like:


----------



## meskida

That actually looks quite nice, I'm glad they got rid of the crown


----------



## desertpunk

*Whitney Museum in the Meatpacking District rising:*









http://marympayne.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-highline-and-anish-kapoor.html


----------



## desertpunk

*Even a Smaller Hudson Square Will Transform the Manhattan Skyline *












> We know that the reason there are no skyscrapers in the middle of Manhattan has nothing to do with bedrock and everything to do with development patterns. And it is development that will alter that skyline once again. Trinity Real Estate recently unveiled their plans to rezone Hudson Square, the last undeveloped corner of Manhattan just west of Soho, north of Tribeca, south of the Village. As those neighborhoods would suggest, it is a place ripe for development. Just beware of over-development.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Current skyline
> 
> That is the message Trinity delivered when it went to the Community Board last week to present its plan as part of the city’s months-long public review process. Our buildings may seem big, but they could be bigger, as a presentation reported Curbed reveals (there will also be gourmet chocolate!). Trinity furnished The Observer with their key slide making this case, which shows towers pushing 500-600 feet in the neighborhood. Compare that to the roughly 200-foot skyline now, the Trump Soho not withstanding.
> 
> It is true, current zoning has no height limits, meaning clever developers could build even higher. At the same time, residential development is currently barred, so there would be limited reason to build bigger (a big office tower, or more likely, hotel is possible regardless of the rezoning—see: Trump Soho).
> 
> All the same, even with a 320-foot height limit, these towers will top their hulking industrial neighbors. Another striking revelation from these renderings is just how many development sites there are in the district. As we previously reported, the city is looking at at least a dozen new buildings, but it’s always hard to conceive of just how many that is until you see a visual like this.
> 
> Not that there is anything wrong with this. In fact, it is quite exciting. Manhattan is a place of skyscrapers, and we will need more to house everyone moving here, especially given an affordable housing within the rezoning.


----------



## desertpunk

*Come Christmas Forest City Will Make Atlantic Yards Prefab Decision*












> Eighteen months after Forest City Ratner began publicly considering using modular construction to build the first residential tower at Atlantic Yards, a final decision is nearly in sight. The firm is building a prototype module this month and will decide by Christmas whether to employ the prefabricated method for the 32-story, 930-unit tower, Crain’s reported. If built, it would be the largest prefabricated structure in the world.
> 
> The decision hinges, in part, on whether Forest City can get construction unions to accept a 25 percent pay cut to work on the project. Crain’s noted that cutting construction costs is especially important to the developer because by the time all 4,500 rental units are erected on the former rail yards, half of them must be affordable.
> 
> But with the unconventional construction technique comes unique concerns. In the modular process every detail requires “near-constant collaboration” by architects, engineers and construction workers to ensure the pods fit together perfectly when they arrive at the site. In order to ensure that the building can withstand earthquakes, wind and other disasters, the tower will include a steel frame built on the site, and not in the modular construction factories. The ability to work on both components at once will save time and millions of dollars.
> 
> Crain’s said the tower would be far different from existing prefabricated structures, not only because it is seven stories taller than the world’s next highest, in England, but also because it is veering from the “stacked shoebox” design typical of modular towers. Instead, Forest City is aiming for high design, according to MaryAnne Gilmartin, the executive vice president overseeing the project.


----------



## desertpunk

*Nolitan Hotel Would Like To Open This Century*









http://www.boweryboogie.com/2011/11/nolitan-hotel-on-cb2-sla-docket/



> The initial opening date for the Nolitan Hotel, once set for May 2010, has long since come and gone, delayed in part by a Department of Buildings finding that the property violated height limits. But on Thursday, representatives for the 60-room property are slated to make their case to members of the land use subcommittee of Community Board 2 in hopes of getting approval for a built extra story and “legalizing a built mezzanine” on the premises, Bowery Boogie reported.
> 
> The dispute dates back several years, when neighbors complained about allegedly unsafe conditions at the construction site. The DOB investigated the property, ultimately finding in January 2010 that the hotel violated the city’s zoning laws. Developers Veracity Development subsequently lost an appeal of the decision.


----------



## desertpunk

*CUNY, Sloan-Kettering unveil plans for new UES medical, research facilities*












> The city of New York, the City University of New York and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center reached an agreement for the construction of two research and medical facilities on the Upper East Side, Real Estate Weekly reported.
> 
> Sloan-Kettering will build a cancer care facility and CUNY’s Hunter College will build a new facility for science and nursing programs, according to the Associated Press. The new building will eliminate the need for redundant infrastructure, such as cafeterias and libraries, at the school’s 25th Street campus, which the university will eventually vacate, Real Estate Weekly said.
> 
> The city will sell a 66,000 square-foot site at 525 East 73rd Street to CUNY, which will build the 336,000-square-foot science and nursing facility there, for $215 million. The cancer center will span up to 750,000 square feet, Real Estate Weekly said.


----------



## webeagle12

yankeesfan1000 said:


> Mother of god. Looks like a prison.



uke:uke:


----------



## desertpunk

*Bush Terminal Building To Get Unwanted Guest:

136 W. 42nd St*

Another day, another awful Times Sq. hotel. This time courtesy of Peter Poon, skyline-defiler extrordinaire. The 37 story job is already underway.









New York YIMBY: http://www.newyorkyimby.com/2012/09/new-hotel-rising-136-west-42nd-street.html

.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

What a shame. A complete and utter POS rises between two beautiful old NY buildings.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

I like it :dunno:


----------



## el palmesano

desertpunk said:


> *Bush Terminal Building To Get Unwanted Guest:
> 
> 136 W. 42nd St*
> 
> Another day, another awful Times Sq. hotel. This time courtesy of Peter Poon, skyline-defiler extrordinaire. The 37 story job is already underway.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> New York YIMBY: http://www.newyorkyimby.com/2012/09/new-hotel-rising-136-west-42nd-street.html
> 
> .


this must be a joke...


----------



## nyarch21

Well at least the logo on the side looks nice. I do like the building though


----------



## yankeesfan1000

I've been wondering what this project was and I finally found a rendering. It's called 330 Hudson St, and the existing building is being renovated into new offices, with a 12 story addition on top that will be a hotel. I drove by today and the hotel portion looks like to be about halfway up, so 6ish stories, with the renovation of the existing building in full swing. 

The building before work began:









WNY

After: 









http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=1394


----------



## desertpunk

*Queens groups push back on plans for neighborhood sports arenas, mall*












> September 13, 2012 02:00PM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Flushing Meadow-Corona Park development area
> 
> A coalition of community groups is trying to block the Bloomberg administration’s plans to bring two professional sports arenas and a one million-square-foot mall to the area surrounding Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, the Wall Street Journal reported.
> 
> Six groups, including Make the Road New York, have won the support of local City Council member Julissa Ferreras in their efforts to hold up necessary approvals for the projects on the basis that the city is taking away open space without accounting for whether the neighborhood could support the significant increases in traffic and population the projects would bring. The community is also concerned the mall would drive out smaller local business.
> 
> “I have an obligation to make sure that our community gets a voice in the process…The community needs to decide if these three different proposals are a good use of parkland,” Ferreras said.
> 
> The coalition’s concerns could stall the project or force concessions from the city, which is not keen to delay its efforts.
> 
> “In all of our conversations with Queens community groups, we hear the same message consistently: the borough needs more jobs and economic activity. These projects would meet that need in spectacular fashion and provide employment to thousands of Queens residents,” said Julie Wood, a spokesperson for the city.


----------



## desertpunk

*5WTC*

*The Real Deal*



> 9/11 museum deals paves way for apartments at Deutsche Bank building site
> 
> September 13, 2012 10:00AM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Former Deutsche Bank building
> 
> The deal struck to resume construction at the 9/11 museum garnered headlines earlier this week, but the biggest byproduct of that agreement may be in the development of a high-rise residential building at the former Deutsche Bank building site. The transaction had the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey turning over ownership of eight acres of the 16-acre World Trade Center site, which include the museum and the memorial, in exchange for “Site 5,” better known as the land that once held the Deutsche Bank building at 130 Liberty Street, Reuters reported.
> 
> That swap fulfills an earlier agreement made in 2006 that was delayed by the political standoff at the museum. Now the land must be traded within the next six months.
> 
> Unlike land at the World Trade Center, 130 Liberty Street can be used to develop apartments, hotel rooms or offices. “The site would be most valuable if it supported apartments with a hotel on the lower floors,” Robert Von Ancken, chairman of Landauer Valuation & Advisory, a division of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, told Reuters. He speculated combined hotel and apartments would sell for between $135 million and $150 million. Reuters noted that the cash-strapped Port Authority would welcome the revenue.


----------



## desertpunk

*1 WTC "Spire" Going Up Soon*









http://www.anotherpartofme.com/tag/1wtc/



> September 11, 2012
> 
> 1 WTC Spire Soon to Rise
> 
> With 1 World Trade Center (WTC) now topped out at 1,368 feet -- or 105 stories, the same height as the twin towers -- Port Authority crews in August began building out the roof and preparing it for the new steel architectural spire. The 408-foot-tall spire is designed to support antennas and communications equipment, and by spring 2013 will raise 1 WTC to the height of 1,776 feet above street level, making it the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere.
> 
> The spire is being fabricated as 16 separate sections at a factory near Montreal, and will be transported by barge to New York City in mid-November. During its 11-day voyage, the barge will travel down the Eastern Seaboard and into New York Harbor to dock at Pier 25, at N. Moore and West Street.
> 
> Just after Thanksgiving, crews will begin to transport the spire segments one by one to the WTC site. Each one will be hoisted from the barge onto a 21-foot-wide truck specially designed to carry the sections feet and weigh up to 47 tons (about the weight of a full tractor-trailer). Upon reaching the WTC site, the spire sections will be assembled, piece by piece, at the top of 1 WTC.
> 
> Workers are currently installing a temporary steel framework at the top of the tower to support the spire during assembly. Two cranes will lift each spire section into place: one carries the section up to the 1,370-foot-high platform, and another lifts the piece into place onto the spire. The process is expected to conclude in early 2013, but the exact date will depend on weather during the operations.
> 
> The skyscraper topped in August 2012. Its facade is now up to the 83rd floor. Across the site, 4 WTC is also topped out, at 72 stories, and its facade is above the 60th floor.


----------



## desertpunk

*Brodsky's 135 E. 79th St. To Go Old School Classic*





















> Brodsky Org's new condo on East 79th, West of Lex, will be a tribute of sorts to the old school prewar style of building that is prevalent in the immediate area. The building looks like an Emory Roth or Candela creation, at least what we can tell from the above rendering. While 19 stories, there will only be 36 units with prices likely starting at $6.8 Million and continuing through the stratosphere. The estimated starting price is $3,000 per square foot, but it wouldn't be a big surprise for those numbers to quickly get bid up when the units come to market. I am not necessarily enamoured by the grey color, but I admit that I am thrilled to see a re-imagined classic style. The foundation is in place and the project is about 20 out of the ground.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

35 story tower to start early next year.










*Related’s UES tower to get $35M school*
September 14, 2012 09:00AM

"... The White Plains, N.Y.-based Windward School had for years been searching for a location, but settled on the site of a 35-story tower Related plans to build between Second and Third avenues. The school caters mostly to students with dyslexia and is expects to open the 60,000-square-foot facility by 2015.

Related will begin construction on a 250-unit rental tower in early 2013. The plans garnered widespread opposition last year, because the building was to replace a beloved playground in an area residents say is starved for open space. But the developer has promised a 12,000-square-foot open space on its site..."


----------



## yankeesfan1000

More development. It never ends. 

*Eco-Friendly Chelsea Building Begins to Rise With Units Sold*
Friday, September 14, 2012, by Sara Polsky

:The Chelsea Green condo building, the eco-focused project planned for 151 West 21st Street, has gone about things in an unconventional order. The building—which has the same developer as name sibling Village Green—opened its sales office, designed to look like an apartment, back in May. But the building has only just begun construction. We wandered by to snap a few photos earlier this week; according to the developers, the building will rise at a rate of two floors per week. Signage on site estimates building completion in fall 2013..."


----------



## desertpunk

^

The Fed's QE3 launch means that mortgage backed securities have a buyer. Expect a flurry of condo projects and maybe some more office starts (assuming the Fed buys CMBS paper). Apartments are getting so pricey that condos are the next step.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

That's a good point. I have a few friends who work at Citi, JPM, those types of firms, and they're so fed up with how expensive rent has gotten for 1 bedrooms that they're considering just buying an apartment, because it's actually cheaper and they get something out of it. Anyway, the amount of development even before QE3 is absurd. 

Some more development since my last post a half hour ago:

econ_time on WNY has dug up a new building permit for a new 21 story, 221 foot, hotel at 30 West 46th across the street from the International Gem Tower. It's the same developer as the Gem Tower, Extell, so it should move forward very quickly. No renderings. 

Also, there's a roughly 550 foot tower at 160 W 62nd behind Lincoln Center, right next to Fordham's big expansion that's two stories up and has a crane on site. Don't know if it has a thread, but there isn't an official rendering, or at least nothing recent.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

So 5WTC will be residential? Good.


----------



## luci203

sbarn said:


>


This will look a lot like Dubai... :rock:


----------



## Fabio1976

ThatOneGuy said:


> So 5WTC will be residential? Good.


When ?


----------



## ZZ-II

luci203 said:


> This will look a lot like Dubai... :rock:


NYC will never look like Dubai....


----------



## Uaarkson

5WTC will probably be a mixed-use hotel/residential.


----------



## dexter2

ZZ-II said:


> NYC will never look like Dubai....


No.. Dubai will never look like NYC...


----------



## ZZ-II

dexter2 said:


> No.. Dubai will never look like NYC...


That's also correct


----------



## Eric Offereins

dexter2 said:


> No.. Dubai will never look like NYC...


The right formulation. :cheers:


----------



## Minsk

*Update: The Hegeman / Cook + Fox*

*Architects:* Cook + Fox Architects
*Location:* Brooklyn, NY
*Project Name:* The Hegeman
*Client:* Common Ground Comunities
*Completion:* 2012
*Size:* 64,469 SF

The Hegeman, designed by Cook + Fox Architects, is a residential community in Brownsville, Brooklyn that provides housing for low-income and formerly homeless individuals. Developed by Common Ground Community – an innovative non-profit whose mission is to end homelessness – the Hegeman Residence also provides a range of on-site social services in a model known as supportive housing.

Situated on a former vacant site, its location automatically alters the context of the neighborhood and creates higher density and street life, factors that Jane Jacobs often sited for making neighborhoods safer and more accessible. The six-story building is designed with textural articulations to bring visual life to the building that is otherwise constrained with NYC’s zoning regulations. Large windows frame views of the street and provide access into the interior courtyards and green spaces, providing a welcoming and open entrance. The courtyard also provides opportunities for a future urban farm.

The design for the Hegeman emphasizes healthy living, restorative and biophilic design, and best practices to save tenants money on energy bills. The building has many advanced features including: entry-activated control systems and individual room-metering capabilities that give control over energy usage and infrastructure has been placed for a future co-generation system.

Approximately 3,400 square feet of greenery on the roof cool the building and handles storm-water run off from the site. Solar panels are also located on the roof for exterior lighting requirements. Individual units are finished with durable, non-toxic materials, designed to save energy and water. These measures may earn the building an anticipated LEED Silver certification.

*Source: *www.archdaily.com


----------



## JohnFlint1985

desertpunk said:


> *1 WTC "Spire" Going Up Soon*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.anotherpartofme.com/tag/1wtc/


so it is a *spire* in the end? Not just antenna?


----------



## deckard_6

Eric Offereins said:


> The right formulation. :cheers:


NY will never look like Dubai because of the fabulous old buildings it has, however the new "parfum bottle-like" towers look exactly the same as the ones built in Dubai or anywhere else.


----------



## dexter2

deckard_6 said:


> NY will never look like Dubai because of the fabulous old buildings it has, however the new "parfum bottle-like" towers look exactly the same as the ones built in Dubai or anywhere else.


That is called globalization. I hate it in some ways. I hate it for example in case of cars (I love american classics, hate new european-like small shit) and architecure (I love art deco, and beautiful simplicity of 60'-80', hate pretenders that are following asian styling...)
Everything is mixing now... you may in some way experience the ovule of other countrys culture at your place.. but the cost is high - you destroy your own culture.


----------



## el palmesano

ZZ-II said:


> NYC will never look like Dubai....


well, if they still demolishing old towers to build new really tall towers, it can hapens..


----------



## LCIII

No, NYC will thankfully never look like Dubai because NYC will never be just a strip of supertalls. NYC has grown organically over a century not overnight. It is not possible to take all of that away and nor would it be allowed even if someone could. NYC will also be home to buildings that have defined and will continue to define how we look at and feel about architecture and vertical structures. Dubai, for all it's magnificence, will never steal that crown from NYC. They are two entirely different entities and because of it's massive headstart, Dubai will never catch and eclipse NYC.


----------



## dexter2

Dubai will never be like NYC mostly because NYC is well planned. Manhattan Grid made streets the most important part of a public space and that's just enough.


----------



## Fabio1976

ThatOneGuy said:


> So 5WTC will be residential? Good.


When this tower will be built ?


----------



## ZZ-II

Fabio1976 said:


> When this tower will be built ?


nobody can say that at the moment. as far as i know 5WTC will be the last of the whole complex which will be build.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Another day, another Kauffman skid mark on the great city of NY. Sad day for New York. 

*Permit Issued for, Yes, Another Gene Kaufman Hotel*
Wednesday, September 19, 2012, by Sara Polsky










"Development should be underway soon at the lot shown above, 125 West 28th Street, according to a new DOB permit issued this week. Unfortunately, that news probably isn't going to cheer up even those who've been waiting to see the empty spot filled, because the architect on the permit is none other than Gene Kaufman. According to the permit, the planned building will eventually rise to 202 feet and *18 stories*, with 49,307 square feet of space. There are no renderings floating around out there that we've seen—anyone? the tipline awaits—but earlier reports identified the property as a 194-room Cambria Suites hotel."


----------



## desertpunk

*Fulton Transit Center looking sharp:*


FC 2012Aug6 Fulton and Corbin Buildings seen from view over the new Dey St entrance canopy (P. Cashin) by MTAPhotos, on Flickr


FC 2012Aug6 Dey St Entrance stairs and elevator seen looking out from 1st landing (P. Cashin) by MTAPhotos, on Flickr


FC 2012Aug6 Dey St Entrance sign with Fulton Building Oculus shown in background (P. Cashin) by MTAPhotos, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*City Breaks Ground On Final High Line Phase*


----------



## yankeesfan1000

241 Fifth, one of the dozens of overlooked smaller towers going up around the city, has topped out at 20 stories or so. 










Andddd here's another one of those overlooked new towers that are U/C. 55 stories at 160 W 62nd, right by Lincoln Center. No renderings. 









Gulcrapek on WNY


----------



## LCIII

Isn't that a rendering on that sign on the fence?


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Yeah, just shows the base though. There's this old rendering floating around, but it apparently doesn't apply anymore. Either way, this should be another 600 footer for the city and DOB permits were recently filled for a 550 footer within a stone's throw of this one. 









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2006/08/03/development_du_jour_160_west_62nd_street.php


----------



## desertpunk

*Starchitect Switcheroo! Will the Upper West Side Get Any Pritzker-Worthy Buildings at Riverside Center? *









Original De Portzamparc site development plan for Riverside South



> Has the Upper West Side fallen for an eight-acre bait and switch?
> 
> At least one and possibly all five towers at the massive Riverside Center development will not be the work of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Christian de Portzamparc. The French designer helped Extell Development and the Carlyle Group sell their swank plans to the community and the City Planning Commission. The latter was so taken with the crystalline designs of Mr. de Portzamparc, who also designed the LVMH headquarters and Extell’s One57 tower, that restrictive zoning covenants were set to ensure the buildings would look as promised.
> 
> But now, Extell and Carlyle have turned over one of their tower sites to the Dermot Company, which has hired local firm SLCE to design the apartment building on the West End Avenue section of the site. While Dermot insists its project will be up to the standards promised during last year’s public review process, some, including the exacting City Planning chair Amanda Burden, worry the design doppelgangers will lead to lesser work.


----------



## webeagle12

yankeesfan1000 said:


> Another day, another Kauffman skid mark on the great city of NY. Sad day for New York.
> 
> *Permit Issued for, Yes, Another Gene Kaufman Hotel*
> Wednesday, September 19, 2012, by Sara Polsky
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "Development should be underway soon at the lot shown above, 125 West 28th Street, according to a new DOB permit issued this week. Unfortunately, that news probably isn't going to cheer up even those who've been waiting to see the empty spot filled, because the architect on the permit is none other than Gene Kaufman. According to the permit, the planned building will eventually rise to 202 feet and *18 stories*, with 49,307 square feet of space. There are no renderings floating around out there that we've seen—anyone? the tipline awaits—but earlier reports identified the property as a 194-room Cambria Suites hotel."


he must be stopped!!!


----------



## yankeesfan1000

This is all in addition to the 457 foot tower on Flatbush and 590 foot 388 Bridge St which are both U/C, with a few more on the horizon, Brooklyn's skyline is getting some nice filler. Still needs a tower that rises above the rest, something above 200 meters would be nice.

*32-Story Atlantic Yards Tower Will Break Ground in December*
Monday, September 24, 2012, by Jessica Dailey










"During the Barclays Center ribbon cutting on Friday, developer Bruce Ratner announced some more big news: *the first residential tower of Atlantic Yards will break ground on December 18.* The 32-story B2, as the building is know, will be located at 461 Dean Street and it is the first of three residential towers coming to the site directly beside the arena. Back in November, Ratner announced that it would be built using modular construction, but now Patch is reporting that prefabrication is still up in the air since it would take away union jobs on the site.

B2 will have 363 rental apartments...










Before, Ratner said that B2 would be complete in 18 months, but who really knows if it will even break ground on time."


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## desertpunk

*Just How Many Skinny Luxury Towers Can We Jam Onto 57th Street? Well, Here’s Another 51-Story Doozy *












> Forget Park Avenue, forget Central Park West, forget Bond Street. Pretty soon, 57th Street is going to be the place to live in New York.
> 
> Already we have the uber-hyped One57, where billionaires buy condos pushing $100 million. The taller-than-1WTC 432 Park is just beginning to rise a few blocks away, with the recent revelations its penthouse will be asking $85 million. And at some point in time, Gary Barnett, the man responsible for One57, will begin work on another luxury tower on the corner of Broadway and 57th Street.
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> Back in May, Starwood Capital announced it had sold a majority stake to JDS Development for a site it had long controlled at 107 West 57th Street—on the same block as One57. According to a March building permit on file with the city, the tower will reach 697 feet, about two-thirds the size of One57 but 140-feet taller than the landmark Essex House on Central Park South.
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> The project is designed by Cetra/Ruddy architects, who may be best known for another slender condo tower, the blocky One Madison, which overlooks the park of the same name. Renderings of the firm’s 57th Street project have been making the rounds among developers and brokers in the city, which is how they made their way into our rendering-loving hands. They show a more angular structure, with swooping, faceted edges not unlike the nearby LVMH headquarters. As the building slopes away from 58th Street, terraces jut from the face—providing full views of the park, of course.
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> The building is narrow, located on a 43-foot wide lot, about the size of two row houses. This creates for quite the exclusive building, as there is no more than one apartment per floor, according to the building permits. In fact, there are more duplexes (14) than simplexes (13). The latter are located on floors 7 through 19 while floors 20 through 46 contain the former. The top of the building is dedicated to a quadraplex that will no doubt challenge its neighbors on the block for price supremacy.
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## Atmosphere

Oh my yes! Imagine the view of a whole row of hyper modern heigh skyscrapers looming over the old stone high-rises in the front. :drool:


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## meskida

that looks sick, I love it!


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## ZZ-II

damn, this one looks so :drool:. it it will get build!


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## yankeesfan1000

Another downtown parking lot bites the dust!

*Soho's Chocolate Factory Conversion to Finally Break Ground*
Tuesday, September 25, 2012, by Jessica Dailey










"... Now Crain's confirms that DDG paid $38.4 million to buy the factory, *and the developer plans to break ground on a luxury building within 60 days*. DDG will preserve two buildings on Wooster Street, but knock down two buildings on West Broadway and replace them with a new structure. The buildings will be connected by a central courtyard, and DDG's in-house architecture firm will work with Beyhan Karahan Architects & Associates to design the project.

Previously approved plans called for 24 condos, but DDG may change that. DDG told Crain's that the development will be similar to 41 Bond Street, where they have seven condos in a 10-story building. Those units range in size from 3,000 to 6,000-square-feet and sold for $2,500 per square foot. After construction starts, DDG expects the Chocolate Factory project to be complete in two years."


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## Minsk

*SHoP Architects' Barclays Center for the Brooklyn Nets officially opens Friday*

Last Friday, local officials and community leaders gathered to cut the ribbon marking the ceremonial opening of Barclays Center, the new world-class sports and entertainment venue that will serve as the anchor of the Atlantic Yards development, home to the Brooklyn Nets and the site of more than 200 planned cultural and sporting events annually. Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York will officially open on September 28 with the first of eight sold-out concerts by JAY Z.

The 675,000 sq ft arena, designed by the award-winning architectural firms SHoP Architects and AECOM, in collaboration with The Hunt Construction Group, the Design-Builder, consists of three separate but woven bands made up of 12,000 unique panels that were fabricated from 600 tonnes of steel sheets. The first band engages the ground where the weathered steel exterior rises and lowers to create a sense of visual transparency, transitioning into a grand civic gesture that cantilevers out into a spectacular canopy at the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues.

The canopy, which is 30ft above ground level, contains an open, oval oculus that frames the pedestrian’s view of the arena. The oculus also houses a 3,000 sq ft, 360 degree LED marquee. A second glass band allows for views from inside and outside of the arena. The third band floats around the roof of Barclays Center and varies in transparency, the weathered steel creating backlit patterns.

The woven band of the canopy flows out over the arena entrance, creating a seamless visual transition and helping to frame a large viewing portal into the seating area. The main concourse is placed at street level, allowing a direct view to and from the street. Large areas of glass at street level not only make it pedestrian-friendly, but also encourage a strong visual connection to the surrounding urban neighbourhood. Barclays Center is designed to achieve LEED certification with a goal of Silver.

In addition to the arena, the new portion of the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center subway entrance, located on the newly constructed Daily News Plaza in front of the main entrance, opened this week. Barclays Center is located atop of one of the largest transit hubs in New York. The subway entrance will provide direct access to nine subway lines, with two subway lines nearby. Access to the Long Island Rail Road is also available by crossing Atlantic Avenue. Public transit is the fastest and most convenient way to travel to the venue and visitors will be encouraged to use mass transit.

The 9,000 sq ft glass-enclosed GEICO Atrium will be the main entry space as visitors walk through the front door of Barclays Center. Fans will have easy access to the 12-booth American Express Box Office, views into the below-grade practice court, and quick access to the Nets Shop by adidas. Most impressively, the GEICO Atrium opens onto a dramatic view of the arena bowl and scoreboard.

*Source: *www.worldarchitecturenews.com


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## ZZ-II

The barcley center looks pretty awesome!


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## desertpunk

*Here comes another 'zebra'!*

*Gene Kaufman Finally Bringing Spaceship Building to DoBro*












> Last anyone heard, the future for the vacant lot at 85 Flatbush Avenue Extension held a pretty futuristic looking 21-story luxury condo building, designed by architect Ismael Leyva, and once described as "the lovechild of the Flatiron Building and a spaceship." That was in 2007, however, and since then the project stalled and the $17.3 million foreclosure judgement was put on the market this January. But now, Brownstoner reports, the project is back! Get your spacesuits ready, everyone! The building permits have been renewed and Ismael Leyva has been replaced with everyone's favorite architect, Gene Kaufman. (This could be the start of a rather elegant solution to some of Gene's less popular buildings. Don't like the Hotel Chelsea renovations? Just launch the whole thing into the stratosphere! Problem solved!) The building will still be 21 stories and 105 units, but there's no word yet on whether or not Kaufman will actually stick with the spaceship design.


hno: The cancer known as Gene Kaufman just keeps spreading...


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## desertpunk

*Deutsche Bank site likely to be condo-hotel, say appraisers*












> An agreement paving the way for the redevelopment of the Deutsche Bank Building site in Lower Manhattan will likely lead to a new hotel and residential project, the firm that recently appraised the site told Real Estate Weekly.
> 
> “Site 5,” as it is known, will “likely be purchased for a mixed-use development project consisting of a hotel on the lower floors and upper level residential apartments and not for office development,” said Robert Von Ancken and Jerry Sanders, chairman and executive managing director, respectively, at Landauer Valuation & Advisory, a division of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank.
> 
> The agreement, first reported by major newswires on this year’s Sept. 11 anniversary, requires the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which acquired Site 5 from Deutsche bank in 2004, to complete a 2006 agreement and turn it over to the Port Authority.
> In exchange, the Port Authority would give the museum the title to the eight acres of land that it and the memorial occupy on the 16-acre World Trade Center site.


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## desertpunk

*Architects' Museum Idea is Weird & Confusing—On Purpose*

*The "Eco Tower Museum"*







































> This delightfully bizarre pile of renderings comes from the minds at Labscape…so, uh, what is it? It's something called the NYC Eco Tower Museum, meant to be home to a museum about immigration after the 60s. If it looks more like some kind of rising sea creature, well, it certainly isn't meant to be a traditional museum. The architects' proposal calls for a building that isn't connected to the city grid, instead using photovoltaic cells, wind and water turbines, and other green elements to be entirely self-sufficient. Of course, the whole thing is also supposed to capture symbolically the immigrant's experience of arriving in an unfamiliar country. "The feeling of being completely lost, the change in surroundings, adaptation, isolation, integration, growing linguistic and cultural understanding, the euphoria of starting life anew and the discovery of the 'New World' were the basis for the architectural development of the museum," the architects explain.
> 
> That goal, though, contradicts the guided, logical layout of a typical museum. "The first aim was to banish the monotony that is very typical of towers," the architects explain in their project description. "We therefore created for the visitor a feeling of disorientation, a change of scenery, and also a lack of guidance in finding their way from one storey (or programme) to another." Sounds…fun?
> 
> The green elements are similarly quirky and multi-purpose. The plans call for a building made out of weather-resistant concrete, part of which would be assembled in a factory in advance of on-site work. There would be green terraces and a greenhouse, and the photovoltaic cells are meant to generate free energy and make the facade design a little more interesting. The skin of the building would double as a water purification system that would remove bacteria, viruses, and other icky and undesirable particles from river water so that it could be used for drinking.


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## germantower

From: SSP



NYguy said:


> With the announcement, the City released these renderings of the NY Wheel and the outlet center...
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## ZZ-II

Any info about the height of the wheel?


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## yankeesfan1000

ZZ-II said:


> Any info about the height of the wheel?


625 feet.


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## desertpunk

^^

*Story:*

*BFC Partners inks $230M deal to build S.I. complex*

*New outlet mall to be joined by World's Largest Ferris wheel as SI attractions*









http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=5846741



> Staten Island has taken the lead in the race for New York City’s first outlet shopping mall. After weeks of talks with the Bloomberg administration, BFC partners announced it officially signed a deal to develop a hotel and outlet mall, Harbor Commons, that will have up to 350,000 square feet of retail and 120,000 square feet for a 200-room hotel in St. George, Staten Island.
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> The complex will include a 1,250 parking garage and will be next door to the Richmond County Ballpark, home of the Staten Island Yankees. The first outlet in New York City, Harbor Commons will include roughly 100 designer outlets in addition to restaurants and cafes, BFC Partners said.
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> The complex will be managed by EWB Development and Casandra Properties and designed by SHoP Architects, the firm behind the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
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> With the deal, Staten Island is further along its bid to get an outlet mall, than are similar proposals in the Bronx and Brooklyn. As previously reported, the Lightstone Group is in talks to convert the Whitestone Mutiplex Cinema site into an outlet after purchasing the space this spring, and Thor Equities President Joe Sitt is said to be considering bringing an outlet to the former Revere Sugar Refinery on the Red Hook waterfront near Ikea.
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## desertpunk

*City Opens $325 Million Hospital in Harlem*












> The New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. heralded the opening on Thursday of the $325 million Harlem Hospital Center Mural Pavilion as "one of the largest major public hospital modernization projects in the city's history."
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> Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Health and Hospitals Corp. President Alan Aviles and Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda Gibbs were on hand at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the 195,000-square-foot facility, according to a news release. Also present was hip-hop artist Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, Health and Hospitals Corp.'s recently appointed "global ambassador."
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> The Mural Pavilion derives its name from the art commissioned by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression that hangs in the new space. The murals were the first major government commissions given to black artists.
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> The six-story structure houses facilities for outpatient visits, intensive care, women's imaging and bariatric procedures. The pavilion will also double the hospital's capacity to treat hemodialysis patients. The service will be outsourced to a private company, Atlantic Dialysis, as part of a broader effort by Health and Hospitals Corp. to cut costs.
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> [...]
> Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120927/HEALTH_CARE/120929902#ixzz27iA08Pc9


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## Eric Offereins

desertpunk said:


> *GroupM Considers Huge Lease to Anchor 3 WTC*
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> Construction can ramp up quickly if the deal goes through. 550k is large but not enormous by NYC standards. This shows just how tough the leasing market has been for office developers. 5+ years ago, such a committment would have been a brief item in the back pages of the WSJ.


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## Andre_idol

Interesting design on that Foster project!


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## yankeesfan1000

Eric Offereins said:


> 550k is only 20% of the total space in 3WTC, so is that enough to get it built?


Yes. It only needs a commitment of 400,000 sf.


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## desertpunk

If it's NYC, it's another tower that's escaped notice! 

*34-Story Rental Building at 309 Fifth Avenue Gets Glassy*












> It's been nearly a year since we hear anything about the rental tower going up at 309 Fifth Avenue, and blogging broker Andrew Fine decided it was time for an update. So what's up? Fine snapped a few photos showing that the 452' tall building has topped out and is getting its glassy facade. As the photos show, the rendering vs. reality is a pretty close match. The 34-story building will have about 100 market rate rentals, and plans filed with the DOB show quite a few duplexes. Amenities include a gym, bike storage, a residents lounge, and a shared rooftop deck, and the ground floor will have 10,400 square feet of retail. Given the building's progress, Fine expects it will meet the proposed September 2013 opening.


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## desertpunk

*432 Park Will Not Only Be New York’s Tallest Building But Also, at $2.43 B., Its Most Expensive *












> So we are obsessed with the changing skyline along 57th Street, so we are always excited and intrigued by new renderings that pop up for it. The latest may also be the greatest, and while 432 Park Avenue is nothing new, the pic that ran in The Times today gives the clearest indication yet of just how big this spindly behemoth will be. At 1,397 feet, the ritzy condo building surpasses 1 World Trade Center, less its spire, by 29 feet, boasting by some measures the biggest building in New York status.
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Click to expand...


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## Minsk

*First hotel opens in brooklyn's trendiest neighborhood*

The Wythe Hotel opened under watchful eyes in May 2012 as the hotly anticipated new centre of hip happenings in the hyper-trendy Williamsburg neighbourhood in Brooklyn. The 73-key hotel was developed by Two Trees Management, well known for their early pioneering in the transformation of DUMBO, and Morris Adjmi Architects was selected to convert this former industrial loft building in order to capture and retain the raw post-industrial and offbeat bohemian vibe that has come to define this corner of Brooklyn.

While much of the brick, cast iron, and timber-frame building was stripped back in time and restored, one bay of the structure was removed and replaced with a new all-glass and metal façade, affording west-facing guestrooms panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline and sunset.

The floor area removed in demolition was reconstructed as a 4-story glass and steel penthouse that features a terrace bar and incorporates marquee lighting to create a night time beacon atop the building.

The interior retains many of the original industrial elements, such as antique manufacturing equipment now repurposed as sculpture in situ and wood reclaimed from the demolition reused in creating new guestroom furniture. Finish materials, such as cork and radiant-heated polished concrete, were chosen for their durability and ease of maintenance. And in one of its most novel features, the hotel sports two "band rooms" outfitted with eight bunk beds each to provide accommodation for musicians playing gigs across the street at the renowned Brooklyn Bowl.

With additional guest amenities that include a lobby library, flexible event space, screening room, and Andrew Tarlow's restaurant Reynards, the hotel is at once both luxe accommodation and laid-back neighborhood hangout. "We were careful not to overdesign," says architect Morris Adjmi. "Doing less allowed for more of the essence and history of the building to come through."

*Source: *www.worldarchitecturenews.com


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## yankeesfan1000

Thanks for posting that. Looks absolutely incredible.


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## desertpunk

Yeah, the Wythe was a great project that came off beautifully. No complaints about "tumors" with this one!


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## ThatOneGuy

I love it when there is a contrast of materials in the interior, for example, raw old brick or concrete with new, modern glass and drywall


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## ZZ-II

The combination of bricks and glass works absolutely great here!


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## haxman

Yeah, develop Brooklyn in this style, the borough is worth it!


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## xlchris

Stunning!


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## el palmesano

really nice hotel!


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## desertpunk

*4540 Center Boulevard LIC Queens chugging along:*

_From late July_


Center Boulevard, Long Island City by Joe Shlabotnik, on Flickr


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## citizenX

great view!


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## emil_tdk

Minsk said:


> *First hotel opens in brooklyn's trendiest neighborhood*
> 
> *Source: *www.worldarchitecturenews.com


Outstanding!
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## desertpunk

*Carlos Zapata Reveals 'Lenten Version' Of "Pope's Hat"*






























> The wonky design for a new mixed-use tower just west of Madison Square, once left for dead but recently resurrected by developer Anbau Enterprises, is getting a mini-facelift. That plan from Carlos Zapata Studio will be presented to the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday, and offers a re-working of the condo entrance and facade at 22 West 24th Street. What's seen is mildly minimal, an expanse of flatness and offset banding that contrasts with the older buildings nearby. Apparently the 2007 design for the prominent Pope Hat set to rise over West 23rd is still intact.


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## desertpunk

*International Gem Tower Sparkles*









http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2012/10/diamond-in-rough-intl-gem-tower.html









http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2012/10/diamond-in-rough-intl-gem-tower.html



Reflections by erikgstewart, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*Proposed Pier 17 mall gets design overhaul*









_WNYC_



> Howard Hughes Corp. is revising its design for a proposed shopping mall on Pier 17, the Tribeca Trib reported. The new design would split the rectangular mall in two, allowing natural light and rain to shine through the building’s center.
> 
> “So when it rains the rain will come down right through the middle of the building,” Gregg Pasquarelli, a partner in SHoP Architects, the building’s designers, said. “We think that would be pretty fantastic and really have this great engagement with the waterfront.”
> 
> The revised renderings of the development were presented by Pasquarelli to Community Board 1 last week, and the developer is seeking numerous zoning and land use exemptions. The new design will not affect the land use or zoning and the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the building’s exterior in May.


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## desertpunk

*Lightstone Secures Construction Financing For LIC Project*









http://www.rew-online.com/2012/10/09/lighstone-closes-on-51m-loan-for-lic-rental/



> A Manhattan-based developer announced a relatively rare success on Tuesday. The Lightstone Group said it has closed on a $51 million construction loan for its new rental development in Long Island City, Queens—the developer's first project in New York City to get underway.
> 
> The developer, along with Lightstone Value Plus Real Estate Investment Trust, is building a 12-story, 199-unit luxury building at 50-01 2nd St. that will be across the street from the city's massive affordable-housing development known as Hunter's Point South on the Long Island City waterfront. Lightstone said the loan is from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.
> 
> "We are excited to be moving forward with this project and to have CIBC as our partner," said David Lichtenstein, chief executive of The Lightstone Group, in a press statement. "This transaction shows the commitment that we at Lightstone have to development in New York City, as 50-01 2nd St. is one of several projects we have underway here."
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20121009/REAL_ESTATE/121009888#ixzz28rnqEu1h


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## desertpunk

*Midtown East Rezoning*

*Bloomberg Pushes a Plan to Let Midtown Soar*









NYT



> London, Tokyo and other metropolises have created central business districts with forests of skyscrapers in recent years, seeking to meet the needs of globe-trotting corporate tenants. But New York’s premier district, the 70-block area around Grand Central Terminal, has lagged, Bloomberg officials say, hampered by zoning rules, decades old, that have limited the height of buildings.
> 
> Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg wants to overhaul these rules so that buildings in Midtown Manhattan can soar as high as those elsewhere. New towers could eventually cast shadows over landmarks across the area, including St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. They could rise above the 59-story MetLife Building and even the 77-story Chrysler Building.
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> Mr. Bloomberg’s proposal reflects his effort to put his stamp on the city well after his tenure ends in December 2013. Moving swiftly, he wants the City Council to adopt the new zoning, for what is being called Midtown East, by October 2013, with the first permits for new buildings granted four years later. His administration says that without the changes, the neighborhood around Grand Central will not retain its reputation as “the best business address in the world” because 300 of its roughly 400 buildings are more than 50 years old. These structures also lack the large column-free spaces, tall ceilings and environmental features now sought by corporate tenants.
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> The rezoning — from 39th Street to 57th Street on the East Side — would make it easier to demolish aging buildings in order to make way for state of-the-art towers. Without it, “the top Class A tenants who have been attracted to the area in the past would begin to look elsewhere for space,” the administration says in its proposal.
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> The plan has stirred criticism from some urban planners, community boards and City Council members, who have contended that the mayor has acted hastily. They said they were concerned about the impact of taller towers in an already dense district where buildings, public spaces, streets, sidewalks and subways have long remained unchanged.
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> Mr. Bloomberg has encouraged high-rise development in industrial neighborhoods, including the Far West Side of Manhattan, the waterfront in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and in Long Island City, Queens. But with the proposal for Midtown, which is working its way through environmental and public reviews, he is tackling the city’s commercial heart. “Unlocking the development potential in this area will generate historic opportunities for investment in New York City,” Deputy Mayor Robert K. Steel said.
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> *The initiative would, in some cases, allow developers to build towers twice the size now permitted in the Grand Central area. The owner of the 19-story Roosevelt Hotel at Madison and 45th Street could replace it with a 58-story tower under the proposed rules. Current regulations permit no more than 30 floors.*
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> Administration officials acknowledged that the current market for new office buildings across Manhattan was relatively weak. For example, a 40-story office tower at 11 Times Square, at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue, which was completed in 2010, is still not full. But the officials said major changes in zoning were intended to make it possible to build when demand returned, as history suggests it inevitably will. In promoting the proposal, the administration has repeatedly stressed that Midtown Manhattan needed to keep pace with business districts in other world capitals. And New York does compete with London for some financial firms.
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## el palmesano

desertpunk said:


> *Lightstone Secures Construction Financing For LIC Project*
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## desertpunk

*City Council Approves Seward Park Redevelopment Plan*









nycedc



> Updated: October 11, 2012 4:03 p.m.
> Plans for a massive Seward Park mixed-use development finally won City Council approval Thursday afternoon. The redevelopment of the seven-acre Lower East Side site has been more than 50 years in the making.
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> The City Council voted unanimously in favor of the modified version of the plan that was approved by two City Council subcommittees last week. The revised strategy involves transforming city-owned parking lots south of Delancey Street, near the Williamsburg Bridge, into a mixed-use development boasting over nearly 2 million square feet. The site has become known as the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area.
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> The Seward Park project, the largest redevelopment of underutilized city owned land south of 96th Street in Manhattan in years, will now move to the mayor's office for final sign off.
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> "Today's vote to approve development on the SPURA site is truly history in the making. This is a significant step toward alleviating the chronic problem of overcrowding in our community," said City Councilwoman Margaret Chin, who represents the area and worked with the community and negotiated with the city on some tweaks to the project, in a statement. "This is not only a momentous vote, but an example of what we can accomplish when the city and our partners in the community work together."
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> Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20121011/REAL_ESTATE/121019978#ixzz292vfnIK4


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## desertpunk

*Construction To Restart At 56 Leonard*












> Construction is slated to recommence next week at 56 Leonard Street, the 830-foot Herzog & de Meuron–designed condo that stalled amid the financial crisis, the Tribeca Trib reported. The building’s foundations have been completed for three years.
> 
> *Pricing has not yet been released for the 57-story building, which will be finished by 2016.* Back in 2008, before the crisis hit, the developer Alexico Group was selling units for between $3.5 million and $35 million. The building is being marketed by Corcoran Sunshine.
> 
> “It’s a very complicated structure,” said Tony DelGreco, the manager of the project, noting that the first 10 floors of the project will be erected at a slow pace due to the nature of the large cantilevered apartments.


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## desertpunk

*Plans for Greenpoint's 10 Luxury Towers Moving Forward*





















> It looks like those ten residential towers will actually be coming to 22 acres of Greenpoint waterfront. Called Greenpoint Landing, the plans have been talked about for nearly a year, and renderings by Handel Architects were released this spring. *News that developer Park Tower Group wants to break ground by next summer was buried in a Times article earlier this summer, and now, Greenpointers reports that the tenants occupying the lots in question, mainly the Boardwalk Empire set, are moving out.* The luxury development will occupy 22 waterfront acres, bringing 4.2 million square feet of mixed-use buildings with approximately 4,000 apartments, of which 20 percent will be affordable.
> 
> Handel Architects' plans call for much more than just ten towers rising 30 to 40 stories high. They include plans for a pedestrian bridge designed by starchitect Santiago Calatrava to connect Greenpoint and Long Island City, a new East River Marina, and a seasonal putting green/ice skating rink. Residents would enjoy a large deck with a swimming pool, hot tub, and barbecue area, and inside amenities would include concierge and valet service, a fitness center and spa, racquetball court, a golf-simulator, children's playroom, and a movie room. Restaurants and public green spaces would be incorporated throughout.


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## Nikonov_Ivan

^^Reminds me Dubai.


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## dexter2

Awful. Looks like buch of random commieblock towers in HK or Shanghai.


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## italiano_pellicano

the 10 towers are approved ?


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## el palmesano

all the pictures:


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## P05

dexter2 said:


> Awful. Looks like buch of random commieblock towers in HK or Shanghai.


You have to be kidding :nuts:

Look like the apartment buildings they build in Miami or Gold Coast City, not commieblocks :nuts:


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## nyarch21

At least the bridge looks cool.......

This proposal looks pretty cheap IMO


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## CrazyAboutCities

I love this development. I'd love to see similar development to be built in Seattle too.


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## desertpunk

It's the 'Vancouverization' of Greenpoint, something that will be a source of irritation for many critics. NYC has its own style with regard to tall residential towers and I do think these will rub many the hard way. But then again, traditionalist brick towers don't offer the same floor-to-ceiling views that buyers want nowadays. So they may lease (or ultimately) sell out fast.


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## takeonme

desertpunk said:


> *City Council Approves Seward Park Redevelopment Plan*
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> nycedc


Nice! :cheers:


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## ZZ-II

CrazyAboutCities said:


> I love this development. I'd love to see similar development to be built in Seattle too.


Yeah, it's like a whole new skyline


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## desertpunk

*SOHO Development Site Changes Hands*










Will this design survive??


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## desertpunk

*Atlantic Yards to set modular record*












> Forest City Ratner is slated to set a record in modular construction, the New York Post reported. Not only will the company develop 15 buildings at Atlantic Yards using modular construction, but according to MaryAnne Gilmartin, the company’s executive vice president of commercial and residential development, the construction of B2, a 34-story pre-fab building, will shatter the current record of 24 stories.
> 
> This news comes in the wake of the company publicly considering using these pre-fab construction methods in the development of B2.
> 
> Gilmartin told the Post that Forest City Ratner has had a “breakthrough” in its modular development plans, saying that it has to do with how each module is “tied” to each other. “We have new intellectual property in our technique, and it is able to go high and maintain its light weight,” she told the Post.
> 
> A module generally ranges from 10 to 14 feet in width and 40 to 60 feet in length.
> 
> But a challenge of finding financing for B2 remains, though Gilmartin said she’s “confident” the company “will end up with a lender… that is… excited by the prospect.”
> 
> Due to the use of pre-fab construction, 60 percent of the work will be conducted in an off-site location, cutting six months from the general 18-month schedule and saving 20 percent of costs.


How delightful.


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## desertpunk

*A 10 Year Plan To Update And Save The Garment District*












> People have been trying to remake/rebrand/rebuild the Garment District for years. The rezoning, a hot topic several years ago, never came to pass, and an initiative to rename the neighborhood seems to have fizzled out. Now the Design Trust for Public Space has unveiled a 10-year plan that aims to strengthen the Garment District and update the area for today's fashion designers and manufacturers through 17 recommendations that could boost the city's revenue by $340 million. The report details how the zoning laws can be updated to fit the district's needs and retain the fashion factories, but there are also a lot of interesting, and semi-mindboggling, ideas for remaking the public space. Think parks on top of buildings and fashion shows in the streets.
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> The top priority of the report, titled "Making Midtown: A New Vision for a 21st Century Garment District in New York City," is to retain the 270 factories currently operating in the Garment District and update the zoning rules to sustain the mix of uses found in the area and encourage voluntary, market-based zoning initiatives. The plan would also remake the district's public spaces and streets, create a central NYC Fashion Innovation Center, and launch a "NYC Made" branding campaign with incentives for designers.
> 
> The fun stuff comes in the section on how to improve the public realm of the Garment District. Sidewalks would be widened and more trees would be planted. Loading docks would be transformed into pop-up shops or shows. Runway shows would take place in the public plazas or side-streets could be closed to temporarily host them. Installations along Broadway would be fashion-themed, focusing on things like custom-designed manequins. Fancy new streetlights would have crazy colors to resemble runway show lighting. But the most intriguing idea, inspired by the High Line, is to create a mid-block pedestrian walkway from 34th to 40th Streets on the top of low-rise buildings. Or, more realistically, this path would be created at street level, opening up existing arcades and spaces to the public, much like 6 1/2 Avenue.


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## desertpunk

*More Renderings Revealed for The Hub, Downtown Brooklyn's New Tower*









gothamist









Curbed



> Developers David and Douglas Steiner, who already have the Brooklyn Navy Yard's movie studios in their portfolio, are at work on a residential high-rise in the Brooklyn Academy of Music's 'hood. New York YIMBY spotted a few new renderings of the project on the website of designer Dattner Architects, so here they are. The 53-story building will sit at 333 Schermerhorn Street and will include 720 rentals, 20 percent of them affordable (and the rest renting for somewhere around $40 to $50 per square foot).


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## desertpunk

*Investor group closes on 701 Seventh Avenue, considers hotel for site*












> *A venture between the Witkoff Group, Maefield Development, Infinity Urban Century–and New Valley, an investment unit of Vector Group–completed the $430 million acquisition of a development site at 701 Seventh Avenue in Times Square, where it plans to build a 340,000-square-foot, 36-story, multi-use complex. Times Square Gateway Center, located between Seventh Avenue and 47th Street, will feature retail space, a hotel tower and the nation’s largest single LED screen for Broadway’s iconic lights and advertising.*
> 
> Steven Kassin, co-managing partner of Infinity Urban Century, confirmed the amount of the investment to The Commercial Observer.
> 
> Barry Sternlicht’s Starwood Property Trust and Starwood Capital Group provided $475 million in combined acquisition and construction financing for the development. The loan will have an initial funding of $375 million with $100 million of future funding for redevelopment costs and also contains an equity participation right for the lender.


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## desertpunk

*WSJ*



> NY REAL ESTATE COMMERCIALOctober 17, 2012, 9:41 p.m. ET
> 
> Untangling the Grand Central Snarl
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> A rendering of a halo-shaped skyway between buildings by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
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> A pedestrian halo suspended in the sky between two office towers. An elevated glass walkway with seasonal grasses. A pedestrian plaza with sidewalk cafes and retail. These are a few of the proposals by architects who want to transform Grand Central Terminal from a chaotic beehive back to its former glory as a stately entry point to the city for the many thousands of commuters and tourists who use it each day.
> 
> The Department of City Planning has proposed a rezoning of the area around Grand Central, including parts of Park and Madison avenues, to allow for a handful of new office towers, some of which could rival iconic buildings in Shanghai, Dubai and London. As part of the proposed rezoning, some developers would be required to donate to a fund to make infrastructure upgrades in the area, including building additional stairways to access the subway platforms in Grand Central and a pedestrian mall on Vanderbilt Avenue.
> 
> But some want to see more ambitious solutions to Grand Central's pedestrian traffic jams, which are only expected to increase with the addition of more office space and new commuter access to the terminal by the Long Island Rail Road. "What's in it for the public?" said Roger Duffy, a design partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, an architecture firm.
> 
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> A rednering of a High Line-like walkway by WXY Architecture.
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> The firm was one of three asked by the Municipal Art Society of New York, a nonprofit, to submit proposals about how to redesign public space in the area. The group plans to unveil the submissions at a conference Thursday, which it hopes will influence city planners as they contemplates upgrades to the area. The proposed rezoning is still in the early stages of the public approval process.
> 
> "Grand Central itself is our most beloved landmark. It's the center of commercial New York. It's also a neighborhood. But yet, the area over the years, it has become somewhat disconnected and a little lonely at times, particularly in the evening," said Vin Cipolla, president of MAS.
> 
> The ideas from the architects have thus far found a receptive audience with the department. "I look forward to seeing the concepts that the MAS teams have put forward and to continuing conversations with the public about critical pedestrian and transit network improvements that can accompany future development in East Midtown," City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden said in a statement.
> 
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> A rednering of a pedestrian plaza for easier terminal access by Foster + Partners.
> 
> The most visually striking proposal, designed by Skidmore Owings, is a halo suspended between two new office buildings that would move up and down. It would give visitors a view of the city from different heights, similar to the London Eye.
> 
> The firm says it has consulted with engineers and the proposal is technically feasible, but the bigger challenge would be to ensure that the government and owners of potential new office towers could work together. "That's kind of radical. Currently there's a divide between the public and private," Mr. Duffy said.
> 
> The firm of WXY Architecture created a design for an elevated pedestrian walkway on the current Park Avenue Viaduct with a glass bottom and seasonal plantings similar to the High Line. "Our strategy was the dream of the near-future being a lot better," said Claire Weisz, a founding partner at WXY.
> 
> Foster + Partners, which designed the Hearst Tower near Columbus Circle, stuck to more incremental changes, such as creating a pedestrian plaza on Vanderbilt Avenue, increasing the heights of the pedestrian tunnels and creating more open, visible entrances to the terminal. "It's one of the most wonderful civic spaces anywhere in the world," said Brandon Haw, a senior partner. "Nonetheless, it is very difficult to navigate."
> 
> ---


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## The seventh shape

That's great news about Times Square, it will become even more dense and full of vivid colour! They also said:

'The $800 million project is expected to be operational within two years and fully complete in three years. An existing eleven-story office building at 701 Seventh Avenue will be partially demolished to make way to the complex.'

Hard to imagine them demolishing a building and finishing this project in 2-3 years.

I'm not sure if that ring walkway looks like a good idea, but will they really build two supertalls flanking grand central station like that?


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## ThatOneGuy

The Grand Central proposal is just awful.


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## desertpunk

*Unveiling Competing Designs for 425 Park, David Levinson Says He Will Not Wait for Midtown Rezoning *









Rem Koolhass submission for 425 Park Ave. A/N



> With the choice of four of the world’s greatest architects, how could David Levinson ever settle on just one to build a new tower at 425 Park Avenue?
> 
> “That’s my next job, to find three more sites so I can build all these buildings,” Mr. Levinson joked, seated at a conference table inside his sleek white offices on 57th Street on Monday. He was surrounded by renderings and models by Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers, Rem Koolhaas and the winning architect Norman Foster.
> 
> “For us, it was really a blend of what’s the right concept for Park Avenue, a place that has not had a new building for almost 50 years, an avenue that is quite possibly the most important commercial boulevard in New York City, quite possibly the United State, and what is the place of a new build down the street from Seagrams and Lever House, two of the greatest buildings ever built,” Mr. Levinson explained. “We had to determine for that setting what’s the right firm. So really, it’s a blend of the concept and the firm we can work with.”
> 
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> Richard Rogers proposal A/N
> 
> Mr. Levinson emphasized that this was not a traditional architecture competition, where he was selecting a design so much as a firm. He acknowledged that Lord Norman Foster had a head start, but as the competition got underway, that choice became harder to make.
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> The winning design by Foster+Partners _sinbadesign_
> 
> It is a challenging commission since all the firms were given the task of peeling back 75 percent of the current boxy building that sits at 425 Park Avenue, then building back up from the base that remained. This was part of a zoning quirk that were Mr. Levinson to demolition the entire building, he would actually be forced to build something smaller than the current building, about 500,000 square feet compared to 650,000.
> 
> Mr. Levinson is eagerly awaiting the Midtown East rezoning, which might remove certain impediments to his project, like a better base to the building, but he also admitted that he does not expect to build an even bigger building, even though the new zoning would allow it, up to 24 FAR, compared to the 18 FAR the building currently has (current zoning only allow 15 FAR, but since the building was built before the zoning was revised in 1961, it is bigger than that).
> 
> “We are building a bespoke office building,” Mr. Levinson explained. “I don’t think we need to go much bigger than what we have now. Around Grand Central, bigger might work, but this is the Plaza District, this is a bespoke office building, and I believe this is the right size for us.”
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> Zaha Hadid proposal A/N


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## ZZ-II

All the 4 designs are cool


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## Tommy Boy

Grand Central Sky View ROCKS. Hope they build it would be amazing


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## ThatOneGuy

The first or second proposal should have been chosen.


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## unmentioned

I love, love, love the Rogers proposal for 425 Park. Hadid's is interesting too. The Foster pick is totally forgettable, which seems to be par for the course for New York City lately.


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## desertpunk

ThatOneGuy said:


> The Grand Central proposal is just awful.


I quite like it. :cheers:














































All images: http://mas.org/next-100-proposed-visions-grand-central-midtown-public-spaces-oct-2012/


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## desertpunk

*"Brookfield Place"*

*Brookfield To Rename World Financial Center*









http://images.metroscenes.com/2012/new-york-city-may-2012/1281/world_financial_center_at_night/



> Brookfield Properties will rename the eight million-square-foot office complex it owns in Lower Manhattan several sources familiar with the company’s plans say.
> 
> *What is known currently as the World Financial Center will become Brookfield Place under the plan, in what appears to be an effort to distance the property’s image as a home predominantly for financial tenants at a time when leasing demand from that sector has been weak.*
> 
> Brookfield, a large real estate investment trust that owns millions of square feet of commercial space across the U.S. and Canada, is gearing up to lease over two million square feet of space at the complex next year, when Bank of America, Nomura and other tenants are expected leave or downsize.
> 
> “It’s not going to happen overnight,” one person briefed on the plan said. “But Brookfield plans to phase in the new name increasingly over time.”
> 
> *The four buildings, known as One through Four World Financial Center, will be referred to individually by their street addresses going forward, 200 and 225 Liberty Street and 200 and 250 Vesey Street.*
> 
> [...]
> 
> Brookfield has made efforts to increase the desirability of the World Financial Center, investing over $250 million to overhaul the property’s 200,000 square feet of retail space and build a connection in the Winter Garden that will connect to the subterranean pedestrian corridor running east under the World Trade Center site to the Fulton Street subway station.
> 
> A spokeswoman at Brookfield did not immediately return calls seeking comment.


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## desertpunk

*Check Out Cortlandt Way, the New Shopping Street Taking Shape at the WTC *












> Until the towers fell, no one particularly loved the World Trade Center. It served as a useful landmark but was otherwise too big, too empty, too cold. Well, except for the underground shopping center, which was one the busiest in the country. Numerous brands had their top-grossing stores at the World Trade Center.
> 
> Today, retail may be the least obvious part of the redevelopment of Ground Zero, as the memorial bustles with people, the museum awaits completion and two of the four new towers have already taken their place on the skyline. But shopping will still be an important part of the new World Trade Center, just as it was with the old one.
> 
> Today, the Port Authority moved closer to realizing every shopaholic’s dream (and really, how many New Yorkers aren’t shopaholics?) by authorizing construction for Cortlandt Way. An above-ground shopping concourse running along between Towers 3 and 4 where Cortlandt Street would be if it continued onto the site, it will serve as an anchor for the retail throughout the site, including the below-ground portions between and within the towers. The new shops are also seen as a catalyst for retail development throughout Lower Manhattan.
> 
> “Cortlandt Way will be a world-class shopping destination for residents of the local neighborhoods and for the millions of visitors who come to the World Trade Center site each year,” Port Authority executive director Pat Foye said in a statement. “It will continue the ongoing restoration of Lower Manhattan’s street life by providing a unique shopping experience in one of the most well-known locations in the world.”
> 
> When complete, the project will offer 16,000 square feet of new retail space along Cortlandt Way as well as on parallel Church and Greenwich Streets. It will be operated by Westfield, the Australian-based mall giant that won a contract from the Port for the lucrative retail spaces throughout the site.
> 
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> WTC Progress
> 
> Tower 4 is nearing completion, but the future of Tower 3 remains uncertain as Larry Silverstein still looks for an anchor tenant for the building. As The Commercial Observer recently reported, GroupM is looking at a large enough block of space to get the tower going, but if not, the show must go on.
> 
> But because of the complex, interconnected nature of the World Trade Center site, features like the new PATH station and the mall rely on mechanical systems in Towers 2 and 3 to become operational. That is why Mr. Silverstein has promised to build Tower 2 up to street level and Tower 3 up to eight stories. Otherwise, it would hobble the entire site.


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## desertpunk

*New Baccarat Renders Reveal Subtle Features*




























Thanks, NewYork YIMBY: http://www.newyorkyimby.com/2012/10/new-renderings-of-baccarat-hotel-at-20.html

and SOM: http://www.som.com/local/common/mod...sidences?galleryCategoryID=511137&ImageIndex=


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## desertpunk

*3 new towers in fairly close formation:*


IMG_0903 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*One57 Oct. 17*


IMG_0956 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


IMG_0940 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


IMG_0938 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


IMG_0862 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


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## yankeesfan1000

Couple of quick notes...

This St. Vincents Hospital conversion into condos is well underway and the entire building is covered with scaffolding. Rendering...










There was an article on Curbed about two new Kauffman and McSam hotels on Canal and Hudson, there's now equipment on site, including equipment on site at a property across the street that's unrelated, that will probably be apartments. There are some very new, very expensive apartment buildings within spitting distance of that site though. 

There's also something called "Hotel Soho" not surprisingly not in Soho, but on Greenwich and Vandam that's U/C with concrete pouring well underway.

Demolition is in full swing at the corner of 12th and 8th Ave of an old gas station, no idea what'll be built there, probably apartments. 

All this makes me think I should get a camera so I can photograph my wanderings and all the random construction sites I stumble on.

Edit, one of my favorite low rises coming on line.

*Taconic, Thor break ground at West Village commercial building*


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## desertpunk

113 Nassau, a 30 story residential tower is rising at Nassau and Ann St: 









http://tribecacitizen.com/2012/10/20/seen-heard-first-look-at-the-new-federal-plaza/









http://tribecacitizen.com/2012/07/02/in-the-news-113-nassau-rendering/


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## ZZ-II

desertpunk said:


> 3 new towers in fairly close formation:
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/8111612733/
> IMG_0903 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


I know why i love NYC


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## desertpunk

*More Details About 701 Seventh Ave.*












> The joint-venture mega-deal to transform 701 Seventh Ave. is of cyclopean complexity even by Manhattan real-estate standards, involving a half-dozen companies on the investment side plus a $475 million loan from Starwood Capital. Now Steve Kassin, co-managing partner of investment partner Infinity Urban Century, has spelled out for us more specifics.
> 
> Although the completed project will be as-of-right, the developers will retain about 25 percent of the larger of the two structures to exploit grandfathered zoning rules relating to retail and signage requirements. That will allow installation of the world’s largest LED sign to wrap around the 47th Street corner, replacing six smaller signs there now. The small building adjacent to the corner, 165 W. 47th St., is part of the package and will be demolished.
> 
> *Construction should begin in the first half of 2013. The five-story retail base will include a 30,000-square-foot, “Vegas-esque” entertainment/dining venue “specifically built for the traffic that Times Square attracts.” A 500-room hotel is to rise above it and be completed in 2015.*
> 
> All existing office and retail tenants have signed “irrevocable” lease-termination agreements. That means that in a few months, longtime tourist fixtures will all be gone: among them Tad’s Steaks, Sbarro and Pig & Whistle.
> 
> ---


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## desertpunk

*Whitney MePa Webcam Up*

See here: http://whitney.org/About/NewBuilding/Earthcam









Curbed


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## desertpunk

*Hudson Yards Gets Financing*












> Next month will begin a new era of construction in Manhattan. Related Companies plans to break ground on the first tower of Hudson Yards, having secured a group of financial backers. The Journal reports that Bank of America "tentatively committed" to financing a $400 million loan for the 46-story building, and "a Middle East wealth fund" is also investing with Related. *The loan is just a drop in the bucket for the $6 billion first phase, but Related's talks with partners are "far enough advanced," and should be finalized by year's end, that the developer feels comfortable starting construction.* This may be a clear sign that the U.S. commercial development market is coming back to life, as Hudson Yards is the largest privately funded office project in the nation since the 2008 downturn.


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## desertpunk

*More SOM Grand Central Halo Details*












> *SOM presents vision for Grand Central’s next 100 years*
> 
> Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) presented its vision for “Grand Central’s Next 100″ at the Municipal Art Society of New York’s third annual Summit for New York City. Led by partners Roger Duffy, FAIA, and T.J. Gottesdiener, FAIA, SOM’s design transforms the public spaces around Grand Central Terminal, creating new pedestrian corridors for increased circulation and visualizing innovative options for new public amenities.
> 
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> The Municipal Art Society (MAS) challenged SOM to re-think the public spaces in and around Grand Central Terminal in celebration of the landmark’s centennial. The design challenge coincides with a rezoning proposal from the New York City Department of City Planning, which, if approved, would allow the development of new office towers in the area around Grand Central, thereby increasing the density around the station exponentially.
> 
> The proposed zoning would also require developers to donate to a fund that would make improvements to the infrastructure in the area, including additional access points to the subway platforms and a pedestrian mall on Vanderbilt Avenue. Along with Foster + Partners and WXY Architecture + Urban Design, SOM was one of three architecture firms invited by MAS to present ideas about the future of Grand Central Terminal’s public realm.
> 
> SOM’s vision proposes three solutions, all of which provide improvements – both quantitative and qualitative – to the quality of public space around the station. The first solution alleviates pedestrian congestion at street level by restructuring Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) to create pedestrian corridors through multiple city blocks, connecting Grand Central to nearby urban attractors.
> 
> The second is a condensing of the public realm through the creation of additional levels of public space that exist both above and below the existing spaces. These new strata would be funded privately but under public ownership – Privately Funded Public Space (PFPS).
> 
> The third proposal creates an active, 24-hour precinct around Grand Central Terminal in the form of an iconic circular pedestrian observation deck, suspended above Grand Central, which reveals a full, 360-degree panorama of the city. This grand public space moves vertically, bringing people from the cornice of Grand Central to the pinnacle of New York City’s skyline. It is a gesture at the scale of the city that acts both as a spectacular experience as well as an iconic landmark and a symbol of a 21st-century New York City.
> 
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> http://www.businessinsider.com/futuristic-halo-to-go-above-grand-central-2012-10?op=1
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> http://www.businessinsider.com/futuristic-halo-to-go-above-grand-central-2012-10?op=1


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## desertpunk

*Revival Rumors Continue for Long-Stalled Project Atelier 2*









http://www.newyorkyimby.com/2012/10/605-west-42nd-street-is-atelier-ii.html



> A couple of developer types started chatting back in June about reanimating Atelier 2, the zombie condo ghost at 605 West 42nd Street. The plan had previously been chopped from a 45-story, Costas Kondylis-designed tower to a much squatter two-story retail space, but a stronger market revived talk of building the full tower after all, this time as rentals. New York YIMBY spotted a new rendering, above on the right, in the September issue of Real Estate Forum, which is the closest thing we've seen so far to a sign of life.


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## desertpunk

*Related nabs $400M financing for Hudson Yards office tower*












> October 23, 2012 06:00PM
> 
> 
> Related Companies has reached a preliminary agreement to get roughly $400 million in construction financing for a Hudson Yards office tower, Crain’s reported. The lenders include Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase.
> 
> *The loan is considered the last hurdle in developing the 1.7 million-square-foot tower, which will kick off the Hudson Yards project with luxury goods retailer Coach as an anchor tenant. The building does not have an address yet, but it will be located at 30th Street and 10th Avenue.*
> 
> Related and Bank of America declined Crains’ requests for comment. JPMorgan could not immediately be reached and Coach did not immediately respond.
> 
> Earlier today, news emerged that Related founder Stephen Ross wants to amend the company’s Hudson Yards lease with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, possibly in order to separate the construction of the Coach tower from its other obligations at the project. Related officials declined to comment.
> 
> Ross and Jay Cross, who is overseeing the Hudson Yards project for Related, have been in talks with Coach for months regarding a deal to buy the 740,000-square-foot space for roughly $500 million.


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## desertpunk

*NYU Expansion Schedule, New Building Heights Revealed*












> Now that NYU's 2031 expansion plan has been approved, the school is trying its best to make sure the community has every. single. detail. of the schedule and construction plans. At an information session last night with Community Board 2, Alicia Hurley, NYU's VP for government and community affairs, passed out printed info packets of the final ULURP presentation, along with an extensive chart of NYU's main commitments and requirements and when they will be happening. *So what's first? Well, no actual construction will begin until sometime in 2014, as NYU doesn't have an architect or construction team yet, so the buildings still need to be designed. Where construction will start is still yet to be decided, but no two buildings will be built at the same time.*
> 
> NYU is trying to decide which academic departments most desperately need more space, which will inform which building goes first. This really baffled people, with one man practically shouting, "Shouldn't you have figured this out before you started planning?" *The first new building will either be the 980,000-square-foot Zipper Building on Mercer Street between Bleecker and Houston Streets or the 170,000-square-foot Bleecker Building at the corner of LaGuardia Place. From the original plans to the approved plans, the Zipper building saw a 6.7 percent reduction in size. The tallest tower, at Mercer and Houston will reach 275 feet, while the lowest will stop at 85 feet along Bleecker Street. The 7-story Bleecker Building lost 55K-square-feet, and it will reach 108 feet high.*
> 
> In Washington Square Village, where construction will not begin until 2022, the boomerang buildings saw pretty hefty chops. The Mercer building lost 72.4 percent and will be only four-stories. Its counterpart on LaGuardia was reduced by 46-square-feet to eight-stories.
> 
> Of course, the community had a number of concerns, most of which we've heard before. Here are a few big ones:
> 
> · There was a lot of anger over the destruction/relocation of the Sasaki Garden. This won't happen until at least 2022, but that didn't stop one woman from comparing its possible relocation to the relocation of refugees in Africa. Because community gardens and displaced peoples are equals.
> 
> · The deadline for the School Construction Authority to decide whether or not it needs 25,000-square-feet in the Bleecker Building for a new school has been moved up from 2025 to 2014. This really upset CB2's chairman, who was adamant that needs in 13 years could be a lot different than in two years. The city moved the decision date because they want to make sure the space was used for the community if the SCA didn't claim it.
> 
> · On still needing an architect: "You should look at the new Cooper Union Buildings, they are much nicer than any of the garbage NYU has built." Others told Hurley they'd be sending her suggestions for architects to work with.
> 
> · Faculty members want the quality of life in Silver Towers to be improved. One lady claimed they have "rat invasions" even on the 23rd floor.


----------



## desertpunk

*Queens Plaza South Revealed?*









http://www.raymondchanarchitect.com/index.php

Megathanks to New York YIMBY!


----------



## desertpunk

UBS is staying put at the old Equitable tower:

*UBS Renews Lease At 1285 Sixth Ave.*



> October 25, 2012 12:30PM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 1285 Sixth Avenue
> 
> UBS is in negotiations to renew its lease for a massive chunk of 1285 Sixth Avenue, representing one of the largest Manhattan leasing transactions this year, sources told Crain’s.
> 
> The prospective deal would have the Swiss bank stay until 2020, or five years beyond the expiry of its current lease. UBS occupies 700,000 square feet at the 1.8-million-square-foot building, between West 51st and West 52nd streets, making it the largest tenant there


The financial giants are in a bunker mentality right now. Leasing hopes for new towers will hinge on some other sector.


----------



## Dale

desertpunk said:


> UBS is staying put at the old Equitable tower:
> 
> *UBS Renews Lease At 1285 Sixth Ave.*
> 
> 
> 
> The financial giants are in a bunker mentality right now. Leasing hopes for new towers will hinge on some other sector.


At least glass the damn thing over. 

*runs away*


----------



## desertpunk

*Related posts new Hudson Yards renders with preliminary heights:*

*Coach Tower: 49 fl, 876 ft

North Tower, 67 fl, 1337 ft*









New York Yimby

Coach Tower:








kpf


----------



## royal rose1

^^ YESSSSSSSSSSSSS That's so beautiful and the heights are perfect! NYC is getting ultra-modernized. Love it


----------



## desertpunk

*Hudson Yards North Tower To Feature Attractions Up Top*












> Earlier this week, the Related Companies announced it had found backers to begin building the first tower of its Hudson Yards project (at the same time that it is trying to get a break from the MTA for payments on the entire 16-acre complex). Should the project get off the ground, it will have a long way to go.
> 
> Sure, in terms of time, as it will takes years, if not decades, for the entire 12 million square feet of office, residential, retail and cultural space to be built. But there is also a long way to go in terms of distance. As the design team puts the finishing touches on the first phase of the project, it turns out the other office tower on the site, which has yet to find an anchor tenant or an announced start date, will become the second or third tallest building in the city when it is completed, surpassing the Empire State Building.
> 
> At 1,300 feet, the tallest of the Hudson Yards towers (designed by KPF) will fall just short of 1 World Trade Center (sans antenna, er, spire) and the even taller 432 Park, CIM and Harry Macklowe’s new luxury tower at the corner of 57th Street and Park Avenue, which reaches a spindly 1,397 feet into the skyline.
> 
> But this is not the only place where Hudson Yards will surpass the Empire State Building. It will also boast both a observation areas closer to heaven than at the Empire State Building, both indoors and out.
> 
> Perhaps you noticed an unusual shard jutting out from the side of the tallest tower in the latest set of renderings, first revealed a few weeks ago in New York magazine? That is an open-air observation deck located at 1,100 feet. That puts it 50 feet above the Empire State Building’s famous outdoor terrace, that iconic movie set and marriage proposal destination.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And above Hudson Yard’s outdoor observation space will be a veritable playland of attractions reaching to the top of the tower, and by extension beyond the Empire State Building’s topmost observation room, at 1,250 feet, the place where zeppelins were once meant to dock.
> 
> “It’s more akin to the Rainbow Room to be honest,” Related spokeswoman Joanna Rose explained. “We have a ballroom, restaurant and bars above the observation deck that offer panoramic views. And yes, we are looking at locating some of those above the 1250 mark.”


----------



## jamiefearon

Message from your friends in London - Hope everyone stays safe and not too much damage is done to New York during the storm. Stay safe guys!!


----------



## sbarn

Not good. The storm hasn't even hit yet. 2 more hours until the winds peak.



325ccr said:


>


Edit: This is the tower crane for One57.


----------



## desertpunk

*135 E.79th St. Humming Again*


----------



## desertpunk

Nice facade on the Hotel Willow


IMG_5059 by denkmanttlb, on Flickr


----------



## dexter2

Nice oldschool :cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

*Jeanne Gang selected to design High Line-adjacent office tower*









http://archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=6328



> The Chicago-based architect Jeanne Gang is set to make her New York debut with the 180,000-square-foot office tower on 10th Avenue between 13th and 14th streets, according to the Architect’s Newspaper.
> 
> The project, which is to be developed by William Gottlieb Real Estate, will rise on a site that currently houses a vacant meatpacking plant, the newspaper said. It is expected to be completed by 2015.The office tower is designed to block as little light and views from the High Line as possible.
> 
> “We rearranged the building’s mass so that the tallest part to face 10th Avenue,” Gang said. “We’re using the principal of the zoning envelope, but we’re recognizing the exceptional condition that the High Line creates.”
> 
> The project is still subject to city approvals


----------



## RobertWalpole

Nice.


----------



## el palmesano

great design!


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Another day another tower here in NY.

*UN-Neighboring Stalled Site Is Getting Foster & Partners Tower*
Tuesday, November 6, 2012, by Sara Polsky










"The development site at 50 United Nations Plaza has sat vacant since 2007, when Zeckendorf Development paid $160 million for it. But wishes come true sometimes, and it turns out there's finally something coming to the site! *A groundbreaking for a 44-story condo will be held November 14.* As rumored back in December, the condo will be designed by Foster & Partners. (An earlier plan called for a 40-story tower designed by SLCE.) The Foster & Partners design calls for just 87 units, at around 2,500 square feet each, so that the building's diplomat residents could have plenty of space for entertaining. We haven't seen a rendering yet—anyone? Do be in touch."


----------



## ZZ-II

Cool news .


----------



## DesignerVoodoo

yankeesfan1000 said:


> Finally some renders on this building, it's already U/C as well.
> 
> *30-Story Nassau Street Tower Reveals Itself at Last*
> 
> "The building is listed as 30 stories, and indeed, DOB permits indicate that the building is set to be two stories higher than originally planned. We're not sure whether the apartments will be rentals or condos..."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And...
> 
> *Qatar prime minister to buy $250M of One57 condos*
> 
> July 02, 2012 08:30AM
> 
> "The prime minister of Qatar has negotiated deals to by about $250 million worth of apartments in Extell Development’s One57 tower, including a nearly $100 million penthouse, the New York Post reported. Sheik Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani turned his attention to Gary Barnett’s building after his bid to buy Huguette Clark’s Fifth Avenue penthouse for $31.5 million was rejected by the co-op board.
> 
> The 10,923-square-foot penthouse was already reported to be in contract for a nine-figure price north of $90 million, but the buyer’s identity was unknown. Sheik Hamad is also in discussions with purchasing four separate full-floor condominium units in the building, at 157 West 57th Street, which could bring the total purchase price to $250 million..."


Here you go ThatOneGuy.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Really random, but since graduating from NYU in May of last year I haven't been able to find a job so I've been volunteering, and one of the places I volunteer is called God's Love We Deliver (it's not religiously affiliated, I don't know why that's their name). But I just got a letter from them saying on the empty lot directly north of their building, which is on Spring and 6th, a developer plans to build a 14 story building, among other things, but just something to keep an eye on.


----------



## Dale

yankeesfan1000 said:


> Really random, but since graduating from NYU in May of last year I haven't been able to find a job so I've been volunteering, and one of the places I volunteer is called God's Love We Deliver (it's not religiously affiliated, I don't know why that's their name). But I just got a letter from them saying on the empty lot directly north of their building, which is on Spring and 6th, a developer plans to build a 14 story building, among other things, but just something to keep an eye on.


Glad you quickly apologized for working with an entity that has God in its name. Phew! that was close. Somebody might have thought you were a whacko!


----------



## desertpunk

*Mercedes House finishes up:*























































all photos: http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/12/13/inside_the_nowopen_amenity_funzone_at_mercedes_house.php


----------



## ThatOneGuy

If only they would redevelop the telephone tower behind it.


----------



## DesignerVoodoo

Nassau Street Tower from the corner of Nassau and Ann Street. Photo is mine. 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us


----------



## Minsk

*Modular Residential Tower To Be Built at Atlantic Yards*

Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) just announced that they will be partnering with Skanska, one of the world’s largest construction and development groups, for the B2 project. This project is making headlines because it will be the first residential tower that is part of the Atlantic Yards Development in Brooklyn using modular construction. FCRC plans to break ground on the 32-story building on December 18th and anticipates that the building will open in 2014. While high-rise modular technology has been initially developed for use at Atlantic Yards, this new industry has the potential to create modular components for construction projects across New York City and worldwide, becoming the first major manufacturing expansion in New York City since manufacturing began its decline over a generation ago.

The project will consist of modular components in a 100,000 square-foot space located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. They estimate that there will be 125 unionized workers employed at the fabrication facility beginning in late spring, 2012 when modular production is fully under way.

*Source: *www.archdaily.com


----------



## Phobos

I almost cry when I remeber it could have been Gehry instead of this.They made a cheap copy of his version.


----------



## sbarn

Here's not-so exciting filler project in the East Village located at *84 Third Avenue*.









The Local East Village









denkmanttlb









denkmanttlb

Another East Village Project located at *21 East 1st Street*.









Curbed









Curbed









Curbed

Update on *51 Astor Place*.









EVG









EVG

Update on *180 Ludlow Street *on the Lower East Side. This project was stalled for several years and recently has restarted and will become a hotel.









http://evgrieve.com/2012/11/ludlow-hotel-is-starting-to-look-like.html?m=1









EVG

This is a tiny 16-story sliver building being built on a 17 foot wide site at *133 Third Ave* at 14th Street in the East Village. 









NYC DOB









EVG









EVG

The "Mystery Lot" on *14th Street between 2nd and 3rd Aves* is finally being developed. Its a less than glamorous project, but better than the weed filled lot that has been there for over a decade.









EVG









EVG


----------



## dexter2

Those filler buildings in NYC are great - good urbanism, big windows, elegant elevation materials. This simple yet classy architecture won't get old that fast.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

The boom never ends. New 30 story hotel, one of the mystery projects near my house finally gets an identity as a 20 story hotel, and Monian apparently has plans for a new 50 story hotel on 6th Ave. Imagine what will happen when the economy actually gets its footing. 

*Hotel to rise on 38th St.*
By LOIS WEISS
Last Updated: 12:18 AM, December 15, 2012
Posted: 12:08 AM, December 15, 2012

"*Morris Moinian’s Fortuna Realty Group is buying two small apartment and commercial loft properties at 25 and 27 W. 38th St. that will be torn down to make way for a 30-story 175-room hotel*.

*The project, set to rise near Lord & Taylor between Fifth and Sixth avenues, is being designed by Nobutaka Ashihara, who is also designing Moinian’s 20-story 124-room hotel at 525 Greenwich St. in Hudson Square*, The Post has learned. That hotel will overlook the low-rise UPS complex.

The price of the two midblock properties is expected to be about $12 million.

The sellers, Shimshon Klugman’s Quality Capital and Shifra Hager’s Cornell Realty Management, are flipping the buildings for a quick profit. In August, they paid roughly $13 million for four buildings from the longtime family holders.

*In March Moinian bought 1150 Avenue of the Americas, where he intends to build a five-star 50-story hotel tower with 400 rooms...*"


----------



## el palmesano

^^ wow!! really nice low rise projects!


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Wtf, are they building in alleyways, now? That's one of the skinniest buildings I've seen!


----------



## desertpunk

*Extell taps Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill to design new 57th Street tower*









Wuhan Greenland Center, a project of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill



> Gary Barnett has hired Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the designers of the world’s tallest building, the 2,717-foot Burj Khalifa in Dubai, to design his new 1,550-foot 57th Street tower, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Nordstrom anchored mixed-use building, plans to rise some 300 feet above the Empire State Building when completed.
> 
> *According to Barnett, it was Nordstrom, which has agreed to lease 285,000 square feet in the building, that recommended Adrian Smith. Extell had been considering Swiss designers Herzog & de Meuron, and New York-based SHoP Architects, one of the designers of Barclays Center, for the project, according to the Times.
> 
> “We want to have our best Nordstrom store in the best retail city in the world,” Colin Johnson, a spokesperson for Nordstrom, said. “That means being part of a building that we hope will become an iconic part of the Manhattan landscape.”*
> 
> But since plans are still preliminary and since permits were filed as recently as Thanksgiving, the actual height of building, located on Broadway between 57th and 58th streets, could easily change before breaking ground. However at its current planned height the new tower would easily offer some of the highest residences in the city


----------



## RobertWalpole

I'd be very happy with something like that.


----------



## sbarn

Here is an update on the latest Chelsea Seminary conversion and new construction at *455 West 20th Street*. This project is sure to turn out very nice.

This project is #15 on the image below:








Curbed









ArchPaper









ArchPaper









ArchPaper

A couple photos by me over the Thanksgiving holiday (just getting around to posting these):


----------



## sbarn

I noticed today that Kamco Building Supplies has moved their operations to a building under the Highline. According to Curbed, *153 10th Avenue* will soon become condos. Photos by me.

*Another Set of Condos Will Soon Tower Over the High Line*
_Oct 28th, 2011_

Developer Ziel Feldman is probably about to get control of troubled One Madison Park, so perhaps a slightly more sure investment would be a good choice for his next project. He's probably found one in the three lots he tells The Real Deal he just purchased next to the High Line (for an estimated $42.7 million to $48.5 million). Feldman's HFZ Capital Group will be building a 100,000-square-foot mixed-use building on those lots—153 Tenth Avenue, 505-509 West 19th Street, and 511-513 West 19th Street—with towers on either side of every real estate developer's favorite elevated park. The mixed-use breakdown: 10,000 square feet of retail and 90,000 square feet of residential, with condos for sure and possibly rentals as well.

It's too soon to know what the buildings will look like or exactly how much they'll cost, but one source tells The Real Deal that 456 West 19th Street, Cary Tamarkin's curvy condos, would make a good comp. Those units have been selling for $1,400 to $2,400/square foot, so start saving now, folks. And if anyone gets renders, you know what to do. 










There was an army of workers doing asbestos abatement.









I looked at DOB and couldn't find any new building permits, but I may have the address wrong.


----------



## sbarn

sbarn said:


> I was walking on the Highline yesterday and noticed a new project I'd never heard of before on 24th Street. Looks like a 10 story condo will rise on this plot. The design looks pretty boring though.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Massing Diagrams from the DOB website:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edit: maybe the facade will turn out to be interesting? :shrug:


I passed this project today as well. Looks like things are progressing rather slowly, but there was a crew of workers excavating the site.


----------



## Nikonov_Ivan

desertpunk said:


> *Extell taps Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill to design new 57th Street tower*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wuhan Greenland Center, a project of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill


I will be 1550 ft high? It is taller than 432 par avenue, isn't it?


----------



## yankeesfan1000

^^

Yup, it'll be taller than 432 Park.

This block has always been pretty awful, so it's almost impossible for something new to be worse than what's there. But this is a huge assembly of buildings. 

*Eight-Lot Chunk of East 14th Street Sells for $35 Million*
Tuesday, December 18, 2012, by Jessica Dailey










"Big things could be coming to East 14th Street between Avenues A and B. Back in September, EV Grieve heard rumors about lots in the area possibly being developed as a housing complex, and it's looking like this is true. Near the end of November, eight different lots, consisting of 222 Avenue A and 504-530 East 14th Street, sold together for $35 million to a group called East Village 14 LLC. The lots include ABC Animal Hospital, the Blarney Cove, Pete's-a-Pizza, Stuyvesant Grocery, Bargain Bazaar, and more. And as EV Grieve previously reported, landlords have already broken leases for a lot of shops along the stretch. Needless to say, we'll be keeping an eye on this one. Hit up the tipline if you have any intel."


----------



## desertpunk

*B2 at Atlantic Yards Breaks Ground*









B2 in all its modular glory


----------



## desertpunk

*Whitney Museum Tops Out*


P1130721 by taigatrommelchen, on Flickr



> The final steel beam was just put into place atop the Whitney Museum’s new Renzo Piano-designed location downtown, finalizing the outline of the nine-story, 200,000-square-foot building that is set to open in 2015.
> 
> “We’re delighted to share this milestone event with our partners at Turner Construction, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and Cooper Robertson & Partners,” Adam D. Weinberg, the museum’s director, said in a statement. “The future Whitney will be an aspirational space where contemporary artists can realize their visions and audiences can connect deeply with art.”
> 
> A flag flew half-mast atop the structure alongside a banner that said “NY Loves Newtown” in commemoration of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.


----------



## ZZ-II

desertpunk said:


> B2 in all its modular glory


i'm sure this will look brilliant when completed


----------



## sbarn

yankeesfan1000 said:


> This block has always been pretty awful, so it's almost impossible for something new to be worse than what's there. But this is a huge assembly of buildings.


Don't jinx it! But yeah, lets hope this is something nice.


----------



## sbarn

Update on the Willow Hotel, at *120 West 57th Street*. I love how this one turned out:



















Bonus, 57th Street building porn!










(photos by me)


----------



## sbarn

Update on the Fordham University development. Just saw this for this first time in person. It's a lot cooler than I expected it to be, the tower portion is quite slender.




























And the residential tower continues to rise. I counted 26 stories. About halfway up.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

*Texas firms plan residential development at $50M West Side site*
December 18, 2012 03:30PM 
By Zachary Kussin










"Houston-based Crimson Real Estate Fund and USAA Real Estate Co., a San Antonio-based company, have paid $50 million for a development site located at 546 West 44th Street, according to public records filed with the city today. 

The companies are planning to develop 298 units of market-rate and affordable housing at the site, between 10th and 11th avenues, according to a release from USAA Real Estate released last week.

Plans include 80 percent market-rate units and 20 percent affordable units in the two-building development, and the companies intend to begin construction in the first quarter or 2014, the release said..."


----------



## yankeesfan1000

This is 33 stories and has broken ground. 

*What's the Deal With Atlantic Yards' Modular Construction?*
Wednesday, December 19, 2012, by Curbed Staff










"... How much do you save compared to conventional construction? How much faster is it?

We estimated that it's around 12 to 15 percent in savings based what we think our effectiveness will be. We hope it'll be better than that. It does provide tangible savings, because we're producing it around four months faster than conventional construction. *We expect to be done in 18 months.* The conventional construction would have been 24 months..."


----------



## yankeesfan1000

More...

*31-Story Apartment Tower Rising at 325 Lexington Avenue*
Wednesday, December 19, 2012, by Jessica Dailey










"... Permits were renewed in July 2011, and work has been moving steadily forward since then, with the latest permits being issued just yesterday. Here's what we know from filings with the DOB: it will be *31 stories*, plus a celler, the ground floor will have a restaurant/bar, and the residential portion will have 103 apartments (two full-floor penthouses), a club room, and a fitness center.










A quick Google search for "325 Lexington" turns up a design for a building at the site created by Studio Dror. We're not sure if this is actually what the building will look like (we've reached out to Dror, but have yet to hear back), but if it is, then it's a pretty mindboggling tower..."


----------



## RobertWalpole

I recall 325 Lex from years ago. Thomas O'Hara, who usually designs crap, was the architect. Hopefully, that's no longer true.


----------



## nycfann1

Looks like 56 Leonard which I personally like.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

More black brick cladding, like at the Willow Hotel! Excellent!


----------



## desertpunk

*City Planning OKs Durst Fetner’s West 57th Street residential project
*












> The City Planning Commission yesterday approved Durst Fetner Residential’s 625 West 57th Street, a 753-unit development at the Hudson River, the New York Observer reported.
> 
> The striking pyramid design, by Bjarke Ingles Group, includes a central terrace that is almost the size of a football field, the Observer said.
> 
> “Our approval will facilitate development of a significant new building with a distinctive pyramid-like shaped design and thoughtful site plan that integrates the full block site into the evolving residential, institutional, and commercial neighborhood surrounding it,” City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden said, before voting in favor of the project, according to the Observer.
> 
> This was the second-to-last hurdle for the project, previously known as W57, to clear before construction can move ahead.


----------



## desertpunk

*Two Trees’ BAM mixed-use project clears first hurdle
*


















_Brownstoner_



> Two Trees Management’s new mixed-use development near the Brooklyn Academy of Music earned mixed reviews at a local community board meeting last night, although it gained conditional approval from the board’s land use committee, Brownstoner reported.
> 
> *The 32-story building would include 400 rental apartments, 20 percent of which will be “affordable” units, a 10,000-square-foot public plaza, a library, a movie theater, two restaurants and 15,500 square feet of other retail space, according to previous reports.*
> 
> While residents expressed concerns about the height of the building and the traffic the development might create, the land use committee did provisionally approve the project, with certain conditions set. Two Trees will need to remove terraces from the design, and implement “a traffic plan, and an unobtrusive illumination plan,” Brownstoner said.
> 
> The proposed development would partner with the local community, incorporating the Pacific Street library, which was slated to close, and with the three theaters operated by BAM.
> 
> This was not the only community-altering project approved by a community board yesterday, *as the massive Cornell NYC Tech project also got the go-ahead.*


----------



## thebackdoorman

desertpunk said:


> *Mercedes House finishes up:*
> 
> all photos: http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/12/13/inside_the_nowopen_amenity_funzone_at_mercedes_house.php


I thought the mercedes house was supposed to look different?


----------



## desertpunk

*New York Public Library unveils plans for $300 million Norman Foster renovation
*









http://archinect.com/news/article/63737009/n-y-public-library-norman-foster-evict-a-million-books









VanityFair




> Starchitect Norman Foster’s plans for the renovation of the New York Public Library flagship on Fifth Avenue were revealed today, with features including a multi-level atrium, Bryant Park views and a teen center, the New York Times reported. Project construction will kick off this summer and will be completed in 2018.
> 
> Library officials told the Times that the renovated library — at a total of 100,000 square feet — will be the city’s largest indoor public space. After a renovation valued at $300 million — half of which came from the city — the new library will house the collections of the Mid-Manhattan library across the street, as well as the Science, Industry and Business Library on 34th Street and Madison Avenue.
> 
> The property’s central portion will be opened from the Fifth Avenue entrance back to Bryant Park, where a four-level atrium and sitting areas will replace book stacks that are now closed to the public. The renovation will allow for ground floor Bryant Park views for the first time.
> 
> As previously reported, this renovation plan stirred controversy among hundreds of artists, writers and publishers, who called for a public discussion of the plan. Complaints centered on the library relocating most of the books in the stacks into storage to make space for the new circulating collection, which they claimed would weaken the library’s role as a leading reference center, the Times said.
> 
> In response, the library made a revision to the plan with the help of an $8 million donation in order to create additional space for books below the library, allowing for 3.3 million of the research library’s collection of 4.5 million volumes to remain inside the property.
> 
> Final building materials have not yet been selected, but Foster told the Times that the same materials inside — stone, wood and bronze — will likely be used again.


----------



## RobertWalpole

Jeff Sutton and Joe Sitt just bought this lousy building located at 529 Broadway for $150m. The tenants are month-to-month, so it will be redeveloped soon. This eyesore was the sole unappealing structure on this beautiful stretch of B'Way which has very ornate, small buildings.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

^^

529 Broadway:











I assume it's zoned for residential? Either way, that stretch of Broadway is gorgeous and deserves something special.


----------



## sbarn

^^ Anything that will rise there will be subject to Landmarks Commission approval.


----------



## RobertWalpole

sbarn said:


> ^^ Anything that will rise there will be subject to Landmarks Commission approval.


Yes. Something small (e.g., 5 to 10 stories), nice, and very expensive will rise there. It's long overdue.


----------



## Victhor

http://www.archdaily.com/309161/nyc-developers-race-to-the-top/



> *NYC Developers Race to the Top*
> 
> It’s a race to the top as developers are reaching higher and higher with impressive glass skyscrapers that house exclusive apartments and panoramic views across Manhattan, level with some of the city’s tallest buildings. Gary Barnett of Extell Development Co. is the man behind the 1,005 foot high One57 tower in Midtown Manhattan. He announced last month that he would be developing the tallest residential building in New York City (without the help of a spire). Adrian Smith, chosen as the architect for the job, is best known for his work on the Burj Dubai. The new building, still in its early stages of design planning and financing, will tower over the Empire State Building at a planned 1600 feet, that’s just 176 feet shy of World Trade One, the tallest building in Manhattan.
> 
> ....


more: http://www.archdaily.com/309161/nyc-developers-race-to-the-top/


----------



## yankeesfan1000

*210-Unit Rental Tower Set to Break Ground in Greenpoint*
Wednesday, December 26, 2012, by Jeremiah Budin










"A new residential development on the Greenpoint waterfront is set to break ground next month after securing $57 million of financing, Crain's reports..."


----------



## RobertWalpole

DesignerVoodoo said:


> Here you go ThatOneGuy.


----------



## RobertWalpole

180 Bowery:
A nice hotel by Ten-Arcitectos was planned for this site. Does anyone know the status? I rarely get to this area.


----------



## DesignerVoodoo

Hotelier Ian Schrager Buys 215 Chrystie Street for $50M
Friday, December 28, 2012, by Jessica Dailey
Share on email
57

215-chrystie-schrager.jpgJust when we thought today would be another boring news day, the Journal reports that boutique hotelier Ian Schrager (of Studio 54 fame), along with a few investors, plunked down $50 million to purchase 215 Chrystie Street. The empty lot is set to host a 25-story tower with a hotel on the first 17 floors and condos on the rest. The land actually served as a garden for low-income tenants in a neighboring building, but a deal was reached to allow the development to move forward.

The new finger building will tower over the neighbors, who are already complaining about the plans. The Sperone Westwater Gallery pulled out the nimby card as the new building will block light into the gallery, and they have hired a big time environmental law attorney to start a legal battle to try and stop the hotel. If the suit doesn't stop the hotel, what can we expect? According to the Journal, Schrager plans for the hotel to be part of his new brand called Public, "which is designed to be avant-garde but less expensive than many boutique hotels."


http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/...5_chrystie_street_for_50m.php#reader_comments


----------



## desertpunk

*World-Wide Group’s 57th Street project will rise 715 feet, will house larger units*












> January 04, 2013 08:30AM
> 
> Amid One57, 432 Park Avenue and 225 West 57th Street, yet another luxury apartment tower — one that has been slated to go up on the thoroughfare there since 2009 – will rise on 57th Street, the New York Observer reported.
> 
> World-Wide Group’s long-planned tower at 250 East 57th Street, the mixed-use development that stalled in the recession, is no longer of indeterminate height, the Observer said. Records filed with the city show the building, at Second Avenue, will rise to the originally-planned 57 stories — some 715 feet.


The architect, Roger Duffy at SOM, is reportedly changing the design to smooth out the crisp angles in favor of "undulating curves", according to ArchPaper. Updates as soon as we get them...


----------



## desertpunk

*Two Trees Management solicits proposals for portion of Domino Sugar site*












> Two Trees Management is soliciting proposals for an interim use of a 55,000-square-foot swath of the Domino Sugar site in Williamsburg, Curbed reported. The request for proposals for the site, dubbed Site E, will go live tomorrow. The parcel is a vacant lot located on Kent Avenue between South 3rd and South 4th streets. It will be available come this March for a year or more.
> 
> First, Two Trees is seeking something that will appeal to all Williamsburg residents. Second, the developer wants a responsible group that is well organized and will be a good neighbor. In addition, Two Trees expects applicants to include details on the costs of their plans.


That's a generous portion of the site. neighborhood groups might want a supermarket there among other options...


----------



## desertpunk

*36 Story Marriott Edition Hotel Planned For T.S.*












> There’s a Marriott Edition hotel, a boutique outfit that Marriott International launched in 2007, being planned for Times Square — at 47th Street and Seventh Avenue, the Wall Street Journal reported. The project will be a 36-story hotel and retail development. The brand has reportedly struck a tentative agreement with a development group including Steven Witkoff and Mark Siffin, who are investors, and Winthrop Realty Trust to brand and operate the property.
> 
> The recession, which began not long after Marriott Edition brand launched, stunted the brand’s growth. It had originally been a partnership with hotelier Ian Schraeger.
> 
> “We are aggressively pursuing opportunities for our Edition brand,” a Marriott spokesperson told the Journal.


----------



## desertpunk

*Pier 17 construction slated to start July 1*












> The Dallas-based Howard Hughes Corporation is forging ahead with its plans to redevelop Pier 17 in Lower Manhattan. Following an engineering inspection of the site’s stability following Hurricane Sandy, which deemed the site to be sound, David Wenreb, Howard Hughes’ CEO, told the New York Times that it will begin construction by July 1.
> 
> The plan is still undergoing the city’s land use process and the July 1 construction deadline comes as part of an agreement between the developer and the city’s Economic Development Corporation.
> 
> The new pier building will have two levels of retail space, each of which with some 60,000 square feet.
> 
> “I think Lower Manhattan will only benefit from a density of retail experiences,” Elizabeth Berger, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, told the Times.
> 
> *However, as previously reported, the site could be closed for two years when construction starts.*


----------



## ZZ-II

Great news for NYC again :cheers:


----------



## sbarn

Update on *241 Fifth Avenue* which has turned out quite nice. :cheers:










(photo by me)


----------



## sbarn

Update on Galerie 515 on 9th Avenue in Hells Kitchen. This one unfortunately has turned out pretty crappy. Apparently the developers didn't get the memo this is New York, not communist era East Berlin. Maybe they'll do something more with the cladding? :shrug:

Old Rendering:








Source




























(photos by me)


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## sbarn

Looks like some work has started at *435 West 50th Street*, which is a Ralph Walker building that is being rehabilitated by the same developer who is doing the Walker Tower. It should turn out nice. Some details from Curbed follow:

*Walker Tower Gets a Sequel With Hell's Kitchen Conversion*

Wednesday, August 1, 2012










Now that sales at Walker Tower, the conversion of a Chelsea building designed by Ralph Walker, are underway, developers JDS and Property Markets Group can move on to their next project—another conversion of a Ralph Walker building a bit further uptown. That building is 435 West 50th Street, and the Observer notes that the project just got $25 million in funding from Starwood Capital last week. Congrats, friend! Above, a before-and-after of the conversion. Seventeen stories of the building will get the condo treatment, for a total of 65 residential units. Chelsea's Walker Tower definitely has the edge when it comes to location, but perhaps it will help to inspire a more widespread Walker fever that will help its 50th Street sibling.


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## sbarn

*529 West 29th Street* is a 15-story project that is well underway. It is developed by Related and located on the same block 500 West 30th Street.









Curbed










(photo by me)


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## sbarn

I passed this project recently and it seems demolition is in full swing. The building permits have been filed but not approved.

*New Tower Plan Headed for West 28th Along the High Line*
Curbed

Monday, April 2, 2012

Crews are ripping up the roof of the former Club Quo at 511 West 28th Street, prepping the plot for a new batch of residences that will rise along both sides of the High Line, just west of Tenth Avenue. What's to come seems to be a rethinking of a prior plan from Lee Harris Pomeroy Architects, revealed back in 2009, originally a mix of hotel and residential with retail down below. The current plan is from Avinash K. Malhotra Architects for developer Kadima Tenth Avenue SPE; the hotel is now nowhere to be seen but the residential and retail remain. The zoning details are still pending, but the Schedule A on file indicates three separate components, with massing much like what was seen before. When it's all done, this will be a gateway, presumably in glass, a portal for park-goers passing through on their way to the mega-hood that Related and team envisions for the blocks to the north. 

Along the High Line at 28th Street a 14-story slab will rise with 44 units above and a pool in the cellar, all butting up to the ginormous Avalon West Chelsea project that's now digging down next door. Rising over West 29th Street will be a blockier 14-story stack, with 128 units above and parking for 59 vehicles (and 162 bikes) on the lower floors. Across the High Line, at the southwest corner of Tenth and West 29th, a 25-story tower will rise, holding 140 units. Down at street level and below the High Line retail will rule. Whatever architect Avinash Malhotra brings to the block, this will be a big change from the days when this was club land, and another Malhotra partied hard and pole dancing was the way to play. When this development is up along this stretch of elevated park where wildflowers bloom, some re-thinking may be necessary. Perhaps a shade garden will be in order.

Images from Curbed via Avinash Malhotra:














































Recent photos (by me):

December 14th:









Today:


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## desertpunk

^^
Nice updates! :cheers:



sbarn said:


> Update on *241 Fifth Avenue* which has turned out quite nice. :cheers:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (photo by me)


I agree. This building came out really nice. I see an upper corner unit with my name on it!


----------



## sbarn

A new school is under construction on 15th Street just west of Union Square.



















We're about to lose this glorious view.


















(photos by me)


----------



## sbarn

*133 Third Avenue* project currently has a stop work order due to an accident that poured concrete through the wall of a neighboring building.









NYC DOB



















(photos by me)


----------



## sbarn

*84 Third Avenue* continues to rise.









The Local East Village










(photo by me)


----------



## sbarn

Here's a project I've never heard of: the Singapore Chancery on East 48th Street.









WNY









WNY









WNY

Apparently the Korean Cultural Center is set to start construction soon as well.








Bustler


----------



## sbarn

Looks like progress is (slowly) being made the *Avalon Chelsea*. Looks like a foundation slab has finally been poured in the western portion of the site.



















(photos by me)


----------



## sbarn

Project update on *151 West 21st Street*, looks nearly topped out:

Rendering:




































(photos by me)


----------



## sbarn

Update on *345 Meatpacking*, located at 14th Street and 9th Avenue. The brickwork is nice, but overall the building is pretty banal and the window layout is messy.










(photo by me)


----------



## sbarn

sbarn said:


> Early December


A bit of progress being made at the 24th Street High Line project:

This week:









(photo by me)


----------



## sbarn

Update on the *Walker Tower* conversion. This may be one of the best projects in the City.

Pre-rehab view:








Source: GoogleMaps

View today:









Additional Views:


















(photos by me)


----------



## xXFallenXx

Great updates! Thanks sbarn. :cheers:


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## yankeesfan1000

*Romanoff Equities strikes deal with partner for Meatpacking District office, retail project*
January 07, 2013 06:15PM 
By Katherine Clarke










"Meatpacking District landlord Romanoff Equities is joining with Property Group Partners to bring to life a 120,000-square-foot mixed-use office and retail development on a vacant site at 860 Washington Street, Property Group Partners announced today.

*The developer is set to break ground on the project in the third quarter of 2013, with completion slated for 2015.*

...“[Romanoff Equities] has obtained essential approvals and permits allowing Property Group Partners to bring this project to reality,” said Jeffrey Sussman, president of Property Group Partners.

The 10-story property was designed by James Carpenter Design Associates and has floor plates of 11,000 to 13,400 square feet. The building, which is seeking LEED certification, will have retail space on two floors adjacent to the High Line park, according to its developers..."


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## el palmesano

wow, lot of information, thanks!


----------



## streetscapeer

awesome updates!!


----------



## desertpunk

*The New School shimmers:*


The New School by bahramforoughi, on Flickr


The New School by bahramforoughi, on Flickr


The New School by bahramforoughi, on Flickr


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## el palmesano

^^ amazing!


----------



## sbarn

I pulled together another montage. I'm sure I missed some projects, but I tried to be as comprehensive as possible. I also used a little creative freedom on projects such as 225 West 57th Street and the Grand Central Tower. 









Original Image Source


----------



## Nikonov_Ivan

^^:drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::master: Just Amazing!!! There is no city in the world, that can stand with New York in compression!


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Holy mother of god... I think from that rendering it's fair to say that by 2020 NY will clearly be in a class of its own, and you've got some real talent sbarn. These are 2020 renderings are superb.


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## desertpunk

sbarn you did it again! 




*Toll Brothers Scores In $64 Million Midtown East Site Deal*









Curbed



> It looks like luxury home builder Toll Brothers may have yet another New York City residential development project on the drawing board after scooping up a financially troubled and stalled development site – once dubbed the Oliver – from Alexico Group for $64 million, The Commercial Observer has learned.
> 
> Owner of the high-end boutique condominium building The Touraine in Lenox Hill, Toll Brothers purchased 953, 957, 959 and 961 First Avenue (or 953-961 First Avenue) in Midtown East after years of financial turmoil bogged down and eventually killed Alexico Group’s original plans to build a 161-unit luxury rental building at the site.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Toll Brothers’ The Touraine in Lenox Hill
> 
> In addition to The Touraine, Toll Brothers owns a Manhattan condominium at 160 East 22nd Street in Manhattan, and it has two other development projects up its sleeve – one at 400 Park Avenue South, which is under construction and slated to open in the fall of 2013, and the other is the Pierhouse at Brooklyn Bridge Park, situated along the Brooklyn waterfront and expected to open in the spring of 2014.
> 
> The plans for the new acquisition could not immediately be confirmed, as Toll Brothers did not return calls seeking comment, though the company builds luxury homes and condo developments throughout the United States, in addition to New York City and places further upstate.


161 units places this development at potentially 40 floors or more. We'll see what kind of "reception party" the neighbors have planned for them...


----------



## desertpunk

*51 Astor gets reflective:*


mirror incomplete by Several seconds, on Flickr


----------



## RobertWalpole

I am elated to see that this piece of junk is coming down. This stretch of Broadway has stunning old buildings, but for this eyesore, which will be razed soon.

http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/01...g-no-contract-purchase-of-sohos-529-broadway/











Inside the record-setting, no-contract purchase of Soho’s 529 Broadway

One building, many suitors ends with a $150M sale

January 08, 2013 05:30PM
By Adam Pincus

Over the past several years, some of the city’s top retail investors had been eyeing a small, down-in-the-tooth property at the corner of Spring Street and Broadway in Soho. Among its suitors: Vornado Realty Trust, SL Green Realty, Invesco and Crown Acquisitions.

During the boom years, potential buyers first started offering about $85 million. That rose to $105 million and then to $110 million for the two-story property, Abe Goldstein, a member of the family that owned the building, and who managed the sale of the property, told The Real Deal. He did not sell at the time, sensing values were rising. “We really felt the building would go up in price,” said Goldstein, speaking by phone from China Monday, where he is on a business trip.

He was right.

On Dec. 20, a partnership of Jeff Sutton, Joe Sitt, Bobby Cayre and the Adjmi family closed on the purchase of the building that PropertyShark.com shows has about 43,888 square feet of development rights, for about $150 million, a per-buildable-square-foot record for Soho retail.

The new owners plan to demolish the existing structure and develop a two- to five-story glass-walled building, depending on a tenant’s needs, and pending approvals from the city....


----------



## desertpunk

*Chelsea Market Begins Interior Work, Towers Coming in 2015*












> Residents of Chelsea are still pissed off about the Chelsea Market expansion, but they don't have to fret over the building getting taller until 2015. For now, the only changes happening at the market are taking place inside, where space for eight new food vendors is being created in an area previously occupied by Amy's Bread. The vendors will be up and running by mid-February, but the Times reports that real estate experts are already predicting competition from the forthcoming Pier 57 mall and Hudson Yards.
> 
> And that, of course, has the neighbors already freaking out about the increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic the neighborhood will see. The office towers will be seven and eight stories tall, bringing 300,000-square-feet of space and thousands of new workers.


----------



## Сталин

Nice projects!


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Looks like The Touraine will be a pure Art nouveau building, no postmodernism, just plain art nouveau.
The black glass on 51 astor is truly awesome.


----------



## aquablue

ThatOneGuy said:


> Looks like The Touraine will be a pure Art nouveau building, no postmodernism, just plain art nouveau.
> The black glass on 51 astor is truly awesome.


Nice. A lot of architects seem to abhor building classic buildings or frown on it. I don't see the problem if it is done well. People really like classic architecture, so why not build more of it. Paris, Rome and Barcelona are not tourist mega spots for no reason. Why should that style have to be built only in the past? The average joe relates more to a Haussmann bldg than a glass box or scraper. Tourists flock to old classic cities and old style detail is obviously a major boon for these cities.


----------



## RobertWalpole

ThatOneGuy said:


> Looks like The Touraine will be a pure Art nouveau building, no postmodernism, just plain art nouveau.
> The black glass on 51 astor is truly awesome.


As good as 51 Astor looks in photos, it's magnificent in person. The contrast between black glass and the silvery glass is spectacular.


----------



## desertpunk

*Construction of B2 at Atlantic Yards moving apace:*


Atlantic Yards construction, first tower by hunter.gatherer, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*56 Leonard Gets $350 Million In Financing*












> Bank of America and a group of other lenders, including M&T Bank, have closed on a $350 million package of financing for a planned 60-story residential condominium at 56 Leonard St. in TriBeCa, sources familiar with the deal say.
> 
> It is one of the largest construction loans to be awarded since the condo industry began to stir to life last year after several years of dormancy following the Great Recession.
> 
> Bank of America has been an active lender to a growing pipeline of office, retail and residential development projects.
> 
> The North Carolina-based bank is in talks to provide part of a $200 million loan to the Related Companies to build a second phase to its Gateway retail center in Brooklyn's East New York section. The new wing of that project will be anchored by a Shop Rite grocery store.
> 
> At 56 Leonard Street the Texas-based development firm Hines is overseeing the project, which was designed by the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, which famously designed the so-called birds nest stadium for the Beijing Olympics, as well as the condo at 40 Bond St. in lower Manhattan, with its distinctive green-glass facade.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130109/REAL_ESTATE/130109915#ixzz2HWglvvRr


here come the cranes!


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## italiano_pellicano

this building looks amazing


----------



## aquablue

sbarn said:


> I pulled together another montage. I'm sure I missed some projects, but I tried to be as comprehensive as possible. I also used a little creative freedom on projects such as 225 West 57th Street and the Grand Central Tower.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Original Image Source


Is the gct really going to be that tall compared with 432 park?


----------



## nycfann1

No one knows thought it could rival 1WTC"s spire height.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

aquablue said:


> Nice. A lot of architects seem to abhor building classic buildings or frown on it. I don't see the problem if it is done well. People really like classic architecture, so why not build more of it. Paris, Rome and Barcelona are not tourist mega spots for no reason. Why should that style have to be built only in the past? The average joe relates more to a Haussmann bldg than a glass box or scraper. Tourists flock to old classic cities and old style detail is obviously a major boon for these cities.


I agree. I don't believe in 'classical style' just 'style.' Any architectural type should be built at any time period and it's nice to see that more architects are becoming less scared to design, yet again, architecture styles from older times. Although architecture should still innovate with new, cutting-edge features, it's nice to revive other forgotten art and design types.


----------



## jamiefearon

Nikonov_Ivan said:


> ^^:drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::master: Just Amazing!!! There is no city in the world, that can stand with New York in compression!


Apart from London of course.


----------



## Nikonov_Ivan

^^ Of course London is the second after New York


----------



## TheMoses

Depends what in. As a city London can deffo hold its own against New York. If we're talking skyscrapers then London is gonna get its arse caned.


----------



## Nikonov_Ivan

^^Depends on what do you mean under the words "as a city"


----------



## ZZ-II

TheMoses said:


> Depends what in. As a city London can deffo hold its own against New York. If we're talking skyscrapers then London is gonna get its arse caned.


kay:


----------



## desertpunk

*Brookfield Place To Get Fancy Lighting*




















http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/01/14/world_financial_centers_light_show_160_east_22nd_update.php


----------



## desertpunk

*Two Trees Reveals Community Desires for Domino Development*












> Last month, Two Trees held several public sessions to gather community input about what residents would like to see in the New Domino, and it seems like the developer actually cares about what the community wants...
> 
> ...The community wants commercial spaces that will be suitable for smaller companies and local businesses that are looking to grow within the neighborhood. The set-up of the Chelsea Market, retail on the bottom with offices on top, seemed preferable, and it was noted that the "vibe" of the neighborhood is really important—"It's why Gowanus is more attractive to many creative economy businesses than Downtown Brooklyn." No one wants chain stores, but a quality supermarket like Trader Joe's would be welcome. Space for food businesses was proposed ("Food industry in Brooklyn is 'sexy'"), but bars would not be welcome.
> 
> Pretty much any idea for open space in the city that you could possible think of was suggested for the outdoor areas: an ice rink, public art, beach, trails, dog park, community garden, hydroponic farm, education center, skate park, etc. A boat launch was seen as a must.
> 
> As for community space, no one wants another elementary school, as the area's school are "under-enrolled," but a creative high school would be great. People also really want a large, affordable meeting space, and some kind of cultural center. Suggestions included a children's museum, science museum, Latino cultural center, and community history center.


----------



## RobertWalpole

jamiefearon said:


> Apart from London of course.


I agree with that. In terms of what they have to offer and in terms of their global dominance, NY and London are equal.


----------



## Lodgy Lion

RobertWalpole said:


> I agree with that. In terms of what they have to offer and in terms of their global dominance, NY and London are equal.


Considering London is roughly many centuries older (roughly 16 or so?) than NYC, that's pretty impressive.


----------



## TheMoses

I think when we're talking those lengths of time it becomes pretty meaningless. For most of those 16 centuries London would have been barely more than a village by today's standards. Also if you want to look at it that way then the US as a whole is pretty impressive. It's four centuries old (including pre-independence European rule). In that time it's risen to be nearly as wealthy as Europe and probably more influential on the world stage.


----------



## Avemano

desertpunk said:


> *Brookfield Place To Get Fancy Lighting*


Nice !! :cheers:


----------



## Сталин

Avemano said:


> Nice !! :cheers:


Yes, Its really good.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

*28-Story Hotel/Apartment Combo To Rise on Stalled Remy Site*
Monday, January 14, 2013, by Jessica Dailey










"When it comes to stalled construction sites, the lot at 101 West 28th Street on the corner of Sixth Avenue is a bit of a legend. Once upon a time, it was going to be home to the Remy, a slender, cantilevered 32-story condo tower, but that project never quite got off the ground, and the lot sat in stalled site purgatory for so long that the DOB ordered the foundation to be filled in.

Near the end of 2011, the site went into foreclosure, and now, finally, it seems like property may be reborn. *New York YIMBY reports that new building permits have been filed, calling for a 28-story hotel/apartment building combo designed by architect Nobutaka Ashihara.* No designs have been released, but DOB filings show that it will have 152 units and rise 296 feet. Construction photos and design deets are welcome on the tipline."


----------



## desertpunk

*Brookfield To Break Ground On Manhattan West Tomorrow*












> After six years of promises, Brookfield Office Properties has finally started to build a deck over the exposed Amtrak rail yard for its planned Manhattan West development project.
> 
> The platform is a long-awaited breakthrough in Mayor Bloomberg’s dream to create a vast new Hudson Yards District in the once-forlorn far West 30s that will be home to major companies, residents and a wealth of public amenities.
> 
> It’s also crucial to publicly traded Brookfield’s plan for a $4.5 billion, five million-square-foot project on five acres anchored by two tall office towers and an apartment building.
> 
> The deck was first announced in 2006 but held up by caution over the real-estate market, changes to the original mix of towers and delays in negotiating agreements with Amtrak over use of the rail lines through the yard.
> 
> Manhattan West spans the irregular rectangle bounded by Ninth and Dyer avenues and West 31st and 33rd streets. Most but not all of it consists of the exposed train yard 65 feet below street level.
> 
> Brookfield CEO Dennis Friedrich told The Post, “Excavation started a while ago. This is the formal launch of the next phase.”
> 
> Giant machines will soon appear on-site to erect a street-level surface comprised of 16 “bridges.” The deck will occupy 50 percent of the entire site.
> 
> Friedrich said the platform will be finished in late 2014 and the site will be ready to receive tenants by 2016.
> 
> He estimated Brookfield’s land and platform costs at a total $700 million. The deck is to be financed with a five-year, $340 million construction loan from a bank consortium including HSBC, Bank of New York Mellon and four others.
> 
> Brookfield will invest more than $300 million of its own capital with no public subsidies.


----------



## desertpunk

*Groundbreaking Set For $350 Million Bronx Development*












> Signature Urban Properties and Monadnock Construction are set to break ground on the first phase of a 10-building, 1,300-unit apartment complex in the Bronx, to date the borough’s largest private residential project, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Compass Residences complex, to be erected in the Crotona Park East and West Farms section of the South Bronx in an area bordered by the Sheridan Expressway, will be built in an area currently composed of defunct warehouses. The area was rezoned from fully industrial to mixed-use in 2011, to allow for the Signature development. The buildings will rise as high as 15 stories, towering over the low- and mid-rise structures on surrounding blocks.


----------



## desertpunk

*5 Fun Facts About The New Snohetta-Designed Times Square*


----------



## desertpunk

*Gale International Moves Forward With Flatiron Condo Plans*












> Gale International has closed on the purchase of a development site at 21 West 20th Street. The investment and development firm, which last fall agreed to purchase the property from Gary Barnett’s Extell Development, has also acquired air rights needed to move ahead with the construction of a 15-story luxury condominium tower at the site, The Real Deal has learned.
> 
> *Gale — best known for its role as the master plan developer of a $35 billion, 1,500-acre new business district in New Songo, South Korea* — paid $9.75 million for the property, the company told The Real Deal today. Massey Knakal Realty Services brokered the deal, which was Gale’s first in Manhattan.


Perhaps Gale is looking for more opportunities in NYC? SUPERTALL opportunities???


----------



## desertpunk

*301 E.50th St. Revealed*












> Several years after a Midtown East crane collapse killed seven, the site adjacent to that collapse, 301 East 50th Street sold to developer Fishman Holdings. The developer commissioned Cook + Fox to design a condo for the spot, and a permit filed this past fall indicated that the condo would be 28 stories, with 54 residential units and 6,200 square feet of commercial space. A tipster passes along the above rendering for the project, though it doesn't appear on the Cook + Fox website, so we don't know how current it us. According to DOB records, the initial plan for the site was disapproved in mid-December.


----------



## desertpunk

*Archpaper* has released some nice renders of the Bjarke Ingels Pyramid going up on far West 57th St:


----------



## desertpunk

*432 Park Ave. progress:*









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/01/15/432_park_ave_construction_watch_buckyball_extended.php


----------



## RobertWalpole

desertpunk said:


> *Archpaper* has released some nice renders of the Bjarke Ingels Pyramid going up on far West 57th St:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ]


I really hope that skanky Gail Brewer does not derail this. She's a real vag!


----------



## desertpunk

*500 W.30th St. rising*









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/01/16/checking_in_on_the_high_lines_residential_boom.php


----------



## desertpunk

RobertWalpole said:


> I really hope that skanky Gail Brewer does not derail this. She's a real vag!


She's a tyrant!


----------



## streetscapeer

desertpunk said:


> *5 Fun Facts About The New Snohetta-Designed Times Square*


I wonder how long it will take them to complete this once they start. I imagine that they'll do it in sections as to not disrupt the going-ons of time sq.


----------



## nycfann1

desertpunk said:


> 500 W.30th St. rising
> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/01/16/checking_in_on_the_high_lines_residential_boom.php


Does this one have its own thread?


----------



## desertpunk

nycfann1 said:


> Does this one have its own thread?


I don't think so. I got nothing from search...although the search feature has been busted recently.


----------



## nycfann1

Yes I tried the search and also found nothing. Seems deserving of its own thread.


----------



## desertpunk

*N.Y. Cosmos propose Queens soccer stadium, as part of $400M complex*












> The New York Cosmos have revealed plans to develop a $400 million mixed-use complex, including restaurants, retail space, a hotel and a soccer stadium on two sites near Belmont Park, which could rival previously announced plans to bring a Major League Soccer stadium in Queens, according to the Wall Street Journal.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Cosmos, which achieved prominence in the 1970s with Brazilian star Pelé, want to bring a privately financed 25,000-seat stadium to state-owned land near the Belmont Park horse-racing track. In September, the state issued a call for developers for the two Nassau County sites, totaling 36 acres.
> 
> And the Cosmos’ plan has already seen some political support. ”The idea of the stadium with the retail component and the hotel is exciting,” State Senator Jack Martins, a Nassau County Republican, said. “It certainly has a much greater upside [than solely retail] with the benefit to the county and state in terms of economic development and tax revenue.”
> 
> But the plan could upend a controversial proposal for another Major League Soccer stadium at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, as some doubt whether Queens could support multiple professional soccer teams.
> 
> But so far both developers appear undeterred. “This city is big enough to deal with three soccer teams. In London, they’ve got seven or eight,” Seamus O’Brien, chairman and CEO of the New York Cosmos said. “I say bring it on.”


----------



## desertpunk

nycfann1 said:


> Yes I tried the search and also found nothing. Seems deserving of its own thread.


Found it! http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1554384


----------



## desertpunk

*Ashland Demo In Brooklyn Makes Way For Plaza And BAM Residential Tower*












> The warehouse at 246 Ashland Place is finito, after the DOB approved demolition permits in November. Now that it’s gone, there’s space for two coming developments. A small part of the parcel will be dedicated to the visual arts plaza outside of the Theater for a New Audience, now under construction. But a majority of the site (now a parking lot) is for the North Tower I. This site will be developed by the Gotham Organization and DT Salazar Inc., who plan for 600 new residences, half of which will be affordable. This development will also include 20,000 square feet of cultural and related office space and 20,000 square feet of retail space. The city recently released an RFP for North Tower II, which will bound the southern end of the arts plaza. And then of course there’s the BAM South Site, across from Lafayette Avenue, where the Two Trees developers recently started up the land use review process. Click through to the jump for a very helpful map outlining how the city-owned property will be divvied up. One other note: Yesterday the Brooklyn Paper reported the city has yet to rule on Two Trees’ request for a zoning change to allow more housing at the site.


----------



## sbarn

135 East 79th Street gets bricked:









A Fine Blog









A Fine Blog


----------



## desertpunk

*Crane On The Way: Superstructure Work At 56 Leonard Begins Next Month*









http://www.worldofarchi.com/2013/01/56-leonard-street-construction-update.html


----------



## yankeesfan1000

New 21 story hotel on 29th St.

Two 50 story towers in Jersey City start in the spring.


----------



## aquablue

desertpunk said:


> ^
> I think Solow is likely to unload all of the ConEd site. The man is 83 years old and unwinding his empire. The Richard Meier designs will probably be discarded as well, unless the condo market returns with enough vigor to sustain these starchitect-designed hotboxes.


A site such as this deserves beautiful modern architecture. If they drop Meier and build some shitty Kaufmann box I will be severely disappointed.

All the great cities have fantastic gems on their riverfront. NY needs to make the most of this resource that they have so far neglected over the years. Instead of ugly public housing and warehouses, the riverfront needs to be valued as a showpiece for the city like most world renowned river cities. Although NYC was for the most part an industrial city that looked away from the river, today the river needs to be reclaimed.


----------



## sbarn

^^ Well then you should like this news...

*Big West Side apt. complex gets key thumbs up*



> *A key City Council committee voted Thursday afternoon to approve Durst Fetner's proposed pyramid-shaped apartment tower on West 57th Street. *The vote by the Land Use Committee came on the heels of the council's Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee voting unanimously in favor of the project.
> 
> The council's move came after an 11th-hour impasse had arisen in talks between the developer and local Councilwoman Gale Brewer over the issue of how many affordable units the 750-unit complex designed by Danish wunderkind Bjarke Ingels would house. That impasse was finally resolved on Thursday morning. The full council will likely vote on the development next week.
> 
> "It's always a tough negotiation, but I'm glad we have some affordable housing," Ms. Brewer said. "And I do like the building, the pyramid."
> 
> Earlier this week, Crain's reported, the developer promised to add 20 new affordable housing units to the project, bringing the total number to 170. Only this morning, Durst Fetner also agreed to pay $1 million toward an affordable housing fund that will promote the development of affordable housing in the neighborhood. The fund will be managed by the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
> 
> "I know there are a number of other projects coming up in the neighborhood that we can use it on," Ms. Brewer said of the funds. "I don't want to say what they are, but they will compliment what we are already getting from the Dursts. In all of these large-scale developments, affordable housing is always a challenge."
> 
> In addition to Mr. Ingel's distinctive pyramid, Durst Fetner will take a self-storage property currently run on the corner of West 58th Street and 11th Avenue and turn it into 100 apartment units. Like the new 32-story building, the industrial building will include 20% of its units as affordable, whether or not Durst Fetner can achieve the tax credits that typically come with such a project. The building will not be replaced but instead adaptively reused.
> 
> "We are very pleased by the Land Use Committee's unanimous support for the project and we look forward to the full Council's vote next week," Jordan Barowitz, a Durst spokesman, said.


Full article: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130131/REAL_ESTATE/130139967#ixzz2Jb9tsWrG


----------



## desertpunk

That on-again, off-again WTC Arts Center seems to be back on:

*WTC performing arts center moves forward*









Scale model of the 'Land Of Maybe'...



> The Frank Gehry-designed performing arts center planned for the World Trade Center could take a major step today. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. is slated to give the operational organization, dubbed the Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center, a total of $1 million for staff hires and plans for building development. Organization Director Maggie Boepple told the Journal that the approval of the performing arts center would put the complex on track for a 2017 completion.
> 
> The plan for the center, with 1,000- and 200-seat theaters, has been in the works for years. It and would also contains spaces for rehearsing and a restaurant that would serve a double as an additional performance venue.
> 
> But recently, the fate of the center was in limbo — not only due to its estimated $450 million construction costs, but also due to an inability to bring on staff members and consultants. There was a worry among performing arts center officials that the development corporation would hold back its $155 million in pledged seed money. However, the plans have been scaled back in terms of size and construction costs.


Guess what folks? Even a "smaller, scaled back arts center" will still probably end up costing $450 million. This IS New York after all...


----------



## desertpunk

*Governors Island Seeks 'Visionary' Developer for Southern Half of Island*












> DOWNTOWN — The Trust for Governors Island is looking for “visionary” developers to design the southern half of the island, they announced this week.
> 
> The Trust issued a request for expressions of interest (RFEI) for the “creative” and “transformational” private development of 33 acres on the southern half of the island that’s currently off limits to the public.
> 
> The trust is seeking to “generate the broadest possible spectrum of ideas” for the redesign of the land where vacant industrial buildings and old housing now sit, they said in a statement. Nonprofit, cultural, educational and commercial developers are all encouraged to apply.
> 
> The request is the latest step in a massive plan for overhauling the former Coast Guard base. The city plans to invest more than $260 million by 2014 to revamp the island’s infrastructure and build 30 new acres of public space that includes ballfields, a grove of trees and a playful green space with maze-like hedges.
> 
> According to the Trust, the 33 acres are bordered by new park space on one side and the future Great Promenade that will encircle the island, on the other.
> 
> This is the second call for private development on island. In December, the Trust issued an RFP for the redevelopment of existing buildings in the Governors Island Historic District. The RFEI and RFP, both due on March 14, "represent the next chapter of the Island's ongoing redevelopment," the Trust said.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/201...per-for-southern-half-of-island#ixzz2Jorr7DVb


----------



## dexter2

desertpunk said:


> That on-again, off-again WTC Arts Center seems to be back on:
> 
> *WTC performing arts center moves forward*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Scale model of the 'Land Of Maybe'...
> 
> 
> 
> Guess what folks? Even a "smaller, scaled back arts center" will still probably end up costing $450 million. This IS New York after all...


Very unique.....

He designed this for Łódź:


----------



## DeFiBkIlLeR

Why is the New York view count so small compared to London & Paris..?

NY is one of the few, true Alpha ++ world cities, pfft to the pretenders on the block like Shangai.

Come on New Yorkers, stop being so lazy and up your game...we need more posts to promote the work being done, we want to know.

If you want,London can hire out SO143 to you...just 0.01 cents per post, at his current rate NY will hit 1 Million views in about...2wks.

He's earned enough from the London thread to put himself through university, NY could buy him his first house..


----------



## sbarn

Work is underway on the west tower of the *East River Science Park* at *430 East 29th Street*. The 220 foot tall, 15 floor tower was supposed to be constructed in 2009, immediately after its twin was constructed. The foundation was poured, but the tower was put on hold due to the economic crash. Word is that Roche has agreed to anchor the new tower, and will move its research operations into Manhattan from New Jersey. The tower will total 410,000 SF along with adjacent lab buildings.

Renderings (two identical towers in center):





















































Rendering / Image Sources: Alexandria

Construction Photos:


























Source: EastMillinocket @ WNY


----------



## sbarn

Images of the completed East Tower, this one will rise directly to its right:



























Images: Derek2k3 @ WNY


----------



## Sebastianovik

Wow, best skyline in the world


----------



## desertpunk

*Selldorf Designing Faceted-Facade Tower Facing the WTC*












> Six months ago, when a corner site south of the World Trade Center sold for $48 million as part of a deal at the old American Stock Exchange, there was no word of what would rise there. But a design from Selldorf Architects has popped up for that plot, *rising 54 stories* at the corner of Thames and Greenwich. The designs for 22 Thames Street show a prismatic tower, topping out a few feet taller than the W Downtown a half block to the west. On the first five floors, tucked inside a base of irregular glass bays, is retail and residential recreation space, topped by two floors designated for "performing arts."
> 
> *Rising above and reaching 637 feet*, the tower features a faceted facade filled with 428 residential units. Last month the creative team at Selldorf posted a video showing the louvered façade system, a "second skin" controlled by each individual dweller, and described thusly: "Cloaking the façade, a system of operable terracotta louvers animates the building with its changing configurations and reflectivity."


----------



## el palmesano

nice tower, but I like the present buildings...


----------



## desertpunk

*Amid the endless wait...*

*Could A Land Swap Finally Make Moynihan Station Happen?*












> The Borough of Manhattan Community College already refused a proposed land swap that could have sped up the development of Moynihan Station, creating a new BMCC campus at the back of the Farley Post Office building. But that hasn't stopped developer the Related Companies from pushing the idea, the Times reports, and since BMCC's enrollment has grown, the college might reconsider. Related would like BMCC to be the anchor tenant in the post office building, taking up 1.1 million square feet. The promised Moynihan Station train platforms and connections to Penn Station would be built while BMCC was moving in.
> 
> In exchange, Related would get BMCC's campus 3.8 miles south of Moynihan Station, where Related would probably build apartments. One reason why the City University of New York, BMCC's overlord, is hesitant to make a deal: Related might get more out of the trade than BMCC.


Land swaps are tricky in NYC and win-win situations are rare. BMCC may be seeing an enrollment decline but from their perspective, that's an opportunity to build their programs to increase enrollment, not a spur towards taking a deal they didn't like.


----------



## desertpunk

*The Charles Condominiums Developer Secures Additional Financing*










Construction is already underway.


----------



## aquablue

desertpunk said:


> *Could A Land Swap Finally Make Moynihan Station Happen?*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Land swaps are tricky in NYC and win-win situations are rare. BMCC may be seeing an enrollment decline but from their perspective, that's an opportunity to build their programs to increase enrollment, not a spur towards taking a deal they didn't like.


We don't want a college in there, hopefully that plan falls through.


----------



## desertpunk

*Details On That Hudson Yards "Culture Shed"*









>>>>Sliding your way soon!



> Hudson Yards' proposed Culture Shed is basically what it sounds like: a shed for all the cultural stuff that's been "missing from the cultural landscape" of NYC, in the words of consultant Laurie Beckelman. That description leaves a lot of questions unanswered, and many of those questions will remain unanswered until the thing gets built and exhibits and shows begin to rotate into it. To help that process along, the City Planning Commission launched the public review for the shed. The plan sent to the community board includes a few fresh details and revisions, collected by Crain's.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The highlights from the list of changes:
> 
> · The Diller Scofidio + Renfro-designed Culture Shed will now be 170,000 square feet, not 100,000 as planned in 2004.
> 
> · The building will be moved slightly to the west of its initial location on 30th Street near 11th Avenue and "nestled" into an apartment building to allow for a larger public open space. The main entrance to the building will be on 30th Street, with other entrances on the Hudson Yards platform.
> 
> · The building will have three indoor galleries and one rooftop one.
> 
> The target completion date: 2017.


----------



## desertpunk

*Piet Boon Gets Huy(s) At 404 Park Ave. South*

The stealthily wrapped condo conversion project revealed in model:


----------



## desertpunk

*Sneaky Additions Log*

*If 205 Avenue A is already 'topped out', Nobody Told The Builders!*












> 205 Avenue A is now all snug behind scaffolding and construction netting ... and work continues on adding a two-floor extension to the existing four-floor building via developer Terrence Lowenberg and architect Ramy Issac, aka "the controversial penthouse king of the East Village."
> 
> And there's a palette of cinder blocks in the backyard, which portends the addition of another story. Still, as it stands now, the building is seven stories — one more than the DOB permitted. Certainly not the first time a renovated building has suddenly become taller without the OK from the city...












All: EV Gieve


----------



## ZZ-II

that new WTC tower looks awesome :cheers:


----------



## sbarn

*180 Ludlow Street* looks great!









Curbed


----------



## desertpunk

*Extell Buying Cherry St. Pathmark Site In The LES, And Plans Tower(s)*









2007 configuration options _Curbed_



> The Pathmark at 227 Cherry Street finally closed its doors in October, five years after neighbors held a Save Our Supermarket rally to keep it open. Word was that a large-scale residential development would finally come to the site, and Crain's says that development will be built by none other than Gary Barnett, of Extell and One57 fame. Extell is in contract to buy the site for somewhere in the vicinity of $175 million. *The zoning could accommodate close to 1 million square feet in the spot*, and Crain's speculates that Extell will build rentals, but that's all we know so far. (Have additional knowledge? The tipline is eager to hear it.) Once upon a time, renderings for the site offered up two possible designs, two 50-story towers or a single 55-story one.


----------



## desertpunk

At last!

*Durst-fetner Pyramis Wins Final Approval*

City Council gives the green light to Durst Fetner Residential's plans for a 32-story, 750-apartment residential building. Total of 173 affordable units will be added in the area.












> One of the most unusual apartment towers slated to rise in the city in years unanimously won the final approval of the City Council on Wednesday. Durst Fetner Residential's unusual apartment pyramid on West 57th Street won approval following an eleventh-hour deal reached last week settling a dispute over affordable housing at the project.
> 
> "The good news, which is the matra of my office and community board No. 4, is there will be, yes, by law, 35 years of income-restricted affordable housing," said City Councilwoman Gail Brewer, who represents the area.
> 
> The project, stretching the entire block between 11th Avenue and the Hudson River, will include 750 rental apartments in the ski-slope-shaped, 32-story tower designed by Danish architect, Bjarke Ingels, as well as a former industrial building with 100 additional units that will be converted into housing. This will create 173 new affordable housing units in the neighborhood. Ms. Brewer and the community board had been frustrated that the units were only affordable for 35 years, but to sell them on the project, Durst Fetner agreed to contribute $1 million into an affordable housing fund.
> 
> "We are thrilled with today's vote and are grateful to the City Council and especially Councilmember Brewer," said a Durst spokesman."Today's approval will pave the way for one of the most exciting and innovative designs to hit New York's skyline in a generation."
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130206/REAL_ESTATE/130209946#ixzz2K9o1sByE


----------



## desertpunk

*East River Blueway Plan Calls for a Brooklyn Bridge Beach*












> Poor drainage, housing superblocks, narrow bike lanes, combined sewage overflow, and, oh yeah, the need to deal with future storm surges are just some of the issues that WXY Architecture and Design has had to confront in its design for the East River Blueway. After much discussion with the city and the public, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer will unveil the Blueway proposal that hopefully addresses all of those issues in his state of the borough address today.
> 
> The beach in question, along with a kayak launch, would go on a now-fenced-off crescent of naturally occurring sand just below the Brooklyn Bridge. Another two boat launches would be set up at the ends of 20th and 23rd streets. For storm protection, marshlands and sea walls would be added, and additional greenery along the FDR Drive would further block storm runoff. Another suggestion involves creating a new pedestrian bridge over the FDR at 14th Street that would double as a sea wall.


----------



## desertpunk

*School With Affordable Housing Breaks Ground in Harlem*












> Harlem RBI and the Jonathan Rose Cos. will break ground Thursday morning on The East Harlem Center for Living and Learning, a 143,000-square-foot development that will include affordable housing and a charter school with kindergarten through eighth grades.
> 
> The two organizations teamed up on the $78.5 million development on East 104th Street, between Second and Third avenues, which will be the new site of the DREAM Charter School, as well as 89 units of affordable housing and roughly 3,000 square feet of office space dedicated for nonprofits.
> 
> Harlem RBI operates both the school—which is presently located in a public school on East 103rd Street—and an after-school baseball program aimed at at-risk children. New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira sits on Harlem RBI's board of directors and planned to attend the groundbreaking. The effort's roots date back to 2010, when the group began looking into buying land from the New York City Housing Authority to build its school. They were represented by Jonathan Rose Cos.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130207/REAL_ESTATE/130209944#ixzz2KFNTusAz


Add to this several residential projects along 125th St as well as a new Whole Foods, and Harlem is swinging!


----------



## desertpunk

*Redesign A-Go-Go!*

*80 South St. has gone supertall:*









Morali Architects


----------



## RobertWalpole

How tall is 80 South St currently planned to be?


----------



## ThatOneGuy

NYC's first twisting tower. Nice.
I actually like this design, too. Better than the old one.


----------



## 1Filipe1

RobertWalpole said:


> How tall is 80 South St currently planned to be?


998


----------



## RobertWalpole

Impressive.


----------



## desertpunk

*Permits being renewed for 50 West St.*












> 50 West Street, the Helmut Jahn-designed hotel/condo combo tower that has been on hold since its financing dried up in 2008 is—wait for it—still on hold. However, developer Time Equities is renewing the project's special permits (for the garage, the public urban plaza connecting West and Washington Streets, and certain minor setback wavers) while simultaneously "seeking financing," which means that the 65-story tower could actually end up getting built at some point in the not too distant future.


Elements of the tower have already been reworked in the wake of hurricane sandy such as above-ground mechanical systems. So if financing comes through, this one could sneakily restart...


----------



## desertpunk

*Times Square Getting 28 Story, 510 Room Hotel*



> A pair of developers is moving forward with plans to build a 510-room pod-style hotel project in Times Square, filing plans to demolish three low-rise buildings near the corner of West 42nd Street and Ninth Avenue to make way for a 28-story tower. Developers the Friedman Group and Landis Group are partnering to build the 220,000-square-foot project at 400 West 42nd Street on parcels they acquired for about $80 million before the market collapsed, Robert Friedman, a principal with the Friedman Group, told The Real Deal.
> 
> They filed plans Tuesday to demolish 571 Ninth Avenue, 573 Ninth Avenue and 406 West 42nd Street, all between one and four stories, city Department of Buildings data show.
> 
> Plans call for 140-square-foot hotel rooms with a targeted price of $225 per night. The building will also have 38 larger extended-stay hotel units, as well as 25,000 square feet of retail, Friedman said. No operator has been selected yet, nor have any retail tenants been lined up, he noted.
> 
> The latest design calls for a shorter building than originally envisioned in 2009, when the developer filed plans for a 38-story hotel. But the total bulk of the tower has not changed, Friedman said. The new hotel increases the number of rooms from 440 to 510 because the building is shorter with larger, more efficient floorplates.


----------



## desertpunk

*L.I. College Hospital Site In Cobble Hill Could Fetch $500 Million, Result In Massive Housing Development*












> The sale of the Long Island College Hospital complex could reap hundreds of millions of dollars, according to brokers and real estate experts familiar with the campus. That would make the sale one of the largest ever in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.
> 
> The hospital is running deep in the red, prompting its owner, SUNY Downstate, which purchased the complex of medical buildings south of Atlantic Avenue three years ago, to begin pursuing a closure and sale of the facility.
> 
> Brad Lander, a city councilman for Cobble Hill, said that estimates of the complex's worth have topped $500 million. Stephen Palmese, a broker at Massey Knakal Realty Services who specializes in selling properties in that part of Brooklyn, concurred with the estimate.
> 
> "With the Barclays Center and Brooklyn Bridge Park nearby, this is the real tipping point for the neighborhood," Mr. Palmese said. "You would have an over 200,000-square-foot piece of property that now becomes a living, breathing part of the residential neighborhood. That's colossal."
> 
> The LICH campus is made up of five main buildings and a parking structure sprawled along several blocks west of Hicks Street. A developer would likely seek to convert the existing structures to residential, since the site is overbuilt by current zoning regulations.
> 
> "It's a lot of real estate and a lot of residential units," Mr. Lander said.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130207/REAL_ESTATE/130209937#ixzz2KHGzNIh0


----------



## IlhamBXT

Hi guys i will share about New York City from Past until 2013


----------



## yankeesfan1000

This is pretty close to Silverstein's new 60 story rental, and Extell's new rental. West 42nd continues to change.

*Developers move to demolish buildings to construct 510-unit Times Square hotel*

"A pair of developers is moving forward with plans to build a 510-room pod-style hotel project in Times Square, filing plans to demolish three low-rise buildings near the corner of West 42nd Street and Ninth Avenue to make way for a 28-story tower..."


----------



## desertpunk

*Will This 998-Foot Tower of Gardens Rise On South Street?*












> While we know for sure that Santiago Calatrava's tower will never rise at 80 South Street, another firm has been creating and sharing designs for a different tower at the location. Since last May, Morali Architects have been posting renderings on their Facebook page. Originally, the plans showed a 780-foot tall tower mixed-use tower with cascading gardens and a solar panel skin. Now, New York YIMBY spotted their latest iteration, a 998-foot tall skyscraper bisected by skygardens that would have a boutique hotel on the bottom and apartments on the top.
> 
> No applications have been filed with the Department of Buildings for 80 South Street, but Anthony Morali, via Facebook, said that the project is in "the review phase only" and they are "finalizing certification with City Planning." He continues:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We are still in the process of attracting a a possible hotel partner. Also there are many facets of the project that still need to be addressed. Environmental. DEP. Structural System. (We are exploring the use of the COBIAX concrete system which uses 33 percent less concrete and a potential LEED component ). Again although no public review is required, there will be numerous filings and we will keep you updated.
Click to expand...


----------



## desertpunk

*Hudson Square Rezoning Goes Back To City Council*












> A City Council hearing on a rezoning of Hudson Square that would make way for new residential development will take place Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported. What has traditionally been a bustling district during the day but a sleepy one after work hours would stand to be rejuvenated by the rezoning. Trinity Real Estate, the area’s largest landlord, intends to build new apartments in the area. *The rezoning was approved by the City Planning Commission last month.*


Quite an immense swath covered by this zoning change request:









http://www.citylandnyc.org/proposed-special-hudson-square-district-begins-review/









http://www.archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=5745

*The bits that residents like:*









http://therealdeal.com/blog/2012/10/10/27m-redevelopment-proposed-for-hudson-square/









http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20121010/REAL_ESTATE/121019991

More green space, more pedestrian friendly improvements and lower building heights.


*And the bits they have objected to:*










Unlimited heights that resulted in the hideous Trump Soho to be restrained.



> The buildings will be a bit wider, though, so as not to lose their density, but they can only rise to 290 feet, rather than 320 feet. Stocky towers instead of slender spires, basically. But that is in many ways fitting with the areas already stolid building stock of former printing plants, which typified the neighborhood for a century before it became a popular haven for Soho expats and minor celebrities (hello James Gandolfini and Lou Reed!).
> 
> http://observer.com/2012/11/hudson-...rezoning-with-shorter-towers-more-open-space/











Trump Soho, the Tour Montparnasse of the neighborhood.


----------



## eddeux

So Trump SoHo will remain the tallest eye-sore in the vicinity. Regardless it's definitelya nice, large proposal overall.:cheers:


----------



## Andre_idol

desertpunk said:


> At last!
> 
> *Durst-fetner Pyramis Wins Final Approval*
> 
> City Council gives the green light to Durst Fetner Residential's plans for a 32-story, 750-apartment residential building. Total of 173 affordable units will be added in the area.


Great news


----------



## Atmosphere

desertpunk said:


> *
> The buildings will be a bit wider, though, so as not to lose their density...
> 
> *


*

hno:

Wider buildings block more view than slim but taller buildings. So in the end the residents will loose more of their view and the area will actually feel more dense instead of less.*


----------



## ThatOneGuy

There's nothing wrong with that 'eyesore'


----------



## yankeesfan1000

^ The new residential building under construction on the far right of that photo is turning out really nicely as well. And to anyone familiar with that area, a few doors down on 13th st from the residential building that's pictured above, there's a parking garage that will soon get demolished for a rental building. I'll see if I can find a rendering.


----------



## desertpunk

*Norfolk Street's Glassy New Pendant Tower Unveiled*









ODA http://www.oda-architecture.com/



> The former Ratner's office and refrigeration space at 100 Norfolk Street will become…this. The building sold for $8.8 million in cash in April 2012, and the new owner announced that it would be replaced by a 44,000-square-foot condo building. That building, Bowery Boogie and ArchDaily reveal, will be this glassy, cantilevered structure designed by ODA. The apartments—38 in total—will get larger the higher one goes, and atop the 12 stories will be two green spaces of 5,000 square feet and 2,000 square feet.











ODA http://www.oda-architecture.com/


----------



## RegentHouse

^^Christ, I'm sorry but that's horrible! Yes it complements the tower on the left and it's better than what's there now, but so much more could be done.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

^ It's not great, but as you said an upgrade over what's there now. It'd be quite nice if instead of a cantilever it had setbacks. Across the street there are 1,000 apartments planned, and as the neighborhood continues to gentrify, it'll get more new low rises like the one above.

None of these will be especially tall given that the ones with the largest developable square feet will be built on the large plots, but nonetheless...

*City Wants to Demolish UWS Schools to Build Luxury Towers*
Tuesday, February 19, 2013, by Jessica Dailey

"Over the long weekend, the West Side Rag broke some surprising news: the city is considering plans to tear down three schools on the Upper East and Upper West Sides and replace them with luxury apartment towers. What's even more shocking is that the city has been seeking plans since November, and parents with children in the schools were just recently notified. The schools in question are PS 199 at 270 West 70th Street, PS 191 at 210 West 61st Street, and the School of Cooperative Technical Education at 321 East 96th Street. PS 199 has 850 students, PS 191 has 550, and unsurprisingly, parents are pretty pissed about the plans. A rep from the DOE said that the city will only move forward with plans if they find something worthwhile. DNAinfo reports that a dozen developers have expressed interest...

... *If the city decides to move forward with this plan, demolition and construction could start as soon as 2015*. The schools would be relocated, and the Request for Expressions of Interest says that developers should consider relocation sites in their proposals. Developers are allowed to submit plans for one site or all three, and *new schools would be built within the towers*..."


----------



## desertpunk

*345 Meatpacking*

A look at what's under the Yayoy Kusama wrapper.









http://www.flickr.com/photos/kbpark/page1/









http://345meatpacking.com/press/new-york-observer-meet-345meatpacking


----------



## yankeesfan1000

^ That as seen in the renderings doesn't do it for me. 

Extell is acquiring a slew of buildings on the block, as they purchased 1683 Third Avenue about a month ago.

*Extell beefs up Third Avenue acquisitions*
February 19, 2013 01:30PM 
By Hayley Kaplan and Hiten Samtani










"Gary Barnett’s Extell Development has expanded its holdings on a stretch of the Upper East Side, paying $8.63 million for a mixed-use building at 1685 Third Avenue to landlord Ogrin Associates, on the same day that Extell sold Ogrin a property at 1570 Second Avenue for less than half the purchase price, city records show. *The deal appears to be part of a larger move by Extell to acquire, and possibly develop, the stretch of Third Avenue between East 94th and East 95th streets*..."


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Sorry for the double post, but this was too cool not to post. An old Seminary from 1836 is being converted into condos in Chelsea. There are tons of photos of the site, and the building right HERE, or in the link below, but definitely worth clicking through. 

*Inside 455 West 20th, A Chelsea Condo With an Older Feel*
Tuesday, February 19, 2013, by Sara Polsky


----------



## desertpunk

*The Singapore Chancery*









http://www.hoklife.com/2012/12/17/qa-kenneth-drucker-faia-design-director-for-hok-in-new-york/



> The Singapore Chancery is under construction here in New York. Our challenge was to create an iconic yet secure building at a townhouse scale. Five twisted glass blades in the main facade of the building represent the five attributes of the Singaporean government. A slot atrium separates the programmed spaces from the core spaces while drawing in daylight from the south.


----------



## .Adam

For me recently a lot of New York's low rise architecture surpasses the towers proposed. Some really high quality developments coming through.


----------



## tim1807

I agree, very good there is so much architectural quality in the lowrise too.


----------



## desertpunk

*Rockpoint, Highgate to sell Times Square hotel in three pieces worth $650M*












> The owners of Times Square’s Milford Plaza Hotel are thinking about chopping up the property into three pieces and selling them separately for a heftier profit, according to the Wall Street Journal. Real estate investment group Rockpoint and Highgate Hotels would like to see separate sales from the Eighth Avenue site — the land, the 1,300-room hotel and the retail space, the newspaper reported.
> 
> Sources close to the negotiations told the Journal that combined value of the sales could be equal to roughly $650 million — more than three times the nearly $200 million that the owners paid in 2010.
> 
> Rockpoint and Highgate could close the sale of the land as early as this week. Sources have identified real-estate investor David Werner and a partner as the potential buyer. The hotel could go to New York real estate firm Ashkenazy Acquisition, but that deal is further away from closing. Eastdil Secured brokers Adam Spies and Douglas Harmon are running the sales.
> 
> While the owners did make significant capital improvements to the property, the massive price growth reflects a spike in demand for hotels in popular tourist areas, according to the Journal


With a breakup value far in excess of the mid-market hotel's worth as a singular, stand-alone property, this could mean the end of the Milford Plaza.


----------



## desertpunk

*New Waterfront Cafes and East River Esplanade Slated to Open by Summer *












> LOWER MANHATTAN — New sections of the long-awaited East River Waterfront Esplanade are slated to open just in time for warmer weather.
> 
> The glass-walled Maiden Lane pavilion, which sits underneath the FDR Drive at Maiden Lane and South Street and will feature a restaurant run by Merchants Hospitality, should be ready by the summer, officials told Community Board 1 Tuesday night.
> 
> Also, a piece of the riverfront pathway that stretches from the Battery Maritime Building to Wall Street is slated for an April opening, while another small portion linking Fulton Street to Pier 15 should be completed by Memorial Day, said Terri Bahr, a project manager for the city Economic Development Corporation.
> 
> On Pier 15, which offers sweeping views of Lower Manhattan, two glass-encased pavilions are also opening soon. One will house a cafe, launching by Memorial Day, and another will be home to a maritime education center, slated to begin operating in July.
> 
> The $165 million East River Waterfront Esplanade project, which is creating a 2-mile picturesque stone path and bikeway lined with greenery and seating, as well as revamped piers and new eateries, will run from the Battery Maritime Building up to Montgomery Street, just north of a retooled Pier 35, when the overhaul is done.
> 
> Bahr said the EDC anticipates the entire path, which has suffered setbacks in construction through the years, including recent delays thanks to Hurricane Sandy, will be finished by 2014.
> 
> [...]
> Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/201...esplanade-slated-open-by-summer#ixzz2LXJB9bpu











http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=5536


----------



## desertpunk

*Harlem Victoria theater Redevelopment To Break Ground Late This Year*












> Harlem’s Victoria Theater is finally getting a makeover, Real Estate Weekly reported. The building on 125th Street, designated a city landmark in 1993, will be transformed into a mix of hotel rooms, residences and retail space. Developers Exact Capital and Danforth Development Partners have tapped architects Aufgang & Subotovsky to design the project; construction is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter.


----------



## desertpunk

*Development At Brooklyn Bridge Park Held Up By Storm-Related Redesigns*









toll brothers



> These builders want to put their Brooklyn Bridge Park plans on a pedestal.
> 
> The developers of a hotel and residential complex at Pier 1 near Old Fulton Street are planning for a future Hurricane Sandy by raising both buildings up at least 3 feet to avoid the massive flood damage that devastated the surrounding DUMBO neighborhood during last October’s superstorm.
> 
> The 159-apartment, 200-room hotel project — which would raise a $3.3 million chunk of the park’s $16 million annual maintenance budget — will now include more steps and ramps to the main lobby and more masonry to put the building above the site’s flood plain, said David Von Spreckelsen, of developer Toll Brothers.
> 
> Mechanical systems, normally in basements, will be moved to the roof. A basement will be built primarily for parking. “We want to make our building a structure that can survive any kind of storm,” said Von Spreckelsen.
> 
> The project, expected to break ground in February, is on hold until Toll Brothers and partner Starwood Capital Group, complete the redesign.


----------



## ZZ-II

desertpunk said:


> *Harlem Victoria theater Redevelopment To Break Ground Late This Year*


wow, that glass-front looks pretty awesome!


----------



## RobertWalpole

London-based Ferndale Hotels will construct a hotel at18-22 W 56th St and the adjoining site of 23-25 W 55th St. I assume that it will be 15 to 20 stories.

A condo of roughly the same height will rise across the street at the former American Cancer Society building.


----------



## Dmerdude

desertpunk said:


> Let the fun begin!
> 
> *Construction begins on Hudson Yards in New York City *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And there's this:


:cheers:


----------



## Jex7844

*NY'subway: line extension/creation*

*By the Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin:*
































































































































































































































*source*: leparisien 

http://www.leparisien.fr/transports...sque-23-02-2013-2592495.php?pic=1#infoBulles1


----------



## ThatOneGuy

"Welcome to Black Mesa"

Amazing


----------



## ZZ-II

Looks just gigantic!


----------



## desertpunk

Here's the terrific interview:

*New York YIMBY*



> Interview With the Architect: 80 South Street's Anthony Morali
> 
> As 80 South Street comes closer to a reality, New York YIMBY sat down to discuss the skyscraper with its chief architect, Anthony Morali. Mr. Morali is still fine-tuning the tower's design—now set to rise 1,018 feet—but unlike the original Calatrava proposal, Morali's iteration of 80 South Street seems like it will actually get built.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Left, 80 South Street. Right, Frank Lloyd Wright's Rogers Lacy Hotel, image from Architecture Theory
> 
> 
> *Q: In creating your vision for 80 South Street, did you draw on Calatrava’s old design?*
> 
> I liked his design when I first saw it, I found it very interesting. I always like fragmentation—there’s attachment and detachment. It’s my own personal philosophy, but I believe in detachment, and that you can never really be attached to one single idea. Detachment and segmentation allow more creativity. In this instance, and in Calatrava’s, you have multiple things going on within each segment of the tower. So I like detachment, segmentation.
> 
> *Q: What else inspired you, looking back historically?*
> 
> I’m always fascinated by roof gardens, and I’m into green roofs and solar integration. Paul Rudolph designed a tower in China and every 10 floors he would break up the volume and create a space. I was also looking at Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, and his never-built Rogers Lacy Hotel was also an inspiration, from Broadacre City. The diagonals are key, and one of Wright’s sketches showed a spire—we’re actually considering adding some kind of spire element to 80 South Street as well.
> 
> In contemporary terms, Herzog & de Meuron’s 56 Leonard Street reminds me of Positano and the villages of Santorini. You know, you look at the square forms in those Italian villages, Greek villages, rising straight from the sea. That’s great design. So I drew on that as well.
> 
> *Q: What’s innovative about 80 South Street?*
> 
> Now, we can say people are creating a new architecture. And we can say that new architecture is including, well—we’re starting to study sky gardens, sustainability, and solar is coming into play. New forms come into play, dynamic forms.
> 
> It’s taking the horizontal city—like townhouses, shops, gardens—and then flipping it on its side. In 80 South Street you have residences and hotel rooms, but you also have interspersed gardens that are much more dynamic than anything else today. This would be new.
> 
> *Q: Is the tower strictly residential? How close are you to securing financing?*
> 
> Right now our zoning lot has a floor-to-area limitation of twelve for residential. We’re going to have a discussion with the neighbor in the back—we don’t need to take away from his commercial floor area, but if he agrees to sell, then we can make 80 South Street fully residential with limited commercial at the base. We’re having a meeting next week for that. For now, the tower is mixed-use hotel and residential.
> 
> For the hotel, we’re having great meetings right now. We had a very good meeting today, and we have a big meeting next week. We've also met with someone who’s doing a 300,000 square foot hotel in Times Square. So we’re coming close to securing a hotel tenant.
> 
> *Q: So if it’s residential, would you say it’ll be more Gehry or Herzog & de Meuron?*
> 
> I would say it’ll be more in line with Herzog & de Meuron’s Tower rather than Gehry’s. I mean, our contractors—KBF and Gilbane—built Gehry’s building. These are the guys who will probably build this building, so they know how to build a tall building. But I would say yes, it’s more in line with 56 Leonard, also because Herzog’s tower works with those different terrace levels.
> 
> *Q: How has Sandy affected the design process?*
> 
> Well the Federal Government raised the base sea level elevation—they call it the BFE—I mean, we were already at about four feet above ground. But for any habitable space, I think it’s going to go up to about eight or nine feet, so no habitable space can be below that at the Seaport. So basically what we’re doing is raising the level of our city.
> 
> Eventually, all of our connections—this is what I’m visualizing when you talk about raising the base plane to ten feet—we’re going to have to start a second level of our city. It’s almost like parts of Rome, where you can look down and see the ancient city twenty feet down. And now, there’s the new city. So, our city is becoming layered, and I think the new sidewalk for our new city is going to be approximately eight feet to nine feet above, and that’s going to create a plane of existence.
> 
> 80 South Street will integrate that potential for a new plane, and who knows—maybe we’ll have elevated walkways between our tower and 151 Maiden Lane next door. And then maybe more neighbors will join in. Creating a new plane opens a ton of opportunities. Why not have the High Line—or something like it—wrap all the way around Manhattan?
> 
> *Q: So you think Sandy will have major & long-lasting ramifications for Lower Manhattan?*
> 
> Everyone’s talking about ‘I’m going to put up a damn and I’m going to fight the water,’ but for me it’s that you don’t fight—let it come in. As far as I’m concerned, I would have canals going all the way through the island with guys on little gondolas, and then I would put my second city on top and we’d all have our walkways up above, and it would be totally romantic and fun.
> 
> *Q: Tentatively, when would you expect 80 South Street to be finished?*
> 
> It’s coming close. Nothing is certain, but things are coming together. 2016 is a rough deadline for now. Cord Meyer is on board, so we’re very excited. We'll have renderings coming out in the next few weeks and we're about to get a model built, so it's definitely moving along.
> 
> 
> 
> *New York YIMBY*


----------



## Andre_idol

> *$40 Million in Air Rights Will Let East Side Tower Soar*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The price of air in Manhattan apparently knows no bounds.
> The developers William L. and Arthur W. Zeckendorf are paying a record $600 per square foot this week for unused development rights, sometimes called air rights, so that they can add floors to a planned ultraluxury tower on 60th Street in the old Silk Stocking District, according to real estate executives.
> 
> The prior record for the cost of air rights was set only last fall when another developer snapped up rights from an adjacent parcel in Chelsea for $500 a square foot for a planned tower at 21st Street and 11th Avenue.
> 
> Now the Zeckendorf brothers are topping that number by paying more than $40 million for 70,000 square feet of air rights from Christ Church, at the northwest corner of Park Avenue and 60th Street. Prices for the 30 apartments in the new 51-story building are expected to fetch upward of $8,000 a square foot, which would be $48 million for a 6,000-square-foot apartment.
> 
> “They’re building what I call a Viagra building: a tall slender tower with great views at a great location,” said Robert I. Shapiro, a real estate broker who specializes in these kind of deals. “What difference does it make if you pay $100 more per square foot if you’re selling condos at over $4,000 a square foot? But there aren’t many sites where you can do this.”
> 
> Height matters, especially in an era when Russian oligarchs, Arab princes and South American billionaires are snapping up apartments for tens of millions of dollars in New York, which is considered a relatively safe haven for their capital.
> 
> So developers are willing to pay a premium for development rights that will allow them to add more floors, building higher than they otherwise could.
> 
> Under the city’s zoning code, a taller building could sit on the land occupied by the church. Air-rights rules allow the property owner to transfer the unused development rights — the difference between the existing building and what is allowed under the zoning code — to an adjoining property owner.
> 
> Some other cities allow similar transfers, but only in Manhattan do the prices reach eye-popping levels.
> 
> The Zeckendorf brothers built 15 Central Park West, one of the city’s most successful condominium buildings, which was designed by the architect Robert A. M. Stern, who will also design the new tower.
> 
> (...)


Full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/n...html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0


----------



## DesignerVoodoo

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
I didn't see a thread for 500 West 30th St. Is there one?


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Doesn't look particularly interesting. The windows look like they could be interesting...

*First Look: New Condos That Will Rise Around the High Line*
Tuesday, February 26, 2013, by Hana Alberts


----------



## towerpower123

New York is getting some awesome slivers! Every city needs some great infill to improve its street life.
There is going to be one rather ugly sliver, however it is making a huge impression because of its height. That is, the Gene Kaufmann Holiday Inn.

Kaufmann Holiday Inn by towerpower123, on Flickr

Kaufmann Holiday Inn 2 by towerpower123, on Flickr
Who ever heard of a Holiday Inn dominating New York City high-rises?
I hope the cladding will be at least bearable. :nuts:


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Demolition progressing for a 563 foot rental building in Brooklyn, with a handful of DOB permits being filled in the past month. Thanks to NYRebel on SSP for finding the link. 

Demolition Looms at the Hub Development Site

Categories: Demolition, Development, Downtown Brooklyn

Rendering:


















http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/35/7/dtg_steinertower_2012_02_17_bk.html


----------



## desertpunk

Amazon looking for 300,000-500,000 sq. ft. in Manhattan, may go into WTC: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/02/28/amazon-looks-for-massive-space-expansion-in-manhattan/


----------



## Nikonov_Ivan

It was better if they would go to the 2WTC or 3WTC than to the 1WTC.


----------



## desertpunk

*5 Franklin Place Shows Off New Look*












> Tribeca's 5 Franklin Place, one of those boom-time new developments that's been regrettably redesigned several times since 2008 but never built, can't let 56 Leonard get all the unarrested development glory. Now just called Franklin Place, the building announced earlier this month that sales would resume soon, and that there was a new architect, ODA, on board. Above, the first teaser rendering of the ODA design.


----------



## desertpunk

*New Renders Of The Hudson Yards Culture Shed Coming In 2017*


----------



## yankeesfan1000

^ Was just gonna post that 5 Franklin Place rendering, it looks pretty good from that. Not as good as the original pre 2008 building, but definitely better than what was planned there a couple years ago.


----------



## el palmesano

wow!!! amazing!!!!!


----------



## SouthMegaCity

i hope new york will hold the title of having the tallest syscraper in d world...


----------



## aquablue

SouthMegaCity said:


> i hope new york will hold the title of having the tallest syscraper in d world...


No, I doubt it. FAA limits the height of buildings in NYC.


----------



## RobertWalpole

SouthMegaCity said:


> i hope new york will hold the title of having the tallest syscraper in d world...


I doubt it too. That's a matter of pride -- not economics. NY will leave the willy measuring contest to cities with insecurities.


----------



## ZZ-II

Yes, that will unfortunately never happen.


----------



## desertpunk

*Lincoln Square sees residential surge
*









21 West End Ave.



> Lincoln Square on the Upper West Side has seen a surge of new residential development, and will add over 1,000 rental apartments over the next few years, the Wall Street Journal reported.
> 
> Developers and brokers tout the area’s family-friendly reputation and demand for amenity-rich buildings as big incentives for new projects. *One of the larger ones is Dermot Company’s 21 West End Avenue, a 43-story, 616-unit rental building on 61st Street. The building, set to open in 2015, will include a four-story public school, and in a move unusual for Dermot, will include three-bedroom apartments. *
> 
> 21 West End Avenue is the first project in a series of buildings planned at the Riverside Center complex between 59th and 61st Street, whose five buildings will eventually contain 2,500 housing units. *Nearby, a 54-story, 339-building at 160 West 62nd Street is being developed by Glenwood Management, which will also break ground this year on a 48-story, 257-unit rental at 175 West 60th Street.*
> 
> [...]


----------



## DesignerVoodoo

I am putting this here but there is also a specific thread for the Domino Sugar Plant. There are nice design changes and I'm excited to see how many of these ideas make it through to the next stage of design and development. http://gothamist.com/2013/03/04/first_look_at_renderings_for_the_ne.php#photo-1


----------



## RobertWalpole

DesignerVoodoo said:


> I am putting this here but there is also a specific thread for the Domino Sugar Plant. There are nice design changes and I'm excited to see how many of these ideas make it through to the next stage of design and development. http://gothamist.com/2013/03/04/first_look_at_renderings_for_the_ne.php#photo-1


Wow! That looks cool!


----------



## ZZ-II

I hope it will be build like that, it's just wonderful


----------



## tim1807

Another redesign for that area? Or am I wrong? Oh wait I am wrong, this is across the East River park. It looks nice but only in Brooklyn, luckily not in Manhattan. I think these units will be sold quickly due to it's location.


----------



## desertpunk

TRD

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


LOL Chopped version from the Curbed article:









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/03/04/nymag_critic_calls_two_trees_domino_plan_daring_genius.php

Spells "SHoP"


----------



## tim1807

uke: Ugly as hell.


----------



## desertpunk

*JDS pays $170M for First Avenue site, plans luxury residential development
*



> Michael Stern
> In his most ambitious project to date, Michael Stern’s JDS Development has paid $170 million for a full block on First Avenue that he plans to convert into a luxury apartment development, the Wall Street Journal reported.
> 
> The 33-year-old Stern purchased *the complex, located between East 35th and East 36th Streets*, in partnership with hedge fund Baupost Group, sources familiar with the transaction told the Journal. “The neighborhood is crying out for something modern and upscale,” *Stern, who hopes to break ground on the $600 million project this summer, told the Journal. “It really is a chance to shape the skyline.”*



This little bastard will easily be a skyscraper. :cheers:


----------



## Bronxwood

The chopped version is obviously fake, for those who don't bother to read. Two sky bridges over the Williamsburg bridge? Not happening. The real design by SHOP is not bad. I prefer it, overall, to the old design. Although I'm not really liking the copper building with the yellow windows to the left.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Right next door to the new Domino Plant...

*Work Starts at Hunter's Point Affordable Housing Complex*
Monday, March 4, 2013, by Hana Alberts


----------



## ZZ-II

so another 2 highrises U/C? perfect :cheers:


----------



## el palmesano

^^ great!


----------



## desertpunk

Bronxwood said:


> The chopped version is obviously fake, for those who don't bother to read. Two sky bridges over the Williamsburg bridge? Not happening. The real design by SHOP is not bad. I prefer it, overall, to the old design. Although I'm not really liking the copper building with the yellow windows to the left.


I still like the Raphael Vinoly design much more since it's more urban and complimentary to the skyline across the river. I hope that the SHoP design is an early rough draft and that it will be refined. I'm a big fan of their work overall but this one falls flat for me as it stands. :cheers:


----------



## RobertWalpole

This is quite a nice structure. It's sad to see more of the "old Times Square" razed.

Staten Islander


----------



## desertpunk

*Aluminum Redesign Unveiled for Soho's Chocolate Factory
*









curbed


----------



## Dmerdude

^^

Looks stupid.


----------



## Сталин

Dmerdude said:


> ^^
> 
> Looks stupid.


Totally agree.


----------



## ZZ-II

Сталин;101014033 said:


> Totally agree.


Agree too


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

Turtle Bay comes out from under its shell:
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/03/08/midtown-easts-turtle-bay-comes-out-from-under-its-shell/



> an executive at investment firm Fishman Holdings–a subsidiary of Tel Aviv–based telecom giant the Fishman Group told the Journal. The company plans to break ground this year on a 28-story, 54-unit condo at 301 East 50th Street.
> 
> A block away, at 303 East 51st Street, a development that was the site of a 2008 crane collapse lies incomplete. But HFZ Capital’s Zeil Feldman, who purchased the site in 2009, plans to enlarge the original foundation and create a bigger, 32-story, 112-unit condominium project. “The whole community is excited about getting rid of this eyesore,” Feldman told the Journal.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

ZZ-II said:


> Agree too


I dunno i think its not that bad. It would be hard to get an approval for such a project in SoHo if it would really stand out. I think it would fit rather nicely for SoHo. Sort of a modern looking of a SoHo cast iron facade.


----------



## ophizer

looks great...thank god it's not anther glass or faux brick facade, and it pays homage to the cast iron buildings in the neighborhood. 

everybody's a critic, if it's a regular infill "it's not daring enough"...if it's trying to be a little creative or innovative "it looks stupid" 

the same goes for the new Two Trees proposal


----------



## Nikonov_Ivan

I think that it is unique and it is better than chocolate factory anyway.


----------



## aquablue

Very nice skeleton bone building, looks like something out of a horror flick!


----------



## RobertWalpole

desertpunk said:


> *Aluminum Redesign Unveiled for Soho's Chocolate Factory
> *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> curbed


It's obviously intended to mimic the old cast iron facades. It looks ugly at this point. SoHo is in a landmark district. I wonder what revisions the city will require.


----------



## Nikonov_Ivan

A new icon for the NYC?


----------



## København

renderings??


----------



## RobertWalpole

Extell set to grow Midtown East site
Firm has three buildings within a larger parcel that city projects could be 925K sf hotel
March 20, 2013 03:00PM 
By Adam Pincus 
« Previous Next » Print Tweet 
From left: Gary Barnett and 143 East 49th Street (credit: PropertyShark)

Extell Development is buying a small building on 49th Street in Midtown East that would add to a garage and a mixed-use building that the company already owns on the block between Lexington and Third avenues. Extell signed a contract on the four-story 143 East 49th Street from Ramosar Realty last April, and plans to close the purchase on or before June 30, city property records filed this month say. No price was given for the purchase of the 4,875-square foot residential and retail building that is squeezed between the hotel and another apartment building.

This would be the third contiguous building that Extell owns on the block. The largest so far is the seven-story garage at 138 East 50th Street, that Extell purchased for $60.9 million on Dec. 1, 2011. It has 120,492 square feet of development rights. On the same day, a company affiliated with Extell purchased 151 East 49th Street for $9.6 million, city records show. That four-story structure comes with 22,080 square feet of development rights, data from PropertyShark shows.

It is not known if Extell is building a modest tower, or something larger, because the firm did not respond to requests for comment. However, these three buildings are within a larger footprint, identified as site number 17, that Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Midtown East rezoning proposal envisions could be redeveloped as a massive 924,893-square-foot hotel if a total of six parcels were combined. The largest building within the potential site is the W New York at 541 Lexington Avenue, owned by Host Hotels & Resorts.

The city’s plan identified site 17, fronting Lexington Avenue between 49th and 50th streets, for a large hotel. Barnett now owns three of the six parcels the city projects would be part of the large site.

Host Hotels did not respond to a question asking if it was negotiating with Extell to redevelop the site. An individual who would not identify himself at Ramosar Realty denied the building was for sale.

Extell, headed by president Gary Barnett, is the most active builder in Manhattan, a survey by The Real Deal found, with at least 11 active projects totaling 5.7 million square feet. This potential site and other similar parcels were not included in that count.

The memorandum of contract noting the expected sale of 143 East 49th Street was signed by Extell’s Executive Vice President Dov Hertz and recorded on March 6, city records show.

Tags: extell development, Midtown East Rezoning


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

RobertWalpole said:


> Extell set to grow Midtown East site
> Firm has three buildings within a larger parcel that city projects could be 925K sf hotel
> March 20, 2013 03:00PM
> By Adam Pincus
> « Previous Next » Print Tweet
> From left: Gary Barnett and 143 East 49th Street (credit: PropertyShark)
> 
> Extell Development is buying a small building on 49th Street in Midtown East that would add to a garage and a mixed-use building that the company already owns on the block between Lexington and Third avenues. Extell signed a contract on the four-story 143 East 49th Street from Ramosar Realty last April, and plans to close the purchase on or before June 30, city property records filed this month say. No price was given for the purchase of the 4,875-square foot residential and retail building that is squeezed between the hotel and another apartment building.
> 
> *This would be the third contiguous building that Extell owns on the block*.
> 
> Tags: extell development, Midtown East Rezoning


Interesting. He is assembling properties around this site. This site most definitely, should be a supertall candidate should the ME Rezoning is approved.


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## desertpunk

*PMG May Build 18 Story West Village Tower*












> According to a commenter here, the 6th Avenue Car Wash has been closed and boarded up.
> 
> Located at 6th and Broome for at least 30 years, the car wash was sold recently, much to the dismay of its employees who walked out over the sale. They made the case that the sale was made as retaliation against their unionizing. They have since been given new jobs at other car washes.
> 
> So what's to become of this prime Soho space? Permits on file reveal that it's in the hands of developer PMG, a company "dedicated to its core business strategy: aggressively acquiring land and properties and successfully transforming them to high-end luxury properties."
> 
> This spot is zoned for light manufacturing. But, pending zoning approval, PMG has an application on file with the Department of Buildings for a new residential high-rise building here --18 stories high, 27 units.


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## desertpunk

*Silverstein's Jeremy Moss Talks 2,3 And 4 WTC*












> Before Jeremy Moss, senior vice president of leasing at Silverstein Properties, joined the firm four and a half years ago, he spent eight years working at Forest City Ratner, a tenure that culminated in a role managing the leasing of the office space at the New York Times building. He called working alongside Bruce Ratner and MaryAnne Gilmartin on the Times building “a great learning experience that prepared me well for the World Trade Center.” Mr. Moss helped oversee leasing at Silverstein’s 7 World Trade Center and is now leading efforts at 2, 3 and 4 World Trade Center. “I feel fortunate to be able to work on such a historic project, particularly as a native New Yorker,” Mr. Moss said when he sat down with The Commercial Observer last week to discuss his leasing efforts at the World Trade Center, its impacts on lower Manhattan and the future of the market.
> 
> ----
> 
> *Where are you focusing your energy next?*
> 
> With 7 World Trade Center fully leased, we’re focused on 4 World Trade Center, which will open at the end of 2013. It’s the next chapter in the history of the rebuilding of the World Trade Center, and I’m really looking forward to walking people into that lobby and showing them the extraordinary architecture and the views. We are very focused on leasing at that building, and we’re in discussions with a number of different companies looking for larger blocks of space—anywhere from 200,000 to one million [square] feet.
> 
> Who are you marketing it to, and what can tenants look forward to?
> 
> The lobby has a 46-foot-high ceiling, which creates an extraordinary impression when you enter the building. There’s a granite floor, floor-to-ceiling glass and polished black granite on the wall, which is designed to reflect the park behind you as you enter the lobby, intended to make you feel like you’re outside. I can’t think of another lobby like it in New York City. And up top, you have 360-degree views that are spectacular, and the advantage that we have in the location is that we don’t have any other building obstructing our views—we have views of the river, we have views of Midtown—so it’s really spectacular.
> 
> We’re seeing interest from a whole range of different tenants in all sorts of industries, and I think that speaks to two things: the appeal of new construction because of the efficiency it offers and the impact that a sustainable building can have on productivity.
> 
> Can you talk more about those impacts?
> 
> The buildings are all LEED-certified. That not only has obvious societal benefits, but it has a significant impact on the experience of the people working in the building, their satisfaction level and productivity. The buildings are all designed with floor-to-ceiling glass and extra-high ceilings, which allow for an abundance of natural light to permeate the entire space. The views make everyone feel like they’re working in a special place. And the awareness that the space is having a positive impact on the environment also makes people feel really good about their work space.
> 
> *What’s the situation at 2 and 3 World Trade Center?
> 
> We’re in discussion with tenants that would anchor 3 World Trade Center, which would allow us to continue construction to completion by the end of 2016. Construction started and we built the first few floors, which gives us a significant advantage in terms of the time frame within which we can deliver the building to prospective tenants. Two World Trade Center is complete up to street level, and that’s a building that will be triggered by a lease commitment in the future—by a large anchor tenant.*
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*A New Hotel/Condo Plan Appears for Long-Stalled 610 Lex*












> The sad, sad vacant lot at 610 Lexington Avenue was once destined to hold a Norman Foster-designed tower with New York's first Shangri-La hotel and condos, but developer Aby Rosen's plan was wholly scrapped after a foreclosure scare in 2011. But now, six years after that pipe dream began, it looks like Midtown is gonna get a tower after all. The firm filling Foster's shoes is SLCE Architects, whose past award-winning projects have included the likes of the Bloomberg building (just uptown at 731 Lexington) and the Top of the Rock observation deck at Rockefeller Center. Renderings of the glassy tower from SLCE's website are above, plus new filings with the Department of Buildings give a hint as to what's going to be in the 65-story structure planned for the southwest corner of 53rd Street.
> 
> Expect typical hotel amenities, like a bar, restaurant, pool, fitness room, spa, and business lounge, according to a a recently amended filing with the Department of Buildings. The hotel's common spaces and rooms will span from a ground-level lobby up to the 52nd floor, and above that will be apartments (with just two per level) till the 63rd floor. No residence in the penthouse, oddly. We don't yet know who the new hotel tenant will be, according to a rep from Rosen's RFR Holding quoted anonymously in the Post last week.


FWIW more renders:














































http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/03/20/a_new_hotelcondo_plan_appears_for_longstalled_610_lex.php


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## Vertical_Gotham

^^^ is that the old renders by Norman Foster??

This is another to look forward to. 715 ft is a great size for a skyscraper. Hope the pics are are for the current project.


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## desertpunk

*Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower clock finally relit:*









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/03/20/new_line_of_rentals_at_25_broad_515_east_72nd_adds_2brs.php


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## desertpunk

Vertical_Gotham said:


> ^^^ is that the old renders by Norman Foster??


According to Curbed, these are renderings from SLCE's website.

Very similar in ways. A small 2 ft height change was included in the most recent DOB filing.


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## yankeesfan1000

desertpunk said:


> *PMG May Build 18 Story West Village Tower*


I walked by a few weeks ago and the car wash was closed, and demo seemed imminent.


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## towerpower123

desertpunk said:


> *Moed de Armas & Shannon To Head Herald Center Renovation*


That facade could be quite iconic at night if it is done well. A color changing facade with that level of detail and intensity could easily become an architectural landmark for that area.:banana::banana::cheers:



yankeesfan1000 said:


> I walked by a few weeks ago and the car wash was closed, and demo seemed imminent.


Even a Gene Kaufmann hotel would look better than that pile! Good riddance that it is being removed soon!


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## Dale

I remember visiting Herald Square, back in the mid-90's, and it seemed a little down-at-the-heels even back then.


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## ZZ-II

towerpower123 said:


> That facade could be quite iconic at night if it is done well. A color changing facade with that level of detail and intensity could easily become an architectural landmark for that area.:banana::banana::cheers:


looks like the facade is made out of CD's


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## Vertical_Gotham

*Development at South Street Seaport's Pier 17 Gets Nod from NYC Council*

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2013/03/development-at-south-street-seaports-pier-17-gets-nod-from-nyc-council


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## yankeesfan1000

*New Renderings for 150 Charles* now U/C


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## ophizer

yankeesfan1000 said:


> *New Renderings for 150 Charles* now U/C


bEAUUuutifulll

on an unrelated note, why are all my pages in Spanish now, wtf 
HELP!!!!


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## Nikonov_Ivan

^^You need to change your language in the right down corner of the page.


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## sbarn

Here is a sampling of smaller projects (many others not included):

*The Larstrand - 2182 Broadway at W 77th Street*
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]






































*734 West End Avenue (between 95th and 96th streets)*
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]






































*260 East 26th Street*
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]
























































*501 West 51st Street*
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]











*521 W 48th St*
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]











*553 W 52nd St (Clinton Commons)*
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]




















*431 West 37th Street (Mantena)*
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]
























































*325 West 33rd Street (Cambria Suites)*
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]




















*529 West 29th Street* (about halfway up)
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]















































*84 Third Avenue*
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]




















*133 Third Avenue* (still under Stop Work Order)
[Photo by EastMillinocket @WNY]











*The Jefferson (219 E 13th St)*
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]






































*310 East 2nd Street (Alphabet Plaza)*
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]






































*180 Ludlow Street*
[Photo by EastMillinocket @WNY]




















*119 Orchard St* (10 story sliver hotel)
[Photo by EastMillinocket @WNY]











*323-325 Park Ave South*
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]




















45 East 33rd Street (another crap hotel)
[Photos by EastMillinocket @WNY]


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## ThatOneGuy

>


I like this one! Nice contrast in the area because of it!


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## desertpunk

*
Public plaza outside 51 Astor Place taking shape*


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## desertpunk

*New towers turn Big Apple into Spec City*









reuters



> Two new Manhattan office towers now going up will soon bring 900,000 expensive square feet to market. Not a square inch of that space has been pre-leased. Yet their developers seem unfazed.
> 
> How can this be, given conventional wisdom that spec projects are so likely to ruin their developers and glut the market that they’re rarely attempted? The Times last week, for example, called Minskoff Equities’ 13-story 430,000-square-foot 51 Astor Place, opening next month, “an unusual move” in that Edward J. Minskoff is putting it up without pre-signed tenants. Big Apple developers of skyscrapers like the International Gem Tower (above) and 7 Bryant Park are bringing it on—and up—before they sew up tenants.
> 
> So why isn’t Minskoff sweating? Or, for that matter, Texas-based Hines over its own sure-to-be white elephant, the 457,000-square-foot 7 Bryant Park on which it just broke ground?
> 
> The fallacy that spec towers are wildly irresponsible disruptions to an otherwise disciplined development scene is impossible to shake — especially among commercial brokers who don’t happen to represent the developer of any particular new spec project. In fact, Manhattan is Spec City — and then some.
> 
> Recent history makes nonsense of boilerplate pronouncements often stated as fact.
> 
> It’s crucial to keep in mind as city planners and developers tackle the eternal question of whether we “need” new office space, and make crucial decisions about Midtown East rezoning, new World Trade Center construction and strategies for the Far West Side. The record is clear and indisputable. Even in an erratic market, companies snatch up freshly minted space. All of it, even when it’s an untested type of product.
> 
> Gary Barnett’s Extell has already sold 70 percent of 400,000 square feet of condominium units for diamond-industry users at its International Gem Tower on West 47th Street — which boldly went up with zero pre-commitments. And while 300,000 feet of rental offices remain, the tower won’t even open for another year.
> 
> At least five large-scale spec office towers comprising more than 5 million square feet of prime state-of-the-art space have been completed since early 2000, when 4 Times Square was finished.
> 
> None failed.
> 
> One gave its developer some anxious moments — but found its footing soon enough. In projects under 500,000 square feet, like 51 Astor Place and 7 Bryant Park, history suggests the developer’s risk is nil. The market’s weakness lies not in spec construction, but in older buildings that are merely serviceable.
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*High a-spire-ations at WTC*



> By LOIS WEISS
> Last Updated: 4:15 AM, April 3, 2013
> Posted: 12:22 AM, April 3, 2013
> 
> We’re finally convinced that the One World Center antenna is going to be deemed a spire.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yesterday, we got a peek at the faceted, rocket-like crown of the 408 foot-long “antenna” structure that looks like it will take off for another planet. While this roughly 100 foot section will soon leave terra firma on a crane ride to its 1,700 foot-high perch on top of other “antenna” pieces, the capsule will only appear to touch the stars.
> 
> Inside the shiny skin, workers are wiring up hundreds of individual LED lights, whose beams will comprise an architectural beacon flooding the tri-state area via a spinning mirror. An FAA beacon will also wink on the top. A short lightning rod will top off the tower at 1,795.4 feet above the north lobby, and all will be lit at night by a colorful array of LED lights.
> 
> With a pinnacle worthy of Major Tom and a long, curvy perch that can been identified from the Tappan Zee Bridge, we have no doubt now that One WTC will get its height certified all the way to the 1,776-foot top.
> 
> With a half-moon poised over the building yesterday morning, the Port Authority owners brought its board; partner-developer Douglas Durst; and its new One World Observatory partners, Legends Hospitality, to the unfinished 100th floor for an introduction to the upcoming one-hour visitor “experience” that they subtitle “See Forever.”
> 
> [...]


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## ZZ-II

So it will be official 541m tall, nice


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## RobertWalpole

http://observer.com/2013/04/tf-corn...-story-residential-tower-on-west-57th-street/


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## sbarn

RobertWalpole said:


> http://observer.com/2013/04/tf-corn...-story-residential-tower-on-west-57th-street/


Another tower for 57th Street. Definitely the hottest street in town!


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## Vertical_Gotham

sbarn said:


> Another tower for 57th Street. Definitely the hottest street in town!


Yes indeed it really is amazing what is being planned and built along this corridor. 

Off hand there are currently 9 projects that I can think of:

1) 625 W 57 (450 ft)
2) 606 W 57 (45 Story)
3) 1715 Broadway (753 ft)
4) 225 W 57 (1,550 ft)
5) One57 (1,003 ft)
6) 120 W 57 (300 ft)
7) 107 W 57 (900 ft)
8) 432 Park Avenue (1,397 ft)
9) 250 E 57 (712 ft)

Did I miss anything??

I have in mind 3 development zones that are currently undergoing in the city and 57th Street corridor is the biggest imo.

1) WTC Complex Zone
2) Hudson Yards Zone
3) 57th Street Corridor Zone 

Now I’m waiting for the Midtown East rezoning that would get built around Grand Central Area. J


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## desertpunk

*City courting community approval of Culture Shed at Related’s Hudson Yards*












> City officials are trying to stir up interest in the Culture Shed, a massive exhibition and event space in Related Cos. Hudson Yards development, the Wall Street Journal reported.
> 
> Officials have taken a series of steps in recent months to get the project on its feet and attract community support. They revealed designs showing a transparent 125-foot-tall shell that runs around the building and would roll out to surround an 18,000-square-foot plaza adjacent to the High Line. They have secured tax-exempt status for a nonprofit group that would operate the space and have assembled a board of directors, whose three members include one current and one former member of the Bloomberg administration.
> 
> The proposal has also received the endorsement of cultural stalwarts such as the directors of the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation.The board is still to estimate the cost of construction, however, and no hiring or fundraising has yet begun. The delay in appraising the cost of the project, Ryan Max, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs, told the Journal, was because of difficulty in estimating the cost of the high-tech material on the shell that “has not been used very much on projects in the United States.”
> 
> “The idea here is to see a space that serves the broadest spectrum of the creative sector in New York City,” Kate Levin, the city’s commissioner for cultural affairs and a member of Culture Shed’s board, told the Journal. A project of this type, Levin added, was key to the the city’s capability to remain on the forefront of innovation.
> 
> Construction could start in the summer of 2014 and is slated to be finished at the end of 2017, Levin said. The shed must be built in tandem with the platform over the West Side rail yards and a 70-story residential tower which will connect to it.
> 
> Despite the city’s efforts, members of Manhattan’s Community Board 4 are skeptical. The board is expected to recommend on Wednesday that the City Planning Commission deny the city’s zoning application, unless the city can devise an alternative 20,000 square feet of public space at Hudson Yards.
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*Clinton Hill’s Myrtle Avenue to be transformed by Silverstone residential development*









504-518 Myrtle Ave.



> Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill is going to have a radically different look, with a new residential project by Silverstone Property Group going up where a string of small shops now do business, DNAinfo reported.
> 
> Silverstone bought the buildings for $5.6 million in December, giving the firm control of the south side of Myrtle Avenue from Hall Street to Grand Avenue. Plans call for renovating and increasing the height of the buildings, which zoning regulations permit to rise up to eight stories. Silverstone also applied for a Department of Buildings permit to renovate and expand the site’s commercial space.
> 
> The site is currently home to an Associated Supermarket, a post office, and local businesses such as Nikki Beauty Supply and New Fantastic Cleaners.
> 
> “The recent revelation that the owner of the Associated building and post office building plans to build up on his sites has forced many retailers who were on month-to-month leases to relocate,” M. Blaise Backer, director of the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, told DNAinfo. “As of now, we believe every retailer in that strip except one has found another space on Myrtle who wants one.”
> 
> Silverstone did not immediately respond to DNAinfo’s requests for comment.
> 
> Also coming to the area, by next summer, is a public plaza on the south side of Myrtle Avenue between Hall Street and Emerson Place. It will include include “improved crossings, new bus stops, dozens of new trees, large planters with ornamentals, game tables, a water fountain, a permanent art installation, moveable tables and chairs,” according to the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership.
> 
> ---


----------



## desertpunk

*The Whitney Museum, framing out:*


The Whitney by Scoboco, on Flickr


The Whitney by Scoboco, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*160 Imlay St. To Shine in Red Hook:*












> Although Red Hook is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, Red Hook gentrification continues apace. Architects Adjmi & Andreoli are in the process of converting two enormous derelict warehouses in the neighborhood, and since both projects are still in the planning stages—luckily for everyone involved—there wasn't really anything at either site for the storm to ruin. The first project, at the century-old 160 Imlay Street, has been in (and out of) the works for years. Adjmi & Andreoli are currently reworking the plans, which originally called for 144 rental units, and instead making the former New York Dock Company warehouse into a 72-unit mixed-use condo building with a market and restaurant on the ground floor and artists' studios on the second floor, in effect turning it into its own ecosystem for the new Red Hook aristocracy. (62 Imlay, the basically identical building right next door, was turned into an art warehouse a couple years ago.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The development, which will be called the New York Dock Building, is, as you can see from the above photo gallery, currently little more than a shell of a building, but a very impressive shell nonetheless with 13-foot ceilings (15-footers on the 6th floor), enormous windows offering both Manhattan and Brooklyn views, and an expansive rooftop that will be decked out with a swimming pool. Although sales were initially expected to go live in January, that date has clearly been pushed back.


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## desertpunk

*West 42nd Street's Resurrected Atelier 2 May Look Like This*









http://www.newyorkyimby.com/2013/04/renderings-released-atelier-ii.html



> We know that construction has restarted on the long-stalled Atelier 2 at 605 West 42nd Street—we have the photographic evidence to prove it—but we don't know much else. How tall will it be? Who's the new architect? What, exactly, will it look like? Today, we may have an answer to the latter. New York YIMBY spotted a new rendering on the website of RSpline Studios that looks like a higher quality, more detailed version of the rendering we saw back in October. RSpline, a visualization firm, does not list an architect for the project (previous plans listed Costas Kondylis), but from the image, the development looks taller and a bit more "schizophrenic" than previous plans.
> 
> The facades are a mishmash of blue and white checks, and a detached cube has been plunked atop the eastern tower. The anchoring commercial space is still huge, and its roof appears to be covered with lawns for the residential buildings, which, last we heard, will be rental. As for the height of the towers, we've heard 57-stories or 45-stories, and NY YIMBY points out that they look taller than the neighboring 653-foot-tall Silver Towers, so these bad boys could rise somewhere in the vicinity of 700 feet.


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## desertpunk

*Atlantic Yards To Develop Along Vanderbilt Avenue In First Phase*












> While construction has just begun on the first residential tower at Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, the developer may be plotting the next construction site. SHoP Architects designed three towers clustered around the Barclays Center arena, but the Atlantic Yards Report blog reported in late March, citing documents from Forest City, that the developer is including a parcel at the southeastern corner of the site at Vanderbilt Avenue and Dean Street ( Buildings 11-14 above) in its first phase construction plans. No design exists for the four buildings planned there, but an early site model by Frank Gehry and a massing diagram from the Municipal Art Society based on the approved Gehry site plan show the buildings will not be the tallest in the project.
> 
> Critics like AYR-blogger Norman Oder are upset that development atop the railyards at the center and north of the site aren’t being prioritized and have accused Forest City of delaying real investment in the area.
> 
> .


Forest City being accused of a bait and switch regarding their promise to build an expensive platform over the railyards. Obviously they're timing everything to a return of the condo market while still moving forward on SHoP's value-engineered prefab B-2.


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## desertpunk

*Boutique hotel planned for site adjacent to historic Williamsburgh Savings building*












> A 250-room hotel will go up next to the historic Williamsburgh Savings Bank building in Brooklyn, a spokesperson for the developer, Juan Figueroa, confirmed to The Real Deal today.
> 
> *The hotel is still in the early planning stages but should rise 40 stories on a site adjacent to the old bank building, at 175 Broadway, which has undergone an extensive renovation and will open later this year as an event space.* “It is going to be the hottest hotel in Brooklyn – no question in my mind,” said Edward Eschmann, a director in CBRE’s evaluation group, who is familiar with the project.
> 
> The boutique hotel will probably be ready for business by early 2015, both Eschmann and the developer’s spokesperson said; Figueroa, though doesn’t have financing yet for the project, Eschmann told TRD. Previous reports had speculated that Figueroa would convert the bank itself into lodging; the next-door space, empty but part of the same plot, will let the developer build a much taller hotel.
> 
> Proximity to the Williamsburg Bridge and Peter Luger Steakhouse should help boost the hotel’s profile. The domed bank is one block south of the bridge, at Driggs Avenue.
> 
> [...]


An earlier contest-winning concept rendering by Miami-based architecture firm Oppenheim A+D of a hotel at that location. No word on the architect or a render for this development.









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/...ed_next_to_the_williamsburgh_savings_bank.php









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/02/oppenheim_wins_supersecret_supertall_burg_hotel_bid.php









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/02/oppenheim_wins_supersecret_supertall_burg_hotel_bid.php









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/02/oppenheim_wins_supersecret_supertall_burg_hotel_bid.php


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## desertpunk

*Avalon West Chelsea (lower portion) and 529 W. 29th St:*









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/...nstructoporn_sales_update_in_court_square.php









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/...nstructoporn_sales_update_in_court_square.php


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## Nikonov_Ivan

Big article about Staten Island Wheel with new renderings of redesigned wheel:
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/03/a_refined_vision_for_the_new_y.html

It says that approval process is going to start in this month and will take about 7 month. So, we can expect beginning of construction later this year!


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## xXFallenXx

desertpunk said:


> *Boutique hotel planned for site adjacent to historic Williamsburgh Savings building*
> 
> An earlier contest-winning concept rendering by Miami-based architecture firm Oppenheim A+D of a hotel at that location. No word on the architect or a render for this development.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/...ed_next_to_the_williamsburgh_savings_bank.php
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/02/oppenheim_wins_supersecret_supertall_burg_hotel_bid.php
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/02/oppenheim_wins_supersecret_supertall_burg_hotel_bid.php
> 
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> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/02/oppenheim_wins_supersecret_supertall_burg_hotel_bid.php


Wow, I remember this one from years ago. Hope the design doesn't change, it's a beauty.


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## desertpunk

*Baccarat Hotel rising in the W.53rd St. canyon:*









http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeltunnah/


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## desertpunk

*1715 Broadway adjusts its chamelion look:*


IMG_7276 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*Fordham development reshapes Lincoln Center skyline:*


IMG_7251 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


IMG_7248 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


IMG_7247 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*Gem Tower, April 6*


IMG_7132 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


IMG_7139 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

City of Steel by beanhead4529, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Balazs courting new investors at Meatpacking’s Standard Hotel for a future expansion*












> Boutique hotelier André Balazs is looking to new investors to help him expand the trendy Standard Hotel, the New York Post reported. “We are very aggressively looking at other properties and are talking to both a circle of US and foreign investors, everything from sovereign funds to more conventional private equity,” Balazs told the Post. He added that he had had preliminary discussions with three brokerages, but nothing was on paper yet.
> 
> A new investor, Balazs told the Post, would likely be one looking to invest in other branches of the Standard. The iconic Meatpacking District hotel carries a cachet with the New York City nightlife crowd due to its chic restaurants and bars such as the Standard Biergarten, the Standard Grill and the celebrity haunt the Boom Boom Room.
> 
> Dune Capital Management and Greenfield Partners, the two majority investors in the Standard, are considering a sale of their majority stake in hotel, in a deal that could be worth $300 million. Balazs told the Post he hoped a sale would fetch even more than that, and if a deal were to be made, it would be “the next year, year and a half.”


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## LondonFox

^ they're knocking that down... right?


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## desertpunk

*Stalled Midtown skyscraper may have second coming*









250 E.57th St.



> A planned 715-foot Midtown East skyscraper that was put on hold by the real-estate downturn may be resurrected by a group of developers led by World-Wide Group, the Wall Street Journal reported.
> 
> As part of the financing deal for the tower — located at the southwest corner of 57th Street and Second Avenue — Starwood Property Trust would provide a roughly $450 million loan and J.P. Morgan Chase and Rose Associates would make equity investments, according to multiple real estate executives who spoke with the Journal.
> 
> The total cost of the tower could not be determined. The project will have 270 units, according to a building permit application filed in November, and the units would be a mix of rentals and condominiums, people involved in the deal told the Journal.
> 
> Details on the tower have yet to be announced, although the developers have said they plan to start construction later this year. A building permit application filed in November calls for 270 units, and people involved in the deal said the apartments would be a mix of rental and condominium units, which would be located at the top.
> 
> The land for the project is owned by the city’s Department of Education, which inked a 75-year, $325 million lease deal with World-Wide in 2006. As part of the deal, World-Wide agreed to rebuild two aging schools on the site.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Residents Fume Over Demolition Plan For Former Stock Exchange Building 
http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130408/financial-district/residents-fume-over-demolition-plan-for-former-stock-exchange-building

"The Fisher Brothers representatives also fielded questions about what exactly the company would be building once the old structure was demolished.

Last year, the company bought both 22 Thames St. and neighboring American Stock Exchange building 86 Trinity Place for $150 million, according to reports.

Adams said at the meeting that 22 Thames would be turned into a mixed residential and commercial space, but he wouldn’t give any details. The developer has not yet submitted plans to the Department of Buildings.

Previous owners of the space said they wanted to turn 22 Thames into a 60-story tower."*


----------



## Nikonov_Ivan

East side access update:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms0nDGDrNc8


----------



## desertpunk

*200 E.39th St.*












> A 19-story tower with 91 apartments is in the works for 200 East 39th Street. A tipster writes, "The site of the old Frontier Diner on 39th and 3rd (which burned down in 2010) is finally getting some activity. The shell of the old building has finally been torn down." Department of Buildings records confirm that such a structure, built by SK Development and designed by Rawlings Architects, will rise in that spot, anchored by retail tenants with studios, 1BRs, and 2BRs above.
> 
> Rawlings has worked on some other notable projects, like 50 Franklin and 14 West 14th Street, and this building seems to follow its general predilection for simply adorned, modern exteriors with layered facades. The southern-facing side will apparently have a "modern geometric design," but we can't tell yet from the renderings what it'll be. CM & Associates Construction estimates that it will be finished in the third quarter of 2014.


----------



## desertpunk

*146 South 4th St. Williamsburg*












> Please welcome to the party, 146 South 4th Street—the newest, and possibly the ugliest, addition to the North Brooklyn rental world. Developed by the Rabsky Group and designed by ND Architecture, the 11-story thing is a hodgepodge of what looks like brick, glass, and Corten steel panels. It gives us the general feeling of "ugh." BuzzBuzz Home reports there will be 113 apartments, and the building will have a lounge, bike storage, a gym, and a rooftop terrace. The interiors will supposedly be designed with a "modern rustic look," which does not sound promising.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Durst Fetner changes course at Herald Square tower*
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/04/09/durst-fetner-changes-course-at-herald-square-tower/

"The development will have 382 residential units on floors eight through 40, and just over 30,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, lower level and second floor, the new filings show. In addition, it will have more than 119,000 square feet of office space on the second through sixth floors, the DOB filing says"


----------



## desertpunk

*Union-Sackett Development In Carroll Gardens Gives Brownstone A Modern Twist*


----------



## sbarn

LondonFox said:


> ^ they're knocking that down... right?


No way. The Standard is only about 5 years old. I think its actually pretty nice in person.









alan_weinkrantz


----------



## towerpower123

136-140th Street (Peter Poon Hilton Tower) progress from last Friday.







[/url] 136 to 140 42nd Street 1 by towerpower123, on Flickr[/IMG]







[/url] 136 to 140 42nd Street 2 by towerpower123, on Flickr[/IMG]

Here is the entire Manhattan skyline from the cliffs of Union City.







[/url] All of Manhattan in One Image by towerpower123, on Flickr[/IMG]

All of the images are mine


----------



## towerpower123

*Avalon West Chelsea progress on Friday*








[/url] Avalon West Chelsea Construction by towerpower123, on Flickr[/IMG]







[/url] Avalon West Chelsea Construction by towerpower123, on Flickr[/IMG]







[/url] Avalon West Chelsea Construction by towerpower123, on Flickr[/IMG]

This building is absolutely massive; a 21st century, likely value engineered version of the London Terraces towers on 23rd and 24th street between 9th and 10th Avenues.


----------



## desertpunk

*Related Signs leases For 80% Of Coach Tower*












> *Red letter day for huge Hudson Yards project*
> 
> Developer The Related Cos. announces that it has finalized leases with three major tenants—Coach, L'Oreal and SAP—for its first tower, locked in $1.4 billion in financing and inked a $1 billion lease for half of the site.
> 
> 
> The Related Cos., which plans to build a huge mixed-use complex at the Hudson Rail Yards west of Pennsylvania Station, took not one or two but several major steps forward on Wednesday. For openers, the big developer announced that it has signed three major tenants and arranged financing for the first of several towers it plans to build at the site. In addition Related said it has signed a $1 billion 99-year lease with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the eastern half of the site where the project will rise.
> 
> Related also said it has inked a roughly $750 million deal with Coach, under which the luxury leather goods maker will purchase 740,000 square feet in the first tower to rise on the site, an 895-foot-tall spire with a total of 1.7 million square feet. Coach will own its space as an office condominium. Meanwhile, cosmetics maker L'Oreal and German technology company SAP also signed leases at the building, for 402,000 square feet and 115,000 square feet, respectively. The three deals with tenants, the broad outlines of which had been previously disclosed and which had been in negotiations for months, now anchor more than 70% of the space in the tower.
> 
> With those commitments in hand, Related was able to nail down $1.4 billion in equity and debt financing for the first tower. Related has a number of financial backers in the huge project, including its partner, Canadian investment fund Oxford Properties Group.
> 
> The tower, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, will rise at the corner of West 30th Street and 10th Avenue at the current northern terminus of the High Line, whose third and final leg will eventually wrap around Hudson Yards' southern and western flanks. Ground was broken for the first building, known as the South Tower, earlier this year. Work is scheduled to be completed in 2015.
> 
> The South Tower kicks off the massive $15 billion rail yards development, which will ultimately include more than 13 million square feet of residential, office, retail and public space on a $1 billion platform to be built over the rail yards.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*DOB Issues More Demo Permits for Willoughby West*












> The Department of Buildings issued three more demolition permits for the massive Willoughby West rental development planned for Willoughby Street between Duffield and Bridge streets. One’s for the large four-story building at 214 Duffield Street, on the corner of Willoughby. You can see what that building used to look like after the jump. Another demo permit is for the three-story building at 373 Bridge Street, and the last for a one-story building at 98 Willoughby Street. The row of townhouses along Bridge Street are long gone (see the photo after the jump) as well as another grouping of townhouses along Willoughby (pictured above). It won’t be long before this lot is totally empty. Demolition permits started coming through early this year after the developer spent years picking up all these properties. A 57-story, 861-unit rental tower will go up on this corner.
> 
> ---











http://www.newyorkyimby.com/2012/08/downtown-brooklyn-imminent-residential.html


----------



## desertpunk

While we're in Brooklyn...

*388 Bridge St. with 29 Flatbush in the distance, April 8:*


Downtown Brooklyn Towers Under Construction by dfaessler, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*99 Washington St. closing in on the top:*


verticalia 2 by Mattron, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

WTC Fog by Serenitbee, on Flickr


----------



## sbarn

New rendering of the 35XV development, currently under construction on 15th Street.


http://www.rew-online.com/2013/04/10/alchemy-reaches-for-a-mark-in-the-sky/


----------



## streetscapeer

great updates guys!.. thanks for keeping us up-to-date!!


----------



## streetscapeer

beautiful that last project!


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

Extell Development Pays $103M for 2.2 Acres of Soho Development Land
Park-It Mgmt Sells Site for Planned 1M SF Residential Project


http://www.costar.com/News/Article/...Acres-of-Soho-Development-Land/147322&src=rss

Extell Development Company, a New York-based real estate developer, acquired the leased-fee interest in 2.17 acres of land at 227 Cherry St. in New York City. The site was sold by Park-It Management for $103 million, or about $47.6 million per acre. 

The land is located in the Soho submarket of Manhattan. Although there is currently a supermarket on site, development plans call for a proposed residential development.


----------



## RobertWalpole

This will replace the BP on Houston and Lafayette.


----------



## desertpunk

Tower Verre starts in 2014:


*12-Year-Old Building at MoMA Is Doomed*












> By ROBIN POGREBIN
> April 10, 2013
> 
> When a new home for the American Folk Art Museum opened on West 53d Street in Manhattan in 2001 it was hailed as a harbinger of hope for the city after the Sept. 11 attacks and praised for its bold architecture. “Its heart is in the right time as well as the right place,” Herbert Muschamp wrote in his architecture review in The New York Times, calling the museum’s sculptural bronze facade “already a Midtown icon.”
> 
> Now, a mere 12 years later, the building is going to be demolished.
> 
> In its place the adjacent Museum of Modern Art, which bought the building in 2011, will put up an expansion, which will connect to a new tower with floors for the Modern on the other side of the former museum. And the folk museum building, designed by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, will take a dubious place in history as having had one of the shortest lives of an architecturally ambitious project in Manhattan. “It’s very rare that a building that recent comes down, especially a building that was such a major design and that got so much publicity when it opened for its design — mostly very positive,” said Andrew S. Dolkart, the director of Columbia University’s historic preservation program. “The building is so solid looking on the street, and then it becomes a disposable artifact. It’s unusual and it’s tragic because it’s a notable work of 21st century architecture by noteworthy architects who haven’t done that much work in the city, and it’s a beautiful work with the look of a handcrafted facade.”
> 
> ...The folk art museum, which had once envisioned the building as a stimulus for its growth, ended up selling the property, at 45 West 53d Street, to pay off the $32 million it had borrowed to finance an expansion. It now operates at a smaller site on Lincoln Square, at West 66th Street.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The former home of the American Folk Art Museum,
> acclaimed when it opened 12 years ago, is going to be demolished.
> 
> 
> Mr. Lowry said the expansion would complete the MoMA campus, which will ultimately consist of five buildings, four of them on West 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas. Still to be built is an 82-story tower just west of the folk museum that is being developed by Hines, a Houston company, and was designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel. It will include apartments as well as exhibition space for the museum.
> 
> When the projects are finished the museum will gain about 10,000 square feet of gallery space at the former folk art site and about 40,000 in the Nouvel building, officials said. The Modern’s second, fourth and fifth floors will line up with those in both buildings. (The second-floor galleries are double height.) “We’ll have a completely integrated west end to the museum,” Mr. Lowry said. “Floor plates will extend seamlessly.” Precisely what will be displayed in the new galleries has yet to be determined, but Mr. Lowry said they would include work from the Modern’s “midcentury collections, early Modern collections and temporary exhibitions.” The cost for the project has not been announced, he said, and fund-raising has yet to begin.
> 
> MoMA’s 2004 renovation, designed by the Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi, increased the museum’s gallery space to 125,000 square feet, from 85,000 (and the overall size to 630,000 square feet, from 378,000). But the museum still needs more room for exhibitions. “We have a lot of art that we own that we would like to show,” said Jerry I. Speyer, the real estate developer who is the museum’s chairman. “When we built what exists today we didn’t get as much exhibition space as we really need.”
> 
> ..
> 
> The Modern will interview architects to design the new addition, Mr. Lowry said, and hopes to select one by the end of this year. It expects to have the building demolished by then. *Construction of the Nouvel project is expected to start in 2014, with both new buildings being completed simultaneously in 2017 or 2018, Mr. Lowry said.* The museum has been aggressive about expansion. In 1996 it bought the Dorset Hotel, a 1920s building on West 54th Street, and two adjacent brownstones, using much of the sites for its extensive renovation in 2004. In 2007 the museum sold its last vacant parcel of land for $125 million to Hines, which decided to develop the Nouvel building and include space for the museum.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Inhabitat
> 
> Mr. Nouvel originally designed the tower, at 53 West 53d Street, with a spire rising 1,250 feet — matching the top floor of the Empire State Building — and Nicolai Ouroussoff predicted in The Times that it would be “the most exhilarating addition to the skyline in a generation.” But residents protested the height and the Department of City Planning demanded that Mr. Nouvel cut 200 feet from the top. He did so, and in 2009 the City Council approved plans for a tower that is to rise 1,050 feet.
> 
> The museum is deciding what to put at ground level at the former folk art building site — perhaps additional retail or another restaurant, Mr. Lowry said. (Its upscale restaurant, the Dining Room at the Modern, received three stars from Pete Wells in The Times last month.) “We bought the site,” Mr. Lowry said, “and our responsibility is to use the site intelligently.” Ms. Tsien said she could not recall another example of such a high-profile architectural project being demolished so soon after it was built. “Museums have opened and closed and buildings have shifted,” she said, “but I don’t know about being torn down.”
> 
> ----


----------



## ZZ-II

desertpunk said:


> Tower Verre starts in 2014:
> 
> 12-Year-Old Building at MoMA Is Doomed


Can't wait :cheers:


----------



## RobertWalpole

This turned out nicely.

Tectonic








https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/894905_10151414104552903_217944870_o.jpg


----------



## desertpunk

*Big 3 eyeing Hudson Yards*












> Time Warner, Citibank and Ralph Lauren Polo could be the next big companies to move to mammoth new Hudson Yards on the Far West Side. All three have had talks with Hudson Yards developer Related Cos. about taking space in the 26-acre site’s second planned skyscraper, sources said.
> 
> Related chief Stephen Ross is furiously courting tenants for the project’s North Tower after inking deals yesterday with three major companies for the South Tower — Coach Inc., L’Oréal and tech firm SAP. They will occupy 80 percent of the 47-story building, scheduled to open in 2015. The North Tower will be much bigger — 80 stories and 1,337 feet tall, which is nearly as tall as 1 World Trade Center not including its spire. The South Tower has started construction at 10th Avenue and 31st Street on Hudson Yards’ eastern edge. The North Tower will go up at 10th and 33rd Street once tenants are signed up.
> 
> The second cloudbuster would firmly establish Related’s Hudson Yards — to be built above the vast open rail yard between 10th and 12th avenues — as the city’s hottest commercial-development district. It would also cement Mayor Bloomberg’s legacy for kick-starting the birth of a vast new neighborhood on Manhattan’s Far West Side, a dream that started with his failed quest to build an Olympics stadium.
> 
> Related’s talks with possible tenants for the North Tower were in the earliest stages. At least one, Citibank, recently seemed to have dropped the idea and was looking elsewhere, sources said. But, “The finalized deals with Coach and the other tenants at the South Tower change everything,” a real-estate insider said. “Even though everyone knew they were happening, the real-estate mind knows a deal isn’t closed until it closes. The South Tower deals swept away the last bit of uncertainty about Hudson Yards. Related has momentum now.”
> 
> The plan for Coach to move its headquarters there was first heralded by Mayor Bloomberg and others at a photo-op on Nov. 1, 2011.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Seen & Heard: Huge New Development on Hudson*









275 Hudson



> April 11 2013
> 
> Pretty sure you’ll have heard this here first: I learned from a reliable source that 275 Hudson—the long, squat, brick building below Spring, where Ace Gallery and Skylight Studio were, is coming down. The new building will be a joint venture between Related and Ponte Equities, which are also teaming up on the behemoth at 460 Washington. There’s nothing (that I could find) on the Department of Buildings website yet, and I didn’t try calling either Ponte or Related, because neither is known for talking.
> 
> ----


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*And while we're hanging around Downtown...

11 N. Moore St. is going big time now:*









http://tribecacitizen.com/2013/04/11/seen-heard-huge-new-development-on-hudson/










http://adjmiandreoli.com/11-nmoore.html


----------



## desertpunk

*Meet 10 Madison*

*Former International Toy Center Gets All Penthousey*












> The former International Toy Center building at 1107 Broadway entered its teaser phase not long ago, revealing that it would be called 10 Madison Square West and would soon debut as a building full o' one- to five-bedroom condos designed by Alan Wanzenberg, architect-ed by Goldstein, Hill & West, and developed by the Witkoff Group.
> 
> [...]


----------



## Biegonice

Really interesting updates from NYC! Thanks a lot!


----------



## sbarn

Another Tribeca update:









CurbedNY

Website just launched for this project. Construction should begin on this project shortly. The building on the right is existing, while the building on the left will be constructed out of aluminum brick.


----------



## el palmesano

^^ very nice!


----------



## desertpunk

*4 WTC*


World Trade Center by Keith Michael NYC, on Flickr

*1 WTC*


World Trade Center by Keith Michael NYC, on Flickr


----------



## RobertWalpole

sbarn said:


> Another Tribeca update:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> CurbedNY
> 
> Website just launched for this project. Construction should begin on this project shortly. The building on the right is existing, while the building on the left will be constructed out of aluminum brick.


I love that area.


----------



## streetscapeer

sbarn said:


> Another Tribeca update:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> CurbedNY
> 
> Website just launched for this project. Construction should begin on this project shortly. The building on the right is existing, while the building on the left will be constructed out of aluminum brick.


this is lovely!!


----------



## Galro

sbarn said:


> Another Tribeca update:
> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/the-sterling-mason.jpg
> CurbedNY
> 
> Website just launched for this project. Construction should begin on this project shortly. The building on the right is existing, while the building on the left will be constructed out of aluminum brick.


The current look of the building if I'm not mistaken:

http://maps.google.nl/maps?q=71+Lai...sf0eCYIwiSjKF7zQib2QA&cbp=12,151.66,,0,-12.84

It will become a mayor improvement!


----------



## yankeesfan1000

^ That area has some of my favorite buildings in NY. That will be a great addition.


----------



## desertpunk

*Permits Granted For 81 Fleet Place In Brooklyn*












> Expect construction soon at 81 Fleet Place, right off Myrtle Avenue, the second build of billionaire John Catsimatidis’ four promised buildings on Myrtle between Ashland Place and Flatbush Avenue. The Department of Buildings just issued a new building permit for a fifteen-story mixed-use building. When a rendering surfaced last fall, the DOB had disapproved the first round of building plans. This 205-unit build will hold ground-floor retail space and studio, one- and two-bedroom units. There will also be a landscaped terrace on the third floor. Construction is expected to last until next year.


----------



## desertpunk

*Catholic School Cuts Sweet Deal For Space At Pricey 35XV*












> For Alchemy Properties and Xavier High School, a deal ruined by the market collapse has led to mutually beneficial collaboration—Alchemy is building 35XV, its most expensive condo project to date, and Xavier is getting a new school that will comfortably fit its entire student body. In 2008, Xavier, located on West 16th Street, planned to sell its air rights to the buyer of a union hall next to its campus in order to beef up its endowment. Tishman Hotel & Realty was set to build a hotel and condo (which really angered the neighbors), but that deal fell apart when the market went south. When the hall returned to the market in 2010, Xaiver's board decided that if they were going to sell their air rights, they wanted more than just money.
> 
> So, according to the Journal, Xavier partnered with Alchemy, a developer the school was quite familiar with, as Alchemy had put up a condo across the street. Alchemy bought the school's air rights for $13.7 million, and they agreed to let Xavier build a new, larger school on the site of union hall, which the developer bought for $16.6 million
> .
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Surveying the Progress of 10 Financial District Buildings-To-Be*


*99 Washinton St.*











*113 Nassau St.*











*1 WTC*











*Courtland St. between 4 & 3WTC*











*4 & 3 WTC along Church St.*











*4 WTC and Greenwich St.*











*5 Beekman scaffolding*












*213 Pearl St. 4 Points by Sheraton*











*170 Broadway conversion*











*22 Thames St.*











*Liberty St. condo project*


----------



## ZZ-II

great update-compilation, thx for posting


----------



## desertpunk

*Striated Structure to Replace UES Tenement on Third Avenue?*









http://observer.com/2013/04/oda-architecture-leaks-mysterious-upper-east-side-rendering/



> Some architecture firms can be very secretive, but ODA Architecture is not one of them. In fact, the Observer notes that ODA founder Eran Chen seems to have a problem with oversharing. Last month, he posted a rendering of a building in Long Island City before he should have, and yesterday, he did it again, this time with a building on Third Avenue at 82nd Street. After seeing the rendering on Facebook, the Observer reached out to the firm, only to be told that the image was not supposed to be shared. Oops! The rendering shows 1444 Third Avenue, a site that is currently occupied by a four story, nine unit tenement that sold last summer to DRK Third Avenue LLC for $7.5 million. It's zoned for 26,000-square-feet, so we may very well see the above building.


----------



## desertpunk

*"Grittier Chelsea Market" May Land In Gritty Bushwick*


Maybe baby...



> Since December, word has been circulating about Bushwick's planned retail market that will eat an entire block bound by Bogart Street, Harrison Place, Morgan Avenue, and Ingram Street. The Massey Knakal broker marketing the property has described it as a "grittier Chelsea Market." Now, said broker has added the above rendering to the mix, showing what this magical mall could be—a jazzed up warehouse with an unidentified tower plopped on top. Bushwick Daily spotted the marketing flyer, which notes that the ground floor offers 80,000-square-feet and an addition could add the same amount.
> 
> The site is currently occupied by a single-story warehouse and located in an M1-2 manufacturing zone, which allows for hotels and for the construction of a tower like the one pictured in the rendering. *However, the rendering is not representative of what the site will be. The broker is just trying to put ideas in people's heads.*


----------



## sbarn

^^ That would be awesome for Bushwick. I hope it doesn't get killed by NIMBYs.

Edit: I just looked at where this is located and its a pretty industrial area. So maybe no NIMBYs...


----------



## towerpower123

*1 WTC, 56 Leonard, 30 Fletcher Street, and more*


Front Street and Fletcher Street Construction by towerpower123, on Flickr
An under-the-radar tower at Front Street and Fletcher Street. This thing is going 32 stories! 
http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/30_fletcher_street_79675.aspx








[/url] 1 WTC Top by towerpower123, on Flickr[/IMG]








[/url] 1 WTC by towerpower123, on Flickr[/IMG]
1 World Trade Center








[/url] Hudson Yards by towerpower123, on Flickr[/IMG]
Hudson Yards and One 57 from Hoboken








[/url] Whitney Museum by towerpower123, on Flickr[/IMG]
Whitney Art Museum from Hoboken


----------



## desertpunk

*[URL="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/04/17/staten_island_wheel_talk_italian_designers_seek_nyc_loft.php']Staten Island Wheel To Be Focus Of meeting[/URL]*












> STATEN ISLAND—The Trespa Design Center is hosting a presentation about the planned 625-foot-tall Staten Island observation wheel, aka the New York Wheel, aka the largest ferris wheel in the world. Wheel developer Richard Marin will be there, along with a few other people involved in the project. This will be the first public presentation about the project, which really truly looks like it will come to fruition. The wheel will be joined by "a world-class sustainable venue emphasizing the visual history of New York, advanced technology, and state-of-the-art sustainability elements." The event is at 6 p.m. on May 21.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Midtown East's Possible Future: Skyscrapers Blocking Out The Chrysler Building*
http://gothamist.com/2013/04/19/midtown_easts_possible_future_skysc.php#photo-4

"Last year, the Bloomberg administration unveiled a proposal to rezone Midtown East around Grand Central Terminal to build much bigger skyscrapers, sometimes *up to 60% bigger*. And without the lengthy approval process. 

If passed—the city's City Planning Commission will decide whether to certify the plan on *Monday, April 22*—it could mean buildings as big as the Empire State Building added to the already bustling area. The city would also charge builders more to build higher buildings, and the money would go to infrastructure improvements. "


----------



## desertpunk

*View From the Tippy Top of One WTC*


----------



## desertpunk

*11 North Moore To Open This Summer*


----------



## ZZ-II

Vertical_Gotham said:


> Midtown East's Possible Future: Skyscrapers Blocking Out The Chrysler Building
> http://gothamist.com/2013/04/19/midtown_easts_possible_future_skysc.php#photo-4
> 
> "Last year, the Bloomberg administration unveiled a proposal to rezone Midtown East around Grand Central Terminal to build much bigger skyscrapers, sometimes up to 60% bigger. And without the lengthy approval process.
> 
> If passed—the city's City Planning Commission will decide whether to certify the plan on Monday, April 22—it could mean buildings as big as the Empire State Building added to the already bustling area. The city would also charge builders more to build higher buildings, and the money would go to infrastructure improvements. "


That sounds great!


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

Interesting Article about the whole Hudson Yards project. 

Way Out West:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/r...all&adxnnlx=1366424958-JRYoE/LUrORdonbupuLanw

So What's Being Built

Developers are not only coming on strong, they're thinking as big as the rezoning will allow.

Extell, like some of its competitors, controls several parcels in the area. Its first apartment building will be 555 10th Avenue, a 50-story rental at West 41st Street with 600 units, a pair of swimming pools and a two-lane bowling alley, said Gary Barnett, Extell’s chief executive. Foundations were poured in March; 2016 is the expected completion date.

Units will rent for around $100 a square foot, which is on par with 42nd Street properties like MiMA, from the Related Companies, Mr. Barnett said.

Like other developers, Extell also has commercial projects in the area, including One Hudson Yards, a 56-story office building planned for 11th Avenue and 33rd Street. But the leasing market is soft, making an anchor tenant difficult to find, so that project is on hold for now, Mr. Barnett said.

Extell is also planning apartments on a block-through site between 9th and 10th Avenues on 37th Street. Possibly to include rentals and condos, it probably won’t start construction for another year.

“It’s like a chicken-and-egg situation,” Mr. Barnett said. “You’ve got to get the tenants to build the neighborhood, and you’ve got to build the neighborhood to get the tenants.”

Since the fall, Brookfield Office Properties has been building at 425 West 31st Street, the first leg of Manhattan West, a 5.4-million-square-foot mixed-use project on a two-block site on Ninth Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets.

In addition to office space, Manhattan West will have a 57-story tower with 900 rental units, though Brookfield has configured the building with two elevator banks in case it decides to spin some of those units off as condos, said Philip Wharton, the company’s senior vice president for development.

Condos are also envisioned for 3 Hudson Boulevard, a 72-story office tower by the Moinian Group at 11th Avenue and 34th Street. In an unusual combination for New York (allowed by the area’s zoning), the 150 condos will be under the same roof as offices; an anchor office tenant is still wanting. “I’m keeping this flexible,” said Joseph Moinian, the firm’s chief executive.

Moinian has revived a dormant project at 605 West 42nd Street, a rental that is to have 1,191 units, including studios and apartments with one, two and three bedrooms. Foundations were poured in February for the $500 million project, which is expected to open in 2015, said Mr. Moinian, who also built the Atelier Condos next door.

So eager are some developers to tap the Hudson Yards housing market that they are pressing City Hall to amend zoning to allow more apartments. Silverstein Properties, owner of a 90,000-square-foot site on 11th Avenue and 41st Street that once contained a Mercedes dealership, wants to build more housing there than is now permitted, according to industry sources.

And that’s not even counting the Related Companies, which along with Oxford Properties Group controls the 26 acres of the old rail yards, a six-block site that in many ways has become a symbol of the area. In 2005, a proposal to build a football stadium for the Jets on a platform over the yard was defeated.

Related and Oxford will spend $15 billion for the mixed-use project, to rise mostly over the rail yards, which runs from 10th to 12th Avenue between 30th and 33rd Streets. Much of the early focus will be on commercial development. The first piece will be a 46-story tower; tenants are to include Coach, L’Oreal USA and SAP, the software company.

Related’s residential goal, 5,000 apartments across eight buildings, will mostly be on the site’s western half, which won’t be fully developed for years. But Related and Oxford are supposed to break ground in 2014 on their first residence, a 75-story tower at 500 West 31st Street. Designed by the architecture firm Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, it will be half condo and half rental, according to Related, which in 2008 was selected to develop the site by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

At 10th Avenue, Related will also soon complete 500 West 30th Street, a 386-unit rental designed by Robert A. M. Stern. Technically just outside the neighborhood, it will still be a notable presence. In 2014, construction will start on another of Related’s 10th Avenue rentals, at 530 West 30th Street; it is to have 225 apartments.

--- this project is so just so massive. The part that got my attention is the Girasole is planned for 72 stories vs. 66 stories posted in the header thread for the Girasol! My guesstimate is that this should easily be over 1,200 ft tall.


----------



## desertpunk

*Work continues on Building 3 of the East River Science Park:*









http://www.flickr.com/photos/ismats/









http://wirednewyork.com/forum/printthread.php?t=5434&pp=15&page=6


----------



## sbarn

desertpunk said:


> *11 North Moore To Open This Summer*


Minor correction: sales will begin this summer on 11 North Moore. They are currently working on the foundation of this building. I'm sure it will turn out very nice given the wealth of Tribeca. 56 Leonard is very nearby.


----------



## desertpunk

*CityPoint Brooklyn Phase Two underway: 4.22.13*












> Today we bring you the first of a monthly photo series documenting the huge, multi-year construction project under way at City Point. When completed, the mixed-use development will include more than 1.8 million square feet of retail, entertainment, food, office and residential space on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street. The first phase of the project, located at 1 DeKalb Avenue, opened this fall with an A/X Armani Exchange store. Construction on Phase Two started last year and should wrap in the fall of 2015. (No timeline has been set yet for Phase Three.) Phase Two consists of a 670,000-square-foot retail center — it will be Brooklyn’s largest — under two residential towers. Together the two towers will have 690 units, 125 of which will be affordable apartments. Right now workers are digging down two levels below grade to pour the foundation on the 90,000 square foot site. They are moving from south to north, and as excavation is completed on one part, concrete work follows.






































http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2013/04/city-point-watch-april-edition/?stream=true

Phase Two:


----------



## desertpunk

The rising West Side


IMG_5386.JPG by denkmanttlb, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*The Jefferson: Ready To Launch*


----------



## sbarn

^^ Too bad the architecture couldn't have been as cool as their address font. Good to see that hole filled though... I guess.


----------



## Galro

I like the understated brick look.


----------



## desertpunk

*Possible 5Pointz-Eating Towers Show No Signs of Graffiti*









Preliminary concept illustration



> Tuesday, April 23, 2013
> 
> The fate of 5Pointz, the iconic graffiti-covered warehouse in Long Island City, has been decided—it will undoubtedly meet the wrecking ball—but what exactly will replaced it has yet to be determined. As of right zoning would allow for a bulky, 600-unit residential building, but the owner, David Wolkoff, wants two towers and 1,000 units. And now, we have the first idea of what that could possibly look like. New York YIMBY unearthed the environmental review of the proposed project, which includes the above rendering. The image is only for illustrative purposes, so this isn't necessarily what will replace 5Pointz, but it's clear that nothing of the current colorful building will remain.
> 
> 
> Long Island City Graffiti Building aka Five Pointz. by woodendesigner, on Flickr
> 
> Wolkoff wants a larger tower of 47 stories (498 feet), plus a shorter 40-story tower (440 feet). When the proposal was presented to the community board last summer, there were no plans for any of the units to be affordable—and the environmental assessment reaffirms this—but we would't be surprised if that changes during the ULURP process. Since Wolkoff needs a change in zoning, he'll likely give concessions to the community, and often these concessions revolve around affordable housing.
> 
> [...]
> 
> Despite strong opposition to the destruction of 5Pointz, there are no plans to preserve any parts of the art-covered warehouse, but the new project will include 2,280 square feet of undefined artist space. Demolition of 5Pointz could begin as early as this fall (previous reports said the building would be gone by September). If that's the case, construction of the first tower would start next year, and the whole shebang would be operable sometime in 2017.
> 
> ---


5Pointz was an iconic street artist's grafitti mecca in Long Island City Queens before the site was sold to developers.


5Pointz by myny1974, on Flickr


A new name for the development is likely.


----------



## koolkid

The sterilization of New York continues. What a boring city it's becoming, seriously.


----------



## Nikonov_Ivan

^^ How can you says so about your city? It is amazing anyway. And i think that modern highrises are better then rather old and ugly buildings.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

koolkid said:


> The sterilization of New York continues. What a boring city it's becoming, seriously.


You must be hard person to entertain


----------



## meskida

> *NYC is Transforming the Kingsbridge Armory into the World's Largest Indoor Ice Facility
> *
> Mayor Bloomberg today announced plans to transform the iconic Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx – vacant since 1996 – into the world's largest indoor ice facility. The landmark armory, which occupies a full City block at 29 West Kingsbridge Road, will be redeveloped into a 750,000-square-foot ice sports facility to be known as Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC). KNIC will feature nine year-round indoor regulation size ice rinks, including a feature rink that can seat approximately 5,000 people and be used to host national and international ice hockey tournaments, figure and speed skating competitions and ice shows.
> The project will also include 50,000 square feet of space designated for community uses. It is expected that KNIC will draw more than 2 million visitors a year, vastly increasing the options of ice facilities in New York City, where there are currently only seven year-round ice rinks, none of which are located in the Bronx. The project represents a private investment of $275 million, which will generate 890 construction jobs and 267 permanent jobs. Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement at the Kingsbridge Armory and was joined by KNIC Partners LLC Founder Kevin Parker, New York Rangers hockey legend Mark Messier, Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medalist Sarah Hughes, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., City Council Member Cabrera and New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky.
> 
> http://www.mikebloomberg.com/index.cfm?objectid=37195847-C29C-7CA2-FF1E2AF19E658D62


----------



## Galro

That looks great.


----------



## MikeVegas

desertpunk said:


> *The Jefferson: Ready To Launch*


Is this on the east side and would I be moving on up?


----------



## koolkid

Nikonov_Ivan said:


> ^^ How can you says so about your city? It is amazing anyway. And i think that modern highrises are better then rather old and ugly buildings.


This isn't just any building. 5 Pointz has become a NYC landmark, famous around the globe. People from across the world come to 5 pointz to do graffiti and leave their mark. It is practically the only place in New York where you can view graffiti, that is allowed, in a rather unique setting. This is art, whether you think so or not. I believe a city the size of New York should have art, entertainment etc. from all walks of life not just your 'trendy' gallery in Chelsea. It's a uniquely New York structure that will be replaced by rather uniform structures that can be found in Vancouver or Toronto by the dozen. A shame this wasn't officially landmarked and the city continues to shoot itself in the foot, letting greedy developers erase the very things that made New York special and unique in the first place. LIC is just now being considered "hip, cool" by the wealthy gentrifiers who are ironically the ones sterilizing the neighborhood. :nuts:


----------



## dexter2

Vertical_Gotham said:


> You must be hard person to entertain


It's not about entertainment. It's about keeping your identity.


----------



## desertpunk

The action in Rose Hill at E. 28th St. and Park Ave. South:


Crane in the Sky by Joel Raskin, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*61 Fifth Avenue condos hit the market*












> The plus-size condominiums at 61 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village have hit the market starting at $12.98 million, according to BuzzBuzzHome.
> 
> The four-unit building on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 13th Street is designed by Alta Indelman. There are three 4,326-square-foot three-bedroom duplexes, and one 5,924-square-foot four-bedroom triplex that is asking $28.5 million, according to a teaser website seen by BuzzBuzzHome. The listing agents are Sotheby’s International Realty’s Valerie Sherman and Royce Pinkwater. The building will also have a ground floor retail space.
> 
> The project filed for roof construction permits last month, and is slated to be LEED-certified, though no floor plans have yet been released


The project topped out last year:









http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2012/03/61-fifth-avenue-tops-out.html


----------



## desertpunk

*135 E.79th St. shows off detailing:*









http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2013/01/135-east-79th-fitting-right-in.html









http://www.newyorkyimby.com/2013/03/construction-update-135-east-79th-street.html


----------



## desertpunk

*Greenpoint Landing Gearing Up For Start*









http://inhabitat.com/nyc/greenpoint...-to-lic/handel-architects-greenpointlanding1/



> Last week Community Board One posted a notice that representatives of the mayor requested a meeting with the land-use committee to brief them on three important projects coming to Greenpoint. The first, and easily the largest project in store for Greenpoint, is the 5,000-unit Greenpoint Landing, pictured in a rendering above. *According to the meeting notice, the developers are working with the city and expect “that the project will certify into ULURP summer 2013.” (The developer previously stated that they hoped to break ground by this summer.)*
> 
> [...]


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

dexter2 said:


> It's not about entertainment. It's about keeping your identity.


 
Well i totally agree with that & i feel for his point of view. I never been to 5 points or know what it's all about and Koolkid just made a general comment about the city and that was before he elaborated.

But business wise it would not be wise for the owner/developer to just let the property sit there and rot just because it is well known for graffiti. The owner has the right to demolish this because he is paying taxes and maintenance on the building and has the right to make some $$ and recoup their losses.


----------



## Teslatron

Vertical_Gotham said:


> Well i totally agree with that & i feel for his point of view. I never been to 5 points or know what it's all about and Koolkid just made a general comment about the city and that was before he elaborated.
> 
> But business wise it would not be wise for the owner/developer to just let the property sit there and rot just because it is well known for graffiti. The owner has the right to demolish this because he is paying taxes and maintenance on the building and has the right to make some $$ and recoup their losses.


5Pointz is the most famous graffiti place in the world. It even has a wiki page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Pointz


----------



## desertpunk

*Hines Tells The Story of 7 Bryant Park*












> NEW YORK CITY-Serving up a reminder that new office inventory will soon come on the market, Hines officials on Tuesday presented the story of the company’s 7 Bryant Park to members of the local NAIOP chapter during a meeting in Midtown. As previously reported, the property is spec development and slated to open next year.
> 
> Calling the building “one of the projects that gets people inspired," Tommy Craig, senior managing director and head of Hines’ New York office noted that the structure includes 65,000 square feet of unutilized FAR from the adjacent building. That was purchased by Pacolet Milliken, a limited partner on the deal and a ground lessor. Hines’ equity partner on the 474,000-square-foot project are institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
> 
> Although plans for the building started at the height of the recession, Craig noted, the project has featured a sense of urgency since the beginning. “When plans started on April 1, 2009, there wasn’t a sign of growth,” he said, “but our client said that when the market turned, they wanted to be ready.”
> 
> “The Milliken family chose to sign a ground lease,” he continued, “and the payment structure doesn’t involve an appraisal of the land value at any point,” Craig said. The financing is all-equity. Hines was able to get the project going with spec financing, he noted. “We had four sources, which validated the decision to go forward on a spec basis.”
> 
> The company also was ready to do so because of timing and, of course, location, added Dan Doty, managing director. “Given where we were in the construction cycle, it was an ideal time to lock in construction costs,” he said. The firm wanted a Guaranteed Maximum Price contract, Doty noted.
> 
> “Plus with the core nature of the asset,” he added, “being right by the park and with great views, we thought we could get premium rents.” Asking rent for the building—which does not yet have any tenant—is over $100 a foot, and $200 for the penthouse space.
> 
> The building’s layout would enable Hines to offer high-density floors that would allow for 100 rentable square feet per employee, Craig noted. Also of note, 7 Bryant Park features a column-free interior with the opportunity for raised floors, enabling the building to accommodate changes in floor layouts and tenant workforces, he said.
> 
> A total of about 18,000 square feet is also available for retail on the ground floor and lower level, noted director Sarah Hawkins. Hines envisions having one large tenant—most likely a restaurant—for the bulk of the space, with a second area going possibly to a small café or even an office tenant with a private entrance.
> 
> While Craig admitted that “we feel pressure every day to lease those 28 floors,” he seems confident that the building’s virtues speak for themselves. “We’re representing tenants who need 150,000 to 200,000 square feet, which is an underserved market.” Such companies might get swallowed up by a larger building but they could shine at 7 Bryant Park, he noted, even having access to microtile walls at the building’s entrance that could be used for branding.
> 
> [...]


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

Teslatron said:


> 5Pointz is the most famous graffiti place in the world. It even has a wiki page.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Pointz


Thanks for the link. On 2nd thought I recognize this place. I had seen this from some train I've taken a couple times in Queens and I remember looking at that building in awe passing by.


----------



## desertpunk

*Two Sutton Place North peaked out*




























All: http://www.newyorkyimby.com/


----------



## desertpunk

*Crane work progressing, One57 set to resume building soon:*



















*New York YIMBY*


----------



## desertpunk

*Port Authority Okays NY-NJ Bridge Mega-Projects*



> Last Updated: April 25, 2013 10:02am ET
> 
> NEW YORK CITY-The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Wednesday authorized a 40-year design-build-finance-maintain contract to the NYNJ Link Partnership as part of a $1.5-billion public-private partnership to replace the Goethals Bridge between Staten Island Elizabeth, NJ. At its monthly meeting Wednesday, the Port Authority’s board also approved a $743.3-million contract to raise the Bayonne Bridge connecting that New Jersey city with Staten Island, and a $35-million repaving of the Outerbridge Crossing that links the island with Perth Amboy, NJ.
> 
> *The replacement Goethals span marks the Port’s first bridge construction project since the George Washington Bridge between Manhattan and Fort Lee, NJ opened in 1931. It reflects agency engineers’ judgment that replacing the aging Goethals would be more cost-effective than repairing it.*
> 
> In what’s reportedly the first true PPP for a surface transportation project in the Northeast, the Port will maintain control of the new Goethals Bridge while having access to private-sector construction and maintenance expertise as well as private capital. It will save the Port an estimated 10% in combined construction and maintenance costs over the life of the agreement versus its own project estimates, while minimizing any impact to the agency’s debt capacity, according to a release.
> 
> For its part, the developer will benefit from access of up to $500 million in a low-cost, US DOT TIFIA loan and the issuance of Private Activity Bonds. The NYNJ Link Partnership comprises Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets Inc. and Kiewit Development, along with lead contractors Kiewit Infrastructure, Weeks Marine and Massman Construction.
> 
> The Bayonne Bridge project marks the first time in agency history that engineers will construct a bridge roadway deck above the existing roadway, while traffic continues to flow on the deck below. Work will start later this year, with deck removal scheduled for late 2015.
> 
> At roughly the same time, the widening of the Panama Canal will be completed, thus bringing larger Panamax ships to the Port of New York and New Jersey. Raising the roadway of the 81-year-old Bayonne Bridge’s main deck by 64 feet is seen as critical to maintaining and enhancing the competitiveness of the region’s ports, which face competition from a number of other cities along the East Coast.
> 
> “The Port Authority’s approval of the Goethals and Bayonne Bridge projects is welcome news,” says Richard T. Anderson, president of the New York Building Congress, in a statement.
> 
> [...]


*The new Goethals Bridge*









http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/12/sale_of_naming_rights_to_goeth.html


----------



## desertpunk

*133 Greenwich St. To Be Courtyard By Marriott Hotel*












> Hidrock Realty Inc. and Robert Finvarb Companies (RFC), the joint venture that purchased the parcel at 133 Greenwich St., has selected Courtyard by Marriott to flag their upcoming 317-key hotel.
> 
> The project is due for completion in the second quarter of 2015.
> The property, located across the street from the World Trade Center redevelopment site and the September 11 Memorial, will also include approximately 3,000 s/f of ground-floor retail and a rooftop bar. Hidrock and RFC are co-developing the property and have retained Peter Poon Architects to design the hotel. Danny Forster, an architect and host of the Science Channel’s Build it Bigger, is consulting as a design architect on the project.
> 
> “We chose Courtyard by Marriott because it is considered one of the most powerful hotel brands in the world that caters to both business and leisure travelers alike,” said Abraham Hidary, president of Hidrock.
> 
> “With over 800 locations in the United States alone, we feel that this brand is in the perfect position to accommodate the growing numbers of visitors expected in Lower Manhattan in the coming years.”
> 
> Lower Manhattan is currently the fourth largest central business district in the nation, and projections for future tourism in the area are at record highs.
> 
> [...]


----------



## ZZ-II

Finally this tower won't be alone anymore, good news


----------



## Groningen NL

I remember the citi tower from Grand Theft Auto IV :lol: This new one looks pretty good imo, nothing special, but at least it looks modern and it probably has some greentech features


----------



## sbarn

desertpunk said:


> *Queens' Tallest Residential Building to Rise In Court Square
> *


Great news! I'd love for Court Square to become a little skyline cluster.


----------



## Bronxwood

sbarn said:


> Beautiful set of new townhomes to be built at *110-126 Congress Street* in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.


That's great, only, there are already some charming town homes on those lots. So they'll demolish the real thing for some faux ones? At least the corner town home has those large windows, nice modern touch.


----------



## sbarn

Bronxwood said:


> That's great, only, there are already some charming town homes on those lots. So they'll demolish the real thing for some faux ones? At least the corner town home has those large windows, nice modern touch.


There's a dumpy 2 story structure (on right below) where the new townhouses are going to be built. The townhouses further down the street will remain.









GoogleMaps


----------



## sbarn

*847 Washington Street* continues to rise.









scumonkey @ WNY


----------



## sbarn

New uber-luxury highrise planned for the High Line neighborhood. The condo is located 522 West 29th Street and called the Soori High Line. Quotes from the article (and image source):



> The project is named Soori High Line, and it’s being developed by New York-based Blackhouse and Singapore-based Oriel... The building, located between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, will be designed by SCDA Architects and have an “Asian-inspired trendsetting modern aesthetic...” Apartments will have 18-foot ceilings, private heated swimming pools, fireplaces in the living rooms, bespoke fittings everywhere and “bathrooms with spectacular views.” Amenities will include a concierge, library, wine cellar and gym.





























































































Closer look at the ridiculous pool:


----------



## sbarn

Reports of a new sliver building at *110 Madison Avenue* from the New York Yimby website. The building is going to 17-stories tall and built on a 17 foot wide property. To my knowledge, no other U.S. city has this kind of sliver construction.


----------



## sbarn

Digging for a new 33-story hotel at 11 East 31st Street (rendering below):









SDG's website[/QUOTE]

From NY Yimby:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

sbarn said:


> New uber-luxury highrise planned for the High Line neighborhood. The condo is located 522 West 29th Street and called the Soori High Line. Quotes from the article (and image source):


How elegant :drool:


----------



## sbarn

From the NYC Development section. The Columbia Manhattanville project is one of the most overlooked mega developments going on in the city. 



JohnFlint1985 said:


> Finally some fresh pictures from Columbia University Campus buildings in Manhattanville
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> huge amount of armature on the ground waiting


----------



## sbarn

Promising looking condo building has broken ground at *5 West 127th Street* in Harlem. 









Harlem Bespoke


----------



## sbarn

Cladding has begun at *500 West 30th Street*. 




























More panels arriving, had an Ontario license plate:









Grand panorama!









Forgot I also had this lesser seen angle (with One WTC lurking in the distance):









(photos by me)


----------



## sbarn

More base cladding at the *Walker Tower* has been revealed:










(photo by me)


----------



## Hudson11

^^ classy


----------



## ThatOneGuy

500 W 30 Street looks pretty good for a brick building.


----------



## sbarn

Cladding continues on *Avalon Chelsea*:










Meanwhile the highrise portion (27 stories) of the project continues to rise:


----------



## sbarn

Current building located at *Soori High Line* site:









Reminder what's to come:


----------



## desertpunk

The 3WTC 'stump' and the Transportation Hub making its appearance: (99 Washington St. rising at right of first photo)


New York (May 2013) by Kiwi Frenzy On Location, on Flickr


New York (May 2013) by Kiwi Frenzy On Location, on Flickr


----------



## sbarn

Finishing touches being put on *Gotham West * in the Hells Kitchen Neighborhood, I wonder when leasing will begin:


----------



## sbarn

*237 West 54th Street* is now fully clad. Pretty boring (depressing?) facade. I wonder if they'll paint it?










Entrance:


----------



## sbarn

Internal fit-out and finishing touches are being done on *1715 Broadway*.

The base looks fairly decent:









This angle may be becoming repetitive:









Is that an elevator shaft on the base in the lower right?


----------



## sbarn

Cladding is going up at *325 Lexington Avenue* in Midtown South. I was disappointed that they abandoned the shifting boxes and the huge blank wall, but the cladding on this building actually looks promising:


----------



## sbarn

*400 Central Park South *is now up to the 6th Floor. This one will be fun to watch rise!


----------



## sbarn

*110 Madison Avenue*. Hard to imagine 17 floors rising from this tiny site:


----------



## sbarn

The tower portion is on its way up at *20 West 53rd Street* (the Baccarat Tower)! When complete it will rise 610 feet. And cladding has begun (bluer than I expected):




























Another crane segment waiting to go up!


----------



## sbarn

The *Fordham University* development looks to be topped out, I think they are adding mechanicals to the roof. Unless there is a setback and the tower will continue to rise, but I don't think thats the case.


----------



## sbarn

Foundation work continues at *605 West 42nd Street*. This tower is going to be absolutely massive, rising around 700 feet and will have approximately 1000 units.





































I hadn't realized how massive this site is, so I think it will take some time before we see it going vertical. Good news is that there was an army of workers on site.


----------



## sbarn

*120 West 57th Street* is finishing up and looking incredible. My bad photoshop merge:










This building is even more incredible in person. Seriously one of my favorites in the city. Just wish it was a few hundred feet taller...


----------



## sbarn

Work progresses on the ~900 foot tall *Coach Tower* in Hudson Yards. Looks like the foundation is beginning to take shape:


----------



## eurico

sbarn said:


> *110 Madison Avenue*. Hard to imagine 17 floors rising from this tiny site:


wow can't wait for this thin tower to rise kay:


----------



## babybackribs2314

Couldn't find a thread, but here are some photos from yesterday of the Avalon West Chelsea.

Construction Update: The Avalon West Chelsea, May 2013


----------



## ZZ-II

awesome updates guys :cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

*What's Going Up Behind The Pepsi Sign? TF Cornerstone's 4610 Center Blvd:*












> TF Cornerstone is expanding its reign over the residential market on the Long Island City waterfront.
> 
> The developer’s fifth tower in the neighborhood — at 4610 Center Boulevard, the site of a January crane collapse — will contain 585 rental units and should be ready later this year, Brownstoner Queens reported.
> 
> Arquitectonica is designing the 25-story building, after also designing another nearby TF Cornerstone property – the 41-story, 820-unit rental tower at 4545 Center Boulevard. That building began leasing homes last week.
> 
> The crane at 4610 Center Boulevard was hoisting a 24,000-pound load, which was twice its maximum hold. The developer and the site safety manager received a Department of Buildings violation, as previously reported.











http://queens.brownstoner.com/2013/05/tf-cornerstones-fifth-lic-tower-coming-down-the-pike/


----------



## el palmesano

great updates! thanks!


----------



## sbarn

New boutique condo has been proposed for *155 18th Street*. I noticed recently that all the businesses along this stretch have moved.









Curbed


----------



## sbarn

Screenshots of *45 East 60th Street* from the DOB permits have posted by NYguy at SSP. Looks like this tower will top out at 824 ft.




NYguy said:


> http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobsQueryByLocationServlet?requestid=1&allbin=1078240&allstrt=EAST 60 STREET&allnumbhous=45
> 
> 
> A peek at some detailing shows a high quality building...


----------



## RobertWalpole

Zeckendorf needs to acquire the three dilapidated brownstones to the east of this tower. They should be restored or razed. In their current condition, they are serious eyesores, which detract from the new tower at street level.


----------



## sbarn

The cantilever at *160 East 22nd Street *is quite prominent now:



















Reminder whats coming:


----------



## sbarn

Work may begin soon at *245 West 14th Street*. A formerly stalled residential site near the Meatpacking district. New fencing was recently put up and I see an excavator is now on site. According to *THIS* article in the Real Deal the site was purchased last fall by the same developers building a residential building on 21st Street in Chelsea.


----------



## sbarn

The tower portion of *31 West 15th Street (35 XV)* is becoming more visible from street level. 










Reminder what's being built:


----------



## streetscapeer

woww.. NY has so many projects, can't keep up... incredible

thanks for all the updates!!


----------



## sbarn

Site of *551 10th Avenue* has been cleared and looks like construction is eminent. Extell is planning a 550 ft, 52-story residential (rental) tower here on this site and plans to break ground within the year.


----------



## sbarn

Signs are up and Mercedes has moved their dealership at *514 11th Avenue*. Silverstein is planning a 60+ story residential (rental) tower on this site. No word on the start date.


----------



## sbarn

An excavator has been on site at 610 Lexington Avenue since March, however (unfortunately) there hasn't been much progress. Word is that the building will house a Shangri-La Hotel and condos.










Rendering below:


----------



## sbarn

A 22 story residential tower is underway at *240 Manhattan Avenue* near Columbia University in Harlem. The building will top out at 22 stories, and likely pretty prominent for its location.

Rendering:









My photos (from today):




































Another cantilever over a neighbor:


----------



## sbarn

*Columbia Manhattanville expansion* update. The first building is well out of the ground now. The blocks behind will be built up over the next decade into a large new campus. This may actually be one of the biggest projects in the city right now.


----------



## sbarn

Got a closer look at the *Fordham University Tower* today. It looks like it still hasn't topped out yet, they are continuing to pour floors past the setback.




























Bonus shot: Here is the site directly to the south of the residential tower going up. This will be the site of the second residential tower going up. It will be slightly shorter than its northern neighbor, which I believe will top out around 600 ft tall. Was hoping to see some construction activity, but I guess its slightly premature.


----------



## sbarn

Looks like they're beginning to make progress on the foundation of the first tower at the *Riverside South Development*. I would guess they'll be pouring concrete within the next month or so. 










Also looks like they're demolishing the remaining structures on the site.


----------



## sbarn

*40 Riverside Boulevard *is the last building in the development formerly known as "Trump Place" along Riverside Drive in the 60s. This tower will be much glassier than it neighbors and will rise 33 floors. The design is pretty forgettable, but notable, in that it is a separate project from the Riverside Development South.

Rendering:

















Czervik.Construction @ WNY

From today:


----------



## sbarn

Work is progressing on the foundation at *625 West 57th Street*. Hard to tell from this vantage (and my sub-par camera), but the hole for this building is actually pretty deep. You can kind of catch a glimpse of the hole beyond the barrier.










Rendering of whats to come (this building is so exciting!):


----------



## sbarn

> More details on 508 West 24th Street by the Highline:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/realestate/developers-follow-families-downtown.html?_r=0
> 
> A 10-story condominium that recently broke ground and is expected to be completed in June 2014, 14 of the 15 units will be three-bedrooms. “These are all family-sized apartments because there is a real need in the marketplace,” said Cary Tamarkin, the design architect and developer of the project. The building, between 10th and 11th Avenues, will have two apartments per floor, with each unit featuring views of the High Line, which is just 15 feet away.
> 
> The building will have ribbons of architectural concrete between rows of oversize casement windows. The developer chose concrete despite its reputation for being difficult to work with. “It reveals the hand of the maker,” Mr. Tamarkin said, “so you have to get great artisans and the right recipe, with attention to detail to the point that every tie hole and joint is thought about.
> 
> “The building sits between two metal buildings that do their best to dance and curve,” he added, “and so we wanted this to be a concrete anchor that is more geometric in shape.” And, thinking far ahead, “in 500 years, people walking by it will see a substantial ruin.”
> 
> The architect-cum-developer also plans to integrate into the side of the building a modernist clock that will stretch five feet in diameter, to serve as decoration for the pedestrians walking by on the High Line. “It is an effort to give back to the urban fabric and the three million who will pass by the building on a yearly basis,” Mr. Tamarkin said.


Work continues on *508 West 24th Street*, should be going vertical by the end of the summer:


----------



## sbarn

Demo work continues on Eleventh Avenue between 20th and 21st Streets. No renderings have been released yet for this project, but it is a very large site, so I'm sure it will be significant.


----------



## sbarn

Some *Tribeca* updates:

The site at *15 Leonard Street* is currently being excavated:










Renderings:








Source: Tribeca Citizen









Source: Tribeca Citizen


The site of *11 North Moore* is also being excavated:


















Rendering:








Source: Tribeca Citizen


*290 West Street* has yet to commence construction, however the site has been cleared:


















Rendering:








Source: Tribeca Citizen


I peeked through the fence and looks like *15 Renwick Street* is also in the excavation stage:









Rendering:








Source: newconstructionmanhattan

Not sure what's happening at the site across the Renwick Street (at the corner of Canal), it looks like a large site that has been cleared. Anyone know anything about this site?


















Finally, a glimpse of the recently-completed residential filler at Greenwich and Canal which I think turned out quite nice:


----------



## sbarn

According to Curbed, it sounds like the 21 story sliver at *19 Park Avenue* is finally under construction.


----------



## desertpunk

^^

*19 Park Place Condo Gets Spiffier Name: "Tribeca Royale"*









http://www.ilarch.com/project.php?id=5



> The condominium development at 19 Park Place has its official moniker: Tribeca Royale, Curbed reported. The project, which is designed by architect Ismael Levya, is on track for 2014 completion.
> 
> Work at the site has been going on for the past year, as previously reported. ABN Realty is developing the building, which will be 25 feet wide and 21 stories high. The building will contain 24 units — 11 of them full-floor homes on the higher levels. The units located toward the back of the building will have their own terrace spaces, and others will come as duplexes.


----------



## desertpunk

*GM Building Sale Raises The Roof On Values*

40% stake sold for $1.4 bln.












> The families of Chinese real estate developer Zhang Xin and Brazilian banking magnate Moise Safra paid $1.4 billion for a 40 percent stake in the General Motors building, the Wall Street Journal reported. *This values the building at 767 Fifth Avenue at roughly $3.4 billion, making it the country’s most valuable office property.*
> 
> Relatives of Zhang – who is the founder and chief executive officer of Beijing megadeveloper Soho China – and the Safra family’s New York-based investment arm M. Safra & Co. bought the stake in the 50-story, 2 million-square-foot property through an entity called Sungate Trust, a source familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News.
> 
> The sellers were Goldman Sachs Group s U.S. Real Estate Opportunities Fund, which invests on behalf of the sovereign wealth funds of Kuwait and Qatar; and Dubai-based private equity firm Meraas Capital, the source told Bloomberg News. The sale closed May 31, the source added.
> 
> The building – which takes up a full block between Fifth and Madison Avenues and 58th and 59th Street — houses an Apple store at street level. The deal — which follows Crown Acquisitions and Highgate Holdings’ $1.3 billion purchase of 650 Madison Avenue from the Carlyle Group — comes at a time when investors looking for yield have been paying top dollar for high-end office properties, causing values to escalate faster than rents and occupancy.


----------



## desertpunk

*388 Bridge St and 29 Flatbush rising in hazy silhouette:*









http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/


----------



## desertpunk

*Check Out the First Interior Renderings of 432 Park Avenue*












> The first exterior renderings for 432 Park Avenue showed the Rafael Vinoly-designed superscraper towering over its Midtown neighbors. No surprise there—the boxy structure will be the western hemisphere's tallest residential building when it's finished. And the first interior renderings take full advantage of those views. BuzzBuzzHome has a glimpse at two of those renderings; we dug up a third, which may be found below. (Floorplans, for reference, may be reviewed here.) As of March, prices on available units ranged from $20.25 million to $78 million; a penthouse is already in contract for $95 million.


----------



## melrocks50

Awesome! I love the mix between the new and the old.


----------



## sbarn

Update on *One 57*, can't wait for this building to finish up. Photo I took yesterday:


----------



## sbarn

Some photos I took while visiting the 9/11 Memorial:



















Odd transition on the coloring of the tower cladding and the base cladding...


----------



## sbarn

Update on the vertical enlargement of *10 Madison Square West* (former Toy Center).










Rendering:








Curbed


----------



## sbarn

New renderings have been released for the condo / hotel that will be built along the edge of *Brooklyn Bridge Park*. More info *HERE*.









Curbed









Curbed


----------



## Josedc

pretty much NYC is rebuilding everything? there is too much going on!


----------



## sbarn

This is only scratching the surface. Today an article in *DNAinfo New York* states that three quarters of the City's new residential construction is actually happening in Brooklyn and Queens. I can't even keep up with what's going on out there, granted lots of it are smaller projects with pretty unremarkable designs.

Quote from the article:


> The number of residential units authorized by building permits in the first quarter of this year — more than 3,800 across the city — reached its highest point since late 2008, according to a report released Monday by NYU's Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy.
> 
> It marks the fourth quarter in a row where more than 2,000 permits have been authorized, and it's a huge leap from the year before when roughly 630 permits were authorized in the first quarter.
> 
> The majority of these potential new homes — three-quarters of them — would be concentrated in Queens and Brooklyn, the Furman Center report said.


New development of Packard Square in Long Island City, Queens:


----------



## desertpunk

*Alphabet Plaza on Avenue D makes itself known:*










---------------------------------------------------------------------------------









http://therealdeal.com/blog/2012/11...uxury-rental-construction-continues-unabated/


----------



## sbarn

Incredible photo of the model of the Hudson Yards project on display at the Center for Architecture, posted by *NYguy* @ SSP. I can't wait to have the North Tower built! :cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

*[URL="http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/06/05/one-hudson-yards-property-swap-deal-between-related-and-extell-in-contract/']One Hudson Yards property swap deal between Related and Extell in contract[/URL]*












> A property swap deal between the Related Companies and Extell Development on Manhattan’s West Side is now in contract, the New York Post reported.
> 
> As part of the deal, Related will give Extell a site it owns with Boston Properties on Eighth Avenue and West 45th Street and some cash on top in exchange for Gary Barnett’s 56-story, 1.7 million-square-foot office tower 1 Hudson Yards, located on 11th Avenue at 34th Street. The deal will allow Related to move forward on construction of its towers and retail podium at the Hudson Yards megaproject .


----------



## desertpunk

*City Point Phase II Is A Huge Hole!*









http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2013/06/city-point-june-edition/



> As part of their monthly City Point update, Brownstoner has some pretty awesome aerial views of the City Point site. Phase one, the boxy four-story retail complex at Fulton Street, is open for business, and phase two is underway. Currently, it pretty much just looks like a big dirt pit as the site is still being excavated, but crews are also pouring the foundation along Fleet and Gold Streets and installing underground mechanicals.











http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2013/06/city-point-june-edition/









http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2013/06/city-point-june-edition/









http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2013/06/city-point-june-edition/









http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2013/06/city-point-june-edition/









http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2013/06/city-point-june-edition/









http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2013/06/city-point-june-edition/


----------



## sbarn

Construction has begun on *435 West 50th Street*, to convert the building into luxury residential condominiums. This project is done by the same developer as the *Walker Tower* conversion in Chelsea.

*NY Observer* article from last summer:



> *The Ralph Walker Resurrection Continues: 435 West 50th Street, Developer’s Latest Art Deco Gem, Under Way with Starwood*
> 
> In an unassuming corner of the city, perhaps the last one left, an under-appreciated brick building is about to undergo a transformation into yet the latest luxury development to hit a city that always seems to have room for another. The tan- and yellow-brick pile sits in the middle of West 50th Street between 9th and 10th avenues, on the border between Hells Kitchen and the neighborhood that suddenly seems to be blossoming along the river as the Dursts, Walentas and others assemble shiny new apartment towers just to the northwest.
> 
> Yet 435 50th Street is anything but flashy and new. A throwback in the grandest sense, in that it is a far bit better than the original, the project is the second coming out for Ralph Walker, the long-forgotten AIA president and Art Deco master who dotted the city with at once industrious and luxurious old towers for the New York Telelphone Company. It is noveau prewar of the first order.
> 
> The first such was the now eponymous Walker Tower, just off Sixth Avenue between 17th and 18th Streets, where developers JDS Development and PMG hope to achieve some of the highest prices not only downtown but in the entire city, including a possible duplex penthouse overlooking Chelsea and the Village asking $94 million. Walker also designed such tough jewels as 1 Wall Street and the Barclay Vesey Building, landmarks you never knew you knew.
> 
> On West 50th Street, the plan is much the same. JDS and PMG bought both the West 18th Street building and the West 50th Street building from Verizon, which retains control of the lower floors for office and operations while the developers assemble grand condos above, designed by Cetra/Ruddy. The developers paid $20 million for the latter building last July, and according to city records, Barry Sternlicht’s Starwood Capital—also a backer in the Chelsea project—just injected $25 million into the project last week.
> 
> *“Construction is under way and we expect to complete the project in early 2014,” JDS principal Michael Stern said in a brief statement.*
> 
> The project is expected to come on the market some time next year, and renderings show new windows added to the grand 1930s facade but little alterations beyond that. The exact price of the renovation was not given, but for comparison, the one at Walker Tower is set to surpass $200 million.
> 
> All told, there will be somewhere around 65 and 70 units on floors 10 through 17. Prices have also not yet been set, and while this building might not have the same commanding views or white hot neighborhood to boast, the area is certainly on the up and up. And so, too, is this new building.





















My photos from last week:


----------



## sbarn

Looks like demo has begun on the last remaining building at *225 West 57th Street*. By the looks of it, maybe one or two floors have been removed. Once complete, excavation should begin on the foundation of a 1,550 ft tower (tallest in NYC). According to Department of Building documents, the foundation will be as deep as 80 feet (most of you know all this already).










Excavators remain on site:









(Photos by me)


----------



## desertpunk

*1 WTC cladding closing up:*









https://twitter.com/WTCProgress


----------



## desertpunk

*One Morningside Park in Harlem progress:*









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/06/05/construction_watch_x_2_one_wtc_one_morningside_park.php


----------



## desertpunk

*[URL="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/06/06/design_for_delayed_27m_w_thames_bridge_finally_revealed.php']Design for Delayed $27M W. Thames Bridge Finally Revealed[/URL]*














































While only a pedestrian bridge, this one is in a very high-profile location and will be a significant addition to the Lower Manhattan landscape. :cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

Speaking of transportation projects, the WTC Transportation Hub has been chugging along nicely. Some recent pictures:





























And a look at how the finished terminal should appear:










All: http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/...avas_world_trade_center_bird_shows_itself.php


----------



## desertpunk

Another sign of the overheating office property market:

*Times Square Tower On The Market For $1.6 Billion*












> New York’s billion-dollar office building club is getting a new member.
> 
> The Times Square Tower — at the “Crossroads of the World” — is hitting the market with a target price of $1.6 billion.
> 
> Boston Properties developed the 1.2 million square-foot building on a full block bounded by 41st and 42nd streets, Broadway and Seventh Avenue. It also developed 5 Times Square across the street.
> 
> Sources said Douglas Harmon and Adam Spies of Eastdil Secured have been hired to market the 47-story building designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
> 
> The glass tower’s largest office tenants include Ann Taylor, which has over 320,000 square feet, and law firms Pryor Cashman and O’Melveny & Myers, with 100,000 and 200,000 square feet, respectively. Newer tenants are paying $80-plus per square foot.


As prices get richer, expect developers to consider blowing off the shitty leasing market and building on spec...


----------



## desertpunk

*Community Board 2 Votes 'No' On 5Pointz Proposal*









http://newyorkyimby.com/2013/04/first-glimpse-5pointz-redevelopment-plans.html



> LONG ISLAND CITY — Queens Community Board 2 voted unanimously Thursday night against a developer's plan to replace 5Pointz with two high-rise luxury apartment towers, eliciting cheers from a crowd of artists and art fans who'd packed the board meeting in an effort to save the ailing graffiti Mecca.
> 
> *But CB2 members warned that their vote — which is solely advisory — applies only to the developer's application to build a larger structure than allowed by current zoning, and does not protect 5Pointz from the wrecking ball.
> 
> "There is nothing the community board can do about that — as a matter of right, they can tear down that building and build something," CB2 land use co-chairman Stephen Cooper told the crowd.*
> 
> "If you want to stop that, you have to go and get either landmarked or have it historically designated or have the art commission designate it," he said. "You're going to have to go way beyond this room to do that, and I encourage you, if that's what you want, to go ahead.”


----------



## desertpunk

*NYC’s Zeckendorfs Embrace Global Buyers With UN Condos*












> The United Nations Secretariat building is visible from every floor of 50 UN Plaza, Arthur and William Lie Zeckendorf’s latest Manhattan luxury-condominium project. It’s also a potential source of buyers.
> 
> The development, a 44-story tower under construction on First Avenue near 46th street, will be the Turtle Bay neighborhood’s first new residential project in a dozen years and is poised to set price records for the area. It’s located across the street from the UN, which is built on land assembled by the Zeckendorfs’ grandfather more than half a century ago
> 
> “If you’re a UN ambassador posted here, you can’t get a better location than this,” said Arthur Zeckendorf, standing in a hard hat on what will be the 19th floor of the condo building.
> 
> The project is a departure for the Zeckendorf brothers, whose dual limestone towers at 15 Central Park West set the standard for trophy apartments favored by Wall Street bankers and the rest of Manhattan’s local elite. At 50 UN Plaza, they are seeking to lure some of the wealthy buyers from around the world who are fueling demand and price increases at towers such as One57 and 432 Park Ave.
> 
> The latest project’s look also will be different, trading the signature style of Robert A.M. Stern -- the New York architect who designed 15 Central Park West and the Zeckendorfs’ 18 Gramercy Park -- for stainless steel and glass. For 50 UN Plaza, the developers turned to Foster + Partners, the London-based firm run by Norman Foster, whose credits include the U.K. capital’s city hall, Singapore’s Supreme Court and a terminal at Beijing Airport that’s among the world’s biggest buildings. The firm is also designing Bloomberg LP’s European headquarters in London.
> 
> *International Style*
> 
> “It was definitely a decision to do a very modern, international-style building, whereas 15 Central Park West and 18 Gramercy are Stern-designed, traditional Park Avenue, Fifth Avenue-type buildings,” said Arthur Zeckendorf, 53. “That was a major decision point: How to design the outside to appeal to your buyer.”
> 
> On the exterior, bay windows are stacked on top of one other, threaded together by a horizontal grid of stainless steel and forming three columns that run the length of the building. “Highly reflective” fritted, or textured, glass panels run vertically between the bays, giving the tower a jewel-like appearance, William Zeckendorf, 54, said during a tour of the site in April.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *‘Perfect’ Angle*
> 
> The windows offer residents the “perfect architectural angle” for viewing the UN Secretariat, his brother said as he stood at the edge of one of the bay protrusions, shielded at the time only by orange netting.
> 
> The tower is Foster + Partners’ first residential project in the U.S., William said.
> 
> Zeckendorf Development Co.’s plans call for 88 apartments, with prices starting at $2.8 million for a one-bedroom unit, according to documents filed with New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office, which reviews the details of condominium projects. Two-bedroom units range from $3.6 million to $9.4 million.
> 
> A 9,700-square-foot (900-square-meter) duplex penthouse spanning the 43rd and 44th floors will be listed for $55 million. The property includes five bedrooms, two of which abut the kitchen and are designed for staff, as well as a pool and terrace on the top floor, according to preliminary plans.
> 
> Sales will begin in the third quarter, the developers said.
> 
> *Sales Records*
> 
> As the Turtle Bay neighborhood’s first new residential project since Trump World Tower was completed in 2001, 50 UN Plaza would set price records in the area, with all deals probably falling within the top 10 percent for Manhattan, said Jonathan Miller, president of New York-based appraiser Miller Samuel Inc.
> 
> The Zeckendorfs’ marketing is unique because “the other buildings all seem to be downplaying international buyers,” Miller said. “For them to say it, and embrace it, makes it somewhat different.”
> 
> The project is a return to family roots for the Zeckendorfs. Their paternal grandfather, William Sr., assembled the land on which the UN complex was constructed with intentions to build a Rockefeller Center-style “city within a city” including an opera house, hotel, apartments and a convention hall on an elevated platform, according to “Capital of the World: The Race to Host the United Nations,” by Charlene Mires. Their maternal grandfather, Trygve Lie, was the first UN secretary general, from 1946 to 1952.
> 
> “They’d be very proud, very excited that we’re creating a great building to go with what they created,” Arthur said.
> 
> *City ‘Oasis’*
> 
> The entrance to 50 UN Plaza’s 6,000-square-foot-lobby, currently a tangle of cinderblocks, will feature a waterfall that will cost as much as $1 million to design and construct, William said. “Fire and water are the elements of life,” Arthur said. “You come in from the city and it’s an oasis.”
> 
> The developers are in talks with a “top restaurant operator” to occupy a 2,000-square-foot venue at the base of the tower, with an open-air terrace facing the UN. The restaurant would provide room service and a private dining area for residents, William said.
> 
> The Zeckendorfs are seeking to build “a perfect project” as buyers have been paying unprecedented prices for New York trophy condos. The current record for the most expensive residence in Manhattan was set at 15 Central Park West in February 2012, when former Citigroup Inc. Chairman Sanford Weill sold his full-floor penthouse for $88 million. The apartment was purchased for the daughter of Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev.
> 
> *One57 Penthouses*
> 
> That benchmark is set to be topped next year when deals for two penthouses at One57 are completed. Both units are under contract for more than $90 million, according to Extell Development Co., which is constructing the 90-story tower. Bill Ackman, the New York hedge-fund manager who founded Pershing Square Capital Management LP, is part of an investment group that purchased one of the apartments.
> 
> At 432 Park Ave., which Harry Macklowe and CIM Group are building, buyers have come from around the world, including South America, the Middle East, China and Russia, the developers said. The tower is slated for completion in 2015.
> 
> *New York is No. 1 on a list of “cities that matter” to high-net-worth individuals, according to the 2013 “Wealth Report” by Knight Frank LLP, a London-based real estate consulting firm.* The city’s real estate has come “to epitomize the so-called safe-haven market, with overseas buyers looking to escape currency, economic, political and security crises by putting equity into tangible assets,” according to the report.
> 
> *Reviving Projects*
> 
> New York’s appeal to global investors has been helped by the “growing availability of high-quality new-build developments,” according to Knight Frank. “This contrasts with the dearth of stock in the years after the financial crisis.”
> 
> Proposals for new Manhattan condos plunged 79 percent in 2009 from the prior year as developers waited for a glut of new and unsold units to clear the market following the recession. Builders revived projects in 2011, filing plans to to sell 2,267 new condos in the borough, more than the previous two years combined, according to the attorney general’s office. They added plans for 1,695 units in 2012.
> 
> The Zeckendorfs acquired the 50 UN Plaza site in 2007 for $152 million and delayed plans for development as credit markets began to freeze later that year. They revived the project in December, obtaining a $280 million loan from HSBC Holdings Plc. Israeli financier Eyal Ofer is also backing the project.
> 
> *Price Increases*
> 
> Builders throughout Manhattan have been raising prices on their unbuilt condos as demand intensifies. At the Zeckendorfs’ almost-completed 18 Gramercy Park, for example, the combined value of all units for sale climbed 5 percent since they went on the market in May 2012, documents filed with the attorney general show. A 4,500-square-foot second-floor apartment originally listed for $15.5 million was increased to $16.2 million a few months later.
> 
> The building’s residential units have at least four bedrooms. Owners will get a key to the private, gated Gramercy Park and must pay $6,000 a year to the trust that holds title to it. Other amenities include a pet grooming area and artwork in the lobby by Damien Hirst, according to the offering plan.
> 
> [...]


----------



## Johnson8100

Thanks to you for sharing the pics of construction in new York.All the floors are totally stripped all those hotels and restaurant and buildings.Floor stripping is a trend in new York.All the building in new York is stripped and there kitchen are made of wood.


----------



## desertpunk

West Side rising


IMG_5465 by denkmanttlb, on Flickr


----------



## sbarn

Whoa, that blue tower crane on the right must be for the Coach Tower!!! :banana:

I'm going to have to check that out...


----------



## desertpunk

*Lowballed in Lower Manhattan*

*NYC construction groups blame insurers for 2 WTC holdup*












> A city construction industry coalition is pushing insurers of United Airlines and American Airlines, whose aircrafts crashed into the World Trade Center on 9/11, to cough up a maximum of $2.8 billion, Crain’s reported. Silverstein Properties, which holds the lease at the World Trade Center site, has vowed to use the insurance payment toward the development of the not-yet-started 2 World Trade Center.
> 
> The coalition includes the Building and Construction Trade Council, the Building and Trades Employers Association and the 32BJ union.
> 
> “We are doing this to draw attention to the fact that a handful of insurance companies are holding up rebuilding the World Trade Center,” Building and Construction Trades Council President Gary LaBarbera told Crain’s. “It’s unacceptable that nearly 12 years after 9/11, these companies refuse to pay what they owe.”
> 
> This would be the second major insurance payout at the site. Both Silverstein and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey nabbed $4.1 billion from the fallen towers’ insurers in 2004, Crain’s said.
> 
> The groups’ push precedes a federal court hearing next month, when a judge is slated to rule on whether Silverstein can get the full amount or settle for less.


----------



## RobertWalpole

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/...owers_are_rising_from_crane_collapse_site.php


----------



## desertpunk

*10-Building Megaproject To Replace Old Bushwick Brewery?*












> Williamsburg's dilapidated Domino factory is getting a residential makeover, and Greenpoint's waterfront is poised for a collection of glassy towers, so that leaves just one North Brooklyn neighborhood without a megaproject to call its own. Developer Read Property Group would like to change that. DNAinfo and the Daily News report that Read Property presented their plans for a 6.4-acre site near Bushwick's Flushing Avenue to Community Board 4 this week. A large chunk of the land was once home to Rheingold Brewery, and the proposed development would break up that superblock and remap parts of Stanwix and Noll Streets. There would be 10 buildings rising up to eight stories tall for a total of 977 rental apartments with garage parking for 50 percent of the units. Retail would occupy the street-level, and a 17,000-square-foot public green space would be plopped in the middle of the complex.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Wanda launches $1b New York hotel project*
http://www.ecns.cn/business/2013/06-21/69534.shtml



> China's Wanda Group, which owns AMC Theaters, is spending $1 billion to build a five-star hotel in New York City, becoming a new addition to the recent Chinese investment wave in the Big Apple's real-estate market.
> 
> Wang Jianlin, chairman of the Dalian-based commercial real estate developer, told Reuters in Beijing that the company is in talks with potential partners to build a Wanda hotel and an adjacent apartment building in New York.
> 
> The chairman said the project will probably be announced in the third quarter of this year "if everything goes smoothly".
> 
> The announcement comes a day after it revealed it will launch a 1 billion pound ($1.55 billion) investment for the overall control of the United Kingdom-based luxury yacht manufacturer Sunseeker and the construction of a five-star hotel in the center of London.
> 
> Wanda made headlines last year when it acquired the United States-based cinema chain AMC for $2.6 billion - including debt - making it the largest Chinese entertainment expansion in the US and the largest cinema owner in the world.
> 
> The Wanda group already runs a chain of five-star hotels and has partnered with other hotel groups. The move to build a five-star hotel in New York furthers Wanda's overseas expansion into the US since the AMC acquisition.
> 
> "Many people have been really bullish on hotels, and the hotel market has been very strong in New York," said David Von Spreckelsen, a division president with US luxury home-builder Toll Brothers City Living in New York.
> 
> "It will continue to be a place within the US that is desirable and on a world level. Obviously it competes with every major city in the world."
> 
> Fred Lipman, a partner at Blank Rome LLP and the author of International Strategic Alliances: Joint Ventures Between Asian and US Companies, said the prices in the real estate market are a major attraction for Chinese investors.
> 
> "The general perception is this is a good place to invest for real estate at this point based on the current pricing levels," said Lipman.
> 
> Wanda's move into New York is the latest move by Chinese investors in one of the world's most desired cities.
> 
> Data from the National Association of Realtors show that Chinese mainland and Hong Kong buyers are the second-largest investor group, after Canadians, in the US housing market, contributing some $9 billion in the March 2011 to March 2012 period.
> 
> Earlier this month, Zhang Xin, CEO of Soho China, a Beijing-based real estate developer, together with other investors, bought a 40 percent stake of New York's iconic General Motors building in midtown Manhattan for $1.4 billion.
> 
> New York has long been a hotspot for foreign real estate investors.
> 
> In the 1970s, the Japanese made heavy investments in the city's real estate. "There have also been a lot of Europeans investing here over the last couple of years, and now I see the Chinese just being the next wave," said Spreckelsen.
> 
> Spreckelsen cautions foreign investors - including the Chinese - to have sufficient local knowledge before tapping into what he calls a "local game".
> 
> "Places like New York or Beijing are always going to be solid (for investment), but you need to hire the right people," said Spreckelsen, adding that knowledge of the local market, including the labor market and the government, were important for investors to carry out their projects smoothly.
> 
> Last September, Beijing-based Xinyuan Real Estate Co Ltd, a US-listed company, acquired a parcel of land at Kent Avenue and South 8th Street in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn for $54.2 million.
> 
> The company is building a condo building that will serve the community when it's complete, said John Liang, a general manager with Xinyuan in New York.
> 
> Liang said Xinyuan - even though it's a Chinese developer - won't be building a "Chinatown".
> 
> "We are building an international project and it will be run locally," said Liang recently at a China Roundtable discussion in New York, adding they are not relying on selling the condos to Chinese buyers.
> 
> The company, Liang said, recently raised $200 million and will spend half in the US market.
> 
> "Williamsburg is a strong market. We've done a number of buildings there, and I think they will do well," Spreckelsen noted.
> 
> Lipman said even though the Chinese are building up investment in the real estate market, the result is still unknown. "You are working on the future projections; it takes time to see (the result)," he said.


----------



## desertpunk

*1 WTC*


1WTC by tectonic Photo, on Flickr


----------



## RobertWalpole

Vertical_Gotham said:


> *Wanda launches $1b New York hotel project*
> http://www.ecns.cn/business/2013/06-21/69534.shtml


Wow! That's awesome. I predict that this will be a tall and impressive tower. I wonder where it will be. Midtown in the 50s is the logical area for a high-rise hotel.


----------



## RobertWalpole

Vertical_Gotham said:


> *Wanda launches $1b New York hotel project*
> http://www.ecns.cn/business/2013/06-21/69534.shtml


Wow! That's awesome. I predict that this will be a tall and impressive tower. I wonder where it will be. Midtown in the 50s is the logical area for a high-rise hotel. Perhaps, they will partner with Hines on Torre Verre.

Here's another article from yesterday's WSJ on the same issue.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324021104578554322805576546.html


----------



## desertpunk

*900 Waterfront Apartments Berthing In Staten Island*












> Staten Island is just piling on the megaprojects. There's the 65-acre development on the borough's South Shore in Charleston; the SHoP-designed, giant-wheel-equipped complex near the St. George Ferry Terminal; and today ground broke on a 900-unit mixed-use development on a former Navy port in Stapleton. The $180 million project is part of the city's New Stapleton Waterfront revitalization plan, and in addition to housing, it will bring 30,000-square-feet of retail and a public waterfront esplanade. Post-Sandy, developer Ironstate Development reworked the design of the LEED-certified project to incorporate more flood-prevention measures.
> 
> Not only will the project be constructed two feet higher than previously planned, but it will be surrounded by open space that will protect against flooding and shoreline corrosion. A 30,000-square-foot cove of tidal wetlands will be created between Canal and Water Streets, and a storm water management system will include 60,000-square-feet of bio-swales that will remove pollution from the water before it reaches the bay.
> 
> The first stage of the project, to be complete by 2015, will se 340,000-square-feet of residential and 25,000-square-feet of retail and parking. The second phase will bring 260,000-square-feet of residential and 5,000-square-feet of retail.







































All: http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/06/21/900_new_apartments_headed_for_sis_stapleton_waterfront.php


----------



## ThatOneGuy

International Style! :discoduck:


----------



## desertpunk

*3 Northside Piers rising:*


Northside Piers Construction by Joel Raskin, on Flickr


----------



## RobertWalpole

Vertical_Gotham said:


> *Wanda launches $1b New York hotel project*
> http://www.ecns.cn/business/2013/06-21/69534.shtml


This is huge news!:cheers:


----------



## RobertWalpole

Here's another article about the new $1b, 5-Star hotel and condo that Dalian's Wanda group plans for NY. I am very curious where this will be. 

http://news.yahoo.com/chinas-wanda-aims-launch-1-billion-ny-hotel-105646352.html


----------



## Nikonov_Ivan

^^ I am curious how high it will be


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

sbarn said:


> Cladding is underway on *151 West 21st Street*. Looks pretty nice, classy but not flashy. Hard to tell but looks like a grayish slate is being used and then brick on the side walls.


*Chelsea Green Residential Development Could Potentially be the first LEED Version-3 Gold Certified Project*
http://www.azobuild.com/news.aspx?newsID=16928







 



> Just a few blocks from the High Line, the now-famous restored elevated railway bed that today sports pedestrian walkways amid a landscape of greenery chosen for its hardiness and sustainability, a 14-story building is rising in New York's historic Chelsea neighborhood that promises its future residents a better way to live.
> 
> *With more than 90 percent of its 51 units sold before it had climbed above street level*, Chelsea Green is a 14-story, luxury condominium from Alfa Development that is putting wellness and the most advanced and state-of-the-art systems, front and center to maximize energy efficiency, resource conservation and indoor air quality.
> 
> Every aspect of the 74,000 square foot concrete structure is designed to consider its impact on the environment, notes Alfa, which believes it could be the first LEED Version-3 Gold certified project in the U.S. LEED attributes are found everywhere – from the cabinets to the heating and cooling systems, the rainwater irrigation system and the green roof. To ensure ultimate efficiency, LED lights have been mounted throughout the building and solar shades installed above the windows. In addition, Schöck Isokorb® Type CM thermal break connections are being used in the balconies on the 11th through the 14th floors to further enhance the building's energy performance.
> 
> Recently approved by the NYC Department of Buildings, the 52 concrete-to-concrete Isokorb® modules are being installed on ten, 7 ½ X 16 foot balconies at Chelsea Green; provide a solution to one of the most critical areas of energy loss in building construction: thermal bridges. These breaks occur whenever there is a penetration of the building's envelope. It is the first project in New York City to incorporate concrete structural thermal break elements, which are recognized worldwide for their effectiveness, but are relatively new to the U.S.
> 
> Each balcony at Chelsea Green is cantilevered out 7 ½ feet on 8-inch-thick tapered concrete slabs. "Traditional balcony attachments deal primarily with only the structural cantilever and as a result transmit exterior temperatures to the interior floor slabs, adding to the energy use of the unit," said Frank Mattiello, Senior Project Manager at Alpha Development. "This thermal bridge effect can be felt when walking barefoot in one's apartment, even when the heating or cooling systems are in operation."
> Isokorb® type CM provides load-bearing thermal insulation for these slabs and transfers bending moment stress and shear forces. Its integrated hanging and tensile reinforcement mitigates the use of other costly elements like stirrups or hooped mat. "Their modular configuration enables simple installation and submittal design," Mattiello added.
> 
> In a recent post to Schöck's blog, Omalawa Abdullah-Musa of Stephen B. Jacobs Group, Chelsea Green's architectural firm noted, "This is a major breakthrough for combating thermal bridging in New York City residential buildings. The process for getting this product incorporated into the project was challenging, since it was relatively unknown to most structural engineers here. Chelsea Green has set the tone for future projects and we are looking forward to working with Schöck and spreading the word about this innovative technology."
> 
> *Details*
> Project: Chelsea Green, 151 West 21st Street, New York, NY
> Architect: Stephen B. Jacobs Group
> Structural Engineer: WSP Cantor
> Construction Company: DJM Construction
> Products: Schöck Isokorb Type CM
> Start of construction: Winter 2011
> End of construction: Planned for Summer 2013


----------



## 1Filipe1

Nikonov_Ivan said:


> ^^ I am curious how high it will be


me to maybe a supertall ? :cheers:


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

RobertWalpole said:


> Here's another article about the new $1b, 5-Star hotel and condo that Dalian's Wanda group plans for NY. I am very curious where this will be.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/chinas-wanda-aims-launch-1-billion-ny-hotel-105646352.html


In the article it mentions, he is looking to build a Hotel and develop an apartment building next to each other. That $1B price tag is probably for both projects.



> The company is now in talks with potential partners for construction of a Wanda hotel *AND *an adjacent apartment building in New York


----------



## RobertWalpole

I think that's simply erroneous reporting. I don't know where anyone could find two contiguous building parcels, and it would not make sense to build a 20 story hotel and a 50 story condo next to each other; among other reasons, height-based views command more money. Also, $1b is a very low price tag for two parcels and two buildings.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

RobertWalpole said:


> I think that's simply erroneous reporting. I don't know where anyone could find two contiguous building parcels, and it would not make sense to build a 20 story hotel and a 50 story condo next to each other; among other reasons, height-based views command more money. Also, $1b is a very low price tag for two parcels and two buildings.


yea lol! agreed! I think what they meant was that this project will be a mixed use Hotel/Condo. It would definitely be absurd to not to do it this way. With $1B plus price tag, this has the makings to be at least supertall??


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

RobertWalpole said:


> I also was speculating about 80 South Street or within the Seaport itself since SHoP is the architect there, and they had planned a tower at the site.


I hope it's not 80 South. I like the current design by Morali Architects and the latest article by the developer mentioned that they hope to start in 2016 interviewed in Feb of this year by NYYimby.

*Interview:* http://newyorkyimby.com/2013/02/interview-with-the-architect-80-south-streets-anthony-morali.html

It would be amazing if *this* is for a totally separate site in lower manhattan, that way we could potentially have 4 super tall towers there.
(80 South Street, 2 WTC, 3WTC and *This..*)

At what site is SHoP the architect in the seaport area?


----------



## RobertWalpole

Vertical_Gotham said:


> I hope it's not 80 South. I like the current design by Morali Architects and the latest article by the developer mentioned that they hope to start in 2016.
> 
> It would be amazing if *this* is for a totally separate site in lower manhattan, that way we could potentially have 4 super tall towers there.
> (80 South Street, 2 WTC, 3WTC and *This..*)
> 
> At what site is SHoP the architect in the seaport area?


The one that I posted above (i.e., the Pier 17 redevelopment).


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

^^ isn't that tower 80 south street in that pic u posted? Sorry i'm confused with the location betw. 80 south and SHoP's project.


----------



## RobertWalpole

My guess is that it's this project:

Howard Hughes Corp. project at South Street Seaport may include hotel, market-rate apartments
April 01, 2013 02:00PM 
« Previous Next » Print Tweet 
The South Street Seaport
Updated, 4:55 p.m., Apr. 1: The Howard Hughes Corporation may build a hotel, retail space and market-rate residential apartments at the South Street Seaport, a letter of intent seen by Downtown Express reveals, ending months of speculation about the developer’s plans for the megaproject. 

A letter of intent between the two parties had previously been released in December 2011, but specifics of the mixed-use project had been blacked out. Now, the uncensored version of the letter reveals plans for a 95,000-square-foot hotel, 280,000-square feet of market-rate residential apartments, and roughly 82,000 square feet of retail space. The letter did not specify where the buildings would be located, but the scale of the project indicates that at least some of them would have to be in the newly rezoned waterfront area. The New Market Building, which lies outside the confines of the South Street Seaport historic district, is a likely location for the project.

In addition, the letter of intent outlines about 60,000 square feet of parking plus roughly 100,000 square feet for reconstruction of the Tin Building.

The details have incensed some community members, who allege that Howard Hughes Corporation willfully ignored requests for details about the project. “We’ve been asking [Howard Hughes] for a master plan for the site all along. They have obviously not been telling us the truth when they said they didn’t have one,” John Fratta, chairperson of Community Board 1’s Seaport Committee, told Downtown Express upon hearing of the new information.

On March 29, City Council member Margaret Chin’s press secretary Kelly Magee denied that the letter contained any specifics. “There is absolutely nothing in the [Letter of Intent] that describes H.H.C.’s development plans,” she wrote to Downtown Express in an email.

A day later, in response to Downtown Express’ article, Chin said that, “like the community board, my office has also asked Howard Hughes to make their development plans public. I understand the frustration people feel, but the Letter of Intent (LOI) is not a master plan for the Seaport. The LOI does not contain any specific development proposals, and furthermore, it is not accurate to use the numbers quoted in the LOI to predict what future development could entail. The city has final say and approval on development at the Seaport.”

Seth Pinsky, president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, told Downtown Express that the EDC could veto a proposal from Howard Hughes Corporation, depending on the specifics of the project. Moreover, any proposal would have to go through a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, or ULURP, an EDC spokesman told The Real Deal.

A spokesman for Howard Hughes Corporation declined to comment to Downtown Express on where the intended developments would be located. [Downtown Express] –Hiten Samtani

Tags: howard hughes corporation, South Street Seaport


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

^^ Ok. I definitely thinks this will be the site for this supertall. It makes sense.

80 South would be developed on the western side of the pier and this project by Howard Hughes would be developed on the other side (eastern side) of the pier is my guess. So potentially there will be a supertall tower at both side of pier 17. 

Seems like he was getting a lot of opposition with the whole pier 17 seaport project but I guess developing this tower is fine if indeed this will be the site.


----------



## desertpunk

^^
I thought Hughes killed the tower over all the local opposition. I know they hinted at doing something more than just Pier 17 but I'd be amazed if they brought back the tower idea. Maybe after Bloomberg's Seaport City proposal they feel like it might survive the approval process??


----------



## RobertWalpole

I think that it's definitely proceeding. This could be around 300m, assuming that it's pretty thin, which it supposedly will be.


----------



## desertpunk

RobertWalpole said:


> I think that it's definitely proceeding. This could be around 300m, assuming that it's pretty thin, which it supposedly will be.


Thinner, tapered and less boxy to reduce shadows over the water just might get that baby past the critics and over the finish line. :cheers:


----------



## RobertWalpole

I'm envisioning something razor-thin, like 107 W 57th.


----------



## phoenixboi08

You should watch this entire lecture, it is quite eye opening (and something I've been thinking a lot about lately: land use is more pertinent to our discussion - what is ailing us - more so than just "suburbia."

At the very least, this section (starting at about 46 minutes in) is quite interesting...


----------



## desertpunk

*50 UN Plaza July 2:*


Some Fluffy Clouds by Tim Drivas, on Flickr


----------



## sbarn

RobertWalpole said:


> My guess is that it's this project:
> 
> Howard Hughes Corp. project at South Street Seaport may include hotel, market-rate apartments


I'd be *VERY *surprised if its this site. I used to work on the South Street Seaport project and at that time there was incredible opposition to the previous tower proposed that was only around 450 ft. The residents in South Bridge Towers are fiercely opposed to anything tall being built at that location and anything that would remotely block their view. GGP - now Howard Hewes - is very aware of the political impossibility of building tall on this site. Additionally, the site is located on a pier over the water, which would require incredible engineering as well as environmental approvals that have become nearly impossible. Not to mention the site borders both a local and state Landmarks district.

My guess it will be somewhere else...


----------



## hateman

You're probably right about a Seaport supertall, especially after what Sandy wrought on that area. Second guess is Thames Street. Some of those lowrises are not long for this world, especially if they'll demolish a fine brick Romanesque like 22.


----------



## sbarn

^^ Yeah my guess would be that neighborhood or something like the Nobu site which previously had a 700 ft tower proposed on it.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*MTA move to free up prime location

Space next to Grand Central to be leased*
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130704/BIZ/307040320/-1/SITEMAP



> The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, following through on a plan announced two years ago, will move from its Madison Avenue headquarters and lease the coveted location adjacent to Grand Central Terminal to a developer.





> The MTA has retained Cushman & Wakefield, one of eight commercial real estate companies that bid on the contract, to market the *buildings at 341, 345 and 347 Madison *Ave. Cushman is working on commission.
> 
> The request for proposals was given to developers June 25. Responses are due Aug. 14.





> *Demolition expected*
> 
> Donovan said the *MTA expects the developer who secures the long-term lease will demolish the buildings, which occupy a full block between 44th and 45th streets, and redevelop the site with modern Class A offices or a hotel or residential tower or a mix of uses.*
> 
> Demolition is anticipated because the three buildings cannot be combined and are replete with inefficiencies that prevent their conversion to modern office space. The oldest of the trio dates to 1917.
> 
> The developer will be required to maintain access to Grand Central, now an underground walkway from 347 Madison.


----------



## desertpunk

Base cladding at 1WTC


Triptych by Keith Michael NYC, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*NYPD flyover at West side neighborhoods*


2013 Macy's Fireworks NYPD Flyover 3 by Strykapose, on Flickr


----------



## RobertWalpole

Cool. It looks like the scene from Apocalypse Now when Ride of the Valkyres is playing in the background.


----------



## rencharles

Vertical_Gotham said:


> *MTA move to free up prime location
> 
> Space next to Grand Central to be leased*
> http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130704/BIZ/307040320/-1/SITEMAP


Here is an interesting news. It is a large footprint, and is Within the new rezone of midtown east. It would be amazing to see a skyscraper (maybe a supertall) being built on this site... But it's just a dream, too early to talk about it.


----------



## RobertWalpole

Actually, it's a rather small footprint since the blocks on The east side of Madison in the 40s, which adjoin the west side of Vanderbilt, are quite small. (Check it out on Google Earth.) This bodes well for the height. If a residential/hotel is built here, it will be at least 300m, even without the rezoning.


----------



## RobertWalpole

Re: very tall tower by SHoP.

Another potential site is the J&R Music Building on Park Row across from City Hall Park. I walked by today, and all stores were closed, but for the one in the building on the south corner at 1 Park Row. Signs said that all of J&R's departments, which were located in various buildings on Park Row, will consolidate into the multi-story building located at 1 Park Row.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

RobertWalpole said:


> Re: very tall tower by SHoP.
> 
> Another potential site is the J&R Music Building on Park Row across from City Hall Park. I walked by today, and all stores were closed.


I noticed that and It did not occur to me for the potential there! 

If this site would be purchased by one developer.. this site can be HUGE! Super Duper Tall HUGE! That was a lot of buildings that J&R vacated.

What makes you think this would be a SHoP project? This can be another potential site for that supertall you where talking about.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

I did a search and found this, in regard to J&R music to see what is up with this site for those who are interested.

*Seen & Heard: J&R’s Consolidation Is Complete*
http://tribecacitizen.com/2013/05/08/seen-heard-jrs-consolidation-is-complete/

They consolidated into one superstore on a 5 storey building 1 Park Row. 

The reader comment is interesting..



> JF
> May 16, 2013 • 1:33 pm
> .
> I saw this account of the J&R re-org on another forum. I have no personal knowledge on the subject, other than my own observation that J&R Baby is virtually empty every time we’ve gone there.
> 
> *“This is the inside scoop.*
> 
> I heard they are close to bankruptcy. Suppliers were withdrawing credit, insisting on cash on delivery. Very low stock.
> 
> Very many old time employees are being fired, in large numbers.
> 
> The “baby store” experiment was a huge failure, cost them a lot of money.
> 
> Business is WAY down from previous levels.
> 
> *They own the buildings and are looking for new rental income, possibly selling them *or making some sort of offer to tenants. They will not re-open the closed ground level stores.
> 
> There seems to be some infighting and reorganization.
> 
> I heard this from gossip from employees and corporate staff there. I don’t know if everything is 100% accurate but they have no reason to lie and I personally know a number of very long time employees who were let go.
> 
> They were shocked and had no warning and almost no severance.”












I hope they will just elect to sell those buildings on Park Row to a developer.


----------



## RobertWalpole

Thanks, VG. I think that the one with the Canon sign is definitely coming down. Can someone post an aerial shot of the site from Google Earth. It's actually a pretty small footprint and therefore, any residential tower would be pretty tall.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

RobertWalpole said:


> Thanks, VG. I think that the one with the Canon sign is definitely coming down. Can someone post an aerial shot of the site from Google Earth. It's actually a pretty small footprint and therefore, any residential tower would be pretty tall.


I think J&R owns all the buildings left of the Canon building as well. I don't know what the tenant situation is there on those other buildings... but if J&R decides to sell, they will sell all of those buildings too including the Canon building! (A total of 5 buildings on Park Row) If one developer decides to buys those buildings as a package, they could raze them all and assemble something pretty nice for development.

I believe they own the building to the right of Canon and maybe they could include that also.


----------



## RobertWalpole

I believe that they own them all as well.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*John Lam buys NoMad parking garage from Extell, plans hotel*
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/07/08/hotel-builder-john-lam-to-turn-nomad-parking-garage-into-hotel-tower/



> Prolific hotel builder John Lam is buying a parking garage on between *West 24th and West 25th Streets*, with plans to raze the structure and set up a* 270,000-square-foot hotel tower in its place,* Crain’s reported.
> 
> The spot is Lam’s second planned building in the area: he already aims to break ground next year on a 300,000-square-foot hotel that will run along Broadway from West 29th to West 30th streets.
> 
> At his latest building site at 110 West 25th Street, just west of Sixth Avenue, Lam is buying property from Extell Development. He did not disclose the purchase price to Crain’s as he said the deal, arranged by Massey Knakal’s Robert Knakal, is in contract but not yet completed.
> 
> In recent years, Lam has also developed a successful Four Points Hotel at 160 West 25th Street, operated by the Sheraton brand.
> 
> Lam has ambitious plans along Broadway, aiming to spend around $300 million to build hostelry that will begin to emerge next year. He told Crain’s he has reached a deal with Virgin Hotels to open the British company’s first U.S. hotel on the property, and that he is also in talks with another operator to manage a second hotel at the site. The latter will also include 50,000 square feet of retail space on three lower floors, a spot that would make for the largest new store space in the neighborhood. [Crain’s] –Julie Strickland


----------



## RobertWalpole

More on J&R:

http://www.twice.com/articletype/news/jr-restructures-brick-and-mortar-business/107135


----------



## desertpunk

*Gantry Park Landing in LIC starts leasing*












> July 5, By Christian Murray The latest luxury rental building to be developed alongside the East River starts leasing next week. The 12-story building, called Gantry Park Landing, is located at 50-01 Second Avenue, and provides plenty of amenities to pamper and entertain residents. Brokers will begin leasing the 199-unit building on July 12 and will offer prospective tenants a mix of studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments that range from 460 to 1,256 square feet.
> 
> - See more at: http://licpost.com/#sthash.bsMwanDI.dpuf


The courtyard: suitable for zen meditation...and catatonia








http://queens.brownstoner.com/2013/06/check-out-gantry-landings-courtyard/


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Out of Thin Air*
http://chelseanow.com/2013/07/out-of-thin-air/



> Everyone, or almost everyone, was taken off guard, when the State Legislature approved a series of major changes to the 1998 Hudson River Park Act.
> 
> The most significant of these allows the park to sell its unused air rights for development one block inland.
> 
> *According to the Hudson River Park Trust, the park — on its commercial piers — has about 1.6 million square feet of unused air rights. The Empire State Building has 2.77 million square feet of floor area, and the Trump Soho condo-hotel 300,000 square feet. So the park’s air rights equal more than half an Empire State Building, or more than five Trump Soho’s. In short, 1.6 million square feet is a whole lot of air rights*.
> 
> What’s good about this is that any air rights sold from the park are, by definition, no longer in the park — meaning this limits large-scale development in the park. It could even happen that part of Pier 40’s pier shed could be razed and those now newly unused air rights then sold across the highway — thus, opening up the West Houston Street pier to views to the river.
> 
> Moving air rights out of the park is definitely a good thing. But what will it mean for the western edge of the Village and Chelsea? Tribeca has no commercial piers. Does that mean none of the park’s air rights will be transferred into Tribeca? Most of the park’s commercial piers are in Community Board 4 (Chelsea/Hell’s Kitchen). So will most of the air rights get transferred up there? How much of the park’s air rights will be able to be stacked at any one site? Will there be designated sites? Will Pier 40’s air rights have to transfer directly across the highway to the St. John’s Building, or can — and should — they go elsewhere?
> 
> *Read More in link*


----------



## babybackribs2314

Latest on Stonehenge's 101 West 15th, which will not have tumors on top. Not amazing, but the new retail is nice -

Construction Update: 101 West 15th Street


----------



## desertpunk

*Construction is (Probably) On at 3 WTC With New Anchor Tenant*












> Back in January, it was reported that GroupM, an advertising company and media firm that did $90 billion worth of business last year, would likely sign a lease at 3 World Trade Center, and now Steve Cuozzo of the Post reports that the deal is this close to being complete. GroupM signed a term sheet (a document that outlines the terms of a proposed lease) with Silverstein Properties, and while term sheets don't guarantee a deal, they lead to signed leases 90 percent of the time. An official lease is expected to be signed later this year. The deal would release $1.3 billion in financing, allowing construction of the Richard Rogers-designed tower to be complete by 2016. Currently, the 80-story tower stands as a seven-story podium.
> 
> GroupM would take 515,000-square-feet on nine lower floors of the 80-story tower. Five of the floors have massive 70,000-square-foot open floorplans, a feature that was originally thought would appeal to financial firms. But Wall Street companies have been skittish since the crash, and non-financial groups—primarily tech and media companies—are stepping in...
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

A 96th floor? Why not!

*432 Park Gets Just What It Needed: A Second Penthouse*












> When one $95 million penthouse isn't enough, why not just add another? After scouring filings with the Attorney General's office, the Real Deal reports that superscraper 432 Park Avenue's developers, Macklowe and CIM, are rejiggering the top floors in order to sell a 96th-floor unit for $95 million—Penthouse No. 1, count it—and a 95th-floor unit for a discounted $85 million. And there we have Penthouse No. 2, even though it's not on the tippy top of the 1,396-foot-tall tower. Go figure. It appears that the "developers created the new 96th floor by apparently using extra high ceilings in the former 95th floor unit." New York City's soon-to-be tallest residential building is also planning to slash the number of units in the building from 141 to 125, while increasing the amount of residential space to 412,637 square feet


----------



## desertpunk

*Fear of Glass*

*[URL="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/07/10/west_village_condos_slice_of_glass_divides_community.php']West Village NIMBYs Sharpen Knives Over Condo Proposal [/URL]*












> Architect Peter Samton's designs for a five-story (plus two-story penthouse) mixed use condominium building on Seventh Avenue between Charles and West 10th streets drew scorn and derision from local business owners and residents at a Community Board 2 meeting last week. Things weren't much different when the project, which is being developed by Continental Ventures and the Keystone Group, was presented at Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing yesterday afternoon, although in the addition to the many detractors, there were also a handful of residents who showed up to offer words of support for the new building.
> 
> The fifteen or so Village residents, including French novelist Marc Levy, who criticized the building's design, which combines brick masonry with a modern glass "slice" that extends up to the penthouse, pointed to it being out of context with the surrounding neighborhood. "In places like the West Village, the value comes from a mutuality of buildings," said one Charles Street resident. "This building will take its value from the surroundings."


Maybe the developer should have chosen a Karl Fischer design for these schlumpehs to live with.


----------



## desertpunk

*25-Story LIC Tower Will Hug Iconic Pepsi-Cola Sign On Purpose*












> As TF Cornerstorne's massive six-building, 2,100-apartment East Coast megadevelopment continues to take shape along the Long Island City waterfront, its latest under-construction project has taken into account the 147-foot-long Pepsi-Cola sign that has been a neighborhood staple since the Depression. Building Blocks guru David Dunlop chronicles the city's modern-day love affair with the bright red, Gothically lettered billboard, which sports an oversized bottle at its edge. Turns out the principal architect behind 4610 Center Boulevard, Bernando Fort-Brescia of Arquitectonica, is a big ol' fanboy, and purposely made the edges of the building rounded rather than perpendicular, and recessed the bottom eight floors by 12 feet, in order to appropriately frame the ad. This video love letter to the sign and its past that TF Cornerstone has on its site is worth a watch, and maybe some of Fort-Brescia's excitement will rub off.
> 
> Built in 1936, the sign used to top a Pepsi factory nearby, which shut down in 1999. When Pepsi sold much of its land to TF Cornerstone's head honchos, the Elghanayan brothers, it cleverly held onto a parcel of prime real estate for its well-positioned endorsement. The sign moved to its current spot, within Gantry Plaza State Park, in 2009, and then the East Coast buildings started to rise closer than expected.
> 
> But Fort-Brescia was so inspired that he decided to work around it—not because Pepsi asked, though whether his choice was due to the billboard's aesthetic value, historical significance, or the general trendiness of retro things we'll never know—telling told the Times: "It is almost as if the face of the sign shaped the volumetrics of the building... I didn't want the sharp corners of a rectangle competing with the letters. I chose to curve the corners so the building seems to fade away."


Construction of 4610 Center Blvd. is well underway.


IMG_0880 by CraigNadel, on Flickr


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## ThatOneGuy

desertpunk said:


> *[URL="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/07/10/west_village_condos_slice_of_glass_divides_community.php']West Village NIMBYs Sharpen Knives Over Condo Proposal [/URL]*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe the developer should have chosen a Karl Fischer design for these schlumpehs to live with.


I won't understand why people oppose new development like this, especially when there seems to be nothing wrong with it? Afraid of change, or something?


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## bonquiqui

Cant wait to go back to New York in September


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## phoenixboi08

bonquiqui said:


> Cant wait to go back to New York in September


Lucky, I won't return until March.... though, I hate having to fly there. I have extreme anxiety issues with planes, and I always end up having to circle for an extended period before we get clearing to land.


----------



## LouDagreat

desertpunk said:


> *West Village NIMBYs Sharpen Knives Over Condo Proposal *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe the developer should have chosen a Karl Fischer design for these schlumpehs to live with.


 Looking at this new development next to those older tenements, people will see the windows are too large, floors too high. Glass at the top is weird. As much as I like new developments, I think more people will appreciate them if they were built along the same dimensions of older buildings, especially if the neighborhood they're built in is highly valued for its architecture.


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## Vertical_Gotham

^^ I like it. It gives the neighborhood character and it's unique being set at the corner that way.


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## sbarn

Now the east side of Manhattan needs to catch up architecturally. :eat:


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## Vertical_Gotham

sbarn said:


> Now the east side of Manhattan needs to catch up architecturally. :eat:


Definitely agree! I'm kinda jealous with all the good things happening in the west side. I'm looking forward to the completion of the 2nd ave line and hopefully the city moves forward developing the east side esplanade riverside project. Those two things should spur better developments architecturally... Hopefully.


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## TowerVerre:)

New York Projekts and Constructions Video on youtube by me  I have much freetime because of the vacations, so there will come more videos like this about chinese cities. You see every skyscraperprojekt which is over 200m tall in this video  Please write a commend the video if you find a mistake, Thanks


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## Ghostface79

sbarn said:


> Now the east side of Manhattan needs to catch up architecturally. :eat:


I feel sorry for the East side of Manhattan these days. When you look at the west side from the WTC, to Tribeca, to the West Village, to Hudson Yards, to Riverside South and the Pyramid next to it, my beloved East side got nothing comparable to those devellepment. Even East River Park doesn't come close to Hudson River Park. I'm not as positive as you are about the east side catching up cause most of it is already built and public housing as well as Hospitals and NIMBY UES occupy a lot of that space and they will be hard to remove.
Boy have times changed, I remember when the East side, especially the UES was THE place to be in the city and the West Side was kind of the Wild West, clearly not the case anymore


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## Hudson11

let the west side build big, the east side can still be the better place to live then.


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## Ghostface79

It sure is! not sure if it's still the "better" place to live in the city. But I love it, as most people still do.


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## Vertical_Gotham

Don't forget another unique project u/c at the highline, 500 W 21st Street developed by Sherwood Equities & designed by KPF! 

Me Likes.


----------



## RobertWalpole

Another new CPS tower?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...100033420148.html?mod=WSJ_NY_LEFTThirdStories


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## sbarn

RobertWalpole said:


> Another new CPS tower?
> 
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...100033420148.html?mod=WSJ_NY_LEFTThirdStories


Can't access WSJ, any notable quotes? I'd love to see that building replaced (if its the one I'm thinking of). :cheers:


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## sbarn

Update on *37 Warren* rooftop addition in Tribeca.









Tribeca Citizen

Renderings:

















ManhattanLux

Another rooftop addition nearby is *93 Worth*, on Broadway.








Tribeca Citizen

Make of them what you will...


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## RobertWalpole

sbarn said:


> Can't access WSJ, any notable quotes? I'd love to see that building replaced (if its the one I'm thinking of). :cheers:


It just discussed the pros and cons of razing the Park Lane. I can't see the Park Lane and 650 Madison not coming down.


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## sbarn

*Tribeca Citizen* had a great rundown of projects under construction in the neighborhood today.

*460 Washington:*








Tribeca Citizen

No Rendering.

*Sterling Mason:*








Tribeca Citizen

Rendering:








Tribeca Citizen

*11 North Moore:*








Tribeca Citizen

Rendering:








Tribeca Citizen

*84 White Street:*








Tribeca Citizen

No Rendering.

*Franklin Place:*








Tribeca Citizen









The Real Deal

*15 Leonard:*








Tribeca Citizen

Rendering:








Tribeca Citizen

*71 Reade:*








Tribeca Citizen

Rendering:








Tribeca Citizen









Tribeca Citizen

*12 Warren:*








Tribeca Citizen

No Rendering.

*19 Park Place:*








Tribeca Citizen









Tribeca Citizen

Projects yet to start:

*290 West Street:*








Tribeca Citizen

*403 Greenwich:*








Tribeca Citizen

*83 Walker:*








Tribeca Citizen


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

RobertWalpole said:


> It just discussed the pros and cons of razing the Park Lane. I can't see the Park Lane and 650 Madison not coming down.


 
Here's another article on Park Lane:
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/07/17/helmsley_hotel_to_sell_for_650_million_condos_come_next.php












> the estate of Leona Helmsley is selling the *Park Lane Hotel* for more then *$650 million* to the *Witkoff Group*





> Witkoff plans to turn "the bulk of the property" *into high-end* *condos*, but it's *still unclear if that means the current building will be converted or if they'll knock it now and start anew.*
> 
> Both routes have their complications. *If the tower is torn down, a rezoning would be necessary to build a taller tower; current regulations would allow for a building two-thirds the size of the 46-story, 370,000-square-foot hotel.* Converting would also prove tricky. The Journal points out that since the building was construction in the *1970s*, it lacks the pre-war goodness that allows other condo conversions to ask nosebleed prices.


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## desertpunk

sbarn said:


> Can't access WSJ, any notable quotes? I'd love to see that building replaced (if its the one I'm thinking of). :cheers:


*Park Lane Hotel in Deal to be Sold for $650 Million *



> The craze for super-luxury condominiums in Manhattan near Central Park is poised to spread to a fixture on the park's southern edge.
> 
> A team led by New York development company Witkoff Group has reached an agreement with the estate of real-estate magnate Leona Helmsley to buy the 46-story Park Lane Hotel on Central Park South for more than $650 million, according to multiple people with knowledge of the deal.
> 
> The New York-based developer plans to turn the bulk of the property—the tallest building on Central Park South that towers over the Plaza Hotel just to its east—into high-priced condominiums, these people said. *Still, it remained unclear whether Witkoff plans to tear down the hotel and build a new tower, or whether the company would convert the existing hotel. *
> 
> Whichever route the developer takes, the project stands to be a high-stakes bet on the continued strength of the upper-crust Manhattan condo market that would require hundreds of millions of dollars in more work.
> 
> [...]
> 
> *Hurdles could lie ahead for whatever the development company—led by Steven Witkoff—plans for the building. If it opts to tear down the 370,000-square-foot property, zoning regulations only allow it to build a tower about two-thirds the size. *
> 
> Converting has its perils as well: Ceilings throughout the building are low, and the building lacks the prewar architecture that has helped boost the appeal of other high-priced conversions.
> 
> People who have looked at the property say any plan will likely need to be worked out with the hotel workers' union. Fearing the loss of jobs on a nearby site last decade, the union successfully pushed the owners of the Plaza Hotel to keep a scaled-down hotel in their condo conversion of the property.
> 
> [...]


Pretty high price for such a terrible menu of options...


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## Vertical_Gotham

*Cornell NYC Tech Taps 'Master Developer'*
http://www.cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2013/07/16/cornell-nyc-tech-taps-master-developer



> The rapidly developing Cornell NYC Tech made another stride forward last month when it inked a deal with developer Forest City Ratner Companies, which will be the “master developer” of the first phase of construction at the tech campus. As part of the deal, Forest City Ratner will help develop two buildings on the tech campus’ Roosevelt Island site. The first, a 200,000-square-foot “corporate co-location building,” will both house tech companies and be used by tech campus students. The building will include common spaces to promote frequent, informal interactions between students and tech industry professionals.





> Forest City Ratner will also oversee development of Cornell Tech’s first academic building, which will encompass 150,000 square feet of space. The building will be designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne.


----------



## desertpunk

No Anna Selldorf? 

*Rafael Vinoly Is the Starchitect Behind 22 Thames Street*












> The former American Stock Exchange building at 22 Thames Street sold, in 2011, to two developers who planned to demolish the 10-story building and replace it with 60 stories of rentals. But those plans never came to pass—instead, fittingly for an ex-stock exchange property, the developers turned around and sold the buildings to the Fisher Brothers for $150 million. What's next? Tribeca Citizen spots an update to the Community Board 1 meeting agenda indicating that Rafael Vinoly, of 432 Park fame, is the architect on the project.


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## MarshallKnight

Four new renders of Zaha's Highline building up on Curbed.


----------



## desertpunk

*Fisher Deal Could Yield Tower At 3rd and 40th*









605 Third



> A half-stake in two Midtown office buildings developed and controlled by the Fisher Bros. is in a hard contract to Rockpoint for roughly $550 million in cash but will recapitalize the properties at $2.1 billion as Rockpoint will also take on over $1 billion in debt, equating the price to $650 per foot. Two cancer research centers created by the late billionaire shipping magnate Daniel Ludwig will be the beneficiaries of the sale by National Bulk Carriers.
> 
> Ludwig invested with the Fishers when they developed the towers at 1345 Avenue of the Americas and 605 Third Ave. Under the terms of his estate, in 2006 Ludwig’s foundation set up the cancer centers and gave them the proceeds from the buildings. The 49.5 percent interests offered through Douglas Harmon, Adam Spies and Joshua King at Eastdil Secured attracted worldwide interest, sources said. Rockpoint, however, has a good relationship with the Fishers, having been partners with them at both Park Avenue Plaza, in a deal that was in part orchestrated by Harmon and Spies, and in 299 Park Ave.
> 
> The 1.9 million square feet in the 1345 tower also includes the Ziegfeld Theater. The 1.1 million square-foot 605 Third takes up the eastern blockfront between 39th and 40th streets and comes with a six-story, 705-car garage on the far eastern end of the lot separated from the tower by Tunnel Exit Street.
> 
> *This garage is actually a development site and we hear the Fishers will end up increasing their equity interest in the site and redeveloping it with a residential tower of around 250,000 square feet — purposely designed to be slender and not obstruct the views from 605.*
> 
> As we’ve told you in the past and as colleague Steve Cuozzo advised you yesterday, its largest tenant, Neuberger Berman, has a lease up in 2017 and has been out scouting for 300,000 square feet.
> 
> [...]


----------



## sbarn

MarshallKnight said:


> Four new renders of Zaha's Highline building up on Curbed.


^^ I'm seriously in love with this building.

Photo of the *Greenwich Lane* development on 7th Avenue in the Village - this project is massive, taking up a better part of a block. The steelwork seen is supporting facades and existing structures that will be reincorporated into the new development.










(photo by me)


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## sbarn

I can't stop taking photos of the *Walker Tower*, which is looking incredible IMO. Can't wait for the full reveal.










(photo by me)



> Pre-rehab view:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Source: GoogleMaps


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## sbarn

*56 Leonard* from today.










(photo by me)


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## RobertWalpole

sbarn said:


> ^^ I'm seriously in love with this building.
> 
> Photo of the *Greenwich Lane* development on 7th Avenue in the Village - this project is massive, taking up a better part of a block. The steelwork seen is supporting facades and existing structures that will be reincorporated into the new development.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (photo by me)


I was by there the other day and thought the same thing.


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## desertpunk

*A Look Around Court Square In LIC*



















Changes along Jackson Avenue










New towers sprouting around existing businesses.










Site of 50 story 43-25 Hunter St. being cleared.



















The Linc nearing August completion.










Citibank tower getting some company.










27 On 27th looming above old garages.










Nearby, a 30 story tower set to begin construction.










Tower rising across the street from 27 On 27th.


All photos: http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/07/18/long_island_citys_court_square_changes_as_towers_rise.php


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## desertpunk

*Developer announces three new luxury condo projects*

Soori High Line








http://www.soorihighlineny.com/



> Blackhouse, a New York based integrated real estate group, has announced three new luxury residential condo projects in downtown Manhattan.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Artist’s rendering of Soori HighLine
> 
> Blackhouse’s latest development plans include Casa Bella Artes with Workshop/apd based in Manhattan, Soori High Line, designed by Singaporean firm SCDA, and an upcoming project on Bowery designed by Brazil-based Isay Weinfeld. “Blackhouse collaborates with world-class architects and innovative designers to offer a distinctive portfolio of properties that change the narrative of real estate development in New York,” said Sean Ludwick, partner at Blackhouse Development. “By partnering with Isay Weinfeld, SCDA and Workshop/apd on these exciting new projects, we look forward to offering our global buyers the ultimate in forward-thinking luxury design with international sensibilities.”
> 
> Designed by Workshop/apd, Casa Bella Artes will feature six luxury condos on the High Line with custom design features and 12-16 ft. ceilings, creating the ideal space for showcasing fine works of art and sculptures.
> 
> Located in theWest Chelsea neighborhood, Soori High Line, developed by Blackhouse and Oriel, will feature 27 ultra luxury apartments with interior pools, a Japanese restaurant and lobby bar, modern design and views of the High Line and Hudson River.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Soori HighLine will have 27 “ultra luxury” apartments
> 
> Designed by Singaporean SCDA, Soori High Line features a contemporary authentic Asian- inspired design. Each apartment will be customizable as well as offer state-of-the-art appliances and technology features.
> 
> Blackhouse’s third project, Maison Dragão, located on the Bowery on the Lower East Side, is designed by São Paulo based architect and designer Isay Weinfeld. The building will feature 25 high-end luxury condos with personalized concierge services and a high-end boutique restaurant on the ground floor.
> 
> Casa Bella Artes and Soori High Line are scheduled to begin construction in January 2014 and should both be completed within 24 months.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Rafael Vinoly's Early Design for 22 Thames Street Revealed*












> A day after Tribeca Citizen first noted that 432 Park Avenue's Rafael Vinoly was the new architectural mastermind behind a rumored 60-story rental building at 22 Thames Street, Vinoly's team (along with representatives for owners Fisher Brothers and the Witkoff Group) presented the project at a Community Board 1 meeting last night with a few more surprises in tow. *Surprise #1: the developer actually has the right to build an 85-story building on the site, which would put 22 Thames in a dead heat for height with, oh, just about most of the neighboring World Trade Center complex. That height prompted an audible "holy shit" from attendees at the CB 1 meeting, and that's where surprise #2 comes in: the developers are asking for a variance to build a smaller, 70-story structure instead.* In a shocking display of very un-developer-like behavior, Fisher Brothers representatives argued that a lower tower would better fit the "context" of the neighborhood and act as a "hinge" from the sky-high World Trade Center to the "lower masonry buildings of Greenwich Street." Of course, the variance is for a reduction in the required setback of the tower (from 20 feet to 10-13 feet), so Vinoly's team would also walk away with larger floor plates, more reasonable massing and, in the developer's parlance, "more efficient" design.
> 
> So it's a win-win, right? CB1 members were cautiously skeptical but couldn't place their finger on the lingering whiff of suspicion until Vinoly's architect Jim Herr unleashed Surprise #3: a rendering. That's right, 22 Thames Street will most likely be tall, glassy, and non-descript. Or perhaps "banal and undistinguished" if you're a certain member of Community Board 1.
> 
> [...]


Does look like around 900 feet.


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## desertpunk

46-10 Center Blvd.


Pepsi Cola Sign long island city New York Michael Huhn Studio by huhnphoto, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*Bush Terminal hotel continues it's rise towards the heights of mediocrity:*


Legos by Rafakoy, on Flickr


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*In Hudson Square, developers are snapping up sites following a major rezoning*
http://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/honing-in-on-hudson-square/












> Hudson Square, a partly industrial area sandwiched between the trendy downtown neighborhoods of Soho and Tribeca, is characterized by gas stations, warehouses and postal facilities. Over the last decade, creative industries have begun leasing office space in the area, but until now, the neighborhood has remained largely deserted at night and on weekends.
> 
> *That’s set to change, thanks to a massive rezoning approved in March by the City Council. Now ripe for dense residential, retail and hotel projects, the area has attracted swarms of developers trying to assemble prospective sites and coax long-term owners, such as the Ponte family and Trinity Real Estate, to partner with them on development deals.*
> 
> Hudson Square is “a sleepy area that is now an awakening giant,” said Robert Burton, senior vice president of sales at Massey Knakal Realty Services.
> 
> Already, sale prices for development sites in the area have jumped to $400 to $800 per buildable square foot from around $150 three years ago, Burton said.
> 
> There are currently about 16 prospective condominium or hotel development sites in the Hudson Square area, according to research conducted by The Real Deal. Some of these are already slated for new projects, while others are up for grabs or their owners are scoping out opportunities.
> 
> On tap so far for the area: a 150-unit condo project from the national homebuilder Toll Brothers, a new condo from billionaire investor and developer Jeff Greene, a new school, and more. Read on to find out what else is in store for Hudson Square.
> 
> *1. 82 King Street*
> 
> The telecommunications giant Verizon currently parks trucks inside a one-story warehouse on this 20,000-square-foot site. But Toll Brothers paid $56.5 million for the site in December 2012, and is planning a condo project with roughly 150 units, according to David Von Spreckelsen, a senior vice president at Toll. The company’s plans have been delayed by an existing lease with Verizon, which doesn’t expire until 2017. Before Toll can move forward, Verizon must find an alternative location nearby, but “a bunch of brokers are on it,” Von Spreckelsen said, “so hopefully something comes through.”
> 
> *2. 74 Charlton Street*
> 
> Gary Barnett’s Extell Development has held the ground lease for this 15,142-square-foot vacant lot since 2007, when records show Barnett paid $17.5 million to take over the lease from investor Steve Tzolis. Extell later filed plans with the city’s Department of Buildings to construct a 36-story hotel designed by the architect Lucien Lagrange, but those plans have been scrapped. Then in May, Extell sold its 90 percent interest in the leasehold to Angelo Gordon & Co. for $52 million. That transaction paves the way for a high-end residential project at the site, which can support a development of up to 181,535 square feet. Barnett confirmed that the partnership is now planning to build either a rental or a cond-op at the site. The expiration date on the leasehold has been extended through 2163, according to Dana Roffman, a senior executive in Angelo Gordon’s real estate group.
> 
> *3. 108 Charlton Street*
> 
> Last year, the Manhattan-based real estate development and investment firm DHA Capital went into contract to buy this site for $12.43 million from its longtime owner, Yuet Tong Lam Kong of Kong Mee Food Corp. But court documents show that DHA backed out of the deal and filed suit against Kong, claiming that Kong had declined to extend the due diligence period after Hurricane Sandy left the property flooded. The parties battled over a $1 million deposit submitted by DHA, which Kong allegedly failed to return. The suit is ongoing and it was not immediately clear if DHA or any other buyer would proceed with the purchase. A spokesperson for DHA declined to comment and Kong could not be reached.
> 
> *4. 100 Vandam Street*
> 
> Billionaire investor and developer Jeff Greene told The Real Deal he is planning a 140,000-square-foot condo project at 100 Vandam Street. Greene acquired two buildings on Vandam Street last year: a 14,700-square-foot commercial building at 92 Vandam for $21.3 million and a 40,000-square-foot office building at 100 Vandam for $27.5 million. Following the expiration of several leases at 100 Vandam this fall, Greene plans to clear the site to make way for a roughly 75-unit building. The upper floors of the project will likely have one apartment per floor, he said, while the lower floors could have up to four units. While pricing had not yet been determined, Greene said that the units would likely ask somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000 per square foot.
> 
> *5. 15 Renwick Street*
> 
> At 15 Renwick Street, Izaki Group Investments is developing a luxury condominium in partnership with the real estate investment firm Glacier Global Partners. The property was formerly owned by embattled developer Harry Jeremias, who had planned to bring a 44-unit condo to the location before defaulting on a $55.3 million loan. Jeremias first bought the site in 2005 from the Ponte family, a major landlord in northwest Tribeca. Izaki and Glacier purchased the non-performing note and took control of the property last year. Jeremias retained a small financial interest in the project.
> 
> *6. 525 Greenwich Street*
> 
> A $60 million hotel designed by Japanese architect Nobutaka Ashihara is under construction at 525 Greenwich Street. The 124-room hotel is being developed by Fortuna Realty Group’s Morris Moinian and his nephew Matthew (the brother and son of real estate mogul Joseph Moinian). Fortuna bought the site, previously home to an auto repair shop, at auction in 2011 for $12.75 million. The hotel will have a 90-seat restaurant and charge an average room rate of $400, Moinian said. The hotel is slated to open in late 2013.
> 
> *7. 2 Renwick Street, 231 Hudson Street and 503 Canal Street*
> 
> The real estate investment firm Eagle Point Hotel Partners is planning a 90,000-square-foot hotel at this three-lot parcel, after snapping up the lease from Sam Chang’s McSam Group for just under $50 million earlier this year, city records show. The Ponte family owns the three lots, but leased them in 2011 to McSam, which planned to build two separate hotels there. Barone Management, which had been McSam’s partner on the deal, is no longer an owner, but is developing the parcel on Eagle Point’s behalf, a Barone spokesperson told TRD.
> 
> *8. 22 Renwick Street*
> 
> Orange Management and Helix Partners launched sales at a condo project at this site in 2008, but halted construction during the recession. Then, in 2012, Michael Shah’s DelShah Capital acquired the mortgage debt on the property, and later wrested control of the development and completed construction. Apartments in the 18-unit building, dubbed Renwick Modern, are now on the market with Brown Harris Stevens Select.
> 
> *9. 60, 62 and 64 Watts Street*
> 
> The owners of the three multi-family brownstones at 60, 62 and 64 Watts Street told TRD the buildings are being eyed by developers. Daniel Acquilante, owner of the townhouse at 60 Watts Street, said DDG Partners’ Joe McMillan recently approached him and a neighbor about selling their townhouses, with an eye towards building a larger project on the site. Acquilante said McMillan is partnering with Black Diamond Capital, a Soho-based real estate investment and development firm, and offered him close to $7 million for the brownstone, though the property was appraised at about half that price. All three townhouses have four or five units and are fully occupied, but the tenants are market rate and on month-to-month leases, which means they can be vacated quickly. Black Diamond and DDG did not respond to requests for comment.
> 
> *10. 100 Varick Street*
> 
> Developer Charles Fridman of Shalimar Management has flip-flopped over his plans for this now-vacant lot, which previously housed a three-story commercial building. In 2009, Fridman filed plans to bring a 26-story hotel to the site, but changed course two years later, applying instead to build an 84-unit residential building. Shalimar, which has owned the site since 1999, did not respond to a request for comment.
> 
> *11. 180 Sixth Avenue*
> 
> Quinlan Development Group and partner Tavros Development Partners are reportedly planning to bring a 14-story, 25-unit condominium to a vacant lot at 180 Sixth Avenue. The project was facilitated by Quinlan’s purchase of 19,000 square feet of air rights from the charity organization God’s Love We Deliver, which owns the building next door. While details of the condo project are sparse, the New York Times reported that it will have a second-floor terrace and that residents will share a rooftop garden with the charity.
> 
> *12. 550 Washington Street*
> 
> The gargantuan St. John’s Terminal Building at 550 Washington Street is ripe for development, industry insiders said. The mostly vacant, 1.3 million-square-foot building could be redeveloped as a hotel, condo or office building — or even all three. The building has long been owned by Eugene Grant, who earlier this year sold his controlling stake in the property to his partners — a group led by Fortress Investment Group, Atlas Capital Group and Westbrook Partners — for $250 million. Grant had owned his share of the building since the 1960s, while the other three parties initially acquired their minority interest in 2006. The partners did not immediately respond to requests for comment about their plans for the building.
> 
> *13–16. Duarte Square, 4 Hudson Square, 122 Varick Street and 555 Greenwich Street*
> 
> The Hudson Square rezoning effort was initiated by Trinity Real Estate, an affiliate of Trinity Church. Trinity owns approximately 40 percent of the built space in the Hudson Square area — some 6 million square feet spread across 18 buildings. In addition to an extensive office portfolio, Trinity Real Estate owns four sites primed for development: Duarte Square, a 0.45-acre triangular park where Trinity is slated to build a 444-seat elementary school; a four-building site at 4 Hudson Square with up to 1.2 million square feet of development rights; 122 Varick Street, a parking lot with some 80,000 square-feet of buildable space; and 555 Greenwich Street, a parking lot with room for a 200,000-square-foot project.
> 
> Jason Pizer, Trinity’s president, said the company hopes to have an agreement in place to develop the school by next year, and is looking for partners with which to develop the other sites. Trinity has received dozens of inquiries from developers, he said, but has not yet selected a partner for any of the remaining sites. While Pizer declined to comment on which companies have expressed interest in the site, he said they include all the “usual suspects.”
> 
> *17. & 18. 456 Greenwich Street, 440 Greenwich Street*
> 
> The Ponte family controls two prospective development sites, both currently used for parking garages. One, at 456 Greenwich Street, has 19,849 square feet of unused air rights, according to PropertyShark. The other site, 440 Greenwich Street, has 16,478 square feet of unused air rights. The Pontes could not be reached for comment.
> 
> *19. 460 Washington Street*
> 
> At 460 Washington Street, the Pontes recently entered a joint venture with the Related Companies to develop a 141,000-square-foot, 107-unit residential and retail property designed by architect Ismael Levya. It was previously reported that Related would be doing environmental remediation at the site until the summer; construction could take an additional 20 months after that. It is not clear whether the property will house rental units, condos or co-ops. A Related spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
> 
> *20. 568 Broome Street*
> 
> At 568 Broome, the Archdiocese of New York is close to unloading one of its former churches, Our Lady of Vilnius, which had been on the market with an asking price of $13 million. The church shuttered in 2007 and was listed for sale in March by Massey Knakal’s Burton, Carlos Olson and Joshua Gruber. It sits on a 3,800-square-foot lot and could support a commercial or residential development of up to 45,600 square feet, according to the marketing materials. Burton said a buyer is under contract for the property but declined to comment on his or her identity.


----------



## desertpunk

*10 Madison Square 60% Sold*











Hanging off the roof of my job, creates photos like this! #nyc #buildings #sky #roof #summer #vscocam by chanelleh, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

Stormy night over 1 WTC:


Lightning Strikes Brooklyn, Behind The World Trade Center 1 by Strykapose, on Flickr


----------



## LondonFox

What a lovely shot.


----------



## desertpunk

*46-10 Center Blvd topping out:*


Pepsi-Cola Sign, Long Island City by Jeffrey, on Flickr


----------



## Avemano

desertpunk said:


> Stormy night over 1 WTC:
> 
> 
> Lightning Strikes Brooklyn, Behind The World Trade Center 1 by Strykapose, on Flickr


Still the queen.
Freedom Tower is very elegant by night :hug:


----------



## desertpunk

*Office tower planned for site of West Chelsea lumber yard to be called Prince Tower*









CTBUH



> A new $80 million glass office tower is coming to the corner of West 15th Street and Ninth Avenue, a site currently occupied by the well-known lumber yard Prince Lumber, DNAinfo reported.
> 
> The new 12-story structure, to be named Prince Tower, will have three floors of retail space and high-tech offices, with a total of 172,000 square feet on offer.
> 
> Expected to open in January 2016, the building was designed by architects at Kohn Penderson Fox Associates, who also designed the Hudson Yards development. Newmark Grubb Knight Frank will advise the building owners and aid in the search for tenants, but DNAinfo did not report the identity of the developers.
> 
> The new structure will displace one of the neighborhood’s last industrial holdouts – the lumber yard has been in the area since 1982. The company is to move up to West 47th Street later this year, staff told DNAinfo.











http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/201...ve-as-glass-tower-takes-over-its-chelsea-home


----------



## RobertWalpole

As per the following article in today's Realdeal.com (pasted below), the MTA has agreed to sell this ugly parking lot to a condo developer.

http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/07/23/mta-to-sell-soho-parking-lot-for-26m-to-madison-capital/










It should rise simultaneously with the new glass low rise which was announced a few months ago. That building will replace a BP petrol station, shown below.


----------



## desertpunk

*120 Fulton Could Be Underway Soon*












> FINANCIAL DISTRICT—A tipster informs us that construction fencings has gone up at the 112-120 Fulton Street site where the Lightstone Group is building a 48-story tower (pictured at right). The developer will tear down the existing buildings on the site, but no demolition permits have yet been filed. Alteration permits have been approved, though, so we expect demo work will soon follow.


----------



## desertpunk

Madison Square Garden Loses Its Totally Epic Permit War









This could be 10 years away!



> After an absolutely intense battle, Madison Square Garden has just been stymied. The City Council voted today to grant the embattled arena just 10 more years to operate in its current spot—it had been gunning for a permit in perpetuity—with the idea that it could soon relocate to make way for a grander, snazzier, starchitect-designed Penn Station. The Municipal Art Society, which has essentially championed throwing MSG under the bus to make way for a new Penn and along the way gained support from politicians like Scott Stringer and Christine Quinn as well as bold-faced names like Barry Diller and Bette Midler, is obviously thrilled. Quoth MAS chief Vin Cipolla: "Great projects are in New Yorkers' DNA, they define who we are and who we become." Hold your horses, buddy. We've got awhile before anything actually happens on the site.


----------



## desertpunk

*Extell Stealth Moves On E.14th St. Revealed*

504-530 E.14th sites emptying out as Extell moves toward redevelopment.









http://evgrieve.com/2013/07/east-14th-street-corridor-now-nearly.html



> As we first reported last December, eight parcels consisting of 222 Avenue A and 504 - 530 E. 14th St. (excluding No. 520) were leased for a 99-year period by the respective owner of East Village 14 LLC.
> 
> Turns out the identity of "East Village 14 LLC" was right under our noses this whole time. Back in April, The Real Deal examined the late real-estate mogul Sol Goldman's $6 billion portfolio. As part of their reporting:
> 
> _And in November, city property records show, Gary Barnett of Extell Development signed a 99-year lease worth $35.14 million to rent eight Goldman-owned properties across the street from Stuyvesant Town, including 516 East 14th Street, 530 East 14th Street and 222 Avenue A.
> 
> Extell has been busy with such high-profile luxury properties around the city like One57 ... an "ultra-luxe condo tower" at 217 West 57th Street ... and One Hudson Yards._
> 
> *So. You can likely count on something really tall and luxurious here one day.*











http://evgrieve.com/2013/07/east-14th-street-corridor-now-nearly.html


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

^^ You beat me to it DP! lol.

That part of 14th street really needs some updating. Glad to hear Extell has their finger print in it.


----------



## desertpunk

*View-Blocking, Neighbor-Hated 1110 Park Rendering Revealed*












> Neighbors have had beef with Toll Brothers' Park Avenue project at 1110 Park Avenue since the very beginning, even deploying the decidedly un-tony sheet-with-oppositional-slogan tactic. It's unclear, though, whether the UES nay-sayers are against destroying the two parcels of 19th-century Carnegie Hill history that were razed in the name of this project... or whether they're more concerned about losing their views (not to mention the plummenting of their property values). Let's be charitable and say it's all of the above, and inform them that instead of some vague idea of a 16-story building, now we at least know what their enemy looks like. Voila!
> 
> The image was posted at the construction site, and Toll Brothers obligingly sent us a copy, noting that it will contain 11 residences. Do the math, or check the DOB filings, and it works out to be a bunch of duplexes and triplexes.


Rich people losing their views?


----------



## desertpunk

Vertical_Gotham said:


> As a soccer fan! I so want this and hope this will gain traction for the new MLS franchise the "New York City Cosmos FC"
> 
> DesertPunk posted this earlier but here's another article.
> 
> *Incredible plans for New York City FC’s Manhattan stadium*
> http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/08/06/incredible-plans-for-new-york-city-fcs-manhattan-stadium/


I snickered at Gothamist's take on the design:


----------



## ValleyPsych

Gotta Love New York!


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

desertpunk said:


> I snickered at Gothamist's take on the design:


lol! a toilet seat.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Across from Javits, buyer takes 2nd bite of apple*
Investor David Marx buys back the site he lost to his lender, Lehman Brothers, and pays roughly a third less than he had in 2007. He plans to build a hotel of up to 210,000 square feet.
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130805/REAL_ESTATE/130809951



> Real estate investor David Marx likes the prospect of building a hotel right on a piece of property across the street from the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center so much, he's buying it for the second time, this time for over $30 million. During the recession, he was booted by his lender Lehman Brothers.
> 
> *Mr. Marx, a real estate investor who owns other parcels in the far West Side neighborhood, including a development site on the northeast corner of West 34th Street and Tenth Avenue, is acquiring 448 11th Ave., a piece of land on the corner of West 37th Street.*
> 
> It's Mr. Marx's second try at the property, which he first acquired with partners at the peak of the market in 2007 for a whopping price of nearly $45 million. That initial ownership didn't end well. In 2011, with construction financing almost impossible to come by and unable to break ground, he was forced to hand the property back to its lender, Lehman Brothers Holdings, which put the property back on the market several months ago.
> 
> Now Mr. Marx is buying it back. His plan is basically what it was the first time—to build a hotel of up to 210,000 square feet across the avenue from one of the nation's busiest convention centers. The hotel would be the closest to the Javits Center, which is nearing the end of a $400 million renovation and modest expansion.


----------



## sbarn

Most of the facade of the *Walker Tower* has now been revealed. As you can tell, I walk by this building everyday (on the way to work).



















(photos by me)


----------



## sbarn

Vertical_Gotham said:


> As a soccer fan! I so want this and hope this will gain traction for the new MLS franchise the "New York City Cosmos FC"
> 
> DesertPunk posted this earlier but here's another article.
> 
> *Incredible plans for New York City FC’s Manhattan stadium*
> http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/08/06/incredible-plans-for-new-york-city-fcs-manhattan-stadium/


Knowing the NIMBYism that exists in the adjacent neighborhood, its hard to imagine this moving forward. But you never know.

Additionally, I kind of liked the idea of a new stadium in Queens. I want NYC to continue becoming more poly-centric.


----------



## sbarn

Update on *56 Leonard*. Its s l o w l y rising...










Close up of what will be the exposed concrete floor plates.









I caught them recently lifting more crane segments into place.









(photos by me)


----------



## sbarn

A second tower crane at the *Hudson Yards Coach Tower* is being installed this weekend. I took these photos yesterday:




























Tons of rebar in place, this building is just about ready to go vertical!


----------



## sbarn

Some High Line updates:

Work has begun at *500 West 21st Street*:









(photo by me)

Rendering:










*508 West 24th Street* is now rising above the High Line.









(photo by me)

Rendering:


----------



## sbarn

SoHo updates:

Digging has begun at *325 West Broadway*:









(photo by me)

West Broadway Rendering:









The property extends to Wooster Street, where two smaller buildings will be cleaned and restored as part of this project.










On the same block (next door) *27 Wooster Street* is now two stories above ground.









(photo by me)

Rendering:


----------



## streetscapeer

Great updates sbarn!!


----------



## towerpower123

Great Updates! 56 Leonard looks like a complex pain in the a$$ to put together but it will look awesome with cladding and the reflectoblob! With quality materials, 325 Broadway will look spectacular and will become a new landmark. 27 Wooster street looks like one of the many ultramodern minimalist projects rising in Europe and will look great with quality glass. Glad to see more progress at the coach tower. :cheers:

Now for a spectacular time-lapse of NYC street scenes from the Atlantic Cities.
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2013/08/goosebump-inducing-time-lapse-day-midtown-manhattan/6492/



> "MIDTOWN," the latest work from production company District 7 Media, is at once a frenetic time-lapse and an evocative soundscape. Composed of 50,000 still frames shot over 6 months as well as sounds clipped from where photos were taken, the video captures the frenzied essence of Midtown New York City.


----------



## sbarn

I recently had a meeting in the Woolworth Building and a got a good glimpse at the pit which will (hopefully) soon sprout *30 Park Place*.









(photo by me)


----------



## sbarn

Cladding continues to rise *500 West 30th Street*. I know some disagree, but I think this tower is turning out pretty nice. 



























(photos by me)


----------



## sbarn

The facade has begun to go up at *99 Washington Street*. Pretty boring but much better than the zebra brick shown in the rendering. Some pictures from ZippyTheChimp @ WNY:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Far better than the zebra cladding...I like the red touches.

At least there will be a new tower to block the blank wall from the WTC viewpoint.


----------



## ZZ-II

thx for all the updates! the face of 500 West 30th Street looks so beautiful :drool:


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*New Hudson Yards Development Site!*

*‘Yard’ parcel moving*
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/realestate/commercial/yard_parcel_moving_Rgp7rQJyR6IR0UULB0fNsI



> A major Hudson Yards parcel is finally being offered a full year after family owners Arthur and Edward Imperatore and their partners hired Darcy Stacom and Paul Liebowitz at CBRE to explore marketing the location opposite the Javits Center.
> 
> The L-shaped site, directly on the upcoming Hudson Yards Park, *stretches east from the northwest corner of Eleventh Avenue and West 36th Street and then wraps north to West 37th Street, taking up the entire block front along the new park, which is under construction. *
> 
> The site has an FAR of 21.6 so that it *can host a primarily commercial tower of up to 881,000 square *feet. But quirky Hudson Yards regulations will require buying air rights even though it has more than needed.
> 
> The CBRE team is selling the land and rights to develop 735,000 square feet.
> 
> The remaining 146,000 feet must be bought to pay for local improvements, while the owners will have 153,000 feet of air rights to sell to someone else .
> 
> Stacom declined to discuss pricing for the development site, but the much smaller site to the north was recently sold for $35 million and is slated to become a hotel. With the additional air rights, that pricing came to $230 a foot.
> 
> “This is an extremely exciting area to get in on the ground floor,” said Stacom.
> 
> Stacom, known as the Queen of the Skyscrapers, and CBRE’s William Shanahan are also marketing 980 Madison Ave. on the Upper East Side that could attract bids of roughly $380 million


----------



## Ghostface79

Interesting article about how kick ass the NYC real estate market is from a british perspective, featuring no other than 432 park ave.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/b...manhattan-prices-hit-new-heights-8760324.html





> New York is surpassing London as the property investment capital of the world once again. New developments on prime real estate in the Big Apple are commanding eye-wateringly high prices and attracting international buyers in their droves.
> 
> Richard Wallgren, executive vice president (sales and marketing) of Macklowe Properties, which is currently selling an exclusive range of luxury penthouse apartments priced from $7m (£4.5m) to $95m at 432 Park Avenue in Manhattan, has noticed a turnaround in the past 18 months: "The resurgence in activity coincided with the supply of new super-luxury inventory. Following the 2008 economic crisis, there was a paucity of new construction in Manhattan.
> 
> "Beginning in 2012 and carrying on into 2013, there has been the release of a new residential beginning, with One57 [in Manhattan] followed by 432 Park Avenue and 737 Park Avenue."
> 
> As in London, it is the classic areas of Manhattan that are proving appealing. New developments within a stone's throw of Central Park and the financial district are achieving sales rates of above $5,000 per square foot, which makes Mayfair look decidedly down at heel.
> 
> But importantly, unlike London, it is not just overseas buyers who are looking at buying. In fact Mr Wallgren estimates that two-thirds of his buyers are domestic, and this reflects a general feelgood factor around the US property market.
> 
> It is ironic that American real estate, which played a central role in the crashing of the world economy in 2008, is now helping to lead the world's biggest economy away from the economic danger zone. Mortgage arrears are now back to pre-crash levels, according to the ratings agency Fitch. In prosperous Dallas and Denver, prices have risen by 7.6 per cent and 9.7 per cent respectively in the past year –above their late 2006 levels, according to a survey by Standard & Poor's. What's more, nationwide transaction levels are on the up – a very good indicator of normality returning. (In the UK, by contrast, property transactions are still only running at half their pre-crash level, suggesting that the headline rate of house price increases may be a little misleading.)
> 
> Some parts of the country are positively booming, and not just upmarket New York. In Florida, the latest figures from the Miami Association of Realtors show 19 months of continued house price growth in the county of Miami-Dade. The association's president, Fernando Martinez, reports that in some cases multiple buyers are vying for homes. "Properties that are competitively priced will sell very rapidly, particularly in the lower price points, and will generate multiple offers close to or above asking price," he said. "Miami real estate is definitely thriving."
> 
> What's more, 60 per cent of house purchases in Miami are being made in cash. This indicates that the crucial conveyor belt of retirees from the rest of the US, who sell their property in their home towns, release equity (and are therefore cash buyers) and then move to Miami, is once again operating in the traditional way. This doesn't just underline the appeal of Miami but indicates business as usual in the property market for much of urban America. Across the US, property prices are up 7 per cent, while transactions are 15 per cent higher.
> 
> Behind this resurgence is a healthier economy. Unemployment has stopped rising and annual economic growth is pushing 2 per cent again. The Federal Reserve has been printing vast amounts of money and encouraging mortgage lending at what have been, until quite recently, historic low interest rates. Specific schemes such as the Home Affordable Refinance Program and Home Affordable Modification Program have helped to reduce the number of American homeowners in negative equity, releasing shackles from the market.
> 
> However, in the crucible of the world financial crisis – industrial (or post-industrial) areas such as Detroit – there is still little sign of this property market recovery. Thousands of foreclosed homes still lie empty, often stripped of their copper wiring by opportunistic thieves. The areas that attracted the biggest number of "Liar Loans" (self certification) and bogus mortgages dubbed "Ninja – no income, no job – may not see any trickle-down benefits for a generation.
> 
> However, there are exceptions, even here. "There are a lot of homes that are run-down and vacant. Those homes – you could sell them for $1 all day long, because no one wants to buy them, nobody wants to live there," said Chris Stead, director of Property Investment House, which specialises in attracting buy to let investors into run-down areas.
> 
> "If you want to make money in the Detroit market, or wherever you buy, it's about the location. Certainly, the houses that we offer are good houses on good streets in good neighbourhoods. When we advertise them for rent, we get 20 to 30 phone calls from people wanting to live there."
> 
> And from an investment returns perspective, areas like depressed Detroit (the city has recently filed for bankruptcy) do offer a compelling case as property is comparatively cheap but yields, because of an under-supply of good-quality rental accommodation, are potentially good – sometimes above 10 per cent a year.
> 
> However, any British investors looking to make such returns have to be aware that they may not to be able to sell up if they need the cash. The US house price recovery, although striking and more broadly based than in the UK, is still built on shaky economic and fiscal foundations.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Whose Line is it anyway?

From yogis to A-list architects, everyone’s favorite elevated walkway is in High demand*
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/realestate/residential/whose_line_is_it_anyway_DeCfvfzRHqIbOmX4Camd2M

flurry of activity that has enveloped 10th and 11th avenues in recent months. Joining the dream-team roster of architectural talent who’ve designed the commercial and residential buildings along the elevated park — Frank Gehry, Annabelle Selldorf and Shigeru Ban among them — the second phase, from 20th to 30th streets, promises even more.



> Michael Shvo, the real estate marketer behind buildings like 20 Pine St., resurfaced to purchase the lot at 239 10th Ave., a gas station next to the High Line on West 24th Street, for $23.5 million — about $850 per square foot, which Shvo says is the highest price ever paid for a NYC residential development site.





> Developer and architect Cary Tamarkin, for one, is taking his second bite with 508 W. 24th St., a condo slated for move-ins next summer.





> Robert A.M. Stern, who’s designing a 32-story, 386-unit rental tower for Related at 30th Street and 10th Avenue, which should begin leasing in 2014.





> Architect Steven Harris is creating his first ground-up, 11-story, eight-unit condo building for developer Adam Gordon at 560 W. 24th St.





> Sherwood Equities is putting up a 32-unit condo designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates at 500 W. 21st St.





> Zaha Hadid has put out a bold, futuristic rendering for the 11-story condo she’s designing for Related at 520 W. 28th St.


----------



## desertpunk

*West Side Development Site Sells for $167M to Frank McCourt*












> Tuesday, September 3, 2013, by Jessica Dailey
> 
> Frank McCourt, the Boston developer turned failed owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers turned $50 million Manhattan co-op owner, is joining the development party in Midtown West. The Journal reports that McCourt purchase a site at 10th Avenue and 30th Street for about $167 million—nearly four times the price that previous owner Sherwood Equities paid in 2011. Located at 360 10th Avenue, the site, which sits across the street from Hudson Yards, *will see a 730,000-square-foot residential and office tower.* It will be McCourt's largest development ever. No architect or design details have yet been revealed.


A residential tower of this size could go supertall, depending on the design.


----------



## desertpunk

*Calatrava, Archdiocese make it official at FiDi church site*









From left: Santiago Calavatra, former Church of St. Nicholas at 155 Cedar Street and Andrew Cuomo



> The Greek Archdiocese reportedly has a contract in place with architect Santiago Calavatra to design the new Church of St. Nicholas at 130 Liberty Street.
> 
> The designer will create a new and larger version of the house of worship destroyed on 9/11, a move backed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, despite the efforts of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is co-developing 1 World Trade Center, to move the church one block west to its original location at 155 Cedar Street.
> 
> For his part, Calavatra is also designing a delayed — and $2 billion over budget — World Trade Center Transportation Hub, overruns that have drawn the governor’s condemnation.


Inb4 $500 million chapel!


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Pier’s Developer Looks for a Creative Tenant Mix*
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/04/realestate/commercial/piers-developer-looks-for-a-creative-tenant-mix.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0












> The plans are part of a larger effort to redesign Pier 57, a long-abandoned former shipping and passenger terminal that spans about a half-million square feet at 15th Street in the meatpacking district.
> 
> The $200 million project, set to break ground in October and to be completed in 2015, will also include a food bazaar akin to a Southeast Asian night market, with noodle pullers and sushi bars. There will also be 400 shipping containers housing some 200 stores and start-up companies. The developer, Youngwoo & Associates, is designing an approximately two-acre public green space for the roof.
> 
> *Read more in Link:*


----------



## Ghostface79

NYC always #1!!

*NYC Voted Most Popular city in the world*

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/new-york-today-number-one/?_r=0


http://www.ipsos-mori.com/newsevents/ca/1451/Profile-Matters-The-Worlds-Top-Cities.aspx


----------



## RobertWalpole

Look for a new project of over 1,250 feet to be revealed in Sept.


----------



## Hed_Kandi

Ghostface79 said:


> NYC always #1!!
> 
> *NYC Voted Most Popular city in the world*
> 
> http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/new-york-today-number-one/?_r=0
> 
> 
> http://www.ipsos-mori.com/newsevents/ca/1451/Profile-Matters-The-Worlds-Top-Cities.aspx



Very peculiar indeed.


----------



## giorgio righi riva

RobertWalpole said:


> Look for a new project of over 1,250 feet to be revealed in Sept.


?????' !!! explain please! developer? borough? architect?


----------



## RobertWalpole

From 400pas.com:


----------



## desertpunk

*One Vandam Gearing Up*












> SOHO—One Vandam, the Sixth Avenue building that grew taller thanks to air rights from its nonprofit neighbor, announced itself to the neighborhood today with new construction signage. The 14-story tower by BKSK Architects will hold 25 condos ranging from 1,000 to and 5,000-square-feet large. Sales will launch this fall, and it should be ready for occupancy in early 2015.


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ I've generally been tiring of the scattered panel facade look, but this looks excellent.


----------



## desertpunk

*3 Northside Piers nearly Topped out:*


Northside Piers Brooklyn by Joel Raskin, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Crane now gone from 1WTC:*


Zing by Keith Michael NYC, on Flickr


----------



## deckard_6

Very cool project! I only see one problem with it, it looks exactly the same as 100 other UC or proposed around the globe.



RobertWalpole said:


> From 400pas.com:


----------



## desertpunk

One57 finally gets its roof on:


NYC - Aug 2013-706 by fabfotophotography, on Flickr


NYC - Aug 2013-707 by fabfotophotography, on Flickr


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ Whoa, I didn't know about those grilles. That's a cool wrinkle, will be good to see how that looks when complete.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

^^


----------



## MarshallKnight

Yeah I knew about the big openings up at the top, but I'd never noticed that the upper stripes weren't glass.


----------



## desertpunk

*107 W.57th developer goes full retard, pushes tower to 411 meters:*



RobertWalpole said:


> 107 W57th will now be 1,350'. SHoP is the architect.
> 
> So much for a classical tower!
> 
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...53092833082.html?mod=WSJ_NY_MIDDLETopStories#



*New Era for Skyscrapers *

Tall, Skinny Residential Towers Take the Place of Midtown Office Buildings









A rendering of developer Michael Stern's planned apartment tower at 107 W. 57th St., 
which will be approximately 1,350 feet tall.



> Developer Michael Stern wants to build a stairway to heaven in Midtown Manhattan.
> 
> The managing partner of JDS Development Group and his partners at Property Markets Group are planning a skinny, ultra-luxury condo tower on West 57th Street, which will be about 100 feet taller than the Empire State Building. The venture's plans for the tower submitted last month to the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission call for an approximately 1,350-foot skyscraper that sets back from the street numerous times as it reaches higher—resembling tall, thin steps.
> 
> "It's really going to enhance the skyline," says Vishaan Chakrabarti, a partner at SHoP Architects, which designed the tower. He says the planned tower would be clad with bronze-and-white terra-cotta stripes, so the building "sparkles during the day and has a soft glow at night."
> 
> It remains unclear whether the venture has obtained financing, a crucial element for any development, especially at a time that many banks are still reluctant to make loans for condo projects. A spokesman for JDS declined to comment on the financing, but said the developer hopes to break ground early next year.
> 
> Should it be built, the tower would be the latest entrant in the luxury condo-fueled skyscraper race that is reshaping the Midtown vista and ushering in a new era for skyscrapers in the city. Up until now, the city's skyline has been dominated by office towers that house thousands of workers. But lately many of the new towers rising, particularly around Central Park, have been skinny apartment towers.
> 
> [...]
> 
> Earlier this year, Mr. Stern's group increased the size of the project by cutting a deal for additional development rights from a nearby property owner and by buying a neighboring building—the 1925-built home of piano maker Steinway Musical Instruments Inc.'s flagship store—and its air rights. In all, the venture has spent more than $250 million on acquisitions, according to property records.
> 
> In addition to its height, the building is notable for being so thin. Its lot is just 43-feet wide, according to city records, and many of the floors would be 4,000 to 5,000 square feet in size, Mr. Chakrabarti says.
> 
> The building is slated to include many full-floor apartments with views all around. "There will be moments in these apartments where you can see Midtown to the south and Central Park to the north," he says.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

Bigger version of above:









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/09/09/new_shopdesigned_west_57th_street_skyscraper_unveiled.php


----------



## desertpunk

*Tis The Season For Baby NIMBY Kissing...*

*Politicians join locals to oppose UES cancer center*









Healthcare? Or preserved views? Your vote matters



> Upper East Siders are organizing in the wake of plans for a 750,000-square-foot cancer center in their coveted neighborhood. On Friday, area activists and politicians met to protest the City Planning Commission’s approval of the 23-story Memorial Sloan Kettering facility, calling the plan a “vanity project.”
> 
> As The Real Deal previously reported, many Upper East Side residents have opposed the plan from the start — with one source quipping that the massive project is “the equivalent of trying to squeeze a fat lady into a too small girdle.”
> 
> But on Friday, politicians, such as Manhattan Borough President hopeful Gale Brewer and City Council District 5 candidate Ed Hartzog, came to show their opposition, indicating that the struggle is gaining momentum, according to DNAinfo.
> 
> “Sloan-Kettering wants everything near their 68th Street campus,” Terry Grace, a UES resident at the protest told DNAinfo. “In my opinion, it’s vanity.”
> 
> Mayor Michael Bloomberg awarded Sloan Kettering and CUNY the bid to develop the site — currently a garage on York Avenue – in September 2012. In August the City Planning Commission approved a “bulk variance” for the proposal allowing it to go before a City Council vote, the final step before the project can break ground.


----------



## desertpunk

*Chinatown developer plans 26-story FiDi hotel*









11 Stone St.



> A Chinatown-based developer has filed plans to build a 26-story hotel at 11 Stone Street in the Financial District, according to Department of Buildings records.
> 
> The new 170-room hotel will total 56,023 square feet, the plans show. It will be designed by Brooklyn-based architect Shining Tam, whose projects include the Sheraton Hotel at LaGuardia Airport and the Excel Tower condominium at 31 Monroe Street on the Lower East Side.
> 
> The development site, a 3,623-square-foot lot between Broadway and Broad Street, currently houses a five-story, 17,425-square-foot building. It is home to Italian restaurant Ancora, which has been there since 2009.
> 
> The site was acquired by two individuals with an address on Hester Street, Jackson Mak and Nancy Mak, for $10.2 million in 2006 and transferred to a limited liability company, Premier Emerald, in 2010. Andy Mak, seemingly a relative of Jackson and Nancy Mak, now appears to be heading up the development.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Fortis Plans Mixed Use Maiden Lane Development*
http://commercialobserver.com/2013/09/fortis-plans-mixed-use-maiden-lane-development/









A rendering of the development at 151-161 Maiden Lane



> The waterfront site, made up of two contiguous lots and spanning an entire block bounded by Maiden Lane, South Street, Fletcher Street and Front Street, will give Fortis an opportunity to develop, without height restrictions, a 249,242-square-foot mixed-use building, which could encompass residential, commercial and hotel space, according to C&W.
> 
> The historic neighborhood is home to the Pier 17 South Street Seaport, which is *scheduled to begin construction in the fall*; and it will be home to the new Fulton Street Transportation Hub. Since 2002, the neighborhood has seen an influx of residents after more than 11 million square feet of office space was converted to residential, according to C&W.


----------



## desertpunk

West Side twins, 500 W.30th and Avalon Chelsea today:









quiggyt4 http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/ @ Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*66 Rockwell Place looking sharp:*









https://www.facebook.com/BrooklynEagle/timeline?filter=1


----------



## desertpunk

*Last-Minute Push for Approval of Domino Design Before Mayor Leaves Office *












> Two Trees is seeking approval for SHoP’s unexpected design for the Domino complex from city planning before Amanda Burden steps down and Bloomberg leaves office. Approvals after that will have to wait at least a year while the new mayor appoints commissions, according to a story in Crain’s. While the design has been met with much more critical and public acclaim than the previous plan, Burden’s approval is by no means certain, said the story.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The scheme deviates considerably from what Ms. Burden spent years crafting up and down the East River waterfront, and Two Trees is struggling to bring her around to its proposal, according to sources. Two Trees had hoped its 2,200 apartments on the site would have been certified by June—the first step in the six-month review process. Now, with negotiations ongoing, the developer hopes for a September certification. That would still leave enough time for Ms. Burden and the planning commission to approve the project, but it would fall to local Councilman Stephen Levin to shepherd Domino through the City Council next year.
> 
> 
> 
> The new plan calls for much higher towers than the old one — 60 stories instead of 30- and 40-story towers — but allows more open space and light, with more public access to the waterfront. The new design is more playful and imaginative than the old one, with towers with cutouts in the middle.
Click to expand...


----------



## desertpunk

*Dean Street To Close For Atlantic Yards B2 Work On September 9*


----------



## desertpunk

*USTA Gets Green Light For $500 Mln Expansion*


----------



## desertpunk

*LIC yesterday*


Long Island City from Sutton Place by Jeffrey, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

New green roof with glassed atrium proposed for historic Empire Stores Building in Dumbo:


Empire Stores Aerial Zoom_Credit Studio V by nycmayorsoffice, on Flickr


----------



## bozenBDJ

^^ Sad placename for such a place :tears:


----------



## streetscapeer

Awesome updates...I can't keep up with so much going on!!


----------



## desertpunk

*3 WTC Buildings To Open In The Next Year; The Rest To Follow*












> As the 12th anniversary of the September 11 attacks looms, it's time to take stock of what's going on at the protracted World Trade Center site—namely, when everything is finally gonna open the heck up. Good news for the impatient folks: The year ahead will be a busy one, with One World Trade Center (which is already topped off and spired and the like) opening in early 2014 to anchor tenant Conde Nast and others. Meanwhile, the three-level observatory at its top (she of the stunning views), One World Observatory, will take longer to complete and open to visitors in 2015. But before that, 4 World Trade Center will kick its doors wide open this very fall—November, in fact—and count Port Authority as its main tenant. Also within the 12-month horizon? The underground 9/11 Museum, which is expected to start welcoming visitors in the spring after many delays related to funding, Sandy damage, and other logistical issues. Its glassy entrance will round out the existing two-year-old memorial plaza that houses the twin reflecting pools.
> 
> Next up is the much-debated transportation hub designed by starchitect Santiago Calatrava at a revised cost of $4 billion. The PATH train hub, which will connect Jersey commuters to Lower Manhattan will have a host of retail shops and a rather swoopy main hall and oculus, is on track for a 2015 grand opening.
> 
> After that comes Larry Silverstein's 3 World Trade Center, which was stalled for quite while but is now back on track with a new anchor tenant: GroupM. Once the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted on that lease, Silverstein can forge ahead with construction, aiming for completion in 2016.
> 
> Poor 2 World Trade Center. The proposed 88-story tower at the site's notheast corner may be included in each rendering of WTC, but the Associated Press reports that it "will not be built until the market improves enough to fill it." Similarly, the plans for a Frank Gehry-designed performing arts center on the site are in flux, having downsized; it's also on the hunt for more financing.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Seaport Site Changes Hands; Will This Tower Soon Rise?*












> Tuesday, September 10, 2013
> 
> The South Street Seaport shopping mall Pier 17 is officially on its way to becoming Pier 17 2.0, but it's not the only site to watch on the downtown waterfront. Globe Street reports that at a block-long property at 151-161 Maiden Lane recently sold to Fortis Property Group (of 30 Henry Street, 20 Bayard, and more. *The site, which has no height restrictions, can accommodate a 249,242-square-foot mixed-use building with up to 138,468-square-feet of residential development.* The seller was Key Development Group, who previously commissioned John Fotiadis Architect PLLC to design a 40-story tower, pictured above, for the site. Fotiadis tells us that they have not yet been contacted by the new owners, but they hope that Fortis will reach out.


























































I really hope that Fortis sticks with this excellent design. No place for backward steps...


----------



## webeagle12

desertpunk said:


> *Seaport Site Changes Hands; Will This Tower Soon Rise?*


Well.. this sucks hno:


----------



## sbarn

The *Walker Tower* in Chelsea is nearing exterior completion. I walk by it often (on the way to work) so here are a few photos I've taken over the past few weeks:










Unfortunate eyesore in the foreground:









17th Street facade:









Very Gotham from a distance:


----------



## desertpunk

That strange glow emanating from Annabelle Selldorf's Sky Garage:









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/...h_glows_steinway_interior_gets_landmarked.php


----------



## desertpunk

*The Low-Down*



> Seaport City is Luxury Development Scheme in Disguise,
> CB3 Panel Says
> 
> *City officials got an earful from members of Community Board 3 and local residents last night concerning their
> plans for “Seaport City,” Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to create a new $20 bln neighborhood on the East River.
> *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The NYC Economic Development Corp. is in the process of selecting a planning consultant to conduct a feasibility study. Last night’s briefing was led by Dan Zarrilli, the city’s director of resiliency. Seaport City is one of 250 recommendations detailed this past June by Bloomberg for protecting New York from future Hurricane Sandy-like storms. Using Battery Park City as a guide, planners are looking at whether a new land mass could be built as a way of protecting the densely populated communities along the East River.
> 
> But CB3 members expressed a huge amount of skepticism because city officials have signaled (although they denied this last night) that a complex levee system could potentially be paid for with large-scale market rate commercial and residential development along the waterfront. Zarrili said, repeatedly, that the plans are very preliminary and there are no pre-conceived notions about the project. But local activists in attendance, who have been fending off luxury development schemes on the East River for decades, were not buying it.
> 
> Zarrilli highlighted projections indicating that the city, already vulnerable to catastrophic flooding (as Sandy so vividly showed), will be in increasingly greater peril. He noted that last year’s hurricane cost the city $19 billion in damage and lost productivity, and warned that number could climb to $90 billion by the year 2050. Once a planning firm is selected, their mission will be to study an area from Pier 35, near Clinton Street, all the way to the Battery Maritime Building. He said the initial report could be ready by the end of the year, before Mayor Bloomberg leaves office.
> 
> David McWater, the co-chair of CB3′s land use committee, was not impressed by what he heard. “You come here and it’s the fear” of another storm, he said. “The only way to deal with (rising sea waters) is to build luxury housing” and to say to “the little people who got hurt in (Hurricane Sandy), the billionaire (developers) are coming in. It sticks in my craw.” Damaris Reyes, executive director of Good Old Lower East Side, a group that has pushed for public access on the East River, agreed wholeheartedly. “You are taking advantage of fear to further the city’s waterfront development agenda.” David Crane, another longtime CB3 member, said, “I don’t like the idea of building a wall around the neighborhood. It sounds like the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. A lot of people could die.”
> 
> [...]
> 
> As the city officials continued to insist that CB3′s alarm about the plan was premature, McWater strongly suggested they knew precisely how the process is going to go. “On December 31, there will be a report. You know exactly what it is going to say.” An official with the Economic Development Corp. countered, “we won’t be deaf to what we heard today.”
> 
> Community activists are not going to be waiting to hear from the city. They’re already mobilizing to fight the Seaport City proposal.


----------



## webeagle12

> Board approves plan for giant Ferris wheel on Staten Island
> 
> NEW YORK (AP) - New York City's Planning Commission has approved a plan for a Ferris wheel on Staten Island that is billed as one of the world's largest.
> 
> The project also includes an outlet mall. It now goes before the City Council for a final decision.
> 
> The CEO of New York Wheel LLC, Rich Marin, said the company is pleased with the commission's action.
> 
> The 625-foot Ferris wheel would have a view of the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor and the Manhattan skyline.
> 
> The New York Wheel would be the world's tallest Ferris wheel if it were built today. But developers in Dubai are planning to build a 689-foot Ferris wheel called the Dubai Eye.
> 
> Construction of the New York Wheel is expected to begin in 2014, with a grand opening in 2016.
> 
> Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


Read more: http://www.myfoxny.com/story/23405607/nyc-board-approves-plan-for-giant-ferris-wheel#ixzz2ecVOlH3d


----------



## desertpunk

The Touraine in all its completed glory:


The Touraine NYC by Strykapose, on Flickr


----------



## Syndic

Oh god, it's beautiful.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Horrible.


----------



## JohnFlint1985

found this. is it a render?


----------



## CrazyAboutCities

RobertWalpole said:


> There's great opposition to this proposed 210' building on Park.
> 
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...on#project=CHURCH0921&articleTabs=interactive


That reminds me of similar project in Seattle. Fifth and Columbia Tower which will be little over First United Methodist Church. http://www.fifthandcolumbia.com/art.html


----------



## Amrafel

desertpunk said:


> *UN-Exciting United Nations Waterfront Skyscraper Revealed*


It looks like recently finished Forum bussiness centre in Bratislava:


IMG_8661 by Philip Darazs, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*837 Washington puts on a show in the Meatpacking District:*


Meatpacking District Construction Site Art: "Crystalline Time" by NYC♥NYC, on Flickr


Meatpacking District Construction Site Art: "Crystalline Time" by NYC♥NYC, on Flickr


----------



## ThatOneGuy

It looked permanent for a second. Scared me there.


----------



## j-biz

JohnFlint1985 said:


> found this. is it a render?


Not sure if it's a render or not, but it _is_ a real park, and a very new one at that. It's called Hunter's Point South Park, in Long Island City. Curbed has a bunch of pics here. It just opened last month.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

There's no way that's a render.


----------



## RobertWalpole

That park is awesome. Not long ago, it was a bunch of derelict structures.


----------



## desertpunk

And two towers are rising behind it!


----------



## desertpunk

*A First Look Inside One Madison's $50 Million Triplex Penthouse*

This is the cool looking tower at Madison Park that took forever to open after the developer encountered legal and financial problems following the 2008 crash. It's been completed and is ready for new residents.





































58th floor:









59th floor:









60th floor:









The view:









All: http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/...one_madisons_50_million_triplex_penthouse.php


----------



## desertpunk

*Extell Withdraws 'Casa de Cantilever' Plans For Church, Will Rework Unholy Proposal*












> [...]
> 
> Because of the backlash, Extell and the church agreed to hold off on development until at least the end of September. The cantilevered condo plans were withdrawn, and Extell is drafting a new proposal. They hired preservation experts Beyer Blinder Belle to design the new building, and in a statement, the developer said they want to "find a solution that preserves the church and is acceptable to all parties." Last Wednesday, the local community board passed a resolution to designate both the church and surrounding buildings as landmarks.


----------



## desertpunk

*Walker Tower's $55M Penthouse Attempts Downtown Manhattan Record*












> Walker Tower already boasts the second most expensive condo in Downtown Manhattan—the $34 million penthouse combo that an unidentified buyer signed a contract for back in December. It's also going for the Downtown condo record, trying to unseat the $42 million penthouse in 18 Gramercy Park with its $55 million Penthouse One, which will officially hit the market today, according to The Real Deal. The 6,000-square-foot 5BR, 5.5BA pad occupies the entire top floor of the building and will be move-in ready by the end of the year. It features 360-degree views, 479 square feet of terrace space, heated flooring, and monthly fees of just over $9,000.


PH1 listing for $55 million:









Or PH2 which lists at $45 million:











_Pick whichever one you like!_


----------



## MarshallKnight

desertpunk said:


> PH1 listing for $55 million: Or PH2 which lists at $45 million: Pick whichever one you like!


Why not both of them for a cool mil and make it a duplex?


----------



## j-biz

^^ twice the amenities fees


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ Heh, I like that practicality is somehow factoring into this decision.


----------



## desertpunk

*This 20-Story Building Is Going Up on Amsterdam Avenue*












> Equity Residential has had a 20-story building in the works at 170 Amsterdam Avenue since late 2011. Brace, neighbors, for New York YIMBY has the reveal of just what that tower, designed by Handel Architects, will look like. The 185-foot building will contain 235 apartments. YIMBY, for one, is over the moon about the design, which he describes as "stellar" and "a project that can translate forward-thinking design into a human-scaled and attractive final product." We'll reserve judgement until we have a little reality to compare to the rendering.


I knew something was up with those columns!


2013_09_15 170 Amsterdam 02 by Field Condition, on Flickr


2013_09_15 170 Amsterdam 03 by Field Condition, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*432 Park Ave. gaining altitude:*


2013_09_19 432 Park Avenue 10 by Field Condition, on Flickr


2013_09_19 432 Park Avenue 04 by Field Condition, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*508 W.24th St. moving up:*


2013_09_20 508 W 24th St 01 by Field Condition, on Flickr


2013_09_20 508 W 24th St 02 by Field Condition, on Flickr









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/07/01/the_high_lines_newest_condo_neighbor_hits_the_market.php









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/07/01/the_high_lines_newest_condo_neighbor_hits_the_market.php


----------



## RobertWalpole

The new building on Amsterdam will be beautiful!


----------



## MarshallKnight

The Highline really is turning into a gallery of great architecture. Developers get to show off high profile projects, visitors get to see beautiful, adventurous buildings -- everybody wins. Can't wait for my next trip out in a couple months. How many new Highline developments would we say there are?


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

Yes definitely!! The Highline area should be celebrated for it's uniqueness architectually in NYC.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

desertpunk said:


> *Extell Withdraws 'Casa de Cantilever' Plans For Church, Will Rework Unholy Proposal*


I for one is relieved that extell withdrew this design. This is literally around the corner from me and I'm not sure how I would like seeing that tower hanging over that church everyday. My Nimbyism is in full effect here. lol.


----------



## ophizer

MarshallKnight said:


> The Highline really is turning into a gallery of great architecture. Developers get to show off high profile projects, visitors get to see beautiful, adventurous buildings -- everybody wins. Can't wait for my next trip out in a couple months. How many new Highline developments would we say there are?


i live a block away from it, 
yea it's ok :lol:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

desertpunk said:


> *508 W.24th St. moving up:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/07/01/the_high_lines_newest_condo_neighbor_hits_the_market.php


:drool: What a beauty!

The curved building with the strange columns could end up cool.


----------



## RobertWalpole

RobertWalpole said:


> 551 W 21st St: a new 250' Foster tower west of the High-Line:
> 
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...2240.html?mod=WSJ_NY_MIDDLELEADNewsCollection


A schematic is available on the DOB's website:


http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/B...number=01&allbin=1012306&scancode=ES124033024


----------



## desertpunk

*511 W.21st St.*









http://feetsquare.com/category/gallerydistricts/westchelsea/


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Morris Adjmi’s torqued 837 Washington is bold and new: Architecture review *
http://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/doing-the-twist/












> The resurrection of the High Line and its rebirth as a park have effected a wondrous change on an area of the city that was already in the throes of frantic transformation. With excellent buildings such as Stephen Jacobs’ silvery Gansevoort Hotel as well as the Standard Hotel, designed by Ennead Architects, the area from Chelsea to the Meatpacking District has become one of the most vibrant architectural nurseries in Manhattan. And that’s even before the 2015 arrival of the Renzo Piano–designed new Whitney Museum of American Art.
> 
> Into this mix comes 837 Washington Street, a new six-story, 55,000-square-foot office and retail space that promises to be one of the best buildings in the area. Developed by Thor Equities and Taconic Investment Partners, it was designed by Morris Adjmi Architects.
> 
> Morris Adjmi is a New Orleans native, but came of age in the Milan studio of the esteemed late Italian architect Aldo Rossi, who is famous for the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa and the Quartier Schützenstrasse in Berlin. By joining Rossi’s firm in 1981, Adjmi was exposed to some of the sanest and most sensible applications of the postmodern idiom that dominated architecture everywhere at the time. Rossi’s main contribution to New York City, the Scholastic Building at 557 Broadway in Soho, is really the work of Adjmi. With its tubular articulation and the introduction of whites and reds into its surface, the Scholastic Building is one of the more creditable examples of postmodernism in Manhattan.
> 
> *Read more in link*:


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Morris Adjmi-Designed Condo Building(s) Coming to Flatiron*
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/09/25/morris_adjmidesigned_condo_buildings_coming_to_flatiron.php
























> A through-block parking lot at 7 West 21st Street in the Ladies Mile Historic District of Flatiron may soon by home to a Morris Adjmi-designed residential building. The design calls for what looks like two separate buildings, one at 21st Street and one at 22nd, connected by the first floor (reserved for retail space) and the lobby above it. On top of those floors would be a shared courtyard. The lower portions of the facades will be made of stone, while the mid and upper portions will be glazed terracotta. The sidewalls will be glazed brick. 20 percent of the units will be reserved for affordable housing. The street wall facades will require setback waivers from the city, and also approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the latter of which Adjmi attempted to gain yesterday afternoon.
> 
> The Landmarks Commissioners, for their part, didn't hate the designs, but neither were they blown away. The fact that the facades lack ornamentation, uncharacteristic of the Ladies Mile Historic District, was a sticking point for the preservationists, but not for the commissioners—commissioner Joan Gerner said that the design "speaks to the district in a modern language." The commissioners did, however, take issue with the base of the facade, calling it "horizontally arranged," "too soft," and "squat." Commissioner Michael Goldblum remarked that other buildings in the area have "much more emphatic, much more vertical designs." Adjmi and co. will have to address those concerns before re-presenting to the Commission.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Construction shots: Extell’s rental at 551 10th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen *
http://blog.buzzbuzzhome.com/2013/09/extell-hells-kitchen-551-10th-avenue.html



> Is set to grow a 600-unit rental building, according to the Wall Street Journal. One-fifth of the units will be reserved for affordable housing.
> 
> Gary Barnett’s Extell paid $16.46 million for almost 140,000 square feet in air rights from the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Raphael, The Real Deal reported. The new tower will cantilever over part of the church’s property at 502 West 41st Street.
> 
> Barnett acquired a 99-year ground lease for the land in August 2011 from the estate of Sol Goldman.
> 
> Here’s a rendering of the project from construction signage, which says the completion date is June 2016:


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*COOKFOX Reimagines Pope Hat Building as Crazy 3D Puzzle*
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/09/25/cookfox_reimagines_pope_hat_building_as_crazy_3d_puzzle.php








































> Carlos Zapata's Pope Hat Building was one of the wackiest designs we've seen around these parts—in a historic district, no less—so it was with some sadness that we watched the plans for it slowly fizzle out over the years. But the site's new owner of the *39-41 West 23rd Street*, Anbau Enterprises, who purchased it in 2010 for $18.5 million, still intends to build condos there, and luckily for us and everyone else who loves a good crazy building, they have retained the services of COOKFOX Architects for the redesign.
> 
> COOKFOX's new designs are less wacky than Zapata's Pope Hat, but still plenty wacky in their own right, featuring a base that rises up, stops, sets back, rotates 90 degrees, and continues up with a large cantilevered section, making the entire building look like two three-dimensional puzzle pieces, or perhaps a building wearing another building on its head. Unlike, the Pope Hat, however, which had a "curvilinear, sculptural form enclosed in a glass skin," the new form will be "more structural and rectilinear," which the architects felt to be more appropriate for the district. The facade includes elements of terracotta, limestone, granite, percolated glass, and zinc, and COOKFOX's signature green planted terraces. The developers and architects are also attaching to a project a much more traditional restoration of a building at 35 West 23rd Street, possibly as an attempt to quell the furor over proposing such a distinct, modern building in a historic district.
> 
> *Read More in Link*


----------



## desertpunk

*Over in Forest Hills, The Aston is well underway:*

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelcdunne/9860091395/sizes/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelcdunne/9860102915/sizes/


----------



## MarshallKnight

So with the news in the NY Times that the government is going to be able to seize 650 Fifth Ave from what appears to be an Iranian terrorist-sponsoring shell company, what do we think happens to the building/site once it's sold. Is that building likely to be redeveloped? If I understand correctly, it's just on the wrong side of Fifth Ave. to be a part of the Midtown East Rezoning, right? In any case, I'm glad that the proceeds from the sale will go to the families of those affected by terrorism. 

Some snippets below:



> *Seizing Iran’s Slice of Fifth Avenue*
> 
> *By JULIE SATOW*
> 
> *Published: September 24, 2013 *
> 
> Earlier this month, a judge ruled in the prosecutors’ favor, in what prosecutors described as the country’s largest-ever terrorism-related forfeiture. The decision, which is likely to be appealed, has only added to the uncertain fate of the building, which is a highly coveted trophy property with notable tenants, like a Juicy Couture flagship store, offices for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
> 
> 
> The government’s aim is to sell the property, which brokers said could bring at least $800 million. Proceeds from a sale would probably be used to pay some of the $6 billion in damages claimed by family members of victims of Iranian-sponsored terrorism, including victims of the 9/11 attacks...
> 
> 
> ...“It is right in the heart of the most expensive retail real estate in New York City,” said Robert K. Futterman, chairman and chief executive at the retail brokerage RKF. He added that “if it is put on the market, we are going to see an exciting bidding war from all the major retail players.”











Image from NY Daily News

Edit: Please ignore if this has already been covered, as it is an older article. I didn't see it earlier, but always possible I've missed something in the thread.


----------



## desertpunk

*New courthouse in Staten Island:*


Ship Inspired Profile by thelexiphane, on Flickr


Staten Island Courthouse by thelexiphane, on Flickr


Hyatt & Central Ave. by thelexiphane, on Flickr


----------



## erbse

A 21st century brutalist monster! :runaway:


But somehow it's impressive. And well... GEIL.


----------



## bozenBDJ

That Staten Island courthouse looks so 'menacing' in the design :runaway:  .


----------



## LCIII

That's just plain ugly. They tried to do too much with it.


----------



## Troopchina

I like it :cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

*NYPD $1 Billion Police Academy at College Point nearing completion:*


Academic building by Hobo Matt, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Toll Brothers Looks to Buy United Cerebral Palsy HQ*












> NEW YORK CITY-Toll Brothers Inc. is in contract to acquire United Cerebral Palsy’s Flatiron District headquarters on East 23rd St.
> 
> The Horsham, PA-based homebuilder is reportedly looking to purchase the parcel *that allows for a 200,000-square-foot residential development*, for $150 million, according to The Real Deal.
> 
> Earlier this year, United Cerebral Palsy listed the property at 122-130 East 23rd Street between Lexington Avenue and Park Avenue South with Avison Young brokers Jon Epstein, Charles Kingsley, Neil Helman and Vin Carrega.
> 
> The non-profit uses a 60,000-square-foot property at the site for pre-school and recreation programs and plans to remain there through December 2014.


Could be upwards of 40 floors here. :cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

*Look At Extell's Next Midtown Tower, A 1,550-Foot-Tall Doozy*












> Real estate chronicler Michael Gross caught wind of an emergency community board meeting tonight to consider Extell's design for 217 West 57th Street. With all the action on that thoroughfare, it gets hard to keep all the new developments straight. But remember that 88-story, 1,550-foot one, slated to be designed by the same architect as the Burj Khalifa, a.k.a. the world's tallest tower? Above, peruse the first renderings and schematic drawings of the skyscraper, which will include a ground-level Nordstrom, hotel, and condos above—they'll give you an idea why CB5's landmarks sub-committee is rushing to meet. The glassy design cantilevers over the uber-historic American Fine Arts Society building next door, and neighbors are worried about its height and general appropriateness. They're used to Extell's 57th Stret megaprojects, of course, but this time a landmark is involved.


----------



## phoenixboi08

desertpunk said:


> *Look At Extell's Next Midtown Tower, A 1,550-Foot-Tall Doozy*


 So that's why that old Steinway Showroom is moving.


----------



## desertpunk

^^

Huh?



*Landmarks Won't Oppose SHoP's West 57th Street Tower*












> JDS Development Group acquired the Steinway Building, and, more importantly, its 45,000 square feet of air rights, for $46 million back in March. Six months later, they announced that instead of building a super tall, super skinny tower designed by Cetra/Ruddy, they would be building a super-duper-tall, super skinny tower designed by frequent collaborators SHoP Architects. The tower will be 1,350 feet tall, way taller than neighboring Tower of Babel One57 (1,004 feet), but not quite as tall as 432 Park (1,396 feet). JDS also backed a successful effort to make Steinway Hall an interior landmark (and will embark on a meticulous restoration), possibly in an attempt to curry favor with the Landmarks Preservation Commission, to whom they presented the plans for the tower this morning.
> 
> JDS could actual build an as-of-right 1,350-foot tower at the street front without Landmarks Commission approval, but have elected instead to set the building back, deferring somewhat to the landmarked Steinway Building but also necessitating the demolition of a back portion of that building. The proposed tower would also exist partially on the landmark site, giving the LPC the power to review the whole thing.
> 
> For the most part, the Commission took no issue with the proposal, although a few had qualms about minor aspects—the height of the glass street wall, for example, or the question of how much of the tower was on the landmark site and how much wasn't—that prevented the building from being approved...yet.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

phoenixboi08 said:


> So that's why that old Steinway Showroom is moving.


No.. Your thinking about Beethoven Piano's. They are moving because they made out like bandits selling their building to Extell and using some of that proceeds to buy a building across the street for their new spot.

Steinway sold to JDS Dev. (107 W 57th Tower) but made a good penny as well. The Steinway showroom is not moving, because it is protected via land mark desig. It will remain untouched under the new development.


----------



## phoenixboi08

That's odd...I spoke with the doorman there and he confirmed that they are indeed moving the showroom.
We're thinking of the same one?


----------



## Uaarkson

107 West 57th is the best design on 57th st. so far, by far.

The lobby uses the exterior faces of neighboring buildings as walls. That's fucking brilliant.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

phoenixboi08 said:


> That's odd...I spoke with the doorman there and he confirmed that they are indeed moving the showroom.
> We're thinking of the same one?


Sorry, I misunderstood.

Well, yes Steinway will move their showroom to their new location obviously. I think it will be somewhere in Queens.


----------



## desertpunk

Cladding halfway up at Two Sutton Place North:


Kind Of Like Ice by Tim Drivas, on Flickr


----------



## sbarn

JDS's (developer of 111 West 57th) *Walker Tower *has been fully revealed, and it is beautiful. I actually think its even more beautiful in person...









Curbed


----------



## desertpunk

^^
Yeah, one can imagine that amazing beauty with 50 more floors!


----------



## desertpunk

Meanwhile, over at Bellevue Hospital...

*Another giant leap for city science park*









http://www.flickr.com/photos/mj_100/



> October 2, 2013
> 
> Roche Pharmaceuticals got a warm welcome to the Big Apple Tuesday, when politicians and corporate executives gathered at the Alexandria Life Sciences Center on 29th Street to launch the company’s Translational and Clinical Research Center, scheduled to move into the West Tower of the life sciences facility when it opens in January.
> 
> The research center will occupy the top two floors of the 17-story tower. The center will start out with about 200 employees and focus on the early development of new drugs, according to Franz Humer, Roche’s chairman and CEO.
> 
> Roche announced last year that it would close its 1,000-employee facility in Nutley, N.J. “with a heavy heart,” Humer said.


----------



## Kopacz

Finally something different to break away from the glassbox skyscrapers. I am loving everything about West 57th tower so far. It's going to stick out of the skyline but it's different so I'm fine with that.


----------



## desertpunk

*Revealed: Extell’s 1,423-foot Nordstrom Tower*





> Gordon Gill presented the designs for the planned tower at 217 West 57th Street at last night’s LPC meeting, and while the design is far from stunning, the tower will certainly be tall - coming in at 1,423 feet and 10 inches, the Nordstrom Tower will become the tallest building in New York City, topping 432 Park Avenue by just over 25 feet.
> 
> While Gordon Gill failed to present any images of 217 West 57th in the context of greater New York, Skyscrapercity user Funkyskunk prepared the above rendering of the future skyline based on YIMBY’s video, incorporating The Nordstrom Tower.


----------



## RobertWalpole

Another tall tower at 625 Madison?

http://nypost.com/2013/10/01/ground-gained-on-madison-avenue/


----------



## desertpunk

*This 23-Story Rental Will Rise One Block From Prospect Park*












> When Hudson Companies announced plans for a 254-unit rental building in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, brokers called the building a game-changer, even without seeing renderings. But now more details have been revealed, and they might be right. The Q at Parkside spotted a rendering for the building by Marvel Architects, the same firm behind the McCarren Pool renovation, 9 Townhouses, and Pierhouse at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Located one block from Prospect Park at 626 Flatbush Avenue, the 23-story rental tower would sit about 100 feet back from the street, with a "mews-like" alley leading to the entrance. The shorter building along the street would hold retail and a rooftop terrace, and 20 percent of the 254 apartments would be affordable.


----------



## desertpunk

*Units in The Charles Hit the Market Starting at $5.82 Million*












> After, apparently, launching a pop-up sales gallery somewhere on the Upper East Side back in May, long-stalled condo development The Charles finally got around to putting some listings on the internet today. Each of the eight units that appeared on Streeteasy today is a full-floor apartment between 3,100 and 3,700 square feet, ranging in price from $5.82 million for the third floor to $10.26 million for the 27th floor. (The triplex penthouse has yet to make an appearance, however.) Although the original word was that the building would consist of 45 full- and half-floor units, its Streeteasy page says that it has only 30 units, so it looks like every buyer will get an entire floor to him or herself.


----------



## desertpunk

RobertWalpole said:


> Another tall tower at 625 Madison?
> 
> http://nypost.com/2013/10/01/ground-gained-on-madison-avenue/


^^

*Ground gained on Madison Avenue*









DerScutt.com (lol)



> Ben Ashkenazy and Michael Alpert of Ashkenazy Acquisition are in contract to buy the ground under 625 Madison Ave. for roughly $400 million, according to sources.
> 
> The deal extends the duo’s reach on Madison, where Ashkenazy owns the leasehold at No. 635, the retail condo rented to Barney’s at No. 660 and the retail condo occupied by Prada at No. 841.
> 
> The pair also teamed on No. 711 and were partners with Carlyle at No. 650, which was sold this week to an investment group for $1.295 billion.
> 
> The 17-story 625 Madison, leased to SL Green Realty Corp., was constructed in 1956 and renovated in 1988. SL Green’s operating lease ends in 41 years, in 2054, and the current $4.6 million rent has resets in 2022 and 2041.
> 
> The key to the high price is the rent reset in nine years, as the expectation is that it will leap to a whopping $50 million per year.
> 
> That’s because the ground — known as the fee position — would be appraised as vacant land but improved to its highest and best use at that time, according to valuation experts.
> 
> *Imagine a roughly 563,000-square-foot slender skyscraper with Central Park views. With both retail rents and residential condo sales skyrocketing along with the slew of nearby luxury towers, the theoretical building would be worth more than $1 billion at just today’s values, or an average of $2,000 per foot.*
> 
> The marketing book for 625 Madison said the new lease payment would be 4.5 percent of the valuation, hence the $50 million rent.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

desertpunk said:


> *Units in The Charles Hit the Market Starting at $5.82 Million*


nice condo tower for the UES. Full floor apartments? even better!


----------



## phoenixboi08

Vertical_Gotham said:


> Sorry, I misunderstood.
> 
> Well, yes Steinway will move their showroom to their new location obviously. I think it will be somewhere in Queens.


So there were two different developments that bought out two different showrooms? That's all I was confused about. When I saw this sight the other week, I'd mistakenly thought it was for that 225th W57th St.


----------



## desertpunk

*Something Is Finally Finished at the East River Science Park*












> The East River Science Park is the stuff of unarrested development legend. The first building in the park broke ground in 2007, but the credit crunch put the brakes on things for several years. Work finally resumed in late 2012 and the complex's West Tower was formally "inaugurated" this week. We got our hands on a new rendering, above, and cancer drug manufacturer Roche will move into the building on January 2. The campus now has two completed buildings, the East Tower and the West Tower, but there's still room for more: one more parcel could add to the 728,000 square feet of development.


----------



## desertpunk

*Vornado, Extell bury hatchet at 220 Central Park South*









From left: Vornado’s Steven Roth, 220 Central Park South and Gary Barnett



> Vornado Realty Trust and Extell Development appear to have buried the hatchet in their feud over side-by-side development lots between West 57th Street and Central Park South, and Seventh Avenue and Broadway.
> 
> Vornado’s 220 Central Park South should therefore sprout soon, just behind Extell’s tower at 225 West 57th Street, a source in the know told Michael Gross, who reported the news on his blog.
> 
> “They made a deal,” the source told Gross, who then dispatched fellow bloggers to investigate the underground parking garage leased by Extell beneath Vornado’s property, reportedly the reason for the 220 Central Park South delay. They found the lot locked and empty, and a watchman behind the date confirmed to Gross that the spot has closed for good and will soon be no more.
> 
> Vornado, with plans to demolish and replace 220 Central Park South with a 41-story, $400 million condominium tower, agreed to pay $40 million to buy out 26 rent-regulated tenants in the building in December 2010. But Extell’s Gary Barnett, with six years left on a garage lease beneath the building, doubled down. Vornado retaliated with a $200 fine to Extell for the garage not being used primarily for residents, as was required.
> 
> Vornado is hiring Robert Stern of 15 Central Park West fame to design the new condo — a source told the blog the choice is “99 percent sure.”


----------



## ThatOneGuy

desertpunk said:


> *Something Is Finally Finished at the East River Science Park*


Wow, that looks great!


----------



## desertpunk

*Citigroup eyes HQ spots as clock ticks on Park Ave lease*









From left: Rendering of 2 World Trade Center, 388 Greenwich Street and 390 Greenwich Street



> As the clock ticks on Citigroup’s 399 Park Avenue headquarters lease, the bank is zeroing in on a new nerve center. Citi has narrowed down the contenders to three locations: an existing twin-building complex it occupies at 388 and 390 Greenwich Street in Tribeca,* 2 World Trade Center and a Hudson Yards locale on the far West Side.*
> 
> The Greenwich Street site, said to the frontrunner, is a more than 2.5 million-square-foot spread it sold to landlord SL Green Realty in 2007 for nearly $1.6 billion. “By renovating their floors there, they can make them much more efficient,” a source involved in that deal told Crain’s.
> 
> *Should Citi choose the World Trade Center site, the financial institution would anchor 2 World Trade Center, a more than 2 million-square-foot office tower developed by Silverstein Properties.*


----------



## desertpunk

*Two More Views of 626 Flatbush Development Planned Near Park in Prospect Lefferts Gardens *


----------



## MarshallKnight

desertpunk said:


> ...Vornado retaliated with a $200 fine to Extell for the garage not being used primarily for residents, as was required.


How I imagine this went over...

Secretary: Vornado's fining us for misuse of the 220 CPS garage.
Gary Barnett: Dicks. Of course they are. Well that's the game we all play, I guess. What's the damage?
Secretary: Um. Two hundred...
(long pause)
Gary Barnett: Two hundred-what? Thousand?
Secretary: Dollars. Two hundred dollars.
(another pause)
(Barnett pulls out his wallet, hands over some bills)
Gary Barnett: Here's three. Tell Steve to go buy some new cufflinks. His rust is showing.


----------



## desertpunk

*Gem Tower glistens:*


Aerial View of Building Reflection, Top of the Rock Observation Deck, New York City by lensepix, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*1 WTC spire test lighting 9.27*


1 wtc lights up it's mast for the 1st time.. by Jason Pierce Photography, on Flickr


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Blackhouse reworks branding at West 29th project: PHOTOS
Casa Moderne is second development on the street, following Soori High Line*
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/10/03/bullish-blackhouse-unveils-third-west-29th-st-project-photos/






























> Blackhouse plans to break ground on Casa Moderne, at 534 West 29th Street between 10th and 11th avenues, in early 2014, with sales to start that May, the developer told The Real Deal exclusively.





> The all-residential property will have only six apartments spread across ten floors, a mix of customizable duplexes and triplexes, ranging in size from 1,500 to 3,000 square feet. Many of the units will have outdoor space including terraces and gardens, while the penthouse unit will have a roof deck with a pool.





> The units range in price from $2,500 to $3,000 per square foot, pegging asking prices between $3.75 million and $9 million.





> Casa Moderne joins Soori High Line at 522 West 29th Street, jointly developed by Blackhouse and Oriel, which, along with 534 West 29th Street, secured over $82 million in financing back in August.


----------



## desertpunk

*Is there an architect in the house?*

*Checking In on One Morningside Park's Ascent*












> One Morningside Park has topped out and the facade is going on. Courtesy of architects GF55 Partners, we can see the progress that's been made at 240 Manhattan Avenue since the 22-story tower was but a few floors high back in the spring. For the construction wonks out there, some prefab panels, by the same manufacturer who did those for the Mercedes House, are currently being installed, while the dark gray brick of the bottom is also is place. Next steps: the light-colored cantilevered tower atop the base.


Horrible and cheap.


----------



## desertpunk

*Condo Prices At 224 Mulberry Will Be 'Unapologetically High'*





> The site of a former parking garage on Mulberry Street doesn't seem ripe for breaking real estate records, but that's pretty much exactly what architecture and development firm Flank plans to do at their new condo 224 Mulberry. *The project's broker, Tim Crowley, told the Times the prices will be "unapologetically high," about $3,500 per square foot, ranging from $6 million to $30 million.* "We're going to set records on Mulberry Street obviously," said Crowley, "but we're in line with the other high-end, really-sought-after real estate in the city."
> 
> *The building is only eight stories, but it will rise 110 feet, giving some of the two- to four-bedroom homes 25-foot ceilings*. Other interior features include Art Deco mosaic flooring in the bathrooms, weight-and-chain mahogany windows grouped into 10' by 10' openings, and unusual kitchen cabinetry made of "glass embedded with wire mesh." Every unit will have a private terrace, and there will be a common rooftop deck.


----------



## desertpunk

*New Building Permits Approved for Silverstein's 30 Park Place*












> After years of waiting in stalled-site purgatory, Larry Silverstein's 30 Park Place, formerly known as 99 Church Street, will soon start rising. The developer secured $660 million in construction financing earlier this year, and now New York YIMBY spotted newly issued building permits for the hotel-condo. The 1920s-evoking, Robert A.M. Stern-designed tower will grow to 937-feet and 67 stories, making it Stern's tallest building in New York.
> 
> A 149-room Four Seasons Hotel will occupy the lower floors, and the higher stories will be home to 161 condos, the most expensive of which will ask around $34+ million. Filings with the Department of Buildings show that the condos will start on the 23rd floor. There will be several duplexes, including two half-floor duplexes on floors 62-63, and the top three levels will each hold one full-floor home.


----------



## LouDagreat

Awesome news!


----------



## j-biz

desertpunk said:


> *Checking In on One Morningside Park's Ascent*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Horrible and cheap.


Looks like all the crap going up in Williamsburg. uke:


----------



## desertpunk

*27 Wooster St. Tops Out In Soho*


----------



## desertpunk

*Related’s Willets Point, Ruppert Playground projects expected to sail through City Council*












> Two major Related Companies projects, the $3 billion Willets Point development and a 35-story luxury building on what is now Yorkville’s Ruppert Playground, are up for a crucial City Council vote today.
> 
> Despite the controversy surrounding the proposal, Related and Sterling Equities’ Willets Point undertaking is expected to get the green light. The massive 48-acre spread, currently part of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, would represent the largest public parkland giveaway in recent history should the deal move forward.
> 
> Various legal issues surround the attempted disposition of this public land, and critics have decried the seizure of many small businesses around Citi Field and offers of rent subsidies to aid area tenants with relocation.
> 
> The Yorkville project would replace a park in one of the city’s most densely populated communities. Related currently has no legal right to build on the spot, and the law states that any proposed development on the site requires the consent of surrounding buildings in the original Ruppert Urban Renewal area, the blog A Walk in the Park said. Related is seeking approval for a zoning text change.
> 
> The change, backed by City Council member Dan Garodnick, is expected to be approved despite the community’s three-year battle to keep Related from building on the park.


----------



## desertpunk

*Candy Land: Britain’s bad boy developers take on Manhattan*












> British developers Nick and Christian Candy are famous for their über-luxury condo One Hyde Park in London, the priciest residential project in the world. But when it comes to Manhattan real estate, the brothers searched for years for a sweet spot. Now it looks like they may finally have found it. With the August purchase of an Upper East Side townhouse, the brothers are taking on their first New York City redevelopment project — albeit a small one.
> 
> The Candys first made headlines in New York last March, when Christian bought the final sponsor unit at the Plaza, a $25.9 million penthouse. (The unit, which the Candy’s interior design firm reportedly renovated, is now listed with Brown Harris Stevens’ Kyle Blackmon for an eye-popping $59 million.) And the brothers — 40-year-old Nick, the alleged “party boy,” and former derivatives trader Christian, 39, the numbers guy — have made no secret of their hunt for more U.S. real estate, since the British government last year announced increased taxes on high-end home sales. Indeed, in an interview with Bloomberg News last year, Nick said New York could “overtake” London on the real estate front if its leaders continue to make “disgraceful decisions” on taxes.
> 
> Then, this summer, Christian bought 19 East 70th Street, an Italian Renaissance-style mansion between Fifth and Madison avenues, for $35 million. The Candys declined to be interviewed for this article, but a representative for their design firm, Candy & Candy, confirmed that they will convert the 17,000-square-foot house to residential use. The eight-bedroom home was last used as an art gallery, and the Candys will reportedly turn it into a single-family mansion. The spokesperson also told TRD that they do not plan to live in the home, suggesting that they are likely to sell it once renovations are complete. Broker Adam Modlin, who’d listed the property for $38 million, did not respond to requests for comment.
> 
> Possibilities for the 30-foot-wide home are numerous, said Jed Garfield, managing partner with brokerage Leslie J. Garfield, which sold the home next door. He noted that the townhouse has a massive basement that could accommodate a pool. When the project is complete, Garfield said, “I am sure it will be both successful and shockingly expensive.” A revamped single-family home in that location would go for around $50 million, he said, adding: “$4,000 a square foot is not a fantasy number.”
> 
> But their choice to start with this project underscores the challenges the Candys face when developing in the Big Apple. A New York project requires not only financing, but a Rolodex full of expeditors, attorneys, appraisers and construction executives, industry experts said. “The building code in New York City is … an acquired taste,” said Jay Neveloff, a partner at Manhattan real estate law firm Kramer Levin, who looked at a deal with the Candys in London but didn’t end up working with them. “You need to know who to call.”
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*City Council to decide fate of 5Pointz today*


5Pointz by Patx11, on Flickr



> The New York City Council will decide today on the fate of 5Pointz, a mecca for graffiti artists in Long Island City that the longtime owner is seeking to demolish to make way for a 1,000-apartment complex.
> 
> The Wolkoff family agreed last week to set aside additional space within the $400 million, two-tower project for affordable housing and artists’ studios, in the hopes of getting the Council’s approval. The family proposed increasing the number of affordable units from 75 to 210 and the amount of studio space from 2,200 square feet to 12,000 square feet.
> 
> The changes have made the project more palatable to Long Island City’s Community Board 2. “It’s a much better project now than when we first heard about it,” community board chairman Joseph Conley told the New York Times.
> 
> David Wolkoff, a principal at development firm G&M Realty and an owner of 5Pointz, told the newspaper that the project would continue to provide a haven for the artistic community that has thrived around 5Pointz. “The artwork is absolutely fabulous,” he said. “That’s why we’re asking them to come back to the new building.”
> 
> Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, a Democrat from Queens who helped negotiate the changes to the project, told the Times that “the truth is there was not a way to save the building. The building is privately owned; the owners can knock that down and build a very large building.”


----------



## desertpunk

*400 West 42nd Street demolished, hotel renderings released*












> Now that the three buildings at 400 West 42nd Street is gone, the Friedman Group and Landis Group have released a rendering of the pod-style hotel they plan to put up.
> 
> *The tower is rumored to have 40 floors, a dozen more than the 28 originally reported.* No Department of Buildings permits have been filed to confirm the number. Plans call for the 220,000-square-foot hotel, near the corner of West 42nd Street and Ninth Avenue, to have 510 rooms that each have 140 square feet; the target price is $225 a night.
> 
> The building will have 38 larger extended-stay rooms as well as 25,000 square feet of retail, Friedman told The Real Deal back in February.


----------



## desertpunk

*APPROVED*


*5Pointz Plan Approved, Owner Makes Community Promises*












> As expected, City Council approved plans today for two residential towers to replace the Long Island City graffiti mecca 5Pointz. Brownstoner Queens has the latest details on the agreement made with property owner David Wolkoff, who will begin demolishing the current warehouses in the near future. Here's what the deal calls for:
> 
> · 210 affordable units, up from the initial offer of 54. All told, there will be 1,000 new apartments across both towers, which will rise 41 and 47 stories.
> · 12,000-square-feet of artist and gallery space, up from 2,000-square-feet. Wolkoff increased the amount after the local community board shot him down.
> · Jonathan Cohen, curator of 5Pointz, will have the opportunity to curate 10,000-square-feet of "art panels and walls" in the new buildings.
> · 32,000-square-foot public park
> · 50,000-square-feet of street level retail
> · 250 space public parking garage
> · The use of 100 percent union construction workers
> 
> It's officially time to say goodbye. The wrecking ball comes next, and the first tower should be complete by late 2015.


----------



## j-biz

^^ I can guarantee you these new towers will be perpetually covered in graffiti.


----------



## desertpunk

*46-10 Center Blvd nearly cladded up:*









http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/


----------



## RobertWalpole

With a sale of their old HQ, JPMC will need 1m sfr. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/n...eds-of-lower-manhattan.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

RobertWalpole said:


> With a sale of their old HQ, JPMC will need 1m sfr. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/nyregion/sale-of-a-landmark-building-reflects-the-changing-needs-of-lower-manhattan.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0


We all had heard the rumors but I'm a bit surprised. They are cutting back by 50% for 1 m sq ft? Considering their recent woes stemming from the "London Whale" debacle, I suspect looking at WTC complex may be a little pricey for them. The Hudson Yards would be a perfect fit considering The savings they can get w/ Ross.


----------



## RobertWalpole

The charges they're paying are a one time thing. JPM is the strongest bank in the world. Also, it doesn't occupy the entire building. A large law firm, Milbank, has several hundred thousand sf. They also will need a big block of space.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

RobertWalpole said:


> The charges they're paying are a one time thing. JPM is the strongest bank in the world. Also, it doesn't occupy the entire building. A large law firm, Milbank, has several hundred thousand sf. They also will need a big block of space.


So what do you think? HY or WTC complex a big possibility for Chase? :cheers:


----------



## RobertWalpole

Vertical_Gotham said:


> So what do you think? HY or WTC complex a big possibility for Chase? :cheers:


It's possible. They also could go for cheaper space at the WFC.


----------



## desertpunk

*One57*


One57 Skyscraper, View from Columbus Circle, New York City by lensepix, on Flickr


----------



## ZZ-II

finally the top is completed!


----------



## desertpunk

*Whitney MePa*


New York 14 by joevare, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*SHoP-Designed 1,350-Foot Tower Gets Landmarks Approval*












> The Landmarks Preservation Commission was sort of surprisingly okay with SHoP Architects' proposed 1,350-square-foot residential tower at 107 West 57th Street, the site of the landmarked Steinway Building (which will also be restored), when it was presented two weeks ago. While the commissioners did have a few concerns, the were for the most part related to the Steinway Building and not to the tower itself. *At a second presentation this morning, SHoP addressed those concerns, revising their plans to demolish a much smaller portion of the structure taking up the Steinway Building's back courtyard and replacing the glass of the 57th Street atrium facade with a much clearer single-layered glass, so that observers at street level would be able to look through and see the landmarked building. The plans were approved, and so the 1,350-foot climb begins.*


----------



## desertpunk

*Village Garage-Turned-Condo Hitting The Market Soon*












> A former parking garage at 12 East 13th Street is in the midst of a condo transformation after selling last year for $32 million, and developers DHA Capital and Continental Properties will bring the project to market next month. The Journal has the preliminary details on the building, which will have, following the all-luxury, all-the-time tendency of Manhattan new development these days, eight large units, ranging in size from 2,800 square feet to 5,600 square feet. Prices will go from $7,500,000 to $28,500,000.


----------



## desertpunk

*Morris Adjmi-Designed Flatiron Condos Win Approval*












> Architect Morris Adjmi has a penchant for charming the Landmarks Preservation Commission. So, while his proposal for two connected structures at West 21st and 22nd streets was not approved the first time it was presented to the Commission back in September, it would not be denied twice. Adjmi took the LPC's advice and narrowed the windows at the 22nd Street base in order to give it a more vertical look and also increased the ratio of metal to stone. "The applicant has [done] everything we asked," commented commissioner Joan Gerber. Commissioner Michael Devonshire remarked that it was "nice to see a building in the hands of a master." The plans were approved unanimously.


----------



## desertpunk

*Related Hudson Yards Approved for $328 Million Tax Break*












> Stephen Ross’s Related Cos. received approval for a $328 million exemption from New York City taxes for the construction of an 80-story skyscraper and a shopping mall at its Hudson Yards development on Manhattan’s west side.
> 
> New York’s Industrial Development Agency today approved the subsidy, said Patrick Muncie, an agency spokesman. The project was previously granted a $106 million tax break for the first tower at Hudson Yards, and it also will benefit from $3 billion of city bonds sold to extend the No. 7 subway line, according to an analysis by the city’s Independent Budget Office.
> 
> The planned 13.3 million-square-foot (1.2 million-square-meter) project, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg has called one of the largest private developments in U.S. history, aims to expand Manhattan’s midtown business district west toward the Hudson River, with offices, apartments, parks and cultural venues. Work on the complex, much of which requires a platform to be built over a rail yard, has proceeded slower than anticipated, costing the city more than $100 million in expected tax revenue, the IBO said in an April report.
> 
> The new abatement means “the city will need to pump more money than previously expected into Hudson Yards to meet the development’s debt-service obligations,” Doug Turetsky, the IBO’s chief of staff, said in an Oct. 3 statement.


----------



## RobertWalpole

Another possible very tall, ultraluxury tower on 5th?

http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/10/16/blackstone-puts-fifth-ave-tower-on-the-market/


----------



## desertpunk

*More cantilevers!*

*Revised COOKFOX Puzzle Building Approved by Landmarks*












> COOKFOX's crazy cantilevered building proposal for 39-41 West 23 Street divided the Landmarks Commission when it was presented last month. A revised version of the design, simplified and toned down slightly, was presented yesterday and, although not every member of the Commission was convinced that the building is appropriate for a historic district, enough were that the plans were granted approval.
> 
> *The building, to be constructed on the site of another controversial proposal, the Pope Hat building (which never ended up happening)*, retained the basic premise of its original design—a nine-story base with a cantilevered section and secondary facade.


----------



## desertpunk

RobertWalpole said:


> Another possible very tall, ultraluxury tower on 5th?
> 
> http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/10/16/blackstone-puts-fifth-ave-tower-on-the-market/


And then Donald Trump would sue over blocked ESB views, which would be hilariously ironic! 


- additional deets:



> The investment brokers had been recently gathering signed confidentiality agreements that would allow the property to be put on the market for sale. Jeff Sutton, the owner of the retail condominiums at 717 Fifth Ave. has passed on his right of first offer, or ROFO, according to the newspaper report. The major office tenants at the building are Merrill Lynch/Bank of America and Island Capital.
> 
> Blackstone reportedly owns 260,677 square feet of office space at the property, while Sutton owns the ground and second floors of 80,834 square feet plus the fourth floor of 23,128 square feet.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

desertpunk said:


> *Revised COOKFOX Puzzle Building Approved by Landmarks*


So much better than the Pope hat. Really classy and it complements its neighbours.


What about those two short buildings in the foreground? Are they up for redevelopment?


----------



## desertpunk

*New Renderings Revealed At Pier 17 'Groundbreaking'*












> The Howard Hughes Corporation was supposed to begin demolition of the current Pier 17 structure at the beginning of October, but one holdout tenant threw a wrench in their plans and it's now unclear when construction will actually start. But that did not stop the developer from hosting a ceremonial "groundbreaking" today, October 17 (see what they did there?). The event took place at the site of the Beekman Beer Garden, and to get there, guests were whisked by golf carts from South Street to the door of Pier 17—a thrilling 30 second ride—where a blue carpet led them through the mall and down a walkway lined with printed renderings of the future pier. After some self-congratulatory speeches and an over-the-top CGI video, the developers, architects, and city officials shoveled a pile of dirt that had been transported to the pier specifically for the show. They also released new renderings, so there was at least a sliver of news presented.


----------



## desertpunk

*Midtown East Rezoning*

*From Plazas to WiFi, Midtown East's New Public Plans Unveiled*












> Less than six months ago, the city commissioned a team to study the public space (or regrettable lack thereof) within the 73-block swath of East Midtown that is likely to get rezoned before the year is out. Opinion on the plan, which would allow taller and denser office buildings with a titch of residential development while having property owners pay into a fund to support infrastructure, transit and other public improvements, has been divided... to say the least. One of the ways to woo more supporters is to emphasize how the physical feel of the area around Grand Central will change for the better for pedestrians, commuters, visitors, and everyday New Yorkers, and that's what the team's just-released mega-report, "Places for People" (warning: PDF!), did.












*A pedestrianized Pershing Square (southeast section). 












Creating new public plazas and space just south of Grand Central around the viaduct off-ramp. 












The viaduct will have room for pedestrians, along with a lane of traffic.












An aerial view of pedestrianizing the viaduct, while keeping traffic passing through there as well.












Then as Vanderbilt Avenue gets pedestrianized, the viaduct walkway overlooks the street with viewing balconies.












An aerial view of the proposed changes to Vanderbilt Avenue and its byways to Madison Avenue. 












This is Library Way, on 41st Street between Park Avenue South and Madison.












Overhauling Library Way would involved pedestrianizing it, adding seating, and more.












Park Avenue's medians are another place for public space improvement.












An aerial view of proposed changes to Park Avenue's medians. 












This is the entrance to the subway at 51st and Lexigton, reimagined as more spacious and conspicuous. 






























A visualization of how transportation users move around the area. 







































This is the specific swath of area getting rezoned. 












The black space shows buildings, while the white space reveals open space, not all of which is usable or adaptable.







































Revamping 53rd Street. 












Revamping 43rd Street east of Grand Central 












Improving infrastructure for bicycles. 












Potential Wi-Fi hotspots. *


----------



## desertpunk

*NYC construction spending to top $31.5B in 2013*


New World Trade Center by rftbob, on Flickr



> Construction spending soared in the boom days of 2007, but those numbers are peanuts compared to what we’re on track to see this year.
> 
> Construction spending in New York City is on track to reach $31.5 billion in 2013, a 14 percent jump from last year’s $27.6 billion and topping 2007′s high of $31.1 billion, according to a forecast from the New York Building Congress, cited by the New York Observer.
> 
> And that number is expected to continue growing, hitting $33.4 billion in 2014 and $37 billion in 2015, said the report, completed along with the New York Building Foundation and with help from Urbanomics.


----------



## webeagle12

desertpunk said:


> *NYC construction spending to top $31.5B in 2013*
> 
> New World Trade Center by rftbob, on Flickr


This my personal opinion, but those numbers doesn't mean too much to me.

Why?

Well compare the prices of construction material in 2007 to this year 2013, I'm sure they are up. There still might be less new projects that in 2007 but costs is up. I wish they would do a basic comparison on how many projects, average cost of material etc...


----------



## Hed_Kandi

webeagle12 said:


> This my personal opinion, but those numbers doesn't mean too much to me.
> 
> Why?
> 
> Well compare the prices of construction material in 2007 to this year 2013, I'm sure they are up. There still might be less new projects that in 2007 but costs is up. I wish they would do a basic comparison on how many projects, average cost of material etc...



Iron Ore, Coal, Cement, Aluminum and Copper prices are all currently below historical prices, therefore the assessment is fair. 

See http://www.indexmundi.com/


----------



## desertpunk

*10 Madison Square West*


10 Madison Square West Rising by jplangpictures, on Flickr


10 Madison Square West by jplangpictures, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*400 Park Avenue South:*


400 Park Avenue South by jplangpictures, on Flickr


400 Park Avenue South by jplangpictures, on Flickr


----------



## fskobic

desertpunk said:


> *New Renderings Revealed At Pier 17 'Groundbreaking'*
> 
> *The Howard Hughes Corporation was supposed to begin demolition of the current Pier 17 structure at the beginning of October...*


What?! Nooo! hno: I had no idea this was in the works. I really liked Pier 17 the way it was. There are a lot of other locations that would really benefit from new development, while this location was doing just fine the way it was. I'm sad to see it go.


----------



## LCIII

Hed_Kandi said:


> Iron Ore, Coal, Cement, Aluminum and Copper prices are all currently below historical prices, therefore the assessment is fair.
> 
> See http://www.indexmundi.com/


Surely labor and transportation costs have gone up, right?


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

(Extell Development) Here is the future of East 14th Street and Avenue A: 7 stories of residential and retail
http://evgrieve.com/2013/10/here-is-future-of-14th-street-and.html?m=1


----------



## desertpunk

*153 10th Ave. underway at the High Line:*

_From earlier this year:_

constructions under cars by micmol , on Flickr


----------



## el palmesano

^^ nice!


----------



## erbse

I think it's another horrible modernist piece of junk. Seen, forgotten. @Highline box


----------



## dexter2

^^ What did you expected? A castle? :lol:
It's really good architecture. Classy.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

^^ That guy is really an anti-modernist nazi. Oh my god... hno:
Half his posts are about how much he hates modernism. 

Yeah, it looks fine. I like the black frame and how they're connected under the highline.


----------



## sbarn

> _From earlier this year:_
> 
> constructions under cars by micmol , on Flickr


This is actually a pretty old picture, excavation is well underway and it looks like they are about to start pouring the foundation. I live close by and will try to snap a picture sometime soon.



erbse said:


> I think it's another horrible modernist piece of junk. Seen, forgotten. @Highline box


What a trollish comment to be coming from a moderator. Shameful. hno:


----------



## dexter2

^^ Pics from August:




















And I think here:










Will be this bauhaus-like building presented some time ago in this thread. But I might be wrong.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*The Glassy New Building Coming to Sixth Ave.*
http://tribecacitizen.com/2013/10/11/the-glassy-new-building-coming-to-sixth-ave/



> Call it the Two Triangles Building—or better yet, The Remnant: DDG, which also did 24 Warren and the under-construction 12-14 Warren, presented plans at CB1′s Landmarks Committee for an eight-story building—really two buildings that barely connect—on the two triangular parking lots on Sixth Avenue, between White and Franklin. The lots were created in the 1930s, when Sixth Avenue was extended south....


----------



## wjfox

*New York City's 250,000 street lights will all be LEDs by 2017*

New York City is transitioning its 250,000 street lights to energy-efficient LEDs in an upgrade that should be completed by 2017. CBS reports that Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the timeframe today, noting that the upgraded lights will save city taxpayers around $14 million a year once the transition is complete. The savings is two-fold: LEDs consume less power than their high-pressure sodium counterparts, resulting in around $6 million in savings, and they also have a much longer lifespan, lasting up to 20 years. Current street lights last an average just six years, Bloomberg said.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/24/...250000-street-lights-will-all-be-leds-by-2017


----------



## CrazyAboutCities

^^ LED lights has lots of pros but have one big con: LED lights make streets little darker. Seattle upgraded most of its streetlights with LEDs in the past few years and it became little darker. I hope it won't be big problem for NYC.


----------



## RobertWalpole

375k sf with no height restriction will yield quite a tall tower.

http://www.rew-online.com/2013/07/22/witkoff-fisher-to-build-new-downtown-tower/


----------



## ZZ-II

wjfox said:


> New York City's 250,000 street lights will all be LEDs by 2017 New York City is transitioning its 250,000 street lights to energy-efficient LEDs in an upgrade that should be completed by 2017. CBS reports that Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the timeframe today, noting that the upgraded lights will save city taxpayers around $14 million a year once the transition is complete. The savings is two-fold: LEDs consume less power than their high-pressure sodium counterparts, resulting in around $6 million in savings, and they also have a much longer lifespan, lasting up to 20 years. Current street lights last an average just six years, Bloomberg said. http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/24/5026034/new-york-citys-250000-street-lights-will-all-be-leds-by-2017


That sounds great! Energy saving is more and more important.


----------



## MikeVegas

wjfox said:


> *New York City's 250,000 street lights will all be LEDs by 2017*
> 
> New York City is transitioning its 250,000 street lights to energy-efficient LEDs in an upgrade that should be completed by 2017. CBS reports that Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the timeframe today, noting that the upgraded lights will save city taxpayers around $14 million a year once the transition is complete. The savings is two-fold: LEDs consume less power than their high-pressure sodium counterparts, resulting in around $6 million in savings, and they also have a much longer lifespan, lasting up to 20 years. Current street lights last an average just six years, Bloomberg said.
> 
> http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/24/...250000-street-lights-will-all-be-leds-by-2017


Is that a savings of 6 million dollars a year? So the other savings then is 8 million dollars a year in lights. Oh and I suppose the people who change the lights and maintain them there would be a savings there as well.


----------



## desertpunk

*180 Orchard St. Climbing Again*









http://www.boweryboogie.com/2013/11...-hell-building-hotel-indigo-grows-14-stories/



> Longtime blight on the Lower East Side the Orchard Street Hell Building, having shed its partial Stop Work Order, is careening into the sky and making neighbors—understandably—nervous. Bowery Boogie has some pictures of the looming structure, which has already surpassed the surrounding buildings at 14 stories and is set to grow to 24 stories in 2014.











http://www.boweryboogie.com/2013/11...-hell-building-hotel-indigo-grows-14-stories/










TRD


----------



## desertpunk

432 Park Avenue at nearly 200 meters


432 Park Ave (3 of 4) by Tattooed JJ, on Flickr


432 Park Ave (4 of 4) by Tattooed JJ, on Flickr


----------



## el palmesano

Riu Plaza Times Square

301 West 46th Street



> It is an unfortunate irony that neglected pre-war buildings slated for demolition often look better to us in their decrepit final years than do their modernist replacements when brand new.
> 
> The site at 301 West 46th Street is still in the demolition phase, so it’s really too early to say whether the corner of 46th and 10th was better served by the elegant 1910 five-story apartment house that once stood than by the 600-room Riu Plaza Hotel soon to rise there. Judging from the rendering on a board posted to the construction fence on 46th street, the new building doesn’t appear offensive, but it’s really too early to tell. In the rendering, it looks like there was an attempt to liven things up at the base of the building with a whimsical window pattern. It’s gratifying to see that the architect – or perhaps more importantly, the developer – may be taking some risks here, for better or worse.
> 
> None of this will be much consolation for those who measure the value of a city by the proportion of its old buildings that are still standing. But in mourning the loss of irreplaceable prewar buildings, we might take small consolation in the fact that the impending destruction of a building can bring its character and history to life for many who would otherwise have paid no attention to it.
> 
> This is certainly true for a building like 301 West 46th Street. Demolition plans prompted bloggers at Vanishing New York and Gotham Lost and Found to unearth interesting historical facts about the building. We learned for example that the basement of the building housed a speakeasy in the 1920′s with a Russian clientele and a rock club in the late 1960′s that hosted Jimi Hendrix and the Doors, among others.
> 
> Now, only the ruins of 301 West 46th remain, but these ruins are like an archaeological site – in exposing the interior of the building, they prompt an almost voyeuristic curiosity about what happened there. Owned by the famous Astor family until 1921, the building housed (four!) massage parlors in the 1970s and an adult shop from the 1980s until very recently.
> 
> What was apparently unknown by others who have blogged about the building, was that the basement – formerly the home of a speakeasy called the “Cave of the Fallen Angels” – was more recently the site of a particularly sordid crime that police discovered only a decade ago. In 2003, construction workers removing debris from the basement found skeletal remains of a woman buried inside a cement ‘coffin.’ Forensic work revealed that a woman less than 22 years old had been murdered and buried there as early as 1988, likely by someone who was intimately familiar with the building. The grisly crime was recounted on America’s Most Wanted; neither the victim nor the perpetrator were ever identified.
> 
> Let’s hope that demolition and excavation at the site don’t reveal any additional surprises.
> 
> Subscribe to the YIMBY newsletter for weekly updates on New York’s top projects, and follow New York YIMBY on Instagram and Twitter for information in real time.


----------



## el palmesano

^^



>


http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=206988


----------



## El_Greco

erbse said:


> Didn't this church look vastly different before? I'd prefer an authentical reconstruction over Calatrava's crap any day.


I like like them both. Calatrava's design has a nice Neo-Byzantine feel to it.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*SPURA Developers Divulge Details Of Housing, Retail Rollout*
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/11/04/spura_developers_divulge_details_of_housing_retail_rollout.php












> In order to break down such a large project, there *will be three or four construction phases over a 10- or 11- year period*.
> 
> Ground will actually get broken in *12 to 24 months*





> the first phase will include *60 percent of the total affordable housing units*
> 
> a, *15,000-square-foot park, a rooftop farm, 41,000 square feet of community space, the new Essex Street Market, a movie theater, and a grocery store on Clinton Street*. Specifically, that phase* will also encompass the Warhol museum, a community facility *run by Grand Street Settlement, and a "dual-generation school" operated by Educational Alliance.
> 
> As for the apartments to be built across the all the phases, *743 rental units will be located in four different buildings that are 50/50 affordable and market-rate*.
> 
> *Another 100 apartments will be designated for seniors in an all-senior building*.
> 
> *The remaining 157 will be condos *(a.k.a. "homeownership units") located in two additional buildings *that are 80 percent affordable and 20 percent market-rate*. Here's a timeline for housing:


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ Good to see a larger distribution of affordable units here.


----------



## desertpunk

*A First Look At The Adeline On 116th Street*












> Here's the world's first look at The Adeline, a new, very gray residential condo development that is rising at 23 West 116th Street between Fifth Avenue and Lenox avenues. All told, there will be 83 market-rate apartments on the site, ranging from one to four bedrooms. There's a teaser site, which tells us that interiors will feature "herringbone porcelain, wide-plank oak, and generous windows," while amenities include outdoor spaces (plural) and a children's playroom. Occupancy is expected for fall 2014, but they should come to market long before that.


----------



## towerpower123

I really like that the city now requires renderings of projects to be posted at the construction site. It is really helpful!


----------



## El_Greco

desertpunk said:


> A First Look At The Adeline On 116th Street


What do you guys think of this neo-warehouse type architecture?


----------



## desertpunk

El_Greco said:


> What do you guys think of this neo-warehouse type architecture?


Too much gray brick happening there. A sunnier sandstone look would be much better, masonry-wise.


----------



## desertpunk

*New Apartments Coming To The UWS*









http://www.westsiderag.com/2013/11/...g-at-80th-and-broadway-set-to-rise-20-stories



> The modern, boxy structure above... is the luxury building set to rise at the corner of 80th Street and Broadway—after what's already there is demolished, of course. West Side Rag first published the rendering, which developer Friedland Properties posted on its site in an effort to lure tenants like stores and restaurant to the several commercial spaces at the bottom of the proposed building. It's unclear whether the tower will house rentals or condos, but if it's any indication, Friedland is also behind The Larstrand, full of fancy rentals and cabanas that is nonetheless bland and boxy, located three blocks south of this site. This building will replace the two-story structure that once held Syms and Filene's and is now home to Fox's department store.


----------



## desertpunk

*2 big Greenpoint apt. towers get green light*












> *The controversial proposals will each add a residential tower of as many as 40 stories to the north Brooklyn waterfront and will be among the last big projects approved under the Bloomberg administration.*
> 
> Wednesday November 6, 2013
> 
> The City Planning Commission unanimously approved Wednesday morning a pair of big, controversial residential projects slated for the Greenpoint, Brooklyn, waterfront.
> 
> Now that the commission has given its blessing to about 700 of the roughly 5,500-units in the Greenpoint Landing project, along with the 720-unit 77 Commercial St. development, eyed for the northernmost section of the Brooklyn's East River shoreline, the City Council now has 50 days to make the final call.
> 
> Greenpoint Landing is proposed by developer Park Tower Group under the name Greenpoint Landing Associates, while 77 Commercial is a separate project that is being advanced by Chetrit Group under the name Waterfront at Greenpoint. Should they gain ultimate approval, the projects, which include multiple towers of 30-to-40 stories, would be among the final significant changes to the city's waterfront approved under the Bloomberg administration.
> 
> “We thank the City Planning Commission for their decision to approve this application, which brings us one step closer to delivering multiple benefits to the Greenpoint community,” a Greenpoint Landing spokesperson said in a statement.
> 
> [...]
> 
> Community Board 1 had recommended that City Planning disapprove the project, while Borough President Marty Markowitz recommended the opposite, however, both attached a list of conditions that largely dealt with strains on public transportation and the affordable housing component of the project, which the developers said they would explore.
> 
> But community outcry over the height and density of the developments technically do not apply to the current land-use application. The impetus for building along the shoreline was actually a 2005 rezoning that not only cleared the way for massive projects like the two being proposed, but also set aside space for park land.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Penn Station 2033?*

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/..._4182025.html?utm_hp_ref=new-york&ir=New+York


----------



## desertpunk

*Renderings Revealed For Extell's New 57th Street Megatower*





> Extell Development's newest hulking tower of glass at 217 West 57th Street was recently approved by the Landmarks Commission, possibly setting a dangerous precedent of allowing new buildings to cantilever over historic ones in the process. But what's done is done, and the Wall Street Journal just published some renderings of the Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill-designed tower that, at 1,423 feet, will soon loom over the neighboring American Fine Arts Society. The renderings give a wide look of the tower as well as, perhaps unfortunately, a view of the cantilever from below.
> 
> The reasons for the cantilever are twofold, as it 1) chivalrously allows a rival megatower, Vornado Realty's 220 Central Park South, unimpeded views of the park (in return, Vornado shifted its building slightly to the west), and 2) shifts the building's core to allow a column-free space for the Nordstrom store.


----------



## desertpunk

*56 Leonard progressing:*



600West218 said:


> From Sunday afternoon:
> 
> 
> Untitled by 600West218, on Flickr
> 
> .


----------



## ZZ-II

desertpunk said:


> *Renderings Revealed For Extell's New 57th Street Megatower*
> 
> http://s810.photobucket.com/user/esb1250/media/57thstcantilever_zps9bffda69.jpg.html


no doubt, this is an awesome design! especially the base looks epic


----------



## El_Greco

MarshallKnight said:


> ^^ Good to see a larger distribution of affordable units here.


Is 'Affordable' affordable in New York?


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ I'm sure it's all relative (I couldn't quote you any figures or requirements for affordable housing), but I know a lot of people have been getting priced out of Manhattan, which is a shame. Incentivizing developers to include more than just the highest income bracket can't be a bad thing.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

My view of needing more affordable housing in particular in prime Manhattan would be unpopular, but what is wrong being priced out of Manhattan?? 

I mean it's good the way things are set up presently for requiring affordable housing, but the need for more in Manhattan?? I dunno.

What's wrong with Queens, Brooklyn, Harlem, Bronx & Staten Island?? 

These area's excluding Harlem has more land area than space hungry Manhattan for more of these types of housing!

I mean many people would love to live in Beverly Hills, but can't afford so what is wrong finding a place to call home in the next town over or maybe the next one after that? I dunno. just my .02 cents.


----------



## Ghostface79

You're spot on. Not to mention that if the city keeps the same format but using the money to build the affordable housing in areas where land is cheaper rather than in those expensive neighborhoods, the amount of affordable housing will increase as developers will be able to build more units, which after all should be the end game. And who cares about it not being in manhattan, areas all over NYC are being gentrified; people these days would choose Williamsburg, Dumbo or LIC over parts of manhattan any time so that idea of Manhattan being too exclusive doesn't fit the current make up of NYC or its future.


----------



## El_Greco

Vertical_Gotham said:


> My view of needing more affordable housing in particular in prime Manhattan would be unpopular, but what is wrong being priced out of Manhattan??


Social mix is how you build a happy society. 

Anyways my question was whether 'affordable' is affordable in New York or still out of reach for 90% of New Yorkers?


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

El_Greco said:


> Social mix is how you build a happy society.
> 
> Anyways my question was whether 'affordable' is affordable in New York or still out of reach for 90% of New Yorkers?


There is plenty of social mix in Manhattan so there is no issue here.

As far as affordable goes, my understanding is you can get a pretty nice 1 bedroom apartment for lets say $800 per month. If that same apt is being offered at market rate, it could command $3,600 per month.

If you want a smaller unit in a less luxurious place then the monthly could be even cheaper. I supposed you can find rent as cheap as $400 a month. I dunno. So it seems pretty affordable imo.

*Edit: Here is an article I just found*

*PRESENTING: The Only 4 Ways To Get A Cheap Apartment In New York City*
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-a-cheap-apartment-in-new-york-city-2013-8


----------



## desertpunk

El_Greco said:


> Social mix is how you build a happy society.
> 
> Anyways my question was whether 'affordable' is affordable in New York or still out of reach for 90% of New Yorkers?


Rent stabilization keeps housing affordable for those who have lived in NYC for many years. But the barriers to entry for new residents is very high with market rents at $4,000 for a 1 bedroom in Manhattan. If you're looking to move to NYC and aren't already rich or have a high paying job, don't bother.


----------



## El_Greco

Thanks guys, that explains it.


----------



## MarshallKnight

Vertical_Gotham said:


> I mean many people would love to live in Beverly Hills, but can't afford so what is wrong finding a place to call home in the next town over or maybe the next one after that? I dunno. just my .02 cents.


Hang on. You just tried to compare Beverly Hills, which amounts to a wealthy, shopping-heavy suburb of 35,000 residents, to Manhattan, which houses 1.6 million people and is the center of the Western economy and culture.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

MarshallKnight said:


> Hang on. You just tried to compare Beverly Hills, which amounts to a wealthy, shopping-heavy suburb of 35,000 residents, to Manhattan, which houses 1.6 million people and is the center of the Western economy and culture.


Yes I did. If people are getting priced out in Manhattan, is there a difference with people getting priced out in Beverly Hills? Size does not matter much if this is the case. Obviously, the Market & economics is the driving factor in both places.The next logical step looking for more affordable housing is to look in neighboring towns.


----------



## 1084790

.....


----------



## desertpunk

^
I don't think so...


*Baccarat Hotel 10.18*


New York by st_hart, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Crane up at 30 Park Place*


Woolworth / 30 Park Pl. 99 Church St. by www.JackBermanNYC.com, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

Awesome.. can't wait for 30 park place


----------



## ThatOneGuy

It will block that majestic view of woolworth? hno:


----------



## Kopacz

^^
It will actually cover Woolworth's butt-side, so it's ok. Anyway, it should be a pretty building on its own anyway, fitting with surroundings.


----------



## desertpunk

One view, three new towers:









http://www.flickr.com/photos/savior1980/


----------



## MarshallKnight

Vertical_Gotham said:


> Yes I did. If people are getting priced out in Manhattan, is there a difference with people getting priced out in Beverly Hills? Size does not matter much if this is the case. Obviously, the Market & economics is the driving factor in both places.The next logical step looking for more affordable housing is to look in neighboring towns.


There are two issues that I didn't articulate before that I think you're missing, Manhattan's geographic isolation and the fact that it's home to thousands of major companies -- which dovetail into a problem of workforce. If you price out the everyday workers, you're going to turn Manhattan into a primarily commuter city, with more and more people journeying further to reach their offices from their affordable homes in Staten Island or New Jersey or wherever. The fact that Manhattan is an island means its ingresses are traffic bottlenecks (bridges, subways and tunnels). LA has this problem, as a huge proportion of workers live in "the Valley," separated geographically from the business centers by a mountain range, and forced to commute through a handful of access points. It's the root of LA's famously bad commuter congestion, and that's the path that an emigrating middle-and-lower-class workforce is putting Manhattan on. 

Not to mention the companies that have been known to relocate to more affordable environs in order to mitigate the commute times of their workers (especially given the pressure on corporations to "go green.") Worst case scenario, you'll see companies actually leaving Manhattan over the issue.

In any case, what we're looking at is an increasingly homogenous Manhattanite culture of wealthy management types and non-workers who look to pat themselves on the back by buying trophy properties they may or may not live in (while incentivising bland chains like Whole Foods to push out the hole-in-the-wall restaurants and bodegas that make the place exciting). While it may be the current natural direction of the economy, it's threatening to turn Manhattan into a pretty dull place, and I think that's something worth getting bothered about.

As far as skyscrapers go, I think we all find the 432 Parks and 111 W. 57ths impressive. But at the same time, they represent the success of a very few people, whereas the soaring office towers that used to be the crown jewels of New York, represented the success of a whole nation.


----------



## Ghostface79

That's a fair point but there are plenty of areas in Manhattan that are not as posh as where most of those high end residentials are being built and where land is not as expensive, but are increasingly being gentrified and could need more affordable housing. I'm thinking of the Lower East Side, Inwood or even West Harlem, all which are more and more popular with the younger crowd. So building affordable housing outside of the high end areas of the city doesn't necessarily means most of the medium to lower income NYers will move to other boroughs, Manhattan itself needs to improve in that area.


----------



## JohnFlint1985

Vertical_Gotham said:


> My view of needing more affordable housing in particular in prime Manhattan would be unpopular, but what is wrong being priced out of Manhattan??
> 
> I mean it's good the way things are set up presently for requiring affordable housing, but the need for more in Manhattan?? I dunno.
> 
> What's wrong with Queens, Brooklyn, Harlem, Bronx & Staten Island??
> 
> These area's excluding Harlem has more land area than space hungry Manhattan for more of these types of housing!
> 
> I mean many people would love to live in Beverly Hills, but can't afford so what is wrong finding a place to call home in the next town over or maybe the next one after that? I dunno. just my .02 cents.


Realistically there are plenty of spaces to have affordable living. It is that the city has no money for it. so all this :blahblah: :blahblah: by De Blasio has very little meaning unless he will be able to conjure some green out of his pockets.
On the other hand if De Blasio will buy into this rhetoric about the notion that development for super rich makes life not affordable and thus development has to stop - will only make the city stagnate.

The solution IMHO is to present a mix bag of goodies to developers the same way Bloomberg did. Like for example: the city gives you certain development rights and you as a result give up some of your apartments for affordable living or better yet build some separate building for this. If this is indeed what De Blasio will do then all this "2 cities" politics will die a soon death and good riddance.

Don't get me wrong - all my friends complain about impossibility to buy anything in the city. Rules favor big companies in business in the expense of the small guy - like taxi business which is being squeezed hard by the city authorities. And etc and etc. Something has to be done about all this and make sure that the little guy is not eliminated from the city business/ living. But please, please, please not another round of cheap housing projects for those who can't afford anything.


----------



## phoenixboi08

JohnFlint1985 said:


> Realistically there are plenty of spaces to have affordable living. It is that the city has no money for it. so all this :blahblah: :blahblah: by De Blasio has very little meaning unless he will be able to conjure some green out of his pockets.
> On the other hand if De Blasio will buy into this rhetoric about the notion that development for super rich makes life not affordable and thus development has to stop - will only make the city stagnate.
> 
> The solution IMHO is to present a mix bag of goodies to developers the same way Bloomberg did. Like for example: the city gives you certain development rights and you as a result give up some of your apartments for affordable living or better yet build some separate building for this. If this is indeed what De Blasio will do then all this "2 cities" politics will die a soon death and good riddance.
> 
> Don't get me wrong - all my friends complain about impossibility to buy anything in the city. Rules favor big companies in business in the expense of the small guy - like taxi business which is being squeezed hard by the city authorities. And etc and etc. Something has to be done about all this and make sure that the little guy is not eliminated from the city business/ living. But please, please, please not another round of cheap housing projects for those who can't afford anything.


You're points are contradictory. I mean, look, I think a lot of the public sentiment about "affordable housing" is that it's [only] for the poor or elderly, which is far from the truth. It's great that the city is recognizing that the cost of living is becoming a problem. IT.IS.A.PROBLEM. I don't know if you've noticed, but unless the city can continue to attract talent, it's not going to continue to grow. Many other cities (in the US and abroad) are coming to eat NY's lunch, unless they step up and take care of these things. 

To be honest, it's not sensible (from a planning aspect) to just say to everyone, "go live in Queens and Brooklyn and ride the train in to your job," if the city, State, and DC aren't going to put in the proper funds to add capacity. No one's saying that we need to have Central Park views or anything of the sort, but that there needs to be incentives for developers to think about affordability in their schemes rather than just maximizing profit or catering to a small niche of buyers. From a market standpoint (and definitely from that of the city), it's more desirable and sustainable growth.


----------



## Ghostface79

Here's a good read about the shortage in rentals in NYC:

http://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/where-are-the-rentals/

I'm not sure if the city having no money to build affordable housing will have any affect on the issue cause Bloomberg's way of dealing with it was to sell city owned land and require certain amounts of new residential buildings to have a certain amount of affordable housing; and it worked, just not as much as needed. That's why there's a increasing notion that this method will stick but should be improved in a sense that instead of developers sparing a percentage of affordable housing in their new buildings, the city is better off having them built where land is cheaper and more housing can be built.
I also agree with the above statement, affordable housing is very much needed if NYC wants to stay competitive, we can't just be a city for the rich and besides, young people and people who have medium to low incomes contribute vastly to the city's economy and we need to attract as many as we can and make sure that they have an incentive to live in the city.


----------



## JohnFlint1985

phoenixboi08 said:


> You're points are contradictory. I mean, look, I think a lot of the public sentiment about "affordable housing" is that it's [only] for the poor or elderly, which is far from the truth. It's great that the city is recognizing that the cost of living is becoming a problem. IT.IS.A.PROBLEM. I don't know if you've noticed, but unless the city can continue to attract talent, it's not going to continue to grow. Many other cities (in the US and abroad) are coming to eat NY's lunch, unless they step up and take care of these things.
> 
> To be honest, it's not sensible (from a planning aspect) to just say to everyone, "go live in Queens and Brooklyn and ride the train in to your job," if the city, State, and DC aren't going to put in the proper funds to add capacity. No one's saying that we need to have Central Park views or anything of the sort, but that there needs to be incentives for developers to think about affordability in their schemes rather than just maximizing profit or catering to a small niche of buyers. From a market standpoint (and definitely from that of the city), it's more desirable and sustainable growth.


Well I am not in disagreement with you on what you said and I never mentioned that it is only for sick and old. affordable living is for those who just have a regular salary and not some fancy job with fancy numbers. All of that is clear to me and I agree with you.

But the questions remain:
1. how does the city plans to build this affordable living if they are not employing the methods of Bloomberg that worked so far?

2. which areas of the city should be open for gentrification and rapid rise of real estate value and which should just stay behind? How do you tell homeowners in some remote neighborhood of the city that: "sorry, old chap, but this place will not have any Starbucks since it drives the real estate prices up and we decided that your place should stay at lower prices". since on one hand the price for living goes up but so does the real estate value of those who invest in the city. screw this up and moneybags will quickly find another place to invest.

3. Manhattan is obviously filled to the brim with all the new development. It is time to move into Brooklyn, Queens, Jersey's Gold Coast and etc. If this is going to happen - it means that even those places will go rapidly up in prices.


----------



## JohnFlint1985

Ghostface79 said:


> Here's a good read about the shortage in rentals in NYC:
> 
> http://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/where-are-the-rentals/
> 
> I'm not sure if the city having no money to build affordable housing will have any affect on the issue cause Bloomberg's way of dealing with it was to sell city owned land and require certain amounts of new residential buildings to have a certain amount of affordable housing; and it worked, just not as much as needed. That's why there's a increasing notion that this method will stick but should be improved in a sense that instead of developers sparing a percentage of affordable housing in their new buildings, the city is better off having them built where land is cheaper and more housing can be built.
> I also agree with the above statement, affordable housing is very much needed if NYC wants to stay competitive, we can't just be a city for the rich and besides, young people and people who have medium to low incomes contribute vastly to the city's economy and we need to attract as many as we can and make sure that they have an incentive to live in the city.


Bloomberg's policy is a classical case of Trickle-down economics. It worked, but as you correctly say - not enough. The question is - how to make it work? What is the right formula and balance between asking developers to do more and not spooking them away. Crisis and recession is almost over so NYC is not going to be the only place where you can invest. We should remember that and make sure we don't scare away rich and shameless. As much as I hate certain elements of their behavior and price rise associated with it, I just don't see any other way.


----------



## sbarn

Some Upper East Side Luxury Slivers:

*60 East 86th Street:*



























EastMillinocket @ WNY

*155 East 79th Street:*




































EastMillinocket @ WNY

*1110 Park Avenue:*













































EastMillinocket @ WNY


Not so sliverish, but still luxury:

*135 East 79th Street:*







































































EastMillinocket @ WNY

*132 East 65th Street:*



























EastMillinocket @ WNY

*200 East 79th Street:*




































EastMillinocket @









*1355 First Avenue (The Charles):*




































EastMillinocket @ WNY


----------



## desertpunk

^^
Speaking of the UES, do you know what's rising at 61st and York Ave?


PB080061 by Hannah C°, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*508 W.24th St.:*


Construction by nyperson, on Flickr









http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/07/01/the_high_lines_newest_condo_neighbor_hits_the_market.php


----------



## desertpunk

*TF Cornerstone's Colossal 606 West 57th Street Building, Revealed!*












> The last visual we had of TF Cornerstone's huge development coming to 606 West 57th Street was a small little thing buried in a Wall Street Journal article. But now New York YIMBY unearthed the project's Environmental Impact Statement, which has many more looks at the massive property, which will have 1,189 units and be the city's largest residential building. Designed by Arquitectonica Architects, the Tetris-like building, as NY YIMBY says, proves "the cantilever craze is now at full throttle." In addition to the apartments, twenty percent of which will be affordable (thanks to semi-controversial tax abatements), there will be 42,000-square-feet of ground floor retail space, plus a 500-car garage.


----------



## El_Greco

The next step in the evolution of the random cladding?


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ Yeah, it's a trend that doesn't seem to be going away. But don't fret. Nothing will ever be quite as horrifically random as this Grand Ave Tower going up in Downtown Los Angeles right now:










I just... ugh.


----------



## sbarn

El_Greco said:


> The next step in the evolution of the random cladding?


I don't get the cladding... to me, it already looks dated. I like the massing though, something different.


----------



## sbarn

desertpunk said:


> ^^
> Speaking of the UES, do you know what's rising at 61st and York Ave?
> 
> 
> PB080061 by Hannah C°, on Flickr


Yes, its the Josie Robertson Ambulatory Surgery Center. 









EastMillinocket @ WNY


----------



## sbarn

Some High Line updates:

*837 Washington* is getting its windows. This building looks incredible, just wish it was taller... The exposed steel on the exterior is a great touch and reflects the industrial history of the neighborhood.


















ZippyTheChimp @ WNY


Window mockups have been spotted for *520 West 28th* by Zaha Hadid:




































ZippyTheChimp @ WNY


The hole is getting deep for *500 W21st St*:


----------



## LCIII

The High Line has brought us so many beautiful low rise buildings.


----------



## desertpunk

sbarn said:


> Yes, its the Josie Robertson Ambulatory Surgery Center.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EastMillinocket @ WNY


Why thank you kind sir!


----------



## desertpunk

*Giant 'Salad Bowl' Coming To Last High Line Phase*












> Friends of the High Line just unveiled one special design element for Phase 3, the part that curls west and and then north into the Hudson Yards area. Where it curves to the west, at 10th Avenue and West 30th Street, is a particularly wide point of the span dubbed the Spur, and an enormous bowl-shaped feature is planned for that juncture. First spotted by DNAinfo, the bowl serves as an oval amphitheater-slash-chill out space, with seating for visitors that is encircled in broad-leaf woodland grasses, perennials, and ferns, as well as Snakebark maple and black tupelo trees. FotHL says it's "an extraordinary, sheltered, and vegetated interior room that one discovers through various openings and entries." And, somehow, they're fitting public bathrooms in there. Functional! Phase 3 is currently under construction and is set to open in late 2014.


----------



## desertpunk

*DOB Application Filed For BAM South Tower*












> Two Trees Management Co.’s 31-story *“BAM South”* rental tower is moving right along.
> 
> The 286 Ashland Place project across the street from Brooklyn Academy of Music will have 381 apartments, according to a plan exam application filed November 8th. Ismael Leyva is the architect of record. Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos is designing the building.
> 
> Located on a triangular lot between Lafayette Avenue and Hanson Place, the thoroughly mixed-use development boasts 280,346 square feet of residential space, 21,928 square feet of commercial and 45,148 square feet of community facility space. It will rise on a current parking lot, and 20 percent of the rentals will be affordable housing.
> 
> So what BAM-y cultural delights await? The building will host BAM cinemas on the second and third floors, while the fourth floor will be populated with dance studios operated by 651 Arts. The Pacific Street Carnegie Library will also be housed on the lower floors. Apartments start on the sixth level, and the 24th story will have a residential terrace and other amenities.


----------



## desertpunk

*Related Planning 220 Apartments At 261 Hudson St.*












> The Related Companies has torn down a one-story brick building at 261 Hudson Street in Tribeca to make way for a 220-unit residential rental development that awaits city zoning approval.
> 
> Related intends to build a new 12-story building on the 26,704-square-foot plot, according to Department of Buildings documents cited by the Tribeca Citizen. The property will also include retail, with a so-called community facility and leasing office on the ground floor.
> 
> No renderings of the building-to-be have surfaced as of yet, and construction is likely halted until a reported zoning change takes place. *Architect Ismael Leyva*, according to the DOB website, has been tapped to design the new structure.


Could be an interesting tower! :cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

*Action at 153 10th Ave along the High Line:*


Stacked by Tim Fitzwater, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Hudson Yards area starting to crank up:*


Farley PO_AP-bldg_Hudson Yards by solgoldberg, on Flickr


----------



## ZZ-II

Yeah, it's really going forward now!


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Elad, Silverstein team up on sprawling Riverside South project*
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/11/13/elad-silverstein-team-up-on-sprawling-riverside-south-project/



> The Elad Group will partner with Larry Silverstein’s Silverstein Properties on a mixed-use development on the Upper West Side. The pair bought a parcel at Riverside South from the Carlyle Group for $160 Million





> *950,000 buildable square feet *





> The site, at *1 West End Avenue between West 59th and West 60th streets*, covers is located at the southern tip of Riverside South, a massive portion of land overlooking the Hudson River. *The lot is one of five that make up Carlyle and Extell Development’s Riverside Center “master development,” *and is one of the last large development parcels available in Manhattan.





> the project will boast residential and retail, although the proportions of each have not been decided yet, nor has the unit breakdown of the apartments


----------



## desertpunk

WTC Sunset by JoelZimmer, on Flickr


----------



## RobertWalpole

1.5m sf of air rights will be transferred from the Hudson River Park:

http://thevillager.com/2013/11/14/community-confronts-park-air-rights-issue-as-cuomo-o-k-s-bill/


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

RobertWalpole said:


> 1.5m sf of air rights will be transferred from the Hudson River Park: http://thevillager.com/2013/11/14/community-confronts-park-air-rights-issue-as-cuomo-o-k-s-bill/


I think the St John development could benefit with this for even taller! No?


----------



## desertpunk

*29 Story Mariott Proposed Near Javits Center*












> Flushing, Queens-based Atria Builders filed plans yesterday to build a 29-story Courtyard by Marriott near the Javits Convention Center.
> 
> The now-vacant site at 461 West 34th Street, also known as 428 10th Avenue, will balloon into a 197,253-square-foot project with 399 hotel rooms. DSM Design Group is serving as architect.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Alloy moves to trim Hudson Yards-area holdings -
Related said to be eyeing West 35th Street site*
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/11/14/alloy-moves-to-trim-hudson-yards-holdings/












> Alloy Development is selling one of its sites near Hudson Yards — and expects to get $75 million for the deal.
> 
> A buyer could build a tower with up to 415,000 square feet of space at the site, at 511 West 35th Street, west of Penn Station. About 100,000 square feet could be residential, thanks to the city’s sale of air rights in the neighborhood.
> 
> The Related Companies, which is famously developing Hudson Yards with Oxford Properties and owns several properties in the area, is expected to be one of the potential bidders.
> 
> Robert Knakal of Massey Knakal Realty Services, who is marketing the property for Alloy, told Crain’s that a number of hotel developers have expressed interest in the site.
> 
> “With Javits nearby and the construction of all the office and retail space that is planned on the far West Side, there is a real market growing for hotels,” he told Crain’s


----------



## desertpunk

*160 East 22nd Street Ushers in the Age of the Cantilever*












> The Landmarks Preservation Commission's recent of approval of two projects involving cantilevers—COOKFOX's 39-41 West 23rd Street and, more significantly, Extell's 217 West 57th Street, which will loom over the neighboring individually landmarked American Fine Arts Society—had preservationists worrying that cantilevering shiny new towers over historic buildings could become the new norm for developers. And, right on cue, here's 160 East 22nd Street, a new project from Toll Brothers. New York Yimby snapped some photos of the currently-under-construction 81-unit building that hit the market back in April, the southern portion of which hangs over the neighboring two-story townhouse, extending 25 feet in the air.


----------



## streetscapeer

All those Upper East Side projects on the last page were awesome.. like that they kept with the style of the neighborhood. Thanks a lot for the updated sbarn!!


----------



## desertpunk

*Ribbon cutting ceremony as 4 World Trade Center is officially opened:*


ET7A0120 by nycmayorsoffice, on Flickr


ET7A0079 by nycmayorsoffice, on Flickr


----------



## RobertWalpole

This should be a pretty tall tower in JC:

http://www.rew-online.com/2013/11/14/chinese-developer-buys-70m-jersey-waterfront-site/


----------



## desertpunk

*Selldorf-Designed Number 10 To Join Bond St. Starchitect Club*












> It's about time that the architectural craziness of Noho's Bond Street—think numbers 40, 41, and 25—got a new neighbor. Enter 10 Bond Street, designed by Annabelle Selldorf and developed by a trifecta of SK Development, Ironstate Development and the Chetrit Group. It shall plop 11 residences on the cobble-stoned thoroughfare's northwest intersection with Lafayette Street. Behind a terra cotta and weathered steel facade will stand one townhouse with a private garage, one penthouse with large, landscaped terraces and nine two- to three-bedrooms. Earlier plans had been unveiled to surprising acclaim from the community-board set, and the project was approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission last year, but the new rendering above is the first up-to-date look at what to expect.


----------



## desertpunk

*Chetrit Bro Plans Hotel, Residences, Retail Near Lorimer Stop*












> A big lot on Metropolitan Avenue is getting a 14-story hotel with spaces for restaurants/bars and retail, with a 182-spot garage below and residences on top. The rendering above was posted on the site's blue plywood, which currently obscures a big pile of dirt. The previous architect of record for this triangular building with tiered setbacks was—shudder—Gene Kaufman, but it's now Kutnicki Bernstein. (Better?) The 150-foot-tall, 146,040-square-foot project—which is owned by Meyer Chetrit, brother of Joseph, though they don't always work together—is broken down into 56,584 square feet of commercial space and 89,186 square feet of residential space.
> 
> DOB filings for *500 Metropolitan Avenue* show 234 "dwelling units," and it seems that the division between hotel rooms and apartments will come at the eighth floor. On that story and above, there are 50 units and a recreation area, while below there are 188 units, including two duplexes.


----------



## desertpunk

*475 Park Avenue South Re-skin Shimmers*










More at New York YIMBY: http://newyorkyimby.com/2013/11/construction-update-475-park-avenue-south.html


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

^^ Nice. Tons of buildings could use a good re-skinning in NYC imo.


----------



## desertpunk

Speaking of skin, here's a shot of the now-completed Gem Tower:


View of buildings from the Rockefeller observation deck by Awksed, on Flickr


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

What's shakin North of the Hudson Yards? 

*Hell’s Kitchen is what’s Sizzling*
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/realestate/hells-kitchen-sizzling.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=1&adxnnlx=1384807036-fmqxWcRhEqmamYSknF7+jg












> In the race to develop the West Side of Manhattan, Hell’s Kitchen can seem the tortoise to the Hudson Yards hare. Yet if Hudson Yards suddenly seems to be going up all at once, its neighbor to the north has been moving ahead in slow, deliberate steps, year after year.
> 
> About a dozen residential projects are in the pipeline for the neighborhood — some finished, some underway and some in the planning stages. They include Gotham West, a rental complex with more than 1,200 apartments that recently opened on West 45th Street; 540West, a 114-unit condo under construction on West 49th Street; and, on West 50th, Stella Tower, a 51-unit sister building to the Walker Tower in Chelsea. The Chelsea version was named for its architect, Ralph Walker, and the one in Hell’s Kitchen for his wife.
> These projects are being built in the area running from West 42nd to West 57th Street, and from Ninth Avenue to the Hudson River. When the name “Hell’s Kitchen” gained currency in the 1800s, the neighborhood ran from 59th Street down into the 30s, west of Eighth Avenue, and was known for its gang violence and squalor. Various parts of the loosely defined area have since been called Clinton, Midtown West and Chelsea North. But despite the neighborhood’s 21st-century respectability, Hell’s Kitchen appears to have sticking power as a name And for the most part, longtime residents have met the changes with tolerance.





> A sizable part of the neighborhood is made up of affordable housing, some resulting from the rehabilitation of abandoned rowhouses. Among the large public projects are Manhattan Plaza on 42nd Street and Ninth Avenue, largely inhabited by artists; and Clinton Manor, on 51st Street near 10th Avenue, which has 241 apartments for Section 8 tenants. Some developers included below-market units in exchange for being allowed to erect bigger buildings. Retailers have taken an interest, too. Shops are planned for the Windermere, a shuttered 1881 apartment building at 9th Avenue …… (Read more in Link)


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Seaport Redevelopment Plan Includes a 50-Story Tower
*
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/nyregion/seaport-redevelopment-plan-includes-a-50-story-tower.html?partner=socialflow&smid=tw-nytmetro









A rendering of a proposal by the Howard Hughes Corporation, which seeks to add a marina and more to South Street Seaport.SHOP ARCHITECTS


----------



## desertpunk

*One Morningside Park selling fast*









http://harlembespoke.blogspot.com/2013/11/dwell-one-morningside-at-fifty-percent.html


----------



## ZZ-II

Vertical_Gotham said:


> *Seaport Redevelopment Plan Includes a 50-Story Tower
> *
> http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/nyregion/seaport-redevelopment-plan-includes-a-50-story-tower.html?partner=socialflow&smid=tw-nytmetro
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A rendering of a proposal by the Howard Hughes Corporation, which seeks to add a marina and more to South Street Seaport.SHOP ARCHITECTS


looks interesting. a higher resolution would be good to see more details of the facade


----------



## desertpunk

ZZ-II said:


> looks interesting. a higher resolution would be good to see more details of the facade


I wonder if these plans have come into any sharper focus, given all the NIMBY attackers out there...


----------



## desertpunk

*Big Glass Triangle Gets Less Glassy, Approved By Landmarks*












> Earlier designs for a triangular building at 19 East Houston Street drew the ire of the both the community and the Landmarks Commission, so Perkins Eastman made significant changes before bringing the plans back this morning. While the original design had called for a primarily glass facade, the new one features a contextual brick facade at Crosby Street and a completely separate facade of staggered glass and recessed metal panels at East Houston, addressing commissioners' concerns that the building would appear thin and flimsy.


----------



## desertpunk

*Inwood To Get A Karim Rashid Building*












> Less than a month ago, renderings were revealed for a bonkers "diamond signature" condo building designed by Karim Rashid, and now the kooky designer has been tapped for yet another Upper Manhattan building by the same developer. HAP Investments announced in a press release that Rashid will design a 100-unit rental building, called HAP 4, at 653-667 West 187th Street in Inwood, which they describe as "a peaceful neighborhood that has preserved its atmosphere as a suburban area within Manhattan, and is still home to a prosperous and diverse community." Preliminary renderings on HAP's website show a checkered purple facade with Tetris-like windows.


----------



## towerpower123

I was questioning the Zaha building, but I must say that it is incredible!!! That is an unparalleled example of high quality metal and glass!


----------



## surya6.it

A remarkable work in a city that never sleeps!!!...


----------



## Manitopiaaa

erbse said:


> ^ Rather weak design for this incredible location. Disappointing.


I think it blends well, although a little more height wouldn't hurt


----------



## ZZ-II

uh, that facade looks stunning!


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

towerpower123 said:


> I was questioning the Zaha building, but I must say that it is incredible!!! That is an unparalleled example of high quality metal and glass!












Yea it will be a great addition to the high line! :cheers:


----------



## dexter2

That is only the second her project that I like... Because It's second project in which she considered sorroundings and fully filled the lot.

Anyway Highline is becoming something like en exhibit for greatest pieces of architecture of our times.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Alternative Domino Plan Proposes Art Space, Not Apartments*
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/11/25/alternative_domino_plan_proposes_art_space_not_apartments.php



> There's a very vocal group of North Brooklyn residents that oppose Two Trees' plans to redevelop the Domino Sugary Factory, and last week, they descended on a public meeting to make their opinions heard. Now, because everyone loves pretty renderings, they've taken the next step and enlisted Holm Architecture Office to draw up a proposal that adaptively reuses the factory buildings. Instead of demolishing many of the decrepit structures to build office space, community amenities, and 2,220 apartments, HAO's proposal, first shared on Arch Daily, calls for saving the buildings on the site and revamping them into a "world-class cultural destination" filled with performance space, art galleries, a hotel, education centers, public parks, and affordable housing. *Read more in link*


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ I've got to be honest, I prefer this lowrise version better than the SHoP towers. Reminds me of the renovated Ferry Building in San Francisco. But I don't get much sense that there's even a sliver of a chance for HAO's alternate proposal.


----------



## desertpunk

Classic NIMBY counter-proposal: build absolutely nothing except an 'amenity deck' for lucky area residents. I've seen this in other cities where pressure groups try to extort public and private interests for their self-interest "clubhouse". And in true activist fashion, they completely ignore the economics of redeveloping this site. To pull this pipe dream off they would need the land and buildings for free and a large foundation grant.


----------



## desertpunk

*Downtown Brooklyn Church Being Converted Into Condos*












> Brownstoner spotted this rendering on a construction fence at 200 Nassau Street. Interior demolition has already begun on the site's current inhabitant, the Church of the Open Door/Dr. White Community Center, in order to make way for a residential conversion from Robert Scarano-disciple Nataliya Donskoy, who is really making a name for herself with buildings that look like Hasbro toys mid-transformation.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

desertpunk said:


> Classic NIMBY counter-proposal: build absolutely nothing except an 'amenity deck' for lucky area residents. I've seen this in other cities where pressure groups try to extort public and private interests for their self-interest "clubhouse". And in true activist fashion, they completely ignore the economics of redeveloping this site. To pull this pipe dream off they would need the land and buildings for free and a large foundation grant.


 honestly I don't see this new proposal realistic considering NYC is in need of new housing. De Blasio is an advocate for more housing so I'm afraid this new proposal that the NIMBY's want ain't gonna get.


----------



## desertpunk

*HAP unveils new plans for Washington Heights site*












> HAP Investment Developers has revealed plans to construct a seven-story apartment complex at 4452 and 4454 Broadway in Washington Heights. The move comes just two months after HAP derailed the plans of rival developer Quadriad, who had planned a three-building development on the site, by buying two of three parcels out from under the Manhattan-based developer.
> 
> *The buildings will now be about 21 stories shorter than what Quadriad hoped to build.* HAP’s plans call for 128 units of rental housing and one floor for commercial use, at 4452 Broadway.
> 
> The parcel of land, prized for its proximity to the subway , was originally surveyed by Quadriad, a developer with projects in Brooklyn and Queens, for two towers as high as 28 stories. But the plan called for rezoning of the area, a change that didn’t pass muster with Manhattan’s Community Board 12.
> 
> HAP purchased a portion of Quadriad’s proposed site in April 2013, at which point Quadriad’s plans to rezone could not proceed without HAP’s agreement. *HAP announced that it had no plans to pursue a partnership and that it would build on the site as of right.*


----------



## desertpunk

*Coach Tower steals the show as 500 W. 30th St. nears completion:*


New Neighbors, NYC by Hardcore Shutterbug, on Flickr


*Nearby, Avalon West Chelsea slowly clads up:*


Along The Highline, NYC (2) by Hardcore Shutterbug, on Flickr


----------



## sbarn

Here's a first, a double cantilever! A new proposal for *215 West 28th Street*, currently a parking lot:


















EastMillinocket @ WNY


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*APPROVED* but let's not get ahead of ourselves! 










*Domino Sugar project gets thumbs up from land use committee*
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/11/26/domino-sugar-project-gets-thumbs-up-from-land-use-committee/



> Community Board One’s land use committee gave Two Trees’ Domino Sugar Factory conversion plan the green light last night in a seven-to-one vote.
> Two Trees’ promise to include 660 units of affordable housing reportedly went over well with the board, which also recommended hiring locally for the project and suggested a redistribution of the development’s affordable housing units. The current plan would place one fifth of the affordable units in the development’s first tower rather than spreading them evenly among all five.
> Two Trees launched the ULURP process at the beginning of November, and the proposal will go before the full community board for review in the coming weeks. [Brownstoner] — Julie Strickland


----------



## towerpower123

sbarn said:


> Here's a first, a double cantilever! A new proposal for *215 West 28th Street*, currently a parking lot:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EastMillinocket @ WNY


What is that cantilevering over? It looks like it is over two masses that reach the cantilevers, with existing buildings on either side (not under the cantilever). Either way, it is a welcome change from the single cantilevered buildings, with each one getting ever closer to some of the LSD fueled plans for Tomorrow! Bring on the "Dumbo" buildings!


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*New details on Tribeca condo Reade Chambers*
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/11/27/new-details-on-tribeca-condo-reade-chambers/










Reade Chambers, a new six-story Tribeca condominium building developed by a partnership between SK Development and Ironstate Development, will have 17 units, three of them penthouses, according to a spokesperson for the developers.

Asking prices start at $1.4 million for the apartments, which will range from one- to four-bedrooms, the spokesperson said. Goldstein, Hill & West is serving as architect of record, while Selldorf Architects is handling interior design.

Bruce Ehrmann and Andrew Anderson of Douglas Elliman Development Marketing are the exclusive sales agents for the building at 71 Reade Street, which also goes by the address 87 Chambers Street. Sales are expected to launch early next year, with an opening date of early 2015.

The development site can accommodate up to about 80,000 square feet of residential space, as previously reported. — Mark Maurer










*Details, Starchitect Revealed For New Reade Street Condo*
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/11/27/details_starchitect_revealed_for_new_reade_street_condo.php


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Hotel Conversion, Glassy 8-Story Addition For 17 John Street*
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/11/27/hotel_conversion_glassy_8story_addition_for_17_john_street.php












> Earlier this year, Prodigy Network bought 17 John Street from Metro Lofts with plans to convert the structure, along with a former New School dorm at 84 William Street, into a long-stay hotel. The project didn't really strike our fancy as anything exciting, but that has most certainly changed. Not only will the art deco 17 John be converted, but Prodigy wants to add an 8-story glass topper by famed architect Winka Dubbeldam , who calls the addition "a glowing crystal in the sky" in a promotion video. Permits have not yet been filed with the Department of Buildings, but reps say the developer is in the process of doing so. Upon completion, the new building will stand 23-stories high. There are currently more than 100 units in the building, and it's unclear when the tenants have to leave.


----------



## El_Greco

Vertical_Gotham said:


> APPROVED but let's not get ahead of ourselves!  Domino Sugar project gets thumbs up from land use committee http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/11/26/domino-sugar-project-gets-thumbs-up-from-land-use-committee/


My kind of stuff. It's also great that they are planning to spread the affordable units over the entire development. Good news for community cohesion. 

Btw, the renders are confusing - it looks to me like they show two different schemes. Which one are they going to build?


----------



## LCIII

Vertical_Gotham said:


> *Hotel Conversion, Glassy 8-Story Addition For 17 John Street*
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/11/27/hotel_conversion_glassy_8story_addition_for_17_john_street.php


Wow...that's one hideous mess. Let's hope this gets a re-do.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

@El Greco I don't think they chose the final layout yet. We just know it will be developed. There's even a proposal with no towers at all, but an art center, I believe.

BTW that extension will look ridiculous. It clashes with the original building horribly.


----------



## El_Greco

Oh right. Thanks.

I think the extension looks great, a bit like Tate Modern.


----------



## LCIII

Agreed ThatOneGuy. It's just plain damn ugly.


----------



## RobertWalpole

We should get news about the new Wanda tower some time soon.


----------



## Manitopiaaa

LCIII said:


> Wow...that's one hideous mess. Let's hope this gets a re-do.


Not sure how I feel about this


----------



## desertpunk

508 W.24th St. at the High Line:


. by sr. cangrejo, on Flickr


----------



## yankeesfan1000

It's been said before, but the architecture along the High Line is phenomenal. I can't wait to check out 508 myself, but it looks perfect.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Retail investor plans glass box for 144 Spring Street: PHOTOS*
*Lot represents one of the last vacant development sites in Soho*
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/12/04/retail-investor-plans-glass-box-for-144-spring-street-photos/





















> The structure faced with 14 panes of glass approximately 26-feet-high each, resembles the well-known Apple store on the General Motors Building plaza at 767 Fifth Avenue. That should come as no surprise, since the Soho project’s plans were designed by the American architecture firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, which designed that Apple store and many others around the world.


----------



## sbarn

^^

Good luck getting that approved in a Landmarks district. :lol:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

They should build it. It looks nice!
A modern touch in an old area.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*New York | 161 Front Street Tower | 70m | 230ft | 31 fl | U/C *










*Peter Poon-designed Seaport hotel to open next year*
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/12/05/peter-poon-designed-seaport-hotel-to-open-next-year/



> 31-story Fairfield Inn hotel is on pace to open next year at 161 Front Street near the South Street Seaport.
> 
> Peter Poon Architects is behind the *230-foot-tall *property, according to recent filings with the Department of Buildings, and *it’s separate from SHoP Architects’ design for a 50-story hotel-condominium tower* and boat marina in the area.
> 
> *Construction began on the lot*, which sits a block from the South Street Seaport historic district, back in 2011, as previously reported. Back then, the Fairfield hotel, a division of the Marriott brand, was expected to open this year.











http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/12/05/theres_a_31story_peter_poon_hotel_rising_in_the_seaport.php


----------



## desertpunk

*Design Changes Revealed For Two Hudson Yards Towers*












> Hudson Yards released some new renderings last week in advance of a new exhibition, but the exhibition itself seems to reveal some different, much more interesting, renderings. NY YIMBY stopped by the display at the Time Warner Center and found that the deign for the SOM/David Childs-designed residential tower, aka *the Equinox Tower aka 35 Hudson Yards, has changed—a lot. It went from a curvy, 900-foot tall tower with a series of setbacks (designed to look like a draped skirt) to a 1,000-foot tall tube.* The new renderings show a tower that gently twists from a square base into a completely straight cylinder. The Tube is juxtaposed by the very square 55 Hudson Yards, formerly known as One Hudson Yards (and formerly owned by Extell).
> 
> The design for 55 Hudson Yards isn't that different from what Extell originally proposed. The first rendering shows it with a fancy curved crown, but the models in the exhibit show it with a flat top, which will likely be the reality.
> 
> *The other new building that's revealed is located on a site that Related acquired in October. It's north of the North Tower, and will be known at 50 Hudson Yards. It has a boxy, step-like thing going on in the model.*














Vertical_Gotham said:


> *35 Hudson Yards (Equinox)
> 
> 1,000 ft / 79 Stories*


----------



## desertpunk

50 Hudson Yards will be a supertall, possibly going higher than 1,100 feet:

*Revealed: 50 and 55 Hudson Yards*





> Related has new renderings up at Time Warner Center depicting The Hudson Yards, and in addition to dramatic changes for the Equinox Tower, a model depicting 50 and 55 Hudson Yards has been revealed. As YIMBY reported in early October, Related has expanded their presence in the neighborhood dramatically, acquiring the entire block to the north of the railyards. The two new buildings increase the site’s scope by nearly 4 million square feet.
> 
> ...55 Hudson Yards will still stand a similar height to the Coach Tower, which will be approximately 900 feet tall. 55 Hudson Yards will be joined by *50 Hudson Yards, aka ‘The McDonalds Drive-Thru Tower,’ which is another major addition to Related’s assemblage. That building will crack the 1,000 foot mark, and appears slightly shorter than the Hudson Yards North Tower.*


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Looks nicer.


----------



## Kopacz

55HY redesign is ugly. The old design was pretty unique, but now it will be just another box. 
Oh and I still hate that tower from the first pic (far right). It looks like a tall fat person with triangular tits when upside down...


----------



## Ghostface79

With all the attention taken by the big projects, how about something for the average New Yorker. Nice design too I might add for something that's not in Manhattan

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/12/05/tf_cornerstone_to_develop_phase_2_of_hunters_point_south.php


----------



## TowerVerre:)

In my opinion the new Equinox tower is still nice but the first design was better, I think I don't have to tell you my opinion about 55 Houdson Yards.... And 50 Houdson Yards is pretty good  
What I want to say everytime when a project on the highline is showed here: Amazing! I can't mind one bad project there. It soon will be the best place to watch modern, elegant and simply amazing lowrise architecture!  And the projects in the rest of New York, for example The Pyramid are also amazing and it is hard to find an tasteless building in this Thread for me + most of the projects here have a unique design.... I am really looking forward to a trip to New York sometimes in the future, hopefully next year or the year after, to compare it to the trip in 2010. New York is the only city I want to visit one more time. Amazing


----------



## Groningen NL

> (far right). It looks like a tall fat person with triangular tits when upside down...


What has been seen cannot be unseen :rofl:


----------



## hateman

Someone on Curbed called it the "bikini cameltoe" building.


----------



## thebackdoorman

Old 55 HY seems much better than redesign.

New 35 HY seems much better than the older version, which looked too Chicago Trump-tower-esque in my opinion.


----------



## desertpunk

*Major League Soccer Stadium Likely To Land In The Bronx*












> New York's newest Major League Soccer team is reportedly very close to finding a permanent home. Capital New York got their hands on the details of a deal that would have the New York City Football Club, a franchise co-owned by the Yankees and Manchester City owner and Abu Dhabi royalty Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, build a new stadium near Yankee Stadium. The 10-acre site includes three bankrupt parking facilities, a portion of 153rd Street, and a commercial building that holds a 400-person elevator company. The club would likely pay $25 million to the Bronx Parking Development, which defaulted on a $237 million loan, and they are in talks to buy out the elevator parts company and relocate it. Negotiations are still underway and no one would comment on the possible deal.


Rafael Vinoly appears to be the front runner as architect for the stadium.


----------



## Troopchina

Good location. Would make a nice complex with the neighboring Yankee stadium and shopping mall to the south


----------



## fskobic

>


I love the integration with the High Line.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

The twisty building with the cool exposed steel frame


mrnyc said:


> twisty 837 washington in the meatpacking
> 
> windows going in


And the Bauhaus-style building under construction near the High Line


mrnyc said:


> working late on 508 w24th


----------



## Ghostface79

Speaking of the High line,




























http://newyorkyimby.com/2013/12/excavation-begins-860-washington-street.html



> *Machinery is on-site and digging has begun at 860 Washington Street, which is the latest project to begin construction adjacent to The High Line. The 10-story and 175 foot tall building is being developed by Romanoff Equities, and the architect is James Carpenter.*
> 
> 860 Washington Street will be primarily office, with retail occupying the first two floors, keeping in character with its pedestrian-oriented surroundings. The project’s approval process took several years; ultimately, the height was shortened to the current version, which will contain 116,000 square feet of space.
> .....*Completion is expected in the summer of 2015.*


----------



## desertpunk

*New Renderings For Moinian's 3 Hudson Boulevard*












> Moinian Group's giant office tower—one of the few major projects in Hudson Yards not developed by Related—is showing some more sides of itself. Because of apparent tenant interest ("several major companies" that currently remain nameless), reps sent out four new renderings of the FXFOWLE-designed, 1.8 million-square-foot tower at 3 Hudson Boulevard. The 1,000-foot-tall skyscraper—which, last we checked in, was going to be green (LEED Platinum-seeking, of course)—has a two-story "sky club" atop its roof. The possibility remains that 14 high-up floors will be devoted to ultra-luxe condos.
> 
> Located on Eleventh Avenue between West 34th and West 35th streets, right above the last stop of the 7 train extension, the building's new glimpses include a view from a 40th-floor office looking east towards to the Empire State Building, as well a look inside the second-floor lobby looking east above the tree tops of adjacent Hudson Boulevard Park.


----------



## desertpunk

*Revealed: 511 West 35th Street (450 Hudson Park Blvd Redesigned)*












> Alloy’s website has a new rendering of the firm’s plans for 511 West 35th Street, which will eventually house a skyscraper of approximately 500,000 square feet. The current reveal is tentative given the site may still trade hands; Related is making a concerted effort to acquire several lots along the future ‘Hudson Boulevard,’ including 511 West 35th Street.
> 
> Per Alloy, “[design] and entitlement work to date expresses the development potential and zoning freedom that the site affords,” corroborating the site’s uncertain future. If the rendered design is built, it would be a departure from the bulkier towers along the southern end of Hudson Boulevard.
> 
> Related would be the most sensible choice for the site’s developer, as the company owns an adjacent lot at 517 West 35th Street that can accommodate another large tower;*combining the properties would yield air rights of approximately one million square feet, creating an opportunity for another potential supertall.*
> 
> [...]


----------



## Urbanista1

NYC makes me delirious  amazing what's going on there, time for a visit, been too long.


----------



## desertpunk

*Those Brooklyn Public Library (280 Cadman Plaza) Tower Proposals In Full:*



> The Economic Development Corporation did not reveal the developers or architects with the renderings (though the Journal says Forest City Ratner is not one of them), but *the plans range from completely residential to mixed-use, with heights varying from 285-feet to 585-feet.* A new 20,000-square-foot library would be included in the base, no matter which plan is chosen. Two developers sweetened the pot with bigger libraries (30,000-square-feet), five included affordable housing, and another two made the library roof a public green space. Most have retail space, and the number of apartments range from 99 to 167. Renderings show a lot of glass and several feature libraries with big atriums. The winning proposal will be selected early next year.


*1.*





























*2.*




















*3.*




















*4.*






































*5.*





























*6.*





























*7.*


----------



## Hed_Kandi

I'm partial to proposals 2 and 6.


----------



## hateman

Proposal F is probably the best one. It looks like a SHoP design, and a surprisingly restrained and elegant one at that.


----------



## dexter2

C and F are great.


----------



## ZZ-II

dexter2 said:


> C and F are great.


B isn't bad too i think.


----------



## desertpunk

*Cornell Tech Selects Developer For 350-Unit Residence*












> Slowly but surely, Cornell's Roosevelt Island tech campus is becoming a reality. The megaproject is on track for a 2014 groundbreaking, and today Cornell NYC Tech announced that its first residential building will be developed by a joint venture between the Hudson Companies and Related Companies. The project will be a 350-unit residence for students, staff, and faculty, and it will have a mix of micro units and one- to three-bedroom apartments.
> 
> The entire campus will take 20 years to build, but the first phase should open in 2017. In addition to the residential building, the first phase includes a 150,000-square-foot, net-zero academic building by Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects, a walkway linking the campus with Four Freedoms Park, a hotel, and a corporate co-location center. Sadly, there are no renderings of the residence yet..


----------



## desertpunk

*Pier 57 "SuperPier" Plans Unveiled*












> Pier 57's long road to redevelopment just logged another notch: it's launched an official website, replete with new renderings, a video, GIFs, cute pixelated animations, and, oh yeah, information about leasing for potential tenants. The heroic-sounding, in-limbo SuperPier, developed by the ambitious Youngwoo and Associates, has thus far been host to some temporary fashion and art installations, but the whole place will close next month for construction until it reopens in the summer of 2015. That's when stacks of "incuboxes" (sort of like modular containers) will make up a $200 million food and retail complex populated with local creative companies.
> 
> Announced anchor tenants include a spa and restaurant by Andre Balazs, a boutique by Opening Ceremony, and a climbing gym by Brooklyn Boulders. On its new site, SuperPier says it's on the hunt for more tenants to fill the 270,000 square feet, such as "global retailers, entrepreneurs, big brands trying new things, square watermelons." Huh? Apparently, "20 superspaces" are available, ranging from 3,000 to 20,000 square feet. The site proclaims: "SuperPier will be the most innovative experience in culture, entertainment, dining, and retail in NYC since the opening of Rockefeller Center in 1939."
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Fulton Transit Center's Sky Reflector Net Going In:*


----------



## ThatOneGuy

I love seeing derelict buildings like those brought back to life!


----------



## RegentHouse

Proposal D (#4) is the best.


----------



## El_Greco

Any reason most of the library proposals are PoMo? 

I like F as it seems to be the only proposal that knows how to deal with a corner site, but it should be shorter.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*New Rendering, Land Use Approval For Tamarkin's Soho Condo*
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/12/17/new_rendering_land_use_approval_for_tamarkins_soho_condo.php












> The car-wash replacing condo tower planned for a wedge-shaped site between Sixth Avenue and Sullivan Street *received approval* from the Board of Standards and Appeals, reports the Real Deal, and the news comes with the first color rendering (click on it to enlarge) of the development. The project's official address was also revealed, 10 Sullivan Street. It's being developed *by Madison Equities and Property Markets Group *and *designed by Cary Tamarkin*, who came to the project's rescue after plans by Richard DeMarco were rejected. Since the site is currently a car-wash, the development required a variance because it's zoned for commercial and industrial use.
> 
> The development consists of a *204-foot high, 16-story condo tower with four adjoining 25-foot wide townhouses. *Here's how the PR-babble describes the look: "Rounded glass windows will define the building's southern prow, surrounding the spacious living rooms and allowing for breathtaking panoramic views. The building's façade will feature a corbelled black and blonde Norman brick exterior with large classic industrial-style windows."


----------



## El_Greco

Industrial Deco. Looks fantastic.


----------



## desertpunk

*Park Slope McDonalds giving Way To 11 Story Residential Development*












> A Park Slope McDonald’s could bite the dust soon, because developer Adam America filed a new building application last week for an eleven-story mixed-use building at 275 4th Avenue. The 120-foot building will have 78 units occupying 60,188 square feet, along with 4,476 square feet of commercial space and 300 square feet of community space. AA’s website helpfully notes that the building will be “high-end rental units” with amenities like a part-time doorman, tenant lounge, private gym, roof deck and personal storage space. ODA Architecture is designing the stepped, glassy building, which happens to be a couple blocks away from another eleven-story building planned for 4th Avenue, as well as the recently completed Landmark Park Slope.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

I like the facade.


----------



## RegentHouse

El_Greco said:


> Any reason most of the library proposals are PoMo?


Maybe because modernism would look completely out of place?


----------



## ThatOneGuy

The only thing out of place is that hideous castle-wannabe next door.


----------



## WillBuild

*ODA Chosen to Design Largest Affordable Housing Project in New York*

Hunter's Point South has its own thread, but for those unaware a few renders of the latest development. From this story on archdaily (follow the link for many more renders).


----------



## desertpunk

*Cornell Tech's Glassy Green Roosevelt Island Campus Revealed*












> After finally getting the green light, Cornell just unleashed a slew of new renderings that show what its new Roosevelt Island tech campus will actually look like. At 2 million square feet, the glassy, sustainable, public-space-prioritizing project has tapped the brains of a long roster of respected city architects and firms: Morphosis' Pritzker Prize-winning Thom Payne; Weiss/Manfredi Architecture; Handel Architects; and Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Peruse through the images below to get a feel for the designs of 1) the first academic building, with aspirations for net-zero energy use; 2) the "tech walk" or central campus plaza; 3) the corporate co-location building (which will have students working side-by-side with entrepreneurs and tech-industry professionals); and 4) the first residential building, set to hold 350 units.


----------



## desertpunk

*One57 and Baccarat Hotel* (lower right)


_DSC8275 by FrankieCorrado, on Flickr


----------



## ThatOneGuy

I like this Roosevelt Island redevelopment. Maybe they will incorporate those famous ruins somehow in the landscaping.


----------



## desertpunk

50 UN Plaza through the girders:


Queensborough Bridge and Manhattan Skyline by juan tan kwon, on Flickr


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Two residential towers to rise on West 35th Street*
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/12/20/two-residential-towers-by-ariel-aufgang-to-rise-on-west-35th-street/












> Located at *411-421 West 35th Street and 445 West 35th Street*, the buildings *will be designed by Ariel Aufgang *and built by Joy Construction


----------



## desertpunk

*LIC's East Coast:*


Glass Buildings at Gantry Plaza State Park Short Panorama II by NestorDesigns, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*It's official!*

*GroupM Signs 3 WTC Lease Clearing The Way For Tower's Construction*












> It was expected, but now it's official. 3 World Trade Center has scored its first tenant. Media investment managers GroupM just signed a 20-year lease for 516,000 square feet over nine floors at the base of the under-construction 80-story tower. The building is now expected to open in 2017. Pretty nice Christmas present for landlord Silverstein Properties.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

About time, with 1 and 4 finishing.


----------



## desertpunk

*400 Park Avenue South Reveals Its Glassiness*












> Developer Toll Brothers may have officially named 400 Park Avenue South Sky Couture, but the glassy blue tower will forever be known as the Fortress of Glassitude in the Curbediverse. The tower is reaching its topping out point, and the facade is being installed on the lower levels, so we're starting to really see the angular edifice's crystalline shape. Starchitect Christian de Portzamparc designed the 40-story tower, and these photos, taken late last week, show it from the northeast corner of 28th Street and Park Avenue South.


----------



## ZZ-II

desertpunk said:


> *GroupM Signs 3 WTC Lease Clearing The Way For Tower's Construction*


:banana::banana:

Finally :cheers:

now waiting for Tower 2!


----------



## TowerVerre:)

WillBuild said:


> Hunter's Point South has its own thread, but for those unaware a few renders of the latest development. From this story on archdaily (follow the link for many more renders).


This project is just awesome! It fits to New York very good


----------



## RobertWalpole

RobertWalpole said:


> Calling Mr. Wanda!
> 
> I was walking by the Ziegfeld Theatre (141 W 54th St) recently and thought, as I have many times, that it's a matter of time before a 300m+ tower rises on this full block site between 54th and 55th Streets. It has unimpeded views of Central Park, even taking into account all of the planned towers, and could be cleared ASAP.
> 
> These thoughts prompted a Google search which yielded the following:
> 
> http://nypost.com/2012/07/08/manhat...tre-could-close-because-of-financial-trouble/




















City Spire and Metropolitan Tower can be seen to the west.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*$278M in funding secured for B'klyn tower

Groundbreaking looms for 52-story mixed-income residential tower that will rise in downtown Brooklyn's cultural district. Some 282 of the 586 apartments designated as permanently affordable to low- and middle-income residents.*
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20131230/REAL_ESTATE/131239987












> The city and a developer group recently closed on $278 million in financing for a 52-story mixed-income residential tower slated to rise in downtown Brooklyn's cultural district, officials announced Monday.
> 
> That clears the way for a groundbreaking for the project within weeks. The FXFOWLE-designed building at 250 Ashland Place on the corner of Fulton Street will contain 586 one- to three-bedroom apartments. Some 282 of them will be set aside permanently as affordable to low- and middle-income residents. The new tower will be one of several developments in the borough's planned culture hub.
> 
> The bulk of the construction tab came through a $142 million loan from Wells Fargo, TD Bank and Capital One, while other funding streams included $19.3 million in financing through federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits and $33 million in tax-exempt bonds from HDC.
> 
> *Read more in link*


----------



## F.Asselineau

L’artiste Vahram : 

http://dailygeekshow.com/2013/12/28/paris-vs-new-york-un-artiste-compare-les-deux-plus-belles-villes-du-monde/













































































































etc etc... :cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::lol:


----------



## RobertWalpole

Funny!


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Courtesy of NYYIMBY*

*What the New York Skyline Gained in 2013 (read more in link)*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2013/12/what-the-new-york-skyline-gained-in-2013.html











*Here's looking forward - Supertall City: New York’s 2014 Boom (read more in link)*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/01/supertall-city-new-yorks-2014-boom.html


----------



## desertpunk

*BAM Cultural District Tower Gets Financing, New Address*












> 2013 has been very good to the BAM Cultural District. Two new theaters opened, Two Trees' building won city approval, a developer was chosen for the last undeveloped city-owned site, and designs were revealed for a 52-story tower by FXFOWLE. The latter is also a city-owned site, and today HPD announced that the building secured $278 million in financing, putting it on the path to an early 2014 groundbreaking (slightly delayed from previous reports that construction would start by the end of the year). *The press release also clarified the building's formal address: 250 Ashland Place.*


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Would have looked better if the cladding didn't have that outdated uneven window pattern.


----------



## WA

Looks like half of the crap being built in boston tbh


----------



## tuten

I went to New York in 2005. If I returned now, would I notice the different in terms of new skyscrapers built in that time? I'm sure I would notice Freedom tower, but are there any other new 'stunners'?


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ The biggest additions besides 1 and 4 World Trade would be Bank of America Tower and One57. If you go to the Top of the Rock, you'll have a stellar view of both. Between BofA, NY Times and 4 Times Square, Midtown has a very prominent cluster of spires where only a decade ago the only spire was ESB. It's especially noticeable when they're all lit up at night.


----------



## MarshallKnight

Oh, and New York by Gehry, next to the Brooklyn Bridge, while not quite as tall as the others, stands out a bunch on the East River waterfront, not least of all because of it's incredible metallic skin.

But a lot of the coolest new additions are low- or mid-rise. Walk up and down the Highline to see a bunch of them. 

(And I'll throw in a personal favorite -- the Viceroy Hotel, which I think is utterly gorgeous)


----------



## yankeesfan1000

^ And 7 WTC and Goldman Sachs' HQ. But those are only about 750 feet tall.


----------



## Ghostface79

Convention center and 25-story hotel headed for area near Citi Field 

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/convention-center-headed-queens-article-1.1564794












> A spacious convention center and 25-story hotel and apartment complex will soon rise on the site of a Corona car dealership near Citi Field.
> 
> Fleet Financial Group plans to break ground on the $200 million project in June. The Flushing-based group purchased the 1.67-acre DiBlasi Ford dealership, at 112-21 Northern Blvd., for $17 million last month.
> 
> The site sits across the Grand Central Parkway from Citi Field, where a $3 billion mega-mall and housing complex is planned for Willets Point.
> 
> “For the longest time, Queens has wanted to have some sort of facility like a Javits Center,” said Fleet president Richard Xia, who chose the location for its close proximity to the airports. “It’s going to be great for the area.”
> 
> The group plans to build 292 five-star hotel rooms and 236 apartments above the roughly 106,000-square-foot convention center. The project will also include about 97,000 square feet of retail space, a restaurant and parking.
> 
> Xia is also in talks with Audi to put a showroom on the site.
> 
> The development, and in particular the conference center, should be a boon for the borough, said Queens Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Seth Bornstein.
> 
> “We really lack quality convention space,” said Bornstein, who added the project will bring jobs and an influx of business travelers to Queens. “It’s a good location for a good development,” he noted.
> 
> And the up-and-coming area can support the project, said real estate appraiser Jonathan Miller.
> 
> The East River site is just across the parkway from Citi Field, the USTA’s tennis center and the Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
> 
> “The area is under-utilized now,” Miller said. The project “makes sense. . . . You’ve already had large-scale development come in.”
> 
> But not everyone is a fan of all of the mega-development.
> 
> “That particular site is an area that has perpetual traffic problems and is undeserved by mass transit,” said local activist Donovan Finn. “With so much going on in downtown Flushing and Willets (Point), I don’t know if the market can support it all.”
> 
> The predominantly low- and middle-income, immigrant neighborhood could be better served by more schools and affordable housing, he said.
> 
> “There’s a lot of things this community needs and is crying out for,” Finn said. “A convention center is not one of them.”


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*From 57th Street to the Fulton Center, what to watch in 2014*
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/01/03/from_57th_street_to_the_fulton_center_what_to_watch_in_2014.php










2013 saw a lot of pretty awesome crap (too much holiday boozing made you forget everything? Take a gander at the Curbed Awards), but what's done is done, and it's time for some new awesome crap. What does 2014 have in store for New Yorkers? Quite a lot. Here now, the eight things we're most excited for:

*The World Trade Center*
No official date has been set, but the first half of 2014 will see the opening of the crown jewel of the new World Trade Center, plus the long-delayed museum. The 1,776-foot-tall One World Trade Center—which holds the distinction of being the tallest tower in the western hemisphere and the most expensive building in the world—will finally welcome its tenants. The National 9/11 Museum suffered several financing-related setbacks, but it, too, will finally open, completing the memorial plaza. No date has been set for that opening either, but Silverstein Properties previously said it could open by spring. Meanwhile, *construction will continue on the transportation hub and 3 World Trade Center, set to open in 2015 and 2016, respectively*. The performing arts center and 2 World Trade Center are still in flux.










*Fulton Center*
Barring anymore delays, the long-awaited Fulton Center will finally open in July, connecting 11 subway lines at six stations in a multi-leveled retail center with a 79-foot occulus covered with a sparkling stainless steel net of reflective aluminum diamonds set in a stainless-steel tracer. The opening of the $1.4 billion center will mean the elimination of a huge swath of construction fencing in Downtown, as well as the creation of 70,000-square-feet of new retail space.










*Governors Island*
New Yorkers' favorite summertime escape will be even more delightful when it reopens for the 2014 season. We saw the start of the 30 new acres of parkland, but spring will bring more greenery and the Hammock Grove, as well as new playing fields. Construction will be continuing on the sweeping lookout Hills, and work will likely start on the historic buildings that will be converted for new tenants.










*Atlantic Yards B2*
Crews hoisted the first mod of Forest City Ratner's prefabulous tower on a freezing cold day in December, and, thanks to the modern wonders of modular building, the 32-story tower will be constructed in less than a year. The cubes will be stacked quickly, so we're on constant construction watch, but we're also looking forward to seeing inside the units and charting how well they do on the open market. The first tenants should be moving in by the fourth quarter of 2014.










*Record-Shattering Closings*
Nearly every price record is set to be broken in 2014. The $50M+ Walker Tower penthouse will set a new downtown record (current holder is the $42M penthouse at 18 Gramercy Park), and Roman Abramovich would shatter the previously held co-op record if he did indeed buy the penthouse mansion at 828 Fifth Avenue for $75 million. The current record was set by David Geffen in 2012 when he paid $54 million for a unit at 785 Fifth Avenue. One57, meanwhile, will see New York City's most expensive sale ever when its $90M+ penthouse closes; the superscraper had two penthouses listed for more than $90M, both of which are in contract. But the One57 penthouse could easily be ousted by the end of the year if one of the multiple $95M to $100M+ listings on the market finds a buyer.










*57th Street*
Fifty-seventh street will continue to be a construction hotbed in 2014. Macklowe's 432 Park Avenue will likely topping out, Bjarke Ingels' magical pyramid will start to grow, and the SHoP-designed 107 West 57th Street, as well as Extell's 1,400-foot-tall 217 West 57th Street, could break ground. Construction photos of all of the above are always welcome on the tipline.










*56 Leonard Construction*
Speaking of construction watches, 56 Leonard, which is already entertaining us with its angles and cantilevering cubes, will continue to rise. Things will get even more fun as the building grows taller and gets its glassy skin, though it will continue to be slow going, thanks to the building's irregular floorplans and setbacks (which have already caused headaches for the contractors). The building won't be complete until 2015, but most of the structure should take shape this year.










*Newly Unarrested Developments*
2013 saw several mega Manhattan towers come back from the dead; Nouvel's Tower Verre, Silverstein's 30 Park Place, and Helmet Jahn's 50 West Street all received huge cash infusions in the last 12 months, putting them on the path to construction. That means we'll be on high alert for construction action, pricing information, and/or any new renderings throughout all of 2014. Here's hoping for all of the above.










*Hudson Yards Mega Development*

- article omitted this in the article, so I'll include this here. The Entire Phase 1 slated to go under construction in 2014! 4 towers (2 supertall) Retail Mall & Culture Shed.

*Honorable Mentions for 2014:*
45 East 60th Street & 625 West 57th Street (Pyramid)

2014 will be epic! 

:cheers:


----------



## iiConTr0v3rSYx

Hudson Yards is a work of art.

Cluster and density is impressive.


----------



## Ghostface79

They also forgot the New York Wheel and the new outlets in northern Staten Island scheduled to start this year; this will be a game changer for that area. Ironic that they forgot about it cause St George won neighborhood of the year on Curbed


----------



## tuten

MarshallKnight said:


> ^^ The biggest additions besides 1 and 4 World Trade would be Bank of America Tower and One57. If you go to the Top of the Rock, you'll have a stellar view of both. Between BofA, NY Times and 4 Times Square, Midtown has a very prominent cluster of spires where only a decade ago the only spire was ESB. It's especially noticeable when they're all lit up at night.


Cool, I can't wait to go back!


----------



## desertpunk

*Another Large Project Revealed For Staten Island's North Shore*












> Staten Island's North Shore is having a moment. First came plans for the 625-foot-tall New York Wheel. Then SHoP Architects revealed a multi-tiered outlet mall, and ground broke on 900 apartments in Stapleton. And now the Staten Island Advance brings news of yet another mixed-use megaproject. Called Lighthouse Point, the project is located on a three-acree abandoned pier that used to hold a lighthouse and Coast Guard base, and it will combine new construction and historic preservation to create new retail and dining, plus a 96-unit rental tower and a 180-room hotel. Triangle Equities is the developer. Its fellow megaprojects are close by, and while Lighthouse Point did not require a full public review, the city considered it with the wheel and outlets for the environmental impact study.


----------



## desertpunk

*Avalon Willoughby Progress Report*












> The Brooklyn Eagle's Facebook page has a handful of photos of ongoing work at the mud pit that will house Brooklyn's next tallest building. Avalon Willoughby West will rise 596 feet, housing 861 rental units across 57 stories. Designed by glassy tower mavens SLCE, work started back in October, and though it doesn't seem like much progress has been made, construction is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2015, when it will surpass the borough's current tallest rental: newly leasing 388 Bridge Street.


----------



## desertpunk

*Permit Filings Suggest 610 Lex. Will Really Be 610 Luxe*


----------



## desertpunk

Hawk's eye view of 400 PAS


NYC 11/30/13 by turtlehawk, on Flickr


----------



## Victhor

http://architizer.com/blog/new-york-citys-development-bloomberg-de-blasio/


> *A Tale Of Two Mayors: New York City's Development Under Bloomberg Vs. De Blasio*
> In the waning days of his mayoralty last month, Michael Bloomberg took the maiden ride of the 7 line subway extension to the new 34th Street Hudson Yards station that will open to the public this summer. The first subway extension paid for by the city since 1950, the new 7 line stop is at the heart of one of Bloomberg’s biggest legacy projects. Boasting six million square feet of office space, a 750,000-square-foot mall, 5,000 apartment units and something called a culture shed, Hudson Yards is the city’s biggest building exercise in a generation.
> Hudson Yards is the type of big idea project that defined Bloomberg’s 12 years in office. With the rebuilding of the World Trade Center, three new sports stadiums, and plans for a ground-up tech campus on Roosevelt Island, Bloomberg is proud to have left behind a string of landmark megaprojects. Bloomberg has said that Daniel Doctoroff, his deputy mayor for economic development, has “had a greater impact on this city, I think, than Robert Moses.” Bloomberg’s economic development agenda has created thousands of jobs and helped New York City retain its claim as the global capital of finance and business.
> Less clear is incoming Mayor Bill de Blasio’s approach to the built environment, and how his policies over at least the next four years will shape the city. But there are clues. During his years as a City Council Member from Brooklyn’s 39th District, de Blasio’s urban planning agenda was clear: affordable housing, affordable housing, affordable housing. In 2011, as the city’s Public Advocate, de Blasio made a list of “New York City’s Worst Landlords,” ranking landlords by number of building infractions. De Blasio’s run for mayor was marked by his “tale of two cities” narrative about inequality, in which affordable housing was the core of his development plan. De Blasio cruised to a landslide victory by painting himself as a populist antidote to Bloomberg’s development-at-all-costs doctrine, but closer inspection shows New York’s big building spree may not be over quite yet.
> (...)


more: http://architizer.com/blog/new-york-citys-development-bloomberg-de-blasio/


----------



## desertpunk

New East River towers in orange:









http://www.flickr.com/photos/redcheesepics/


----------



## Ghostface79

I like the way the Queens skyline is shaping up. Kinda reminds me of the Jersey city skyline. It's gonna look amazing by the end of the decade.


----------



## Ghostface79

Foster's 551 west 21st street revealed. Quite boring too!

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/01/07/551_west_21st_street_reveals_new_rendering_unit_info.php

*551 West 21st Street Reveals New Rendering, Unit Info*












> 551 West 21st Street, West Chelsea's new storm-ready condo development, sports a design from starchitect Norman Foster. However, according to a tipster who sent us that rendering on the right and documents filed with the Department of Buildings, the architects carrying out his vision will be Beyer Blinder Belle. An e-architect article from November clarifies that Foster is the design architect for the project while Beyer Blinder Belle is the executive architect. The new rendering, which shows the whole building, doesn't seem like much (if any) of a departure from the original one, which showed a couple sets of windows, although it's difficult to really tell.
> 
> The building itself, according to DOB records, will be 20 stories tall with 44 units, including full-floor apartments on the upper three floors and a private roof deck. There will also be 16 half-floor apartments, which, our tipster informs us, will be three- and four-bedroom, with libraries. All bedrooms will have en suite baths, including the one-bedrooms on the lower levels, which will also have separate powder rooms. The building will also house an art gallery, the 303 Gallery, on the bottom two floors. Last we heard, the pricing was going to be between $5.75 million and $17.5 million for most of the units, with the penthouses costing upwards of $35 million. The building is expected to be completed in 2015.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

As long as it's not ugly, which it will not be. Foster is good at cladding.


----------



## Ghostface79

This one could be very interesting

http://www.rew-online.com/2014/01/07/ifunding-to-build-250-million-condo-tower-on-fulton-street/



> By Konrad Putzier
> 
> *Crowdfunding startup iFunding is about to close on the land for a $250-million condo tower on Fulton Street in Manhattan, industry sources say. *Erin Wickomb’s Mavrix Group will be the developer.
> 
> The tower will be built on an assemblage of six parcels at 90-94 Fulton Street, which iFunding is scheduled to close this quarter for around $7 million, sources say. No broker was involved in the transaction.
> 
> IFunding has raised $8 million for the purchase through crowdfunding, and plans to raise another $42 million in equity once the deal has closed.
> 
> *Sources say iFunding also has a commitment from a large bank for a $150-200 million construction loan. The total cost of the tower, which is expected to encompass 250,000 s/f and around 75 stories, will be around $250 million.*
> 
> The tower will not only be iFunding’s largest project to date, but also its first in New York. Founded in 2012 by William Skelley and Sohin Shah, the startup has raised more than $11 million for six real-estate projects across the U.S.
> 
> iFunding works as a password-protected website. Once users have created an account, they can invest in and monitor the company’s real-estate projects online. According to iFunding, it has around 4,000 investors registered on its site. It said single investments average between $25,000 and $30,000, but have been as low as $1,000.
> 
> Crowdfunding startups have become very active lately in the wake of SEC rule changes that now allow them to raise funds from accredited investors in the U.S.


Some renderings of the initial plans found by NYguy on SSP


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ I'd love to see a 75-story version of that "Evolution 2" tower. Would provide a terrific complement to 56 Leonard.


----------



## IThomas

F.Asselineau said:


>


funny pics, but espresso isn't french, it's italian


----------



## RobertWalpole

It's good to see that this eyesore at 11 Park will be redeveloped.

http://m.ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/01/07/55_million_murray_hill_development_site_pet_amenities.php


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

IThomas said:


> funny pics, but espresso isn't french, it's italian


 I just think it means Parisians are into espresso while New Yorkers are into the good ole Americano coffee. :cheers:


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

RobertWalpole said:


> It's good to see that this eyesore at 11 Park will be redeveloped.
> 
> http://m.ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/01/07/55_million_murray_hill_development_site_pet_amenities.php


 Yes agree! I did not know there is a parking garage in Park Ave! lol.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

MarshallKnight said:


> ^^ I'd love to see a 75-story version of that "Evolution 2" tower. Would provide a terrific complement to 56 Leonard.


 How about this! This is actually what is posted in the developers site for this project. 










This one has me drooling!


----------



## Ghostface79

I like! This is a different look for the city. They could do something better with the crown tho


----------



## MarshallKnight

Vertical_Gotham said:


> How about this! This is actually what is posted in the developers site for this project.


I have to admit that that one leaves me a little cold, but I'm also really not a huge fan of "twisty" towers -- heck, it took me a year or two to come around on the design of Shanghai Tower -- and I think it goes doubly for New York, which is so defined by its hard angles.

That said, this is really just the illusion of twistiness, and being able to see the underlying box is a positive for me. 

Anyway, we're probably a ways away from seeing the final design, and it's clear they want to do something eye-catching. Looking forward to more official announcements!


----------



## desertpunk

*Judge Slams The Brakes On NYU Expansion*









I.M.Pei is safe...for now



> In an unexpected ruling yesterday, state judge Donna M. Mills blocked part of New York University's 1.9 million square foot expansion plans, ruling that the university needs state approval for the pieces that would impact public parks. Mills wrote in her decision that the Bloomberg administration turned over three public parks to NYU "without approval by the New York State Legislature in violation of the Public Trust Doctrine." The ruling had anti-NYU Villagers dancing in the streets applauding the death of the megaproject, but is the celebrating premature? NYU also touted the the ruling as a victory (finally! a ruling both sides can agree on!), releasing a statement from spokesman John Beckman that says, "This is a complex ruling, but the judgment is a very positive one for NYU. [...] The decision reaffirms the ULURP approval by the City Council." NYU also highlights the fact that the judge threw out five of the six claims brought by the opponents.
> 
> So why are both sides happy? *NYU insists that the ruling will allow them to move forward with the project's largest building, the 1-million-square-foot Zipper Building, which is planned for construction atop the university's gym. The building runs along Mercer Street, stretching the entire block between Houston and Bleecker Streets. NYU officials told the Times that construction of the building, which may rise 26-stories, could begin in 18 months.* Beckman said that NYU's next legal steps are unknown, but they are reviewing the decision to "determine the precise impact of the ruling on our ability to implement other elements of the plan."


----------



## desertpunk

508 W.24th progress, Jan 4th:


Evening at the High Line by Zen Darius, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

The Whitney Museum:


The High Line, 12.15.13 by gigi_nyc, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Hell's Kitchen May Be Getting 210 Units of Affordable Housing*





> Now that SPURA is finally on its way to being developed, another area once designated by the city for renewal may be following suit. The Clinton Urban Renewal Area, a six-block area in the West 50s between 10th and 11th avenues, was established in 1969, but little progress has been made there since. Now that might be about to change as developers Taconic Investment Partners and Ritterman Capital, along with the Clinton Housing Development Corporation, are seeking rezoning that would allow them to construct three new buildings containing a total of 210 affordable units and 324 market rate units. The project has already garnered the support of Community Board 4, and will now have to get approval from Borough President Gale Brewer, City Council, and Mayor de Blasio.


----------



## desertpunk

*551 West 21st Street Reveals New Rendering, Unit Info*












> 551 West 21st Street, West Chelsea's new storm-ready condo development, sports a design from starchitect Norman Foster. However, according to a tipster who sent us that rendering on the right and documents filed with the Department of Buildings, the architects carrying out his vision will be Beyer Blinder Belle. An e-architect article from November clarifies that Foster is the design architect for the project while Beyer Blinder Belle is the executive architect. The new rendering, which shows the whole building, doesn't seem like much (if any) of a departure from the original one, which showed a couple sets of windows, although it's difficult to really tell.
> 
> The building itself, according to DOB records, will be 20 stories tall with 44 units, including full-floor apartments on the upper three floors and a private roof deck. There will also be 16 half-floor apartments, which, our tipster informs us, will be three- and four-bedroom, with libraries.


----------



## RobertWalpole

Shvo's at it again!

http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/01/09/michael-shvo-buys-130m-development-site-in-soho/

Though I'm still waiting for news re: his 100 story tower, speaking of which, we're overdue for an announcement from Mr. Wanda.


----------



## desertpunk

^^

*Shvo Pays $130M For Soho Site, Condos Will Likely Come Next*












> The Hudson Square rezoning passed in early 2013, paving the way for new development in the neighborhood, and the Post reports that real estate legend Michael Shvo is getting in on the action. Shvo and development partner Erez Itzhaki paid $130 million for an eight-parcel site in the Hudson Square area of Soho. The 20,000-square-foot property—bound by Watts, Broome, and Varick Streets—currently consists of townhouses and vacant land, with some 280,000-square-feet of air rights. Halpern Real Estate Ventures, Bizzi & Partners, and Aronov Development are also involved with the project.
> 
> As of right, Shvo & co. could build a 290-foot-tall structure on the site, which overlooks the entrance to the Holland Tunnel. Given Shvo's real estate record, condos are likely in the future, especially since that's what the Hudson Square rezoning encourages.
> 
> [...]


Shvo is coming back with a vengeance. $130 million for a site? That's Extell or Related money. This guy may already have the site for his 100 story tower but can't say anything until the deal is 100% done.


----------



## desertpunk

*Manhattan West Will Have Twice As Much Open Space*












> Hudson Yards gets the lion's share of attention on the west side, but just one block away, another megaproject is shaping up. It's been nearly a year since we heard anything about Brookfield's Manhattan West, but at a public meeting last night, the developer outlined plans for the project's public space. Brookfield wants to create nearly twice as much open space than what is required by the city, expanding it from the mandated 1.3 acres (49,400 square feet) to 2.11 acres (91,725 square feet).
> 
> The plan, approved by the Manhattan community board 4 land use committee, involves connecting 33rd and 31st Streets by a pedestrian strip through the length of the site and fattening a required plaza above the exposed rail yards between Dyre and Ninth Avenues. The plan would also add a leg of walkway in the southeast corner and a passageway from Dyre Avenue to Tenth Avenue along 31st Street. "We think it makes for a more interesting and desirable place for everyone involved," said Sabrina Kanner, Brookfield's senior vice president of design and construction.
> 
> Manhattan West will have two 65-story office towers and a 60-story residential tower a block east of the Hudson Yards project. The path over Dyre Avenue would connect the site with Brookfield's 450 West 33rd Street, a flattened pyramid-like building housing the Associated Press. Brookfield already started work on a deck over the exposed Amtrak railways but wants to expand the floor over Dyre to 450 West 33rd Street, which the company plans to start renovating this summer.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*470 Vanderbilt Ave. Finally Gets Moving*









BIG in Brooklyn



> Permits for GFI Capital Resources Group's 12-story mixed-use project at 470 Vanderbilt Avenue were approved back in 2009, but nothing ever happened at the site, which is located just a few blocks from the Barclays Center and Atlantic Yards. This week, the local community board re-approved the plans, and according to Brownstoner, it seems like things are actually going to happen. The property holds a very grey, very monolithic structure on the southern end near Atlantic Avenue, and the new building will sit at the north end of the site, along Fulton Street (currently a parking lot). The renderings look the same as what was originally reveal nearly five years ago. *The project will be a two-building complex with 376 apartments (85 of which will be affordable), 616,555-square-feet of commercial space, and nearly 400 underground parking spaces.*


----------



## desertpunk

*Is This 59-Story Tower Replacing The Roseland Ballroom?*












> In November, it was revealed that the site of the now-closed Roseland Ballroom will be replaced by 50-something tower designed by the architecture firm Cetra/Ruddy. Well, BuzzBuzzHome did some poking around on the firm's website and found renderings that might be for said tower. Cetra/Ruddy doesn't give an address, but their site says the 59-story tower is located in the Theater District, and it will be 468,300-square-feet large, just a bit bigger than the previously reported 450,000-square-feet. It would have 426 units, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms, with a four-bedroom penthouse. Amenities include a rooftop terrace and an outdoor pool, while a three-story base will host retail.


----------



## Ulpia-Serdica

I surely hope so :cheers:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Nice. I like the slightly rounded coners of the windows, gives it a nice neo-futurist look.


----------



## LArchitect

Love It! hope to see more projects with rounded corners!!


----------



## LouDagreat

Ghostface79 said:


> Just Wow!!! Sorry 30 Park park Place but this is now Stern's best work in the city!
> 
> *Robert A.M. Stern's 220 Central Park South Tower, Revealed!*
> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/01/15/robert_am_sterns_220_central_park_south_tower_revealed.php


BUILD THIS IMMEDIATELY


----------



## Ulpia-Serdica

Indeed. It looks so damn good

:cheers::cheers::cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

*Time Warner officially announces Hudson Yards move, Columbus Circle sale*









http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...-york-headquarters-to-related-cos-dot-venture



> Time Warner Inc. officially announced the planned move of its media headquarters from Columbus Circle to the Related Companies’ Hudson Yards development on the far West Side.
> 
> Time Warner also confirmed the $1.3 billion purchase of its current home by a Related-led group of investors. Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Singaporean wealth fund GIC are reportedly investing in the purchase, though the exact stake of both investors is not certain. GIC pledged $400 million to the acquisition in November, but that amount is reportedly still being negotiated.
> 
> Time Warner plans to consolidate its executive offices, as well as its HBO, Turner Broadcasting and Warner Bros. divisions in a brand new 1,227-foot tower at 10th Avenue and 33rd Street in 2019, according to the New York Times. In the meantime, the media behemoth will remain in its current location, where it will lease from Related for about five years, or until the new tower is complete, according to earlier reports.


----------



## desertpunk

*Odd Exoskeletal Hotel May Be Coming To Brooklyn*












> The architects at HWKN have never been afraid to be zany. Amorphous alien-like imagined brownstone? Check. MoMA PS1's blue, spiky, air-purifying art installation? Check. But we spotted these bonkers renderings for a new hotel in Williamsburg on the firm's official site, jaws literally dropped. It's made of brick, overlaid with a steel exosteleton of sorts, plus the outlined framework for a chimney or bell tower that isn't actually there. It's overhung with various greenery including what appears to be a very erect piece of topiary. It's possible that only half the building has actual windows, and one facade is lined with balconies. The allusion to the area's industrial past is clear and commendable, but it certainly is an, um, ambitious design.
> 
> The total size of the project is listed at 50,000 square feet, and the developer is Heritage Equity Partners. The Midtown-based real estate investment firm has bought up multiple properties in the area, and The Real Deal reported in 2012 that Heritage was planning a 160-room boutique hotel for its parcel, purchased for $4.5 million, at 96 Wythe Avenue—just one block from the Wythe Hotel's success story.
> 
> The fact that the out-there designs above and below are for the 96 Wythe site remains unconfirmed by the firm and developer, but HWKN's renderings place the Wythe Hotel and other buildings nearby in the exact configuration that would make sense if that were the hotel's address.








































The site will be in an industrial area that is rapidly filling in with residential and other developments:


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## ThatOneGuy

Interesting, original.


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## desertpunk

*West Village Church Plans 15-Story Building On Barrow Street*












> The Church of St. Luke in the Fields is joining the recent trend of nonprofits turning toward real estate development to beef up their bank accounts. The Villager reports that the West Village church wants to build a 15-story, 46-unit apartment building on its property at the corner of Greenwich and Barrow Streets. Church officials plan to grant developer Toll Brothers a 99-year lease to the site at 100 Barrow Street, and the venture would fund expansion of St. Luke's school, as well as a new mission building. During a community board meeting, the church pointed out that the 70,000-square-foot building they are proposing is much less than the 200,000-square-feet that's allowed under current zoning. The project would also be developed under the 80/20 affordable housing program, but board members still weren't pleased. The brick-and-glass design was not liked, and neither was the 153-foot height, even though it's shorter than the building across the street.
> 
> The church hopes to start construction on the tower and two-story school expansion this year, but first the plans need a stamp of approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, as the sit sits within the Greenwich Village Historic District...
> 
> The plans go before the LPC on February 4.














Lose a Gray's Papaya, gain a luxury tower. Did Bloomberg ever really leave?


----------



## Ghostface79

desertpunk said:


> Lose a Gray's Papaya, gain a luxury tower. Did Bloomberg ever really leave?


Lol. People shouldn't expect much change under DeBlasio based on his record when it comes to Real Estate, besides, he kept mostly the same people from the Bloomberg administration at City Planning.


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## Manitopiaaa

^^ It was expected. Only the truly ignorant were running around screaming about DeBlasio being a Socialist and whatnot


----------



## desertpunk

*New Marriott Edition Hotel In Times Square To Emphasize Ian Schrager Upscale Chic*



> The 39-story tower will bring epic change to Times Square’s north end. It will rise on the northeast corner of Seventh Avenue at 47th Street, at the top of the “bow-tie” and across the street from 2 Times Square with its famous Coca-Cola sign. The rendering on this page shows the entire tower, crowned by the Edition sign, for the first time.
> 
> It will be Manhattan’s second Edition, following the planned completion of the first in 2015 at the landmarked Clock Tower at 5 Madison Ave. The “luxury lifestyle” Edition brand, which boutique-hotel wizard Schrager is creating in collaboration with Marriott, was conceived as Marriott’s answer to competitors attuned to younger, hipper clientele — especially Starwood Hotels and Resorts’ W line.


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## droneriot

There are so many big new projects for Manhattan, including about a dozen supertalls, I've been wondering, isn't traffic going to be a nightmare? Are they doing anything to improve infrastructure to handle the increased traffic once all the huge projects have been built?


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## desertpunk

*Brookfield reveals residential tower at Manhattan West site:*









http://beta.som.com/news/brookfields_manhattan_west_breaks_ground/


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## KeanoManu

droneriot said:


> There are so many big new projects for Manhattan, including about a dozen supertalls, I've been wondering, isn't traffic going to be a nightmare? Are they doing anything to improve infrastructure to handle the increased traffic once all the huge projects have been built?


Aren't traffic a nightmare already? Part of the charm with the city.


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## desertpunk

droneriot said:


> There are so many big new projects for Manhattan, including about a dozen supertalls, I've been wondering, isn't traffic going to be a nightmare? Are they doing anything to improve infrastructure to handle the increased traffic once all the huge projects have been built?


Manhattan's population hasn't increased that much. Meanwhile, many of the superluxury supertalls going up will have few units, many of which will not be regularly occupied. The heavy development going into Hudson Yards and the West Side are being spurred by major transportation improvements such as the 7 subway extension and a future new Amtrak tunnel. The 2nd Ave. subway project is also making the Midtown East Rezoning's new towers more readily accessible.


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## desertpunk

*160 Madison Ave, Gets $210 Million In Financing*












> New renderings of the long-stalled development at 160 Madison Avenue have been posted at Metal Yapi, which is apparently the company that will be fabricating the skyscraper’s facade. SLCE is the architect, and the design is utterly and completely underwhelming; unfortunately, 160 Madison looks to be a completely generic glass box, and apparently setting the tower off at an angle relative to the street is the only ‘creativity’ the architects could muster. The developer is JD Carlisle, and 160 Madison will be residential.
> 
> If the renderings are accurate, the real problem at 160 Madison is the tower’s treatment of the neighborhood street-wall. Madison Avenue has one of the best, most intact street-walls in New York, especially in the vicinity of this tower – yet the above images show 160 Madison sitting atop a meager two-story podium. Not only is the tower component of 160 Madison disappointing; the base is actually offensive, and would be very detrimental to the aesthetics and urban fabric of the neighborhood.
> 
> New DOB permits for 160 Madison were denied on Tuesday, and there is a definite dissonance between the 31-floor building on-file and the tower depicted in the renderings, which is roughly forty stories in height. The original plan for the site called for an Ismael Leyva-designed tower – which continues to live on the firm’s website – but that design has seemingly been shelved.
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*WTC Transportation Hub*


IMG_1209 by trevor.patt, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*150 Charles St.*



> http://fieldcondition.com/new-page/


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## Ghostface79

I have a feeling this one is gonna turn out quite interesting. This is the infamous Shvo after all, he's probably looking to come back with a bang.

http://news.buzzbuzzhome.com/2014/01/239-10th-avenue.html

*Go to sleep, sheep: Construction starts at Michael Shvo’s 239 10th Avenue*

Construction has started at Michael Shvo’s condo project at 239 Tenth Avenue.

Shvo partnered with Victor Homes to buy the Getty gas station at West 24th Street for $23.5 million. The property traded for almost $800 per buildable square foot, a record for a development site in Chelsea, the Wall Street Journal reported.

In September, Shvo turned the site into public art of the fleecy kind — “Sheep Station,” by surrealist Francois-Xavier Lalanne, featured epoxy stone and bronze sheep, pictured below:









Now, the white picket fence is no more, and the livestock have left for greener pastures. But fret not — the condo project will be* “something that will combine art, luxury residential, design and architecture,” Shvo told the Journal. “We will have river views and we will be looking over the High Line.”*


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## The seventh shape

Another point from the article that I think is worth emphasizing about this project in Times Square:

"When opened in 2017, it will have ... a huge, 18,000 square-foot high-def LED sign wrapping around the corner (previous: 12,700 square feet)." :banana::banana2::apple:



desertpunk said:


> *New Marriott Edition Hotel In Times Square To Emphasize Ian Schrager Upscale Chic*


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## ophizer

really?? they are doing a conversion of that POS?


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## ophizer

"William Macklowe Company plans to clear out the site of Bowlmor Lanes in the East Village to begin a condominium conversion by the spring, the blog EV Grieve reported, citing an unnamed source"

not what the article says


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## MarshallKnight

The article manages to contradict itself in a single sentence. "Clear out the site" suggests demolition. "Condo conversion" does not. Bad reporting.


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## ophizer

MarshallKnight said:


> The article manages to contradict itself in a single sentence. "Clear out the site" suggests demolition. "Condo conversion" does not. Bad reporting.


i agree, 

but to "clear out the site" might also imply to clear it out of it's current occupants in order to do a "condo conversion"


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## streetscapeer

This thread's been kinda slow, so I'm gonna dump a whole bunch of stuff that mostly Tubeworm at SSP has posted since December.


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> Cool building for the area, but this would have been perfect if it lined the street wall
> 
> *New York YIMBY:*
> 
> *Construction Update: 525 Greenwich Street*
> _BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON DECEMBER 5TH 2013 AT 6:00 AM_


..


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## streetscapeer

yankeesfan1000 said:


> Since this is bumped, a tower crane is now up at the St. Vincent's site.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> http://mas.org/category/st.-vincents-hospital/


..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *New York YIMBY:*
> 
> *Construction Update: 24 John Street*
> _BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON DECEMBER 11TH 2013 AT 11:00 AM_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ..
> 
> 
> 
> Construction is progressing at 24 John Street, which will be *a 21-story hotel; the architect of record is Gerald Caliendo, and the developer is Westbury Realty Associates LLC*. The project is a redevelopment and vertical expansion of an existing commercial building.
> ......
> 
> Permits indicate 24 John Street will have *a total of 128 rooms, and the project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2015*. All considered, the development will be a marked improvement over peers in Midtown and surrounding neighborhoods, and barring a disaster of a facade, the building will integrate seamlessly into its Financial District surroundings. *At only 206 feet in height*, the hotel will be invisible on the skyline, as well.
Click to expand...

..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *New York YIMBY:*
> 
> *Permits Filed: 61-01 Junction Boulevard*
> _BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON DECEMBER 11TH 2013 AT 6:00 AM_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _61-01 Junction Boulevard - image from Google Maps_
> 
> 
> 
> New permits indicate Vornado is proceeding with plans to develop *a 24-story and 288-foot residential tower at 61-01 Junction Boulevard in Queens*, atop an existing commercial structure. *The architect of record is SLCE.
> *
> The tower will contain approximately *290,000 square feet of space, with a total of 314 units.* The development is located in Rego Park, which has relatively few high-rises; 61-01 Junction Boulevard will be on the larger side for the neighborhood, and will become a major presence on the Queens skyline, given its isolation.
> 
> *61-01 Junction Boulevard will be built atop a mall*;
> .....
> 
> The permits are fresh, so work is just about to begin; no completion date has been announced.
Click to expand...

..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *BuzzBuzzHome:*
> 
> *Parking lot near Madison Square Garden up for huge-development grabs*
> _By: Joyce Chen December 12, 2013_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ......
> Massey Knakal is marketing the 11,110-square-foot lot at 415 Eighth Avenue, on the corner of West 31st Street.
> 
> The seller, Savanna Partners, has owned the property since 2007; partner Nicholas Bienstock told The New York Post that the firm “can now sell it to someone who can build condos or residential rentals.”
> 
> *The former parking lot comes with 87,644 buildable square feet, according to the Massey Knakal listing.* The site, located across the street from the Moynihan Station Project and Penn Station, has about 49 feet of frontage on Eighth Avenue and 137 feet on West 31st Street. The parcel also runs through the block to 30th Street, where it contains another 25 feet of frontage.
> 
> Massey Knakal’s Robert Knakal told The Post that the offering could be combined with adjacent buildings to assemble* a larger site for a retail-residential project of more than 200,000 square feet. According to Knakal, the site could also receive some of the 1.5 million square feet of transferable development rights available from the Port Authority’s Moynihan Station redevelopment.*
> 
> 415 Eighth Avenue is one block to east of Brookfield’s $4.5 billion Manhattan West project, which will include 5.4 million square feet of office, residential, retail and outdoor space. The Brookfield development will feature two office towers reaching up to 62 stories, as well as a 1.5-acre public outdoor area.
> ......
> 
> 
> 
> _The possibilities:_
Click to expand...

..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *New York YIMBY:*
> 
> *Revealed: 120 West 41st Street*
> _BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON DECEMBER 17TH 2013 AT 6:00 AM_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Work is beginning on a new hotel at 120 West 41st Street, one of several new developments rising on 41st Street. Permits indicate the structure will stand *26 floors and 257 feet, and contain a total of 130 rooms*.
> ......
> 
> 120 West 41st Street’s *architect is Peter Poon*, and the *developer is Stanford Hotels*. *Completion is expected in the fall of 2015*, and while a stop-work order currently exists on the site, a round of permits were recently approved, signaling that work is imminent.
> 
> 
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> 
> _120 West 41st Street, surrounding pre-war buildings_
Click to expand...

..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *Curbed NY:*
> 
> *Flushing Theater Has New Owner, May Finally Be Developed*
> _Thursday, December 19, 2013, by Jeremiah Budin_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _[RKO Keith via NYP]_





> Flushing's long-suffering RKO Keith's Theater has sold, yet again, to a new developer who has taken over the plans to turn the historic building into rental apartments and retail space, the Post reports. *Developer JK Equities paid $30 million for the 85-year-old cinema. The building will be 17 stories tall and will include 357 apartments, 17,000 square feet of retail space and a community facility for seniors*. The original three-story lobby, designated an interior city landmark in 1983, will have to be retained.
> ......


..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> Nice Williamsburg Development...
> 
> 
> *BuzzBuzzHome:*
> 
> *Great expectations: This new Wythe hotel will be a block from the Wythe Hotel*
> _By: Joyce Chen December 19, 2013_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Image: GMAP_





> *A new 183-room hotel* is coming to Wythe Avenue, a block down from the Wythe Hotel.
> 
> The *150,000-square-foot project is replacing a one-story warehouse at 55 Wythe Avenue*, between North 12th and North 13th streets. The *250-foot-tall building will be 20 stories,* according to the plan exam application filed December 18th. There will be parking for 218 cars, first-floor retail, a bar/lounge banquet hall and offices on Floors 5 to 9.
> 
> The hotel rooms start on the 11th floor, and the building will be capped by a rooftop deck and eatery.
> ......


..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *DNAinfo New York: *
> 
> *New Residential Tower Planned for Former Strip Club Site in Rego Park*
> _By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska on December 20, 2013 3:59pm _
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _A developer is planning to build a residential tower on the site of a former notorious strip club in Rego Park._





> QUEENS — A Long Island-based developer wants to build a residential tower where a notorious strip club once stood in Rego Park.
> 
> The *15-story building is planned for 92-77 Queens Boulevard*, where Goldfingers — a strip club that closed in 1999 after numerous complaints from residents and elected officials — was located.
> 
> Atlas Projects Inc. paid about $40 million for a 98-year lease to develop the site near the Long Island Expressway, said Christopher Okada, president of Okada & Co., who represents the developer.
> 
> The vacant building that once housed the strip club will be soon demolished, along with an adjacent car wash that recently closed, Okada said.
> 
> The new building will be located only two blocks away from Rego Park Center, where another developer, Vornado Realty Trust, is planning to build a 24-story residential building atop the shopping mall.
> ......
> 
> The details about the new building are still being worked out, but Okada said the *105,000 square-foot structure could include about 100 apartments and up to two stories of retail space.*


..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *Curbed NY:*
> 
> *This Bronx Housing Megaproject Aims To Be Another Via Verde*
> _Monday, December 23, 2013, by Hana R. Alberts_
> 
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> ....
> The major overhaul for the largest tract of city-owned vacant land in the southern part of the borough, the *five-building, 985-unit mixed-income development*—bordered by Bergen Avenue, Brook Avenue and East 149th Street—will henceforth be known as La Central.
> ....
> 
> 
> 
> _Tallest Building:_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Building A*: 211 affordable apartments; approximately 48,000 square foot YMCA-community facility; a diabetes prevention program operated by Montefiore Medical Center; rooftop farm; approximately 19,000 square feet of new retail space.
> · *Building B*: 279 affordable apartments; approximately 24,000 square feet of retail space, including restaurant space; cellar level garage with approximately 138 parking spaces.
> · *Building C*: 137 affordable apartments; Music Has No Enemies (MHNE) which will occupy approximately 5,000 square feet of community space consisting of a recording studio and curate workshops and open the recording studio to projects for and by the community.
> · *Building D*: 160 affordable apartments; 10,000 square foot mental health clinic operated by Comunilife that will work with veterans living within the development and individuals within the community.
> · *Building E*: 198 affordable apartments; Bronx Astronomy Tower and Lab - a rooftop telescope to be used by the Bronx High School of Science; daycare facility.
> · The approximately 7,000 square-foot triangular vacant lot at the intersection of Brook and Bergen Avenues will be developed as open space, accessible to the general public.
> 
> Formerly known as the Bronxchester Urban Renewal sites, the winners of the RFP were BRP Development Corporation, Hudson Companies Inc., Common Ground, Comunilife, The Kretchmer Companies, ELH Mgmt LLC, and the YMCA. The project still has to go through the ULURP official review process before construction can begin, but nonetheless *ground is projected to get broken in 2015*.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *The Real Deal:*
> 
> *Sam Chang buys $26.5M garage site for hotel*
> _December 23, 2013 05:29PM
> By Mark Maurer_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _From left: 346 West 40th Street, Haym Gross’ proposed rendering and Sam Chang_





> Although he claims he is in the twilight of his career, prolific hotel developer Sam Chang is continuing a string of purchases. Most recently, he paid $26.5 million for a 53,172-square-foot parking garage late last week, in order to build a hotel, he confirmed to The Real Deal.
> 
> Chang, who said earlier this month he intends to retire within the next year, bought out the long-term lease on the site at 346 West 40th Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues. Peach Parking Corporation held a triple-net lease on the six-story, 250-space garage that would have expired in February 2030.
> .....


..


----------



## streetscapeer

*Brooklyn*



tubeworm said:


> *Brownstoner:*
> 
> *Rendering for Building at Corner of Nevins and Schermerhorn Streets*
> _By Cate 12/24/13 11:00am_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A reader sent in this rendering of the new building planned for the empty lot at 319 Schermerhorn at the corner of Nevins Street downtown, which he found on the construction fence. It looks like plans for the building have changed slightly: It will be *18 stories, not 20, and will have 61 units*, according to permits.
> 
> It’s still residential; across the street two hotels are going up. The empty lot was purchased by an LLC in January for $10,765,364, according to PropertyShark. It is *supposed to wrap in spring 2015*, according to the sign, but there is a partial stop work order in effect on the property.
Click to expand...

..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> As of December 28, 2013...
> Photo Credit: *Tectonic*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _©tectonic | granted permission to post photos here_


..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *BuzzBuzzHome:*
> 
> *Brauser Group developing 23-story FiDi project at 54 Fulton*
> _By: Joyce Chen December 30, 2013_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Image: GMAP_





> Manhattan garage owner *The Brauser Group* is erecting a new building at one of its parking properties in the Financial District.
> 
> A *23-story mixed-use development will rise at 54 Fulton Street*, on the corner of Cliff Street, according to a plan exam application filed December 23rd. *The architect of record is Goldstein, Hill & West. The 120-unit building will measure a total of 101,736 square feet.*
> 
> The project includes storage, bike storage, a gym, first-floor retail, a lounge and a game room on the 23rd floor.
> 
> Brauser has owned the Fulton site since the 1980s, according to public records.


..


----------



## streetscapeer

*Two parking lots bite the dust*



tubeworm said:


> *BuzzBuzzHome:*
> 
> *Chelsea is getting a Peter Poon-designed hotel at 132 West 27th*
> _By: Joyce Chen December 30, 2013_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Image: Massey Knakal_





> *Poon is designing a new 21-story hotel at 132 West 27th Street in Chelesa*.
> 
> The site is currently a 120-foot-wide parking lot at 132-142 West 27th Street. *The 124,934-square-foot hotel will have 313 rooms*, according to the plan exam application filed December 23rd.
> 
> Artimus Construction purchased the lot between Sixth and Seventh avenues for $35 million in July, The Real Deal reported.
> 
> The parking lot operator has a lease through March 2014. The property, which originally asked $37.5 million, went on the market in October 2012, according to The Real Deal.


..







tubeworm said:


> *BuzzBuzzHome:*
> 
> *Parking garage at 326 West 37th to become Gene Kaufman hotel*
> _By: Joyce Chen January 2, 2014_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Image: GMAP_





> The Garment District is getting cloaked in another *Gene Kaufman-designed hotel at 326 West 37th Street*.
> 
> The *22-story hotel*, located between Eighth and Ninth avenues, will have *240 rooms*. The project will measure *88,860 square feet and rise 257 feet*, according to the plan exam application filed January 2nd. There will be a gym and first-floor eatery.
> 
> The site is currently a parking lot. Investment firm Bridgeton Holdings is listed on the Department of Buildings permit.
> 
> However, prolific *hotel developer Sam Chang is reportedly in contract to buy the property for $30 million-plus*, according to The Real Deal. The transaction is expected to close by this month. In December 2013, Chang told The Real Deal that he had no immediate development plans for the site, identified as 326-330 West 37th: “The market is turning around, so it’s time to buy something for future development,” Chang said.


----------



## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *Convention center and 25-story hotel headed for area near Citi Field *
> 
> *Fleet Financial Group bought $17 million car dealership site in Corona, Queens across the Grand Central Parkway from Willets Point*
> 
> _BY CLARE TRAPASSO / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
> THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014, 5:31 PM_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _A development group plans to build a $200 million convention center, hotel, apartments and retail on the site of a car dealership in Corona._





> *A spacious convention center and 25-story hotel and apartment complex* will soon rise on the site of a Corona car dealership near Citi Field.
> 
> *Fleet Financial Group plans to break ground on the $200 million project in June.* The Flushing-based group purchased the 1.67-acre DiBlasi Ford dealership, at *112-21 Northern Blvd.*, for $17 million last month.
> 
> The site sits across the Grand Central Parkway from Citi Field, where a $3 billion mega-mall and housing complex is planned for Willets Point.


..


----------



## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *NY YIMBY:*
> 
> *Revealed: 333 West 38th Street*
> _BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON JANUARY 7TH 2014 AT 12:30 PM_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _333 West 38th Street, image via Kaufman's website_





> Another Kaufman-designed project is rising at 333 West 38th Street; permits indicate the structure will soon stand *21 floors, and contain a total of 79 hotel rooms*. The renderings were posted on Kaufman’s website; the site’s developer is Optima Real Estate LLC.
> 
> 333 West 38th Street is ‘ideal’ for hotel development given the site’s history; the land is contaminated, and the new building will sit atop a slab of concrete 3.5 feet thick, which also comes with a ‘vapor barrier’ to prevent any human exposure to toxic elements. The full clean-up plan is at NYC’s office of environmental remediation, and also mentions that the plot will be entirely paved over, with no “open space, or areas not covered by concrete.”
> 
> In terms of design, the 21-story structure is relatively benign; the five-story base will be equal to the site’s last structure, *keeping the street-wall intact*. The tower portion is also quite slender; at just over twenty floors, it will be nearly invisible, though coverings for the water towers will slightly extend the development’s verticality.
> 
> With permits approved, *completion is likely in the 2015 timeframe*.


..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *BuzzBuzzHome:*
> 
> *New 15-story project by Ironstate Development in the works for Chelsea*
> _By: Joyce Chen January 7, 2014_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Image: GMAP_





> *Ironstate Development is plotting a new 15-story residential project* at 221 West 29th Street.
> 
> The building, located between Seventh and Eighth avenues, will have *67 apartments*. The site is currently used as a parking lot. The *architect of record is Goldstein, Hill & West*, according to the plan exam application filed January 7th.
> 
> The *152-foot-tall project *will have storage, bike storage and parking for 12 cars.
> ....


..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *A New Upper East Side 'Skyscraper' Will Rise In Four Years*
> _Wednesday, January 8, 2014, by Hana R. Alberts_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> The same developer behind super-luxe Noho condo conversion the Schumacher has just snatched up a prime corner lot at the insanely busy intersection of 86th Street and Lexington Avenue. The Real Deal reports that *Stillman Development plans to scrap what's currently two non-exciting, low-rise commercial buildings and build "a 210,000-square-foot mixed-use tower with retail on the first four floors of the building and high-end residential units up top."*
> ...
> 
> Amassing the land to make room for this "skyscraper" wasn't easy. The seller of 151 East 86th Street is Town International, the company that owns the New York Sports Club there—which, it so happens, has been promised a lease in the new project. Town International netted $82 million in the sale. Meanwhile, the corner site at 161 East 86th Street was a little harder to come by, with Stillman entering into a rather complicated long-term lease agreement with its owner, Sol Goldman, that allows him to build condos above the retail space. *Stillman says the building will be complete "in four years" time*.
> 
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> 
> *Deal Struck for Upper East Side Condo Development*
> _By Keiko Morris January 21, 2014, 7:11 PM_
Click to expand...




> Developers have finalized a complicated part of a deal that will allow them to build* a 21-story luxury condominium tower on the Upper East Side.*
> 
> Stillman Development International LLC and its partner, Ceruzzi Properties LLC–which is based in Fairfield, Conn.–signed an agreement with Sol Goldman Investments to lease the lower two floors of 147 E. 86th St. and purchase the air rights, an official said. The joint venture is also in contract to purchase the adjacent 151 E. 86th St.
> 
> The deal allows the joint venture to complete the footprint for a 210,000 square-foot residential building at the corner of 86th Street and Lexington Avenue with retail on the first four floors, said Matt Crosby, director of Eastern Consolidated, which represented both the buyers and sellers.
> Mr. Crosby declined to disclose the terms of the lease and air rights deal.
> ....


..


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## streetscapeer

*NEW YORK | 44-51 Purves St | XXX & 209 FT | 28 & 22 FLOORS*



tubeworm said:


> *What’s the latest at 44-35 and 44-51 Purves Street?*
> 
> Hammers and drills. Bulldozers and trucks. That is what has been rolling in and out of 44-35 and 44-51 Purves Street in the last month, adding to one of the most heavily constructed blocks in all of New York City. The Criterion Group had originally planned to use the two lots here for a pair of large rental buildings. *Purves I was slated to be a 22-story, 121-unit residential tower while Purves II was supposed to be 28-story, 158-unit tower.* The lots were flipped this summer for $32,000,000, but according to Department of Building permits, the new owner plans on doing… the exact same thing!
> 
> Construction crews have been working non-stop since November on* structural, foundation, excavation and shoring work*. Here is the latest on their progress:











_Foundation coming to 44-35 and 44-51 Purves Street_[/QUOTE]..


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## streetscapeer

*EW YORK | 206-210 West 77th St | 185 FT | 18 FLOORS*



tubeworm said:


> *BuzzBuzzHome:*
> 
> *Love Hertz: Naftali Group’s garage-to-condos project at 206 West 77th*
> _By: Joyce Chen January 9, 2014_
> 
> 
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> 
> _Photo: Massey Knakal Realty Services_





> Naftali Group made waves when it snatched up an Upper West Side site at 206-210 West 77th Street last summer for a crazy-big $55.5 million. In fact, interested condo buyers were calling the developer before the land sale even closed, The New York Observer reported.
> 
> And now, permits have arrived for the proposed* 18-story luxury building* between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway.
> 
> The *80,802-square-foot project will have 2,317 square feet of retail on the ground floor*, according to the plan exam application filed January 9th. Goldstein, Hill & West is the architect of record.
> 
> According to Naftali Group’s website, the condominiums will consist of “approximately 30 large three- and four-bedroom units.”
> 
> The second and third floors will contain duplexes, and floors 4 through 12 will have two apartments per level. The units on levels 13 to 18 will be full-floor residences. Amenities include storage, bike storage, fitness center and a roof deck.
> 
> The 75-foot-wide site, currently a six-story, 250-space parking garage, is one of the few prime development sites left in the Upper West Side.


..


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *NY Daily News:*
> 
> *Local merchants fear Flushing Commons could put them out of business*
> *Developers plan to break ground on the $850 million housing and commercial project in March; 5.5-acre development to include a YMCA*
> 
> _BY CLARE TRAPASSO / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
> THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014, 5:37 PM_
> 
> 
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> 
> _Local businesses worry that Flushing Commons, a residential and commercial development in downtown Flushing, could hurt their bottom lines. The $850 million development is to be built on a 1,100-spot, municipal parking lot that merchants say is heavily used by their customers._





> .....
> *Flushing Commons, an $850 million residential and commercial development, is slated to go up on a 1,100-space, municipal parking lot in the spring.* The city sold the 5.5-acre lot for $20 million on Dec. 30 to developers.
> ....
> 
> *The first phase of the development, to be completed in 2017, will create 150 condos. The second phase, to be finished by 2021*, will include 450 condos, a new YMCA, 1.5-acre plaza and ampitheatre and commercial space.
> 
> When completed, Flushing Commons will also have a 1,600-spot parking garage.


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## streetscapeer

*NEW YORK | 34 East 51st St | 296 FT | 21 FLOORS*



tubeworm said:


> *NY YIMBY:*
> 
> *Construction Update: 34 East 51st Street*
> _BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON JANUARY 13TH 2014 AT 6:00 AM_
> 
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> Construction is about to move above ground level at 34 East 51st Street, which will soon be a *21-story office building with almost 60,000 square feet of space. The developer is Sedesco, and the architect is SOM.*
> 
> Though no designs have been made public, zoning diagrams are on-file with the Department of Buildings, and depict a fairly typical layout; the building’s lower levels will meet the street-wall, and a series of staggered setbacks will characterize the upper levels. As is typical with new office construction, the ceiling heights will be impressive, and 34 East 51st Street will stand *296 feet tall*.
> ....
> 
> With foundations complete, the superstructure for 34 East 51st Street should be going vertical shortly, and* completion is expected in January of 2015*.
Click to expand...

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## streetscapeer

*NEW YORK | 232 7th Ave | 170 FT | 16 FLOORS*



tubeworm said:


> *NY YIMBY:*
> 
> *Revealed: 232 Seventh Avenue*
> _BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON JANUARY 13TH 2014 AT 11:30 AM_
> 
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> 
> _232 Seventh Avenue pre-demolition -- image from Google Maps_
> 
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> 
> Renderings are up for a new *16-story and 49-unit mixed-use project *at 232 Seventh Avenue. The existing structures are about to be demolished, with permits for their removal already approved; *the developer is ‘Chelsea 7 JV LLC’, and the architect is C3D.*
> 
> The new 232 Seventh Avenue will be a major improvement over the site’s current occupants, which are fairly run-down. The design will enhance Seventh Avenue’s street-wall, and the first eleven floors are flush with the sidewalk, and feature a masonry facade. After a setback, the next five floors are characterized by large balconies, and masonry is replaced by metallic cladding. The first floor will be retail, and the entirety of the project will *measure 53,000 square feet.*
> .....
> 
> Completion dates for the new building have not been released, but the *2016 timeframe would seem likely*.
> 
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> _232 Seventh Avenue – image from C3D_
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> _232 Seventh Avenue – image from C3D_
Click to expand...

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## streetscapeer

*NEW YORK | 308 East 59th St | FT | 16 FLOORS*



tubeworm said:


> *NY YIMBY:*
> 
> *Revealed: 308 East 59th Street*
> _BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON JANUARY 14TH 2014 AT 6:00 AM_
> 
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> 
> _308 East 59th Street today -- image via Google_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *A new 16-story building* will soon rise at 308 East 59th Street; *the property will be a mix of residential and commercial space.* *The site’s developer is ABS Partners, and C3D is designing the project*, with a page on the firm’s website giving additional details.
> 
> 308 East 59th Street was bought in 2011 for $2.5 million, and development rights allow a *25,000 square foot structure*. C3D’s rendering depicts an angular cantilever over an adjacent low-rise at 306 East 59th Street, and the project will certainly bring some modern flare to a neighborhood characterized by dingy low-rises and dated mid-century towers.
> 
> Whether the 25,000 square foot figure accounts for additional air rights from 306 East 59th Street remains to be seen, as no permits are on-file; thus, 308 East 59th Street is likely still in the planning phase, although the potential of the lot is obvious — and *permits for interior demolition have been filed*. Certainly, C3D’s design would be a great improvement for the neighborhood, while also proving that small-scale contemporary designs can exist beyond West Chelsea.
> 
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> _308 East 59th Street — image from C3D_
Click to expand...

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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *Brownstoner:*
> 
> *Queens Plaza North Properties Hitting Market, Hotel Build Possible*
> _by Emily 01/14/14 9:00am_





> The owner of *41-21 and 41-23 29th Street,* three-story brick buildings off Queens Plaza North, plans to put the properties on the market for $18,100,000. LIC Post reports that the owner bought the buildings in the late 90s for less than $1,000,000, when the site zoning permitted a floor area ratio of 5.0. After upzonings in the neighborhood, the* parcels now have a FAR of 12 with a zoning floor area of 32,724 square feet.* A sales rep from Sotheby’s believes the lots are best suitable for a hotel development, considering the number of hotels in the immediate vicinity. A developer* could build up to 18 stories with 80-rooms *on the property in question. Tom Winter, of Tom Winter Architect, designed the hotel rendered above as an example of what’s possible.


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> That's Queens Plaza, a revamped area that has a few developments going up and/or planned.
> 
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> 
> *Revamped Queens Plaza lures hotels, residential development*
> _Julie Strickland January 15, 2014 05:20PM_
> 
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> 
> _Aerial view of Queens Plaza_





> A $45 million overhaul of Queens Plaza has led to a development boom around the new crosswalks, bike pathways, sidewalks and 1.5-acre park that the city recently built. The “gateway to Long Island City” was a den of prostitution and drug deals not long ago.
> 
> *More than 5,000 apartments have either been added or are in process within two blocks of the plaza,* city officials told the New York Times. Two hotels —* a 16-story, 183-room Hilton Garden Inn and a 31-story Marriott with 160 hotel rooms and 135 rental apartments — are also under construction and will overlook a new park dubbed Dutch Kills Green.*
> 
> *A building plan was filed for a 14-story, 65-room Hotel Vetiver at 41-32 27th Street in November, and Developer Heatherwood Communities is also building a 58-story residential tower at 27-03 42nd Road, by Queens Plaza South.*
> 
> Bringing new office buildings to the area, however, has lately proven more of a challenge. The Bloomberg administration aimed to turn Queens Plaza into the next Jersey City — which has attracted businesses like investment bank Goldman Sachs and now Forbes — but commercial brokers told the Times that such a renaissance is years away. That said, some commercial leases have been inked, including a 200,000-square-foot headquarters for airline JetBlue, in the Brewster Building at 27-01 Queens Plaza North, and the fully-leased 22-story tower 2 Gotham Center on Queens Plaza South.
> 
> “It’s been more of a trickle than a flood,” John Reinersten, senior vice president at CBRE, told the Times.
> 
> And while beautification efforts continue, commercial brokers said that the end of the city’s Relocation and Employment Assistance Program, last summer, which offered tax credits of as much as $3,000 per employee, has removed a huge potential carrot.


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## streetscapeer

*NEW YORK | 21 West 20th St | 156 FT | 15 FLOORS*



tubeworm said:


> *New York YIMBY:*
> 
> *Construction Update: 21 West 20th Street*
> _BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON JANUARY 17TH 2014 AT 12:30 PM_
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> 
> *A new 15-story residential building *is under construction at 21 West 20th Street; *the project’s developer is Gale International, and the architect of record is Beyer Blinder Belle*. Permits were just approved on the 10th, and *excavation is already well underway.*
> 
> The development will be a combination of old and new; the bulk of the project will be contained in a new building at 19 West 20th Street, but the upper floors will extend over an existing building, at 21 West 20th. The interiors of the penthouse will measure nearly 7,000 square feet, with an additional 2,700 square feet of exterior space; the unit will span three floors in total, from 13 to 15, and is listed at $35 million.
> 
> In total, *the development will have approximately 35,000 square feet of space, with thirteen residences*; they will average nearly 3,000 square feet each, and the project definitely falls into the ‘luxury’ category, with asking prices at the other two penthouses north of $10 million.
> 
> Aesthetically, 21 West 20th Street will be contextual with its historic surrounds; on-site renderings only depict the upper portions of the development, but the structure will maintain the existing street-wall for the entirety of its height, and the facade will be brick. *Completion is anticipated in the spring of 2015.*
> 
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> _21 West 20th Street — blurry construction shot as the doors swung open._
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> _21 West 20th Street — penthouses will extend over the building on the left_
Click to expand...

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## streetscapeer

*NEW YORK | 100 Barrow St | 153 FT | 15 FLOORS*



tubeworm said:


> *West Village Church Plans 15-Story Building On Barrow Street*
> _Friday, January 17, 2014, by Jessica Dailey_
> 
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> 
> The Church of St. Luke in the Fields is joining the recent trend of nonprofits turning toward real estate development to beef up their bank accounts. The Villager reports that the *West Village church wants to build a 15-story, 46-unit apartment building on its property at the corner of Greenwich and Barrow Streets.* Church officials plan to grant developer Toll Brothers a 99-year lease to the site at 100 Barrow Street, and the venture would fund expansion of St. Luke's school, as well as a new mission building. During a community board meeting, the church pointed out that the *70,000-square-foot building they are proposing is much less than the 200,000-square-feet that's allowed under current zoning.* The project would also be developed under the 80/20 affordable housing program, but board members still weren't pleased. The brick-and-glass design was not liked, and neither was the 153-foot height, even though it's shorter than the building across the street.
> 
> *The church hopes to start construction on the tower and two-story school expansion this year*, but first the plans need a stamp of approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, as the sit sits within the Greenwich Village Historic District. The school expansion would be constructed with yellow bricks and give the school nine new classrooms and a 4,000-square-foot gym. Construction of the mission, which would be "townhouse scale" would depend on the tower, as the church needs revenue from the apartments to be able to pay for the mission.
> ......
> 
> The plans go before the LPC on February 4.
> .....
Click to expand...

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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> A new hotel will rise here:
> - 180-room boutique hotel
> - Roughly 70,000 square feet
> - Permits
> 
> *Current Progress:*
> Posted January 18th, 2014...
> Photo Credit: *Derek2k3 @ WNY*
> 
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> ©Derek2k3


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## streetscapeer

*NEW YORK | 790 7th Ave | 528 (+328) FT | 46 (+23) FLOORS*



tubeworm said:


> *More stories, maybe apartments for The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel*
> _January 22, 2014_
> 
> 
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> 
> _Photo: CoStar Group_





> Are apartments coming to The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel?
> 
> The 790 Seventh Avenue hotel, between West 51st and West 52nd streets, will be expanding vertically, according to a plan exam application filed today.
> 
> *The proposal would add 23 stories to the existing 23-story building. The Schedule A filing indicates that the new levels would be occupied by apartments — 121 total. Morris Adjmi Architects is the architect of record for the expansion.*
> 
> Starwood Hotels & Resorts sold the 665-key hotel in 2012 for $275 million in cash, the New York Observer reported. The buyers were affiliates of Rockpoint Group, Goldman Sachs’ Real Estate Principal Investment Area and Highgate Holdings. Under the deal, Highgate would operate the hotel.
> 
> Starwood announced in April 2013 that it plans to sell $2 billion to $3 billion of hotels in two to three years, Bloomberg reported. The company, based in Stamford, Connecticut, owns the St. Regis, Sheraton and Westin brands.


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *$350M mixed-use Bronx project to break*
> *Compass Residences will be the borough's largest private real estate project ever*
> _Julie Strickland January 22, 2014 04:20PM_
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> _Rendering of Compass Residences_





> *A new ten-building residential development in Crotona Park East in the Bronx* — the largest private real estate project in the borough to date –* kicks off construction Thursday.*
> 
> *The Compass Residences, a 1,300-unit affordable housing development on the corner of 172nd Street and Boone Avenue, is being developed by a group that includes Signature Urban Properties, GTIS Partners, MBD Housing and Monadnock Construction*, according to a release from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. *The first phase, which kicks off Thursday, will create 237 units of affordable apartments on the industrial site. The entire project should be finished by 2019.*
> 
> The project is rising in an area that is currently made of derelict warehouses, according to previous reports. Rezoned from industrial to mixed use in 2011,* the area now permits buildings up to 15 stories.*
> 
> The estimated total cost for the site, which will also contain *46,000 square feet of retail space*, is estimated to be around $350 million.


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## CHIsentinel

Manitopiaaa said:


> ^^ Ugliest building ever.


Well, opinions are like a**holes....and this forum is FULL of opinions.

I think it looks quite nice..but that's just my OPINION.


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## ophizer

Manitopiaaa said:


> ^^ Ugliest building ever.


at least they are keeping the base
which can't be said the same about countless pre-war treasures around the city


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## LCIII

It's a fucking disaster. That's by far the least attractive project in the city and right up near the top on list of ugliest projects ever. Saving the old building is admirable but tacking that mess on top disrespects the building below it. 

Ugh.


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## Ghostface79

Now that's a crazy/ cool design

*Will This Bonkers 'Sky Wing Tower' Sprout 860 Feet In Tribeca?*
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/02/20/will_this_bonkers_sky_wing_tower_sprout_860_feet_in_tribeca.php











> Wake up, New York, and have a gander at the latest example of supremely tall glassitude that could rise in downtown Manhattan. New York YIMBY first spotted a rendering for 101 Murray Street on Austrian architecture firm Coop Himmelb(l)au's website. Boy, is it bonkers. Set to rise about 860 feet, it has an uber-reflective cylindrical shaft with what amounts to an asymmetric ice sculpture tacked onto its apex. Dubbed the Sky Wing Tower, it also apparently has a sister superscraper in Seoul called the Skywalk. It's just one of many residential buildings set to rise in FiDi.
> 
> The backstory: St. John's University sold its current building to a triumvirate of developers last year for $223 million: Steven Witkoff, Howard Lorber, and Fisher Brothers. When the purchase became public in July, their plan was to build a giant pile o' condos to replace the dated-looking low(ish)rise campus building. And voila.


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## Ghostface79

... And for those who thought there will be a slowdown in the building boom under DeBlasio, think again.

http://politicker.com/2014/02/audio-bill-de-blasio-promises-rebny-hell-build-big/


> *Mayor Bill de Blasio today praised some of the biggest names in the real estate industry and told them he has no qualms about building large in the name of affordable housing.*
> 
> “I’m looking forward to building upon on a lot of the relationships that I’ve already had the honor of having with folks in this room and getting to know people more deeply in the years ahead and working together,” Mr. de Blasio told the group, according to audio from the closed-door meeting released by his office.
> 
> “I think we’ve made clear already–with the people we’ve named and with the approach we’re taking–how central this industry is to the vision that I’m bringing forward,” he continued. *“And I hope people, as we get to know each other in these new dynamics, I hope people hear me loud and clear that the only way I can achieve my goals is if we are building and building aggressively. I’m deadly serious about 200,000 units of affordable housing.”*
> 
> *Mr. de Blasio went on to say achieving his goal will also take “a willingness to use height and density to the maximum feasible extent. This is something I’ve said in our previous meetings I don’t have a hang-up about.* I think it’s necessary to do what I’m here to do.”
> 
> *Many residents in neighborhoods across the city complain regularly about housing developments they say are too tall or too large for their locations. But Mr. de Blasio said he hoped that, with the promise of new affordable units and a stamp of approval from his administration, such super-sized projects will be swallowed more easily.*
> 
> *“I hope to, to in all of our dealing with communities that we’ve involved in, to make clear that when my administration blesses a project, including a project with a lot of height and density, it’s because we believe we got a good deal for the people. And I think that will change some of the terms of the debate on the ground in communities,” he said*.


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## ThatOneGuy

Ghostface79 said:


> Now that's a crazy/ cool design
> 
> *Will This Bonkers 'Sky Wing Tower' Sprout 860 Feet In Tribeca?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *


Absolutely terrible. Even Kaufman's buildings are better than this monstrosity.


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## MarshallKnight

^^ Courtesy of my girlfriend: We can call it the Bike Pump Building!


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## desertpunk

I think it adheres strictly to Juche Ideal.


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## dexter2

Is this designed by some porn toys company? Ugliest thing ever.


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## Vertical_Gotham

lol! that looks like it would be painful.


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## el palmesano

Oh my god!!!! is horrible!!!!


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## LArchitect

I think the "Cotel" building is hideous to look at. It's a frankenstein nightmare where someone tried to sew two completely different animals together. Parents shouldn't let their kids see it.


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## nyarch21

Looks like something they would build in Dubai


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## msquaredb

What exactly is the top? Is it functional or simply meant to serve an "aesthetic".


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## Kopacz

Damn, it's so ugly, it actually looks like a piece of modern art.


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## AbdullahELHamza

:cheers:


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## Ghostface79

Another tall hotel heading downtown?

*Nosy Neighbor: Is a 60-Story Hotel Going up on W. Broadway?*
http://tribecacitizen.com/2014/02/20/nosy-neighbor-is-a-60-story-hotel-going-up-on-w-broadway/



> I just heard that the owner of the building on the west side of W. Broadway, between Warren and Murray, is planning to build a 60-story hotel on that lot which also includes the parking lot and might include 67 Murray. —Anonymous
> 
> Just to clarify: There are three properties being discussed here. The main one is 66 W. Broadway, the beautiful 1900 building that’s home to Babesta Threads and Frankly Wines. (Tribeca Trust recently wrote about the history of the Gibbes Building, as it was known.) To its north is the Speedy Park parking lot at 69 Warren. Meanwhile, just around the corner on Murray, is 67 Murray, formerly home to Lilly O’Briens pub That last building was recently sold, no doubt a factor in Lilly O’Briens moving to where Taj Tribeca used to be.
> 
> Feldman Realty Group, which owns 66 W. Broadway and the Speedy Park plot, categorically denied the rumor: “Since we own both properties we have thought of all possible options about developing them separately or together but there are no plans to do so at this time.”
> 
> It remains possible that the new owner of 67 Murray has aspirations to buy the parking lot—the properties abut each other in back—and combine them (in which case, 66 W. Broadway could either be incorporated, awkwardly, or left out of it). And as I walked that block, I kept wondering about the buildings across W. Broadway, which seem even more ripe (or at risk, depending on your point of view).


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## desertpunk

*New rendering alert: Sunset comes to the Soori High Line in Chelsea *









http://news.buzzbuzzhome.com/2014/02/soori-high-line.html/soori-high-line-sunset


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## RegentHouse

Ghostface79 said:


> Now that's a crazy/ cool design
> 
> *Will This Bonkers 'Sky Wing Tower' Sprout 860 Feet In Tribeca?*
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/02/20/will_this_bonkers_sky_wing_tower_sprout_860_feet_in_tribeca.php


It's still better than 432 Park.


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## Ghostface79

Check out this site for some cool updates: https://fieldcondition.exposure.so


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## ThatOneGuy

RegentHouse said:


> It's still better than 432 Park.


Ahahahaha ha.. ha... hah.


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## Bond James Bond

Is it realistically possible to update the front page? Just for the heck of it?


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## Syndic

The last few building announcements posted here provide a pertinent answer to the question posed by a baffled New York Times author:

Why doesn't San Francisco like starchitecture?

Seriously, New York, those are awful. And you'll be stuck with them. Maybe this will finally make people see that there needs to be a change in philosophy in NYC. Terrible buildings are the inevitable result of a starchitecture-obsessed market.


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## Ghostface79

Syndic said:


> The last few building announcements posted here provide a pertinent answer to the question posed by a baffled New York Times author:
> 
> Why doesn't San Francisco like starchitecture?
> 
> Seriously, New York, those are awful. And you'll be stuck with them. Maybe this will finally make people see that there needs to be a change in philosophy in NYC. Terrible buildings are the inevitable result of a starchitecture-obsessed market.


Those buildings on the previous page don't have a "starchitect's" name attached to them so this reasoning doesn't apply there.
In fact it might just be the opposite, if you look at the big names in architecture, they've done some pretty good work in the city, Nouvel, Calatrava, Ghery, Shop, Foster, BIG, Herzog....you name it.
Now if your premise is that there's an obsession with designing buildings that are a little over the top, I'm with you there, those Lady Gaga type of buildings are getting old and in recent cases plain ugly; maybe it's time to go back to the basics. Other than that I don't mind a brand name skyline.


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## thebackdoorman

Ghostface79 said:


> Those buildings on the previous page don't have a "starchitect's" name attached to them so this reasoning doesn't apply there.
> In fact it might just be the opposite, if you look at the big names in architecture, they've done some pretty good work in the city, Nouvel, Calatrava, Ghery, Shop, Foster, BIG, Herzog....you name it.
> Now if your premise is that there's an obsession with designing buildings that are a little over the top, I'm with you there, those Lady Gaga type of buildings are getting old and in recent cases plain ugly; maybe it's time to go back to the basics. Other than that I don't mind a brand name skyline.


Most starchitects (exception maybe Gehry) do not seem to design over the top buildings. And, yes, I agree with you. There is a reason why some architects are big and that reason has to do with their ability to bring really good projects to life. 
As for SF, I got the same impression as in Boston. Both are very rich and developed, but also provincial, resistant to change, and stubborn in their relationship with the urban environment.


----------



## desertpunk

*A First Look At Silverstein's Glassy Twin Towers For Midtown*












> Creative agency VisualHouse has let slip some new renderings for the pair of towers that are set to rise at 514 Eleventh Avenue, courtesy of developer Silverstein Properties. The lot, currently a Mercedes dealership, is situated between just north of the rising Hudson Yards megaproject. NY YIMBY's Nikolai Fedak, who first spotted the posted renderings, says Silverstein's twin 60-plus-story towers will bring many much-needed residences to the area. In addition to the approximately 1,000 apartments—the development is slated to bring more than 180,000 leasable square feet of commercial space (warning: PDF!) to this largely pedestrian-unfriendly pocket of the far West Side that has long been commandeered by access roads for the Lincoln Tunnel.


----------



## erbse

Syndic said:


> Seriously, New York, those are awful. And you'll be stuck with them. Maybe this will finally make people see that there needs to be a change in philosophy in NYC. Terrible buildings are the inevitable result of a starchitecture-obsessed market.


You might be interested to take a look at my NYC thread:

*New York sacrificing its heritage and unique flair - an affront to its grand historical cityscape?*


I love the city, but it keeps ruining itself. Since ~60 years now. 

They should re-introduce *their Zoning Law*, it provided the world's most beautiful skyscraper designs ever witnessed.


----------



## desertpunk

*Brooklyn's 33 Caton Place Revealed*












> After years of being shrouded in mystery, residential development 23 Caton Place emerged from the shadows last week, changing its official address to 33 Caton Place, naming itself The Kestrel, and revealing various details about the owner (Sam Boymelgreen, son of Shaya Boymelgreen), number and type of units (126 rentals), and opening date (April). Now, to complete the picture, a rendering of the building has been spotted by Brownstoner on architects DJ Associates' website.


----------



## desertpunk

*Aby Rosen Finds Developer For 610 Lexington Avenue*












> 610 Lexington Avenue has been a sad vacant lot for many years now, and developer Aby Rosen has been trying to build a luxury tower there since around 2007. Now it looks as though he may finally get his wish, as his company RFR Realty has teamed with developer Hines—the company behind such projects as Jean Nouvel's Tower Verre, One Jackson Square, and many others—and China's largest residential builder, Vanke, the Post reports. The 711-foot-tall, 91-unit tower, which will feature some massive apartments, is expected to open in 2017 and launch sales in 2015. According to building permits pored over by NY YIMBY, there will be commercial space on the ground floor, a restaurant on the second floor, and office space on the third floor. Everything above that (60 more floors) will be residential. There will also be a ninth-floor swimming pool, according to the Post.


----------



## ZZ-II

Great news :cheers:


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*A First Look Inside Norman Foster's New West Chelsea Condos*http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/02/28/a_first_look_inside_norman_fosters_new_west_chelsea_condos.php


----------



## desertpunk

*432 Park Is Halfway There*


----------



## aarhusforever

^^ oooooh yes :bow:


----------



## erbse

Oh no. Such an abomination for poor NYC!  Lexington Ave is some halfway-desaster, too.
Boxy modernist blandness all over.


----------



## LCIII

What a stupid statement. 

Meanwhile, NYC continues to be the standard of the world and remains unbothered.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

erbse said:


> Oh no. Such an abomination for poor NYC!  Lexington Ave is some halfway-desaster, too.
> Boxy modernist blandness all over.


And we are all the happier :cheers:


----------



## erbse

LCIII said:


> What a stupid statement.


How so? You're always entitled to your own opinion, but I can't see that you're actually demonstrating that you're in favour of 432 Park's architecture. So I suppose you dislike it as well, but don't care at all - because your affection for NYC overshadows any single project.

Enough of the laymen's psychology already.


----------



## LCIII

erbse said:


> How so? You're always entitled to your own opinion, but I can't see that you're actually demonstrating that you're in favour of 432 Park's architecture. So I suppose you dislike it as well, but don't care at all - because your affection for NYC overshadows any single project.
> 
> Enough of the laymen's psychology already.


Get a clue.


----------



## erbse

You're trolling.


LCIII said:


> Meanwhile, NYC continues to be the standard of the world and remains unbothered.


The standard in what exactly? And isn't standard boring in many ways, too?
The term is suggestive in just that.


----------



## LCIII

And just like that my ignore list grew by 1.

Now back to NYC and her magnificent projects!


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*1165 Broadway Revealed*










*NY YIMBY*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/03/revealed-1165-broadway.html



> The reveal comes with few additional details, but per Spector, the “current landmarked façade will be fully restored and act as the shell for a new modern mid-rise retail, residential, [and] mixed use [building].” - *read in link*


----------



## MrAronymous

They haven't done that a lot before in NYC have they? I quite like it.


----------



## elliot42

Too bad they couldn't do that with the actual Penn Station site and build a new terminal where the tower and the Garden are now (moving the Garden next to Javits by the by). I would be happy with new Penn Station in the post office, but this would be better, much as I know it isn't likely.



Vertical_Gotham said:


> I don’t think Related would avail of those extra air rights, I mean they decided to shorten 30 Hudson Yards and we all know that site can be much taller. I just think Related has a lot on their plate as it is. They even have air-rights from 55 Hudson which they decided not to use it all, which I think they plan to transfer that to 50 Hudson across the boulevard.
> 
> Possibly Brookfield could do it since their plans had been pretty vague as to the planned height of their Manhattan West Towers. Frank McCourt at 360 Tenth could certainly use it. I dunno, but it will be interesting as Marshall Knight says.


----------



## MarshallKnight

Vertical_Gotham said:


> *1165 Broadway Revealed*


I'm glad they're restoring the original facade, but the addition itself is pretty unremarkable. I think my favorite thing about it is the green roof.


----------



## aquablue

MarshallKnight said:


> I'm glad they're restoring the original facade, but the addition itself is pretty unremarkable. I think my favorite thing about it is the green roof.


It's not bad, the undulating facade makes it.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

Did you know..

Below Central Park there exist 33 mil sq ft of unused air rights. 

That's 12 Empire State Buildings or 33 K apts

http://furmancenter.org/thestoop/en...hts-could-spur-affordable-housing-development


----------



## ThatOneGuy

^^ They should build a giant cantilever skyscraper over the entire Central park.


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ Right. I'm glad for that. There are plenty of parts of the City with massive new developments. The height of this specific addition surprises me, though. Isn't there a setback rule/formula that is supposed to prevent you from seeing the addition if you're standing at ground level?


----------



## desertpunk

elliot42 said:


> Too bad they couldn't do that with the actual Penn Station site and build a new terminal where the tower and the Garden are now (moving the Garden next to Javits by the by). I would be happy with new Penn Station in the post office, but this would be better, much as I know it isn't likely.


I thought Vornado had those air rights. Anyway, if Moynihan does get built at the Farley Building then MSG need not move at all. That was the original plan...


----------



## desertpunk

*City Planning Set To Approve Two Trees' Domino Development*












> The Williamsburg waterfront inches closer to its tower-tastic transformation, thanks to an agreement that was made late yesterday to increase the amount of affordable housing in the redevelopment plan for the old Domino Sugar Factory. Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio threw a wrench in developer Two Trees' plans, which include soaring towers designed by SHoP Architects, when he demanded additional affordable housing. Two Tree's principal Jed Walentas was, obviously, less than pleased and threatened to revert to the old plan if a deal with the city could not be reached. But clearly, the weekend put him in a more amenable mood, and he has now agreed to build 537,000-square-feet of affordable housing, about 700 units out of the project's 2,300 total. The number of family-sized two- and three-bedroom affordable units will also be increased. Two Trees previously promised 660 units in 427,000-square-feet, which is still more than 20 percent they are required to build.
> 
> So what does Two Trees get out of the deal? Zoning changes that will allow the developer to build towers up to 55 stories tall, nearly double what current regulations allow. City Planning is expected to sign off on the agreement today, paving the way for the final approval from City Council. The Times reports that Two Trees will also be allowed to charge higher rents for some low-income units than they would have been allowed before. Additionally, the affordable units will be permanently affordable. Alicia Glen, the deputy mayor for housing and economic development, told the Times, "Buildings don't get shorter over time. Just like the buildings are permanently taller, the affordable units will be permanently affordable."
> 
> The de Blasio administration is touting the agreement as a victory (even though they originally wanted 550,000-square-feet), but the Journal points out that the deal is not 100 percent solidified. This new deal for affordable housing is binding—a stark contrast from the old deal with the site's former owner, CPC Resources, which was not binding—but local political leaders still want more. City councilman Antonio Reynoso told the Journal there's still "a lot of work to do" and voiced concerns over the size of the affordable units and the income levels required to qualify for the units.
> 
> [...]


----------



## WillBuild

desertpunk said:


> I thought Vornado had those air rights.


They have the first 1M. According to this Crain's article from 2010, there are apparently 1.5M more. That matches the number in this week's curbed article.

This is funny money, though, right? If the city wants to get this area redeveloped, it can just rezone those blocks for as many sq. ft. of air rights as it pleases. The cost per unit will go down, but not linearly. More likely the glut of building rights in HY are delaying any developer interest in either Penn Station or PABT redevelopment.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*High Line-Hugging Condos at 505 W. 19th Now Up For Grabs*
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/03/05/high_linehugging_condos_at_505_w_19th_now_up_for_grabs.php#more



> A lot of details and quite a few renderings have already been revealed for Thomas Juul Hansen's first ever ground-up luxury residential project, and now the condos in highly anticipated development at *505 West 19th Street*
> 
> The project consists of a* pair of 10-story buildings *that hug the High Line with a shared lobby located beneath the elevated park. The *west building *holds just eight units—six full-floor homes, one duplex townhouse, and one duplex penthouse—while the *east building *has 27 units, with four per floor, save for the top two floors, which each have a penthouse.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Domino Sugar redevelopment moves forward with City Planning Commission approval *



> A key city panel unanimously approved plans for the $1.5 billion redevelopment of the old Domino Sugar refinery on the Brooklyn waterfront.
> 
> The City Planning Commission signed off on the proposal Wednesday after the de Blasio administration pressured the developers, Two Trees Management, to include more affordable housing units in the 2,300 apartment project.
> 
> 
> Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-sty...ar-plan-moves-article-1.1711684#ixzz2v7pgAg00


----------



## aquablue

desertpunk said:


> I thought Vornado had those air rights. Anyway, if Moynihan does get built at the Farley Building then MSG need not move at all. That was the original plan...


The moynihan station is only for Amtrak. The vast majority of passengers will still be using the current awful Penn Station. Hopefully MSG will move into the Farley building annex and the current penn station is totally rebuilt someday as it is an embarrassment. 

What about all the air rights over MSG? That is an exciting prospect to think about. I assume if the garden moves in 10 years, the air rights could be transferred to the surrounding parcels.


----------



## aquablue

ThatOneGuy said:


> ^^ They should build a giant cantilever skyscraper over the entire Central park.


LOL. :nuts:

Anyway, why can't they transfer those air rights to surrounding parcels? Isn't it weird to have air rights locked up with no use?


----------



## aquablue

WillBuild said:


> They have the first 1M. According to this Crain's article from 2010, there are apparently 1.5M more. That matches the number in this week's curbed article.
> 
> This is funny money, though, right? If the city wants to get this area redeveloped, it can just rezone those blocks for as many sq. ft. of air rights as it pleases. The cost per unit will go down, but not linearly. More likely the glut of building rights in HY are delaying any developer interest in either Penn Station or PABT redevelopment.



After the HY and Midtown East, I assume the Penn Station area is the next big thing for development. Unless more upzonings take place in midtown in the future, it is basically the last great place to build tall free of too many nimby or historic concerns. The place is ugly and downtrodden anyway and sits on a valuable transport node. In fact, I'm surprised that HY took off first given the transport links in Penn.


----------



## phoenixboi08

aquablue said:


> After the HY and Midtown East, I assume the Penn Station area is the next big thing for development. Unless more upzonings take place in midtown in the future, it is basically the last great place to build tall free of too many nimby or historic concerns. The place is ugly and downtrodden anyway and sits on a valuable transport node. In fact, I'm surprised that HY took off first given the transport links in Penn.


I think they tried to work out an agreement with the Dolans (sic) to sell air rights in an effort to fund a relocation, but I think the city/state dragged their feet for too long and they simply opted for a renovation.

In any case, depending upon how the Moynihan Station air rights scheme works out, we could expect something similar to help finance a Penn reconstruction.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

This is interesting. Possible expansion site for Brookfield or Related. The developer may also have the option to purchase 1.5 m sf of air-rights from the Moynihan projects that is now being offered. Lots of potential here.

*
NY REAL ESTATE COMMERCIAL
Port Authority Land for Sale
Amid Rising Prices, Agency Puts Two Parcels on Market*
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles...0001424052702304554004579423784179292134.html



> *The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is selling two parcels of land in the Hudson Yards neighborhood*, where a number of large projects are transforming the landscape and boosting land prices.
> 
> *The agency is offering the land and development rights on either side of Dyer Avenue between West 33rd and 34th streets*, a few blocks from the mouth of the Lincoln Tunnel.
> 
> The Port' Authority's request for proposal describes the land as in the heart of the West Side development district, near the planned extension of the High Line elevated park and development projects under way by Related Cos., Brookfield Office Properties Inc. and the Moinian Group.
> 
> The Port Authority has owned one of the lots for many years and purchased the other parcel initially to serve as an air shaft during construction of the now-defunct project to build another Hudson River train tunnel.
> 
> The agency said the main reason for shopping the two parcels of land, was to "maximize revenue" and provide an additional source of funding for the agency's projects.
> 
> The area was rezoned in 2005 to encourage tall towers. The No. 7 subway line is being extended to the neighborhood. The family real-estate firm of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer paid $88 million for a vacant site at 511 W. 35th St. in December.
> 
> The land in question is about 11,266 square feet and has a maximum buildable area of *490,000 square feet.*
> 
> While Dyer Avenue, which stretches from the Lincoln Tunnel to 30th Street between Ninth and 10th avenues, runs through the land and must remain open during any development, developers have various options.
> 
> *For example, developers can construct a platform over Dyer Avenue and build a development on top of it. But they can also avoid the expense of a platform by combining the development rights of the two lots on one parcel or on another site on the block.
> *
> *Developers could place all of the development on the land east of Dyer Avenue and restrict construction to a cantilever over the roadway.
> *
> All proposals are required to include a landscaped public space running through the block connecting 33rd and 34th streets.
> 
> Just south of that, Brookfield's $4.5 billion Manhattan West project has proposed a similar strip of landscaped open space extending through the block.


----------



## desertpunk

*World Trade Center arts center faces uncertain future*

Non-profit board waiting for de Blasio to weigh in on $469 million project












> March 10, 2014 02:14PM
> 
> The planned performing-arts center at the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan faces stiff competition for funds.
> 
> A pet project of Mayor Bloomberg, who appointed the first members of the managing non-profit’s board in 2011, the $469 million project now sits in limbo while Mayor Bill de Blasio comes to a decision about the future of the planned center.
> 
> The center is not only competing with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum for government funding, but more prominent arts projects for private donations, the Wall Street Journal reported.
> 
> “We are still considering how this should fit into the broader redevelopment strategy for the World Trade Center site,” a spokesperson for Mayor de Blasio told the Journal.
> 
> The current plan for the center calls for the construction of three small theaters ranging from 150 to 550 seats. Those theaters would host a mix of theater, music and dance. So far, a total of $155 million in federal funds have been allocated, the Journal reported.
> 
> The center’s director Maggie Boepple declined interview requests from the Journal, and a spokesperson said only that no arts organization will know what new Mayor Bill de Blasio is thinking until he appoints a cultural-affairs commissioner. Board Chairman John Zuccotti, co-chairman of Brookfield Office Properties, also declined to comment to the Journal.
> 
> A previous version of the planned theater envisaged a building with 1,000 seats in a structure designed by architect Frank Gehry. Whether Gehry will be involved now is unclear, according to the Journal.


Time to let go of this abortion and return the site to tower development.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Green space is boring and there's an entire park being built anyway. They need a cool expressionist design that isn't kitsch like Gehry's builds.


----------



## Troopchina

Indeed. Green space compliments the surrounding skyscrapers.


----------



## streetscapeer

Construction update on the 14-story Columbia building near their medical campus. These are just my cell pics, I hope to get new pics with my real camera very soon. Foundation is being poured with a crane on site already.

All Photos by Matt Chaban: New York Observer


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Future Development site:*

*Starwood to pay $250M for Herald Square Old Navy

West 34th Street property could be redeveloped into 300,000 sf retail and hotel tower, sources say*












> Barry Sternlicht’s *Starwood Capital is in contract to buy a 34th Street retail building with significant future development potential for $250 million*, The Real Deal has learned.
> 
> The site on which *the property sits could be redeveloped into a 300,000-square-foot retail and hotel tower, using unused air rights*, sources said.
> 
> The 78,000-square-foot building, at 144-150 West 34th Street opposite Macy’s department store, has been owned for almost two decades by the Kefadilis family, which heads KLM Construction company.
> 
> It is *currently occupied by retail tenant Old Navy, which has another six years on its lease*.
> 
> Doug Harmon and Adam Spies of Eastdil Secured represented both parties in the deal, which is expected to close this month. When contacted by The Real Deal, Harmon declined to comment on the transaction.
> 
> The deal has been in contract since December 2013, sources said.
> 
> Neither Starwood nor a representative of the Kefadilis family could immediately be reached for comment.
> 
> Sternlicht, known for his luxury hotel investments, has reportedly been looking to sell off shares of Starwood in an initial public offering in order to raise funds and finance new businesses.
> 
> The company is involved in luxury Manhattan residential projects like the Baccarat Hotel & Residences New York, which is currently in sales mode, and a 65-story rental at 252 East 57th Street, for which it issued a $450 million loan earlier this year.


----------



## 009

Ghostface79 said:


> Now that's a crazy/ cool design
> 
> *Will This Bonkers 'Sky Wing Tower' Sprout 860 Feet In Tribeca?*
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/02/20/will_this_bonkers_sky_wing_tower_sprout_860_feet_in_tribeca.php



wow, that's even worse than that 432 abomination. At least New York has a few nice projects to offset the crap. Thankfully, this one will probably never see the light of day.


----------



## towerpower123

Vertical_Gotham said:


> *Future Development site:*
> 
> *Starwood to pay $250M for Herald Square Old Navy
> 
> West 34th Street property could be redeveloped into 300,000 sf retail and hotel tower, sources say*


I have always wondered how that strip of low-rise retail buildings has remained for so long in the densest place in Manhattan. Whatever has changed, expect that whole 34th street strip to be replaced very soon, and almost none of those buildings have any significant architectural value, and several don't have occupied upper floors.:banana::banana::banana:

And whoever designed that sky-wing tower should be forever banned from practicing architecture in New York City or anywhere else! That looks worse than a Gene Kaufmann building! :bash::bash::bash:


----------



## towerpower123

towerpower123 said:


> I have always wondered how that strip of low-rise retail buildings has remained for so long in the densest place in Manhattan. Whatever has changed, expect that whole 34th street strip to be replaced very soon, and almost none of those buildings have any significant architectural value, and several don't have occupied upper floors.:banana::banana::banana:
> 
> And whoever designed that sky-wing tower should be forever banned from practicing architecture in New York City or anywhere else! That looks worse than a Gene Kaufmann building! :bash::bash::bash:


I am sorry, New York!!! I mentioned the 34th Street potential hotel project and Gene Kaufmann in the same post! Now it turns out that *Gene Kaufmann will be designing the hotel!* :bash::bash::bash::bash:

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/03/13/chetrit_gene_kaufman_team_up_again_for_34th_street_hotel.php








:runaway:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Will the cladding really be that blue? hno:

NYC should have learned that bright colours don't look good in the city after the mistake of William Beaver House.


----------



## desertpunk

*Glassy 15-Story Tower At 809 Broadway Revealed*












> Say hello to the new 809 Broadway. This black and glass ODA-designed structure will soon replaced the 126-year-old building where Blatt Billiards used to reside between 11th and 12th Streets. The pool table manufacturer owned the building since 1972, but last year, they decided to sell the building. IDM Capital paid $24 million for the property, and filed plans in November to triple the five-story building's height. There was previously just a tiny rendering of the new structure, but now we have a better idea of what we'll see. The new building will host offices on floors two through eight and just three condos—a full-floor unit, a duplex, and a triplex—on the top floors.


----------



## JohnFlint1985

desertpunk said:


> *Glassy 15-Story Tower At 809 Broadway Revealed*


809 Broadway as of now


----------



## ThatOneGuy

It's old, but not that great. I'd say it's a worthy replacement.


----------



## LCIII

Looks good to me


----------



## MarshallKnight

Viñoly's Skyscraper Museum lecture is interesting, although there's a lot of information most everyone here already knows. Something that really struck me, around the 15-minute mark, is his attitude towards the City's involvement in the process of designing these buildings. 

He compared the review process to London, which has a more stringent, lengthy process than NY... and yet he says, it's "ultimately more productive." Rather than saying the Amanda Burden/Tower Verre thing was a travesty or an embarrassment, he just called for her (and the City) to take ownership of its stance when it comes to these review committees. Anyway, just a maybe unexpected point of view.


----------



## WillBuild

It is reminiscent of 15 Union Square West. Which, incidentally, was also designed by ODA.












LCIII said:


> Looks good to me


I agree for the most part. The black wall facing North is a bit unfortunate, and the street would have benefited if they kept the street wall in tact all through the roofline. There are plenty of equally tall buildings just a block north that apparently did not need a set back, such as 817 and 828 Broadway (the Strand). Then again, those beauties are probably from well before the 1916 zoning law.


----------



## desertpunk

Lower East Side construction


contrails. by jdx., on Flickr


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

RobertWalpole said:


> Touraine 65th and Lex NYYimby


I just love projects like this! I hope to see a lot more like this especially in the upper east side. You would never know this was just completed. Well done.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

I think if the windows were smaller, it would look more genuine and less 80s pomo.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

ThatOneGuy said:


> I think if the windows were smaller, it would look more genuine and less 80s pomo.


If I'm buying here, the hell with smaller windows. I want my apartment to have big ones.


----------



## dexter2

ThatOneGuy said:


> I think if the windows were smaller, it would look more genuine and less 80s pomo.


Also the reflection color is ridiculous.


----------



## desertpunk

*Sterling Mason coming along:*


----------



## ThatOneGuy

This one looks genuine! A true old NY style revival.


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ This. It looks like the kind of crappy Tudor knockoff buildings you see on the west side of L.A. It has nothing to do with any kind of local architectural tradition, although it may have been part of a short-lived fad whenever it was built. Raze it.


----------



## erbse

Actually it rather seems like a take on English timbered tudor. If you're calling this "fake", you can call all revival styles and even classical architecture as a whole (except ancient) fake. What's the point?

Think of the "fake" New Amsterdam buildings in Manhattan (e.g. at Pearl Street). These are cryingly non-authentic, but still lovely. Or the artificial ruins at Central Park, or Belvedere "Castle". Disneyesque, probably - destruction-worthy, hell no.

If properly refurbished, this could be a true hidden gem.


----------



## LCIII

Wont be sad at all to see that go.


----------



## deckard_6

Come on, you wouldn't be sad at all to see any building being replace by a taller one, would you? Even if the new one is absolutely crap, no problem, you'll find it great. Is it tall? Then you like it. As simple as that. I don't even understand why you make an effort to write here your opinion, we already know it! And then you call troll whoever dislikes your beloved tall craps growing across the city, even if he uses ten times more arguments to explain what he means than you usually do to express your amazement about any kind of tall structure. Seriously, you're killing Skyscrapercity. You make it boring as hell!


----------



## erbse

Indeed all that hyperbolic enthusiasm for sole height above anything, continiously expressed by a bunch of kids, is crazy on SSC. We can't do much about it though, let's just see them change their mind once they're grown-ups.  And then a new generation shall arise... Those conscious of what really makes a good city.

For a starter, I suggest people read this:

*The Ten Principles of Intelligent Urbanism*


----------



## MarshallKnight

erbse said:


> Actually it rather seems like a take on English timbered tudor. If you're calling this "fake", you can call all revival styles and even classical architecture as a whole (except ancient) fake. What's the point?
> 
> Think of the "fake" New Amsterdam buildings in Manhattan (e.g. at Pearl Street). These are cryingly non-authentic, but still lovely. Or the artificial ruins at Central Park, or Belvedere "Castle". Disneyesque, probably - destruction-worthy, hell no.
> 
> If properly refurbished, this could be a true hidden gem.


"Disneyland Architecture" is just how I would put it when it comes to something like the Belvedere Castle. I wouldn't cry for it if someone said they were flattening that either.

Also, not all revival architecture is created the same. "Mediterranean" McMansions are probably the dominant residential architectural form in the US, but I'd be happy if there was a moratorium put on them because they're tacky as hell. 

But I believe some forms of revival architecture are more legitimate than others, particularly when they've been adapted and adopted into the fabric of a city and a vernacular is developed around them. The relationship has to be unique to that place. I cannot stand this copy-and-paste architecture.

Ultimately this comes down to a matter of personal taste. I don't care for the aesthetics of German-style half timbered buildings, but I find them much more appealing in European villages. I think they're incredibly discordant with their surroundings in the context of New York City.



> We can't do much about it though, let's just see them change their mind once they're grown-ups.


As for this... well, all I have to say is, "condescending much?" I just laid out for you an argument that has nothing to do with building heights. But I understand that it's easier to feel superior when you group all dissenting opinions together and throw some literature at them so that they'll "come around."


----------



## el palmesano

Bronxwood said:


> I love the idea of this development opening up Grove place alley to pedestrians and businesses. Unfortunately, this development will require the demolition of a unique building for Downtown Brooklyn that I like so much. This building adds an "old world" vibe to this stretch of nevins. I will miss it. A pub would go nicely in this old building, the alley would still be reconnected with nevins by demolishing the structure to the right of it. It's insane how this neat little building will be demolished but not the piece of shit to the left of it. Notice how the junk to the left is still in the renderings! Welcome to New York. :nuts: hno: :bash:



:bash::bash::bash:


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## erbse

MarshallKnight, thanks for opening up a more constructive approach. Though I understand not everyone's in favour of fairy-talish/fantastical architecture, it's still been a great inspiration to generations and can add interesting aspects to a cityscape. The above building is something rarely or not-at-all seen occurence in its surroundings and thus adds a special non-modernist contrast. I'd say you better try to keep it and raze the concrete atrocity next to it.

Did you read up on this?


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## Ghostface79

*One SoHo Square: Two Abutting Buildings With a Single Address*

http://ny.curbed.com/tags/rendering-reveals


> Two office buildings at 161 Avenue of the Americas and 233 Spring Street are being combined to create One SoHo Square, a new 786,000-square-foot office building at the fringes of the eponymous neighborhood. Developed by Stellar Management and Rockpoint Group and designed by Gensler, the combination will see the creation of a new glassed-in lobby and the addition of three modern penthouse floors complete with terraces to the 233 Spring Street structure. The structures' pre-war exteriors will remain largely untouched while the interiors will get a thorough revamp including new elevators. Expect the office building amalgamation and rebranding to be complete by 2016.


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## Tubeworm

erbse said:


> Though I understand not everyone's in favour of fairy-talish/fantastical architecture, it's still been a great inspiration to generations and can add interesting aspects to a cityscape. The above building is something rarely or not-at-all seen occurence in its surroundings and thus adds a special non-modernist contrast.


?? I usually don't comment on much, but I must interject here. That "English Tudor" is truly not very different than the building being planned for the site. Like the planned tacky residential tower, our tacky "English Tudor" over here most likely had a similar objective: to make money. If there was an actual effort to make something "inspirational", the building would have _been_ inspirational, and there would have been an incentive to keep it alive and clean for today. The purpose of that building is history, and it's an insult to all other buildings that are of historical significance. 




> I'd say you better try to keep it and raze the concrete atrocity next to it.


Don't worry-- it'll get razed at some point.


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## desertpunk

*Details, Rendering Revealed For Zeckendorfs' 520 Park Avenue*












> New York's newest super expensive condo tower has revealed itself to the world. Today the Journal brings us an exterior rendering and oodles of details about the planned 51-story tower on East 60th Street and Park Avenue. Designed by the limestone-loving architect Robert A.M. Stern, 520 Park will have just 31 units, one of which will be a mega penthouse "priced at considerably more than $100 million." Obviously. It will be a 12,400-square-foot triplex with a private terrace and will likely be priced at more than $10,000 per square foot. The "smallest" of the units will clock in at 4,600-square-feet, and they will each occupy a full floor and have a private elevator landing. And prices will start around, brace, $27 million. There will also be seven six-bedroom duplexes. We can't wait for floorplans.
> 
> Developers Arthur and William Lie Zeckendorf worked with Stern on the wildly successful 15 Central Park West and record-setting 18 Gramercy Park, so the team knows how to build a blockbuster. The partial rendering shows an 85-foot wide building with large windows and a "temple-like structure" on the roof that hides the mechanicals. To construct the building, the Zeckendorfs cobbled together air rights beside the site (and bought the Park Avenue address from a church), and the tower will "cantilever over much of the Grolier Club" on East 60th Street (not the church, as previously reported). As part of the agreement to obtain the extra development rights, the Zeckendorfs will fund affordable housing on the Upper East Side and make 520 Park environmentally friendly.
> 
> [...]








































Lux! Lux! Lux!


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## erbse

Beautiful. Geil. Now that's what I call a true Manhattan tower.

Thank you, Robert Stern. kay:

Though it could be even better with some more setbacks and structural features underneath the top section. Well, at Billionaire's Row you need to make some profit per sqf of course...


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## LondonFox

Wow, lovely!

So happy to see that New York is using brick and stone again!  classy.


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## LondonFox

How many new building will be made like this?


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## dexter2

If you mean highrises, so far 3-4 are planned/prepared/uc.


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## Maximalist

A great change of pace from the usual industrial materials used on high-rises these days.


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## erbse

LondonFox said:


> How many new buildings will be made like this?


Check this thread:

*New Classical Buildings for NYC* / Historic pre WW2 Building styles planned

Especially Robert Stern's towers currently are prominent classical (and classy) additions to the skyline of course.


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## Ghostface79

*New Renderings: The New York Wheel*



> The New York Wheel and the neighboring outlets are expected to be open by Labor Day of 2016, and construction is imminent


.










http://newyorkyimby.com



























More pics

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/03/ny_wheel_101_for_staten_island.html


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## thebackdoorman

Not a huge fan of the Stern tower. NYC should be innovative... the Stern tower looks to me like a lazy way out, something more appropriate to a place that is trying to buy history rather than NYC.


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## ThatOneGuy

That one and his downtown tower are Sterns only buildings that really do anything for me. NYC should get some old style buildings, but only if people learn how to actually design them right.

Also, a ferris wheel? That's just copying London.


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## hateman

Atelier & co. is the design architect.


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## erbse

Whoop for Atelier & Co.! Splendid, geil!

Looks like my longings come into fruition across the town...


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## desertpunk

*In Contract: The Hudson Spire Site*












> Following The New York Post’s report that Tishman Speyer expressed interest in the site of the conceptual Hudson Spire, Massey Knakal’s page on the listing has just been updated; the lot is now in-contract, indicating a buyer has been found.
> 
> Per the Post’s scoop, it would seem likely that Tishman Speyer has indeed acquired the Hudson Spire site; what’s most interesting about Tishman’s involvement is their apparent desire to acquire Sherwood’s adjacent parcel, as well. Combined, the assemblage could support a tower of approximately 2.5 million square feet, making it one of the largest buildings in New York City.
> 
> Tishman Speyer’s involvement with the Hudson Spire is particularly intriguing given the firm’s recent history with the Hudson Yards; Speyer actually won the original bidding process for the railyards, before the deal collapsed and Related was awarded the project. The old concept renderings for Tishman’s railyards vision come from Montroy Andersen DeMarco.
> 
> [...]
> 
> Read more: http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/04/in-contract-the-hudson-spire-site.html


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## desertpunk

*Coach Building April 8*


https://www.flickr.com/photos/980174[email protected]/


https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/


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## streetscapeer

desertpunk said:


> *Jade Hotel Taps Kaufman for Expansion That, Wow, Looks Nice*
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> Gene Kaufman's doing this? I feel like I'm floating in space!




Whoaaa.. this could be amazing!!!


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## Hed_Kandi

This is NOT Gene Kauffman. The building is designed by Atelier & Co.


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## royal rose1

Hed_Kandi said:


> This is NOT Gene Kauffman. The building is designed by Atelier & Co.


False, read the article :nuts:

"Advisors said that the Bryant Park location will be at 34-36 West 38th Street, and that the design will be inspired by early 20th-century McKim Mead & White buildings, executed by Gene Kaufman (project architect) and Atelier & Co (exterior and interior designer)"


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## MarshallKnight

Reminds me a little of 48 Wall Street:








photo found on DaVinci Meetingrooms
Or, like a former Downtown building with a neoclassical temple on the roof (anyone know the name?)

The problem is, unless they use phenomenally pricey materials, this could easily wind up less a postmodern masterpiece, and more like The Grove mall in LA (for those that haven't been, it's basically shopping Disneyland, and it gives me an aneurism just walking by). If there's any chance of value engineering, I hope they consider a simpler design altogether.


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## desertpunk

St. Vincent's redevelopment aka The Greenwich Lane on Apr. 5


P1240277 by jplangpictures, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

400 Park Avenue South on Apr. 10


400 Park Avenue South by jplangpictures, on Flickr


400 Park Avenue South by jplangpictures, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

Foundations poured for two-tower "The High Line" condos:


The buildings which will block in @highlinenyc are slowly going up. #nyc #highline #construction by epc, on Flickr









http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/2013/07/blue-collar-high-line.html


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## desertpunk

Work underway at the Riu Plaza Hotel site:


Tartan Day 2014 - Manhattan, NYC by flickr4jazz, on Flickr


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## ThatOneGuy

This could be the most authentic-looking neoclassic building NYC's built in decades. Proper proportions, kitsch-less decoration, good placement/size of windows...Beats Stern any day.


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## Vertical_Gotham

*Hudson Yards Is Gonna Get Another 700-Foot-Tall Tower*
http://ny.curbed.com/tags/451-tenth-avenue












> A developer is planning a 700-foot-tall tower for the Hudson Yards area—the second in as many days announced for that swath of the far West Side. Here's the down-low on this one, as per Crain's: Maddd Equities (yes, with that many d's) just secured a parcel on the northwest corner of Tenth Avenue and 35th Street and plans to erect a 415,000-foot-structure there. The lower levels will contain a high-end hotel or office space, while apartments would occupy the upper floors. The developer is also working on a hotel project across the street at 450 Tenth Avenue, which will be a Four Points Sheraton, as well as a 140-unit


*New York | 451 Tenth Avenue | 213 m | 700 ft* 
Sites are starting to get snapped up for development within the Hudson Yards district at a fast clip. Yesterday a plot on 11th Ave and 38th street was snapped up that can yield a 700’ tower and today this parking lot was purchased to make way for another 700 footer. 

*location*


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## ReNaHtEiM

I hope they build the new MSG at Hudson Yards.


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## Hed_Kandi

royal rose1 said:


> False, read the article :nuts:
> 
> "Advisors said that the Bryant Park location will be at 34-36 West 38th Street, and that the design will be inspired by early 20th-century McKim Mead & White buildings, executed by Gene Kaufman (project architect) and Atelier & Co (exterior and interior designer)"


I don't care what the article reads. Kaufman doesn't possess the skill nor the know-how to design a building of this caliber. Atelier & Co on the other hand does.

http://www.gkapc.com/


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## erbse

Any idea if that's an actual proposal, to renovate 1221 6 Avenue? 


Þróndeimr said:


> 1221 6 Avenue (renovation)
> New York City, United States | *Status*: Unknown (Proposal?) | *Source*
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> Illustrated by MIR, courtesy by Gensler
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> Illustrated by MIR, courtesy by Gensler


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## LeCom




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## Ghostface79

*Revealed: 959 First Avenue*

http://newyorkyimby.com/#


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## desertpunk

*Here's What Peter Poon's 50 Bowery Hotel Will Look Like*












> A construction fence rendering reveals that, unsurprisingly, the new Peter Poon-designed hotel at 50 Bowery will be a big glass rectangle, which should look especially jarring looming over the individually landmarked Citizens Saving Bank. If those two buildings could talk, they probably wouldn't have much to say to each other.
> 
> Poon's 22-story glass box must be doubly upsetting for the local residents who had fought (briefly, and unsuccessfully) against the demolition of the buildings that formerly occupied the site, which were thought to include the remains of a historic beer hall where George Washington once slept. Not only will those rumors now go unexamined, but Chinatown and Lower East Side residents will get another unwelcome glass tower instead.



:yuck:


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## Ghostface79

*Construction Update: 560 West 24th Street*

http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/04/construction-update-560-west-24th-street.html#


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## droneriot

If it doesn't have one yet, I believe the Jade Hotel deserves a thread in General Urban Developments for architectural significance.


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## desertpunk

droneriot said:


> If it doesn't have one yet, I believe the Jade Hotel deserves a thread in General Urban Developments for architectural significance.


Why not?


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## Vertical_Gotham

*Re: 350 West 39th Street*

*Another big West Side site could go for $100M*
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20140414/REAL_ESTATE/140419933/another-large-west-side-site-could-go-for-100m-plus



> Another large development site in midtown’s far West Side is coming to market with a price tag in excess of $100 million.
> 
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> A sales team led by Robert Knakal, chairman of the brokerage company Massey Knakal Realty Services, is bringing 350 W. 39th St., a low-rise building that could be replaced with a 300,000-square-foot mixed-use tower, to the auction block. The lot’s zoning allows for about 160,000 square feet of residential space and up to 50,000 square feet of retail. The rest of the building could be used as a hotel or offices, Mr. Knakal said....._read in link_


This lot is a through block between 38th and 39th street. looks to have a nice sized footprint.


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## desertpunk

*1 Vanderbilt Developer pushes tower proposal, without Midtown East*












> A New York real estate developer whose plans for a skyscraper taller than the Chrysler Building next to Grand Central Terminal were delayed by the demise of Bloomberg's Midtown East rezoning, is now negotiating with the de Blasio administration for a path forward that does not entail a neighborhood-wide rezoning.
> 
> According to knowledgable sources, SL Green, which describes itself as New York City's biggest office landlord, has been talking to the city planning department about ways it can move forward with its proposal for a 65-story, 1.6 million square foot tower called 1 Vanderbilt, between 42nd and 43rd streets, without having to wait for a broader rezoning.
> 
> SL Green had no comment, though during a January earnings call, the publicly traded company hinted at this course of action.
> 
> *“We are still moving ahead on all fronts with the expectation that this will be developed, the only difference being that as a result of whether the East Side zoning goes through or not, we may have alternate plans,” said Marc Holliday, the company’s C.E.O. “But I think we can accommodate that under several different scenarios, and that's what we are working through now.”*


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## TEBC

Great


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## streetscapeer

tubeworm said:


> *New York YIMBY:*
> 
> *Revealed: 433 First Avenue*
> _BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON APRIL 15TH 2014 AT 7:00 AM_
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> _433 First Avenue, image via KPF_
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> 
> Renderings have been posted for NYU’s new facility at 433 First Avenue; the building will soon be home to both the NYU College of Nursing, and a portion of the University’s College of Dentistry. Per DOB filings, the *architect of record is EYP, though KPF appears to have led the project’s design.*
> 
> NYU’s page on the site indicates* the new building will span 170,000 square feet, which permits corroborate; the structure will stand eleven stories and 162 feet tall,* allowing generous ceiling heights.
> 
> [...]
> 
> 433 First Avenue’s facade will be glass and terra cotta, offering another example of the historic material’s recent comeback in New York City, where its usage is gaining significant visibility — perhaps most prominently at SHoP’s future 111 West 57th Street.
> 
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> *Completion of 433 First Avenue is expected later this year.*
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> _433 First Avenue, image via KPF_
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> _433 First Avenue, image via KPF_
Click to expand...

..


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## streetscapeer

chris08876 said:


> *Some smaller projects: *
> ---------------------------------
> 
> *50 Clinton Street*
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> Details:
> 
> 1) 7 stories
> 2) Lower East Side
> 
> *247 North 7th Street*
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> Details:
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> 1) Two 7 Story Properties
> 2)Location is in the Williamsburg neighboorhood.
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> *31-43 Vernon Boulevard*
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> Details:
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> 1) 6 stories
> 2) Astoria-Long Island City border
> ======================================
> April 11, 2014
> All three projects at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/04/11/the-week-in-notable-renderings-jade-hotel-111-west-57th/


..


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## erbse

Is 50 Clinton a newly-built or a renovation?


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## Eastern37

^^ New.


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## streetscapeer

It's new Erbse!!


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## RegentHouse

When I first saw that NYU building, I was like "OMG not another cheap-looking low-rise with jail windows!" Then I realized this is an NYU building...


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## hugh

Rafael Vinoly's already played his emperors clothes 'new aesthetics' card in London (20 Fenchurch St.), I see he's aiming to do the same with the no less preposterous 432 Park Ave. Gotham deserves better.


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## erbse

Frankly, Vinoly is a terrible architect, imho. 432 Park Ave and 20 Fenchurch both are a disgrace to their respective cityscape surroundings. Not even Gehry or Libeskind act quite as autistic.


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## LCIII

I love both buildings and there are many others who do as well. Give it a rest.


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## erbse

Why? So hyped architects like Vinoly will keep on dropping their stuff wherever we look?

I and many others won't accept that, whether you like it or not.


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## ThatOneGuy

What are you going to do? Keep complaining on architecture forums to annoy the rest of us? That's gonna "stop" them from building what you, as a classicist, don't personally like?


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## TheYesGuy

All the complaining is getting seriously old across all the threads you do it in.


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## Tubeworm

Just ignore him. It's like he's not ever there!


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## lulyrib

NYC, you're wonderful place!
Gosh, I just can't stop saying that I love this place. 
I went there 5 months ago and I can't take every single moment out of my head.


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## LArchitect

hugh said:


> Rafael Vinoly's already played his emperors clothes 'new aesthetics' card in London (20 Fenchurch St.), I see he's aiming to do the same with the no less preposterous 432 Park Ave. Gotham deserves better.


 Gotham is actually Chicago. just an fyi


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## Vertical_Gotham

LArchitect said:


> Gotham is actually Chicago. just an fyi


Unfortunately It's not. 

So why do we call it Gotham anyway??
http://www.nypl.org/blog/2011/01/25/so-why-do-we-call-it-gotham-anyway


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## LArchitect

Vertical_Gotham said:


> Unfortunately It's not.
> 
> So why do we call it Gotham anyway??
> http://www.nypl.org/blog/2011/01/25/so-why-do-we-call-it-gotham-anyway


Wowsa, learn something new everyday. When I searched the web more broadly it's not quite as cut and dry though. It appears the original artist used Chicago as his basis while frank miller used New York. But being from the Midwest you only hear the Chicago angle on it. Cheers to learning something new :cheers:

this seems to sum up all the different articles I read the best

"'Gotham' is a nickname fo New York, used by Washington Irving. Batman's Gotham City generally has been thought to be New York City, this is also though by Frank Miller. 

Batman artist Neal Adams sees Gotham as based on Chicago (nicknamed 'New Gotham'). This is partly because Chicago has backalleys, which are virtually non-existant in New York, though Batman fights in them all the time. So if the artist draws it with similarities to Chicago then I would maybe class this as been the main city basis. 

Film adaptations of Batman by Tim Burton have been based on New York, though the newer Christopher Nolan films have Gotham based on Chicago. "

ok back on topic, sorry


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## sbarn

LArchitect said:


> Gotham is actually Chicago. just an fyi


No. Gotham is New York.


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## Ghostface79

^^^ Tell 'em VG and Sbarn.


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## LArchitect




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## MarshallKnight

I like this definition I found on Wikipedia:



> New York Times journalist William Safire described Gotham City as "New York below 14th Street, from SoHo to Greenwich Village, the Bowery, Little Italy, Chinatown, and the sinister areas around the base of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges."


The Nolan movies used several locations, mostly Chicago in the first two, then Detroit, Downtown Los Angeles and New York in the third. The only wide aerial in the whole series is a pretty incredible CGI that is definitely inspired by Manhattan:


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## ophizer

Vertical_Gotham said:


> Unfortunately It's not.
> 
> So why do we call it Gotham anyway??
> http://www.nypl.org/blog/2011/01/25/so-why-do-we-call-it-gotham-anyway


thank you! 
wanted to learn what "gotham" really means for ages

sometimes you just need it served on a silver platter :banana:


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## Tubeworm

Also, in the movie, Wayne Manor is located in a community on the outskirts of Gotham known as The Palisades. In reality, the Hudson Palisades are the west cliffs along New Jersey, and there's an extremely wealthy community up there known as Alpine, where Wayne Manor could fit in. Those seem to go hand-in-hand.


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## sbarn

I feel like "Gotham" and "Gotham City" are two different things that shouldn't really be conflated.

Gotham is a nickname for New York. Its called the Gothamist for a reason (just an example).

Gotham City is a fictional place that hybridizes various elements of New York and Chicago - basically representing the 20th Century American metropolis.


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## Tubeworm

sbarn said:


> I feel like "Gotham" and "Gotham City" are two different things that shouldn't really be conflated.
> 
> Gotham is a nickname for New York. Its called the Gothamist for a reason (just an example).
> 
> Gotham City is a fictional place that hybridizes various elements of New York and Chicago - basically representing the 20th Century American metropolis.


It's true that the fictional Gotham City represents a city that "anyone can identify with," but the origins of _Gotham City_ stem directly from New York City. 

Bill Finger said it himself:

"Originally I was going to call Gotham City 'Civic City.' Then I tried 'Capital City,' then 'Coast City.' Then I flipped through the New York City phone book and spotted the name 'Gotham Jewelers' and said, 'That's it,' Gotham City. *We didn't call it New York because we wanted anybody in any city to identify with it.*"
_Steranko, Jim (1970). The Steranko History of Comics._

And of course Gotham was a nickname for New York before the comics, hence the name of the store. There are many elements of Gotham City that are similar to NYC, like both being made up of islands. IMO, they overlap very well, but not completely. In _Batman Begins_, Alfred and Bruce just say "Gotham" and they don't include the "City".


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## hateman

Judging by that CGI of Gotham, Batman's real enemy is climate change, not the Joker.


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## Ghostface79

*Construction Update: 505 West 19th Street*
http://newyorkyimby.com


----------



## Ghostface79

Would love to see that happen. Doubt I'll swim in it tho.

*Long-Awaited Floating Pool Moves Into Filtration Testing Phase*
http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140422/greenpoint/long-awaited-floating-pool-moves-into-filtration-testing-phase





























> GREENPOINT — Hop on in to the Hudson River — the water's fine.
> 
> A team of designers creating a massive floating pool intended to let New Yorkers swim in the East or Hudson rivers has created a filtration system to filter the river’s water and let people swim without the fear of toxic chemicals. The group is currently testing it out in hopes of having it ready for a Spring 2016 launch date.
> 
> “It’s basically a giant strainer that you dump it in the river,” said Dong-Ping Wong, who co-founded + Pool along with Archie Coates and Jeff Franklin.
> 
> The scientists are currently testing out their miniature pools inside a “floating lab” just south of Pier 40 in the Hudson River. The experiments will spend the next three months in the Hudson River — before moving over to a yet-unspecified location in the East River for the next three months — to test the effectiveness of the filtration system before construction begins on the public floating pool.
> 
> “Our goal this year is to find a permanent home for the pool,” Coates said. “If all goes well we're hoping + Pool to launch in [Spring] 2016.”
> 
> Organizers have spent years trying to raise enough money to make the pool a reality. The project is expected to cost $15 million, which backers hope to raise by selling 70,000 tiles that will line the pool’s deck, walls and floor. If they sell all the tiles, which range from $25 to $249 apiece, they should reach their goal, Coates said.
> 
> The team launched a successful Kickstarter campaign that has so far raised over $273,000. In 2011, a similar campaign raised $40,000. The pool, which takes its name and shape from a plus sign, will be divided into four separate sections; a children's pool, a lounge pool, a sports pool, and a lap pool, the designers said.
> 
> In the meantime, they are testing out the filtration system in different conditions, including heavy sewage overflows, said Wade McGillis, a scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory who has been helping design + Pool.
> 
> The lab uses Google software to compile data of the rivers' water quality and share that data online for free. Part of the goal is to educate people about New York’s water and inspire them to come up with ways of making it cleaner, like designing their own homemade filtration systems, Wong said.
> 
> The idea of + Pool began in 2010 when the three co-founders were thinking of ways to find relief from the city’s oppressive heat. Much of the city is surrounded by water so it made perfect sense.
> 
> “It took us about six years of living in New York to see the water as water and not a border between Brooklyn and Manhattan,” Dong said.


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## Ghostface79

Fulton Transit Center update, looks almost done.

From [email protected]
http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3604&page=90


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## Troopchina

Looks good. Love the red building next to it :cheers:


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## ThatOneGuy

I like the black mies-style facade.


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## Ulpia-Serdica

Definitively a nice composition, the red brick building followed by the glassy facade and then black facade.


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## Ghostface79

*Pierhouse Starts to Take Shape Beside Brooklyn Bridge Park*
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/04/23/pierhouse_starts_to_take_shape_beside_brooklyn_bridge_park.php


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## Ghostface79

*50-story tower could sprout on Junior's site*

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20140423/REAL_ESTATE/140429949/50-story-tower-could-sprout-on-juniors-site#


> *JPMorgan Chase is weighing the sale of air rights on its landmarked branch in downtown Brooklyn to the developers of a site next door. The sale could pave the way for the rise of one of the tallest towers in the booming neighborhood.*
> 
> The bank, which declined to comment on its plans, owns the turn-of-the-century, neoclassical building at 9 Dekalb Ave., a two-story property with hundreds of thousands of square feet of untapped development rights above it. Those rights could come in handy for whomever ends up buying the site next door, the longtime home of one of Brooklyn’s most famous eateries, Junior’s.
> 
> “Every developer in New York City is looking at this,” said Stephen Palmese, partner at Massey Knakal Realty Services, the firm selling the Junior’s site at the corner of Dekalb Avenue and Flatbush Avenue Extension.
> 
> *The purchase of JPMorgan Chase’s air rights could pave the way for a roughly 385,000-square-foot tower on the Junior’s site, with as many as 50 stories. That would be just three stories shorter than the borough’s current record holder, the 53-story tower at 388 Bridge St., and one below the 51-story Brooklyner at 111 Lawrence St. The new building would likely house residential units and/or a hotel...*
> 
> ...While the Junior’s site is technically in the section proposed for commercial development, the demand for residential units downtown has skyrocketed during the latest real estate boom, pushing the price for development sites from about $50 per buildable square foot to about $350 in just the last three years, according to Mr. Palmese.
> 
> Robert Knakal, chairman of Massey Knakal, predicted in February that the parcel would fetch a record price per square foot, according to The New York Times, and with the possibility of adding air rights from the bank branch next door, that assertion only seems more likely.
> 
> Junior’s owners, meanwhile, have vowed to continue operating their restaurant in whatever building replaces its current digs.


----------



## erkantang

ZZ-II said:


> First page?



But it is not up to date. (8 years ago) .I agree, i would like to see a list to


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## Ghostface79

Desertpunk has the most up to date list out there. Tho I'm sure some projects should be added by now.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1150103


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## Eastern37

...


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## philip

erbse said:


> The major issue here is what the "Preservation" Board consists of.
> 
> 
> *Any* city on Earth that tears down such a building has some serious issues going on:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Seriously NYC, WTF? :no:


Any American Patriots will support demolishing this faux European style building and build something more American original.


----------



## erbse

Ah yeah? What would that look like? Surely we'll get another Chrysler Building icon on this plot. :lol: Or a shotgun home, rather?
Let's tear down most of faux midrise NYC, Brooklyn Brownstones, Cambridge and Boston then. Awesome attitude, boy. We don't have any such buildings in Europe, btw.


_PS: I've asked moderator desertpunk to implement his updated project list in the first post here._


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## Kazurro

ZZ-II said:


> First page?


I not up to date. Thanks ghost79


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*IN DETAIL> 19 EAST HOUSTON STREET*
Perkins Eastman serves up a contemporary interpretation of Soho's cast iron facades.










*Before:*









*After:*


----------



## LCIII

I love it!


----------



## Ghostface79

*Revealed: 461 West 34th Street*
Boring as expected

http://newyorkyimby.com/#


----------



## Ghostface79

*Behold, the $50M PH & Sky Pool of Foster's Chelsea Condos*

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/04/29/behold_the_50m_ph_sky_pool_of_fosters_chelsea_condos.php


----------



## Ghostface79

*Developer Scales Back Plans for Muslim Center Near Ground Zero*

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/30/nyregion/developer-scales-back-plans-for-muslim-center-near-ground-zero.html


> The developer whose proposal to build a Muslim community center and mosque near the World Trade Center failed amid a national controversy three years ago said Tuesday that he now plans to construct a museum devoted to Islam in the same location.
> 
> Sharif El-Gamal, the developer, said through a spokesman that instead of a $100 million, 15-story community center and prayer space, he now planned a smaller, three-story museum “dedicated to exploring the faith of Islam and its arts and culture.” The building would also include a sanctuary for prayer services and community programs.
> 
> *To make the plan more attractive to neighbors, he said in a statement, he had commissioned a French architect, Jean Nouvel, winner of the 2008 Pritzker Prize, to design the building at 45-51 Park Place, about two blocks from the former World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, and had included plans for a public green space.*
> 
> “This is a more tailored approach, both physically and programmatically,” said Hank Sheinkopf, a spokesman for Mr. El-Gamal. “It will prove to be an important addition to the neighborhood and to New York City’s arts and cultural community.”
> 
> The museum will be a 5,000-square-foot, three-story structure, Mr. Sheinkopf said, adding that the dimensions and design are still in development. He said Mr. El-Gamal’s signing of Mr. Nouvel “shows his serious commitment to realizing this project.”


----------



## Sarina G Photography

New photos from NYC online. http://sarinagphotography.blogspot.c...k-tag-2.2.html


----------



## Ghostface79

*Cantilevering Hotel to Replace Parsons School of Design*

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/01/cantilevering_hotel_to_replace_parsons_school_of_design.php











> A partnership of Soho Properties, MPH Real Estate Services, and Hampshire Hotels Management LLC purchased Parsons The New School for Design at 560 Seventh Avenue last October for over $93 million, and have plans to raze the building that currently stands at the site and replace it with just what Times Square needed: another hotel. Unlike all those other Times Square hotels, however, this one will feature a fairly ambitious design from architecture firm SOMA. Separated into four distinct structural cubes, or "volumes," the building will feature a 20,000-square-foot, three-story retail space at the bottom, hotel suites (shrouded in a metal screen facade) in the lower middle, the hotel amenities (sky lobby, restaurant, pool, lounge area) in the upper middle, and more superfancy hotel suites at the top. There will also be a common area on the roof and three planted terraces. This will be Hampshire's third Dream Hotel in Manhattan.


----------



## Ghostface79

*Astoria's First Residential Waterfront Towers, Revealed!*

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/01/astorias_first_residential_waterfront_towers_revealed.php






































> The 1-million-square-foot Astoria Cove development is officially moving through the Uniform Land Use Review Process, and now we finally have the first renderings of the three-tower waterfront project. STUDIO V Architecture shared the visuals with the Architect's Newspaper, describing the three new towers as "an outdoor room" that's defined by greenery and the curved shoreline it sits on. Shorter buildings will be capped with green roofs, and landscape architect Ken Smith filled the property with planted walkways, lots of trees, a rain garden, and flower beds. And, as is now required with waterfront projects, the entire development is set above the projected future floodplain. The towers will hold a total of 1,689 apartments, 259 of which will be affordable, and the street level storefronts will be a mix of retail and restaurants.
> 
> Like what you see? You better, because STUDIO V is also designed the nearby Hallets Point, which is 1,000-units larger. That project, rendering as white towers in the image above, includes 2,100 market rate apartments, 500 affordable units, and community necessities like a bank, supermarket, and school. City Council approved the Hallets Point plans last October.


----------



## Ghostface79

*Revealed: 1562 Second Avenue*

http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/05/revealed-1562-second-avenue.html


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Ghostface79 said:


> *Cantilevering Hotel to Replace Parsons School of Design*
> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/01/cantilevering_hotel_to_replace_parsons_school_of_design.php


What a shame. The design came straight out of 2003. They couldn't preserve the historic mid-century modern structure on site and want to replace it with randomly clad floating cubes dated a decade ago hno:


----------



## dexter2

Ghostface79 said:


> *Revealed: 1562 Second Avenue*
> 
> http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/05/revealed-1562-second-avenue.html


Another Sterns design?


----------



## Ghostface79

^^^ No it's not, just another guy named Stern lol.

*Crazy-Looking Futuristic Hotel May Loom Over Wythe Avenue*

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/02/crazylooking_futuristic_hotel_may_loom_over_wythe_avenue.php#more











> A tipster spotted a rendering for the planned hotel, office, and retail complex that's could rise at 55 Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg, and Brownstoner has more details on the Jetsons-appropriate project. The first look of the unfortunate hovercraft between North 12th and North 13th streets comes via the Shopping Center Group, which is leasing out the building's commercial space on the lower levels. Developer Zelig Weiss's Level Hotel has been in the works since December, a 320,000-square-foot building with 22 floors that's set to include 183 rooms and a pool, based on a cluster of sun umbrellas spotted in the back right corner of the render as well as building permits. Meanwhile, the 40,000-square-foot commercial portion includes not only the shops below, topped by a 20,000-square-foot rooftop farm, but also office space in the first 10 floors of the tower. Yeah, the part clad in chevrons.
> 
> This is just one of at least 13 hotels afflicting sprouting up in the Williamsburg area right now, but it's safe to say it's not the prettiest. Needless to say, design-savvy Wythe Hotel it ain't. Anyone know the architect responsible? Since it's probably not Salaman Engineering, which is listed on Department of Buildings filings. Hit up the tipline.


----------



## DannyR2713

Ghostface79 said:


> *Revealed: 1562 Second Avenue*


Hopefully it turns out as great as the Touraine at 65th street. That tower was well done


----------



## Kazurro

By the way I've read the UN wanted to build offices on Robert Moses Playground. Is there any firm project? Is there thread for it?


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

Ghostface79 said:


> *Revealed: 1562 Second Avenue*
> 
> http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/05/revealed-1562-second-avenue.html


Nice! A perfect kind of development for the UES! I approve! :cheers:


----------



## The seventh shape

philip said:


> Any American Patriots will support demolishing this faux European style building and build something more American original.


Lol, then you might as well tear down American classics like Chrysler Building, Herald-Tribune, and ESB with the foreign art deco and gothic styles.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

*Soho Properties Filing Plans for Condo at 45 Park Place*
http://commercialobserver.com/2014/05/soho-properties-filing-plans-for-condo-at-45-park-place/



> *Soho Properties today is filing plans with the city to erect a condominium at 45 Park Place*, next to the developer’s planned three-story museum devoted to Islam.
> 
> *Designed by architect Michel Abboud of SOMA Architects*, with Ismael Leyva Architects, *the as-of-right glass and steel tower will rise 619 feet.*
> 
> *Construction is slated to begin this year and the building will be completed in 2017, according to a press release from the developer.*
> 
> “We are thrilled to contribute to the continued renaissance of Lower Manhattan and the new downtown skyline,” said Sharif El-Gamal, the chairman and CEO of Soho Properties, in a prepared statement. *“We look forward to sharing our unique vision for an exquisite residential condominium property.”*
> 
> Architect Jean Nouvel was tapped to design the neighboring museum “dedicated to exploring the faith of Islam and its arts and culture,” The New York Times previously reported, and public space.
> 
> No other details were provided by a spokesperson for the condo.
> Park51 officially opened its doors as a cultural and community center at 45-51 Park Place in September 2011, a year after controversy ensued following announcement of plans for a 15-story Muslim institution two blocks from the World Trade Center, which Islamic radicals attacked on September 11, 2001.


----------



## desertpunk

*New West Side Tower Design 'Inspired By Chinese Lanterns'*












> Renderings are out (h/t *New York YIMBY*) for the newest addition to the Hudson Yards Special District, and the building will not be a boring glass slab. Designed by Archilier Architecture, this new tower will rise 720-feet at 470 11th Avenue on the corner of West 38th Street, and it will hold a 410-room hotel and 51 luxury condos. Developer Blackhouse purchased the site just last month. Blackhouse is partnering with an Asian equity firm in the deal, and the team plans to market the condos to Chinese buyers—thus, the selection of a Shanghai-based design firm. The archi-babble says the look is "inspired by traditional Chinese lanterns," and the stacked, alternating cubes are punctuated by "dramatic terraces and sky pools." It looks like there will be some kind of crazy open-air lobby, too.


----------



## Ghostface79

860 Washington street update, with a completed 837 Washington street in the background

http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2014/5/4/860-washington


----------



## Ghostface79

505 west 19th street update

http://instagram.com/p/nghIzYhvKQ/


----------



## Ghostface79

Whitney Museum update

http://instagram.com/p/ngq_OuBvIg/


----------



## ThatOneGuy

desertpunk said:


> *New West Side Tower Design 'Inspired By Chinese Lanterns'*


Chinese lanterns? Really? There's no need to resort to that kind of kitsch afterthought. They should just be proud of their use of honest form and space in the design.
It's a disgrace to actual artistic inspiration to just make something up like that in order to appeal to Chinese money.


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## erbse

^ Exactly my thoughts. Just too false-faced to be true! :lol:


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## towerpower123

This should give New York devlopment a massive kick in the back side and propel it far faster into the future!










http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20140505/REAL_ESTATE/140509934/city-unveils-10-year-200k-unit-41b-housing-plan
*City unveils 10-year, 200K-unit, $41B housing plan*


> On Monday morning, Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled his administration's ambitious plan to *build and preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing, one that he says will house half a million people at a cost of more than $41 billion over the next decade.*
> The mayor's rhetoric in introducing his plan matched the scale of his proposal.
> "This is literally the largest and most ambitious affordable housing program initiated by any city in this country in the history of the United States," Mr. de Blasio said Monday, brandishing his administration's 116-page report while standing against the backdrop of a residential development site in downtown Brooklyn.
> The plan is the mayor's central effort to address the nature of inequality in New York, a theme that Mr. de Blasio rode to victory over a host of qualified rivals last fall. And while his housing goal has been known for at least a year—*200,000 units of affordable housing over 10 years*—the plan released Monday is the public's first peek at the details of how his administration will accomplish its titanic task.
> The main thrust will be a policy of mandatory inclusionary zoning, which would require developers to include affordable units in new buildings in return for zoning changes to allow for taller buildings and greater density. The previous administration relied on a voluntary system to encourage affordable developments. Mr. de Blasio said those tactics had not produced as much below-market rate housing as needed.
> In an acknowledgement of the lack of available space to build, the plan is weighted toward preserving, rather than building, affordable apartments. Over the next decade, Mr. de Blasio says his administration will *preserve 120,000 units of affordable housing. Meanwhile, the city will work with the real estate industry to build 80,000 new affordable apartments.*
> More building will require denser neighborhoods, and the mayor has stated his willingness to build taller and more closely grouped buildings to achieve his goal.
> The plan is expected to be a boon for the construction and building-worker industry, with the administration estimating *194,000 construction jobs and 7,100 permanent jobs* being created as a result.
> "Yes, it is ambitious," Mr. de Blasio said. "We're proud it is ambitious. Yes, it will take everything we got. But that's what's needed to address an affordability crisis that we've never seen the likes of before."
> On the surface, the plan is diverse and multipronged. It includes specific prescriptions, such as the creation of two new city initiatives—the Neighborhood Construction Program and the New Infill Homeownership Opportunities Program—to aid in the development of small, vacant sites. And it includes broad goals that, for now, lack specifics, such as the revision of the city's existing tax breaks for developers to "to ensure that city resources…are no greater than absolutely necessary to incentivize the production of housing."
> The mayor called the old "80/20" model in which 80% of new developments are market rate and 20% affordable "a model of the past." Going forward, the city will adopt a new "50/30/20" model in which 20% of units will be available to low-income households, 30% to moderate income households and 50% for middle-income households, which is essentially market-rate. In other words, 20% of the low-income units would be available to households earning 50% of the area median income, or around $41,000 for a family of four.
> Monday's announcement was made at the site of a mixed-use development that employs the 50/30/20 model. David Picket, president of the developers of the site, Gotham Organization, praised Mr. de Blasio's plan, but noted that that model wouldn't necessarily work for every project going forward.
> Mr. de Blasio said his desire was to work collaboratively with the real estate industry, but promised to "drive a hard bargain" in future negotiations.
> "We need to get the most out of everything we do," he said.
> The mayor did not identify specific neighborhoods that would be targeted for aggressive development, however City Planning Commissioner Carl Weisbrod said the Planning Commission would initiate a "dozen" planning studies in the months ahead to start that process. His plan calls for additional building atop rail yards, such as with Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn and Hudson Yards in Manhattan, but does not identify specific locations.
> Public housing will be a component of this plan, though likely not the building of new public housing, as Mr. de Blasio noted that funding from the federal government was essentially "frozen." Asked if new legislation will be required from Albany to help entice developers or protect rent regulated apartments, Mr. de Blasio responded vaguely that his administration expected the full cooperation from both the federal and state governments.
> "We insist on real involvement," he said.
> Homelessness prevention is also a goal of this plan, though Mr. de Blasio contested the notion that homeless families would be moved to the front of the line as new affordable apartments are created.
> *Under the administration of Michael Bloomberg, the City Planning Commission undertook 119 rezonings encompassing 11,000 blocks since 2002, or almost 50% of the city.* But Mr. de Blasio said he was confident that more could be done using the city's zoning powers. Mr. Weisbrod said that even some neighborhoods that had been rezoned under the previous administration would be studied to assess additional rezoning opportunities.











Hunters Point Queens









On Staten Island









Pitkin Avenue, East New York, Brooklyn









Bronx Waterfront









Spring Creek Brooklyn









Welrose Commons Bronx









Sugar Hill North Manhattan

The whole planning book is posted in that article.


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## droneriot

Love this sentence:



> The main thrust will be a policy of mandatory inclusionary zoning, which would require developers to include affordable units in new buildings in return for zoning changes to allow for *taller buildings and greater density.*


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## erbse

Btw - what happened to the halo for Grand Central? 



erbse said:


> *Untangling the Grand Central Snarl *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NY REAL ESTATE COMMERCIAL October 17, 2012
> *A pedestrian halo suspended in the sky between two office towers. An elevated glass walkway with seasonal grasses. A pedestrian plaza with sidewalk cafes and retail.*
> 
> These are a few of the proposals by architects who want to transform Grand Central Terminal from a chaotic beehive back to its former glory as a stately entry point to the city for the many thousands of commuters and tourists who use it each day.
> 
> The Department of City Planning has proposed a rezoning of the area around Grand Central, including parts of Park and Madison avenues, to allow for a handful of new office towers, some of which could rival iconic buildings in Shanghai, Dubai and London.
> 
> As part of the proposed rezoning, some developers would be required to donate to a fund to make infrastructure upgrades in the area, including building additional stairways to access the subway platforms in Grand Central and a pedestrian mall on Vanderbilt Avenue.
> 
> But some want to see more ambitious solutions to Grand Central's pedestrian traffic jams, which are only expected to increase with the addition of more office space and new commuter access to the terminal by the Long Island Rail Road. "What's in it for the public?" said Roger Duffy, a design partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, an architecture firm.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _A rendering of a pedestrian plaza for easier terminal access by Foster + Partners._
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quelle: http://mas.org/next-100-proposed-visions-grand-central-midtown-public-spaces-oct-2012/
> 
> S. auch: http://mas.org/next-100-proposed-visions-grand-central-midtown-public-spaces-oct-2012/


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## aquablue

ThatOneGuy said:


> Chinese lanterns? Really? There's no need to resort to that kind of kitsch afterthought. They should just be proud of their use of honest form and space in the design.
> It's a disgrace to actual artistic inspiration to just make something up like that in order to appeal to Chinese money.


No, on the contrary, i think it's rather good. It forces developers to build something more interesting than another neo-1970's modernist box (there are enough of those proposed). The Chinese like interesting designs that have good fung shui, so if they are building something like this to appeal to the Chinese market it's ok with me despite the tacky undertones regarding the source of inspiration. At least the design is somewhat interesting and not like the 1960's-is-back 50 HY renderings.

That Halo is fun and I wouldn't mind seeing it, but it was a purely conceptual proposal and the fact that it hovers over GCS would make it dead-on-arrival in NYC.


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## BrickellResidence

I reeaaaaallly hope that Halo and the surrounding skyscrapers get built


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## Vertical_Gotham

erbse said:


> Btw - what happened to the halo for Grand Central?


This will happen.. 

*1 Vanderbilt Place:*









*And this is the latest proposal for Vanderbilt Avenue expected to follow as a result of 1 Vandy:*

*(More renderings in link)*
http://untappedcities.com/2013/08/1...turn-vanderbilt-avenue-into-pedestrian-plaza/


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## Vertical_Gotham

*In New York’s hidden places, finding room to build*
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/real-estate/2014/05/8544690/new-yorks-hidden-places-finding-room-build



> *Mayor Bill de Blasio doesn’t think you can get anywhere worth getting in the city’s affordable housing crisis without building a much taller, denser metropolis.*
> 
> He said as much in February, during a closed-door meeting with the city’s biggest real estate lobby, the Real Estate Board of New York *("It's going to take a willingness to use height and density to the maximum feasible extent. ... I don't have a hang-up about it”).*
> 
> And de Blasio's deputy mayor for housing and economic development, Alicia Glen, said as much again on Wednesday, when she previewed the housing plan that de Blasio was supposed to unveil on Thursday, before he abruptly cleared his calendar to make way for a labor-agreement announcement.
> 
> *"For so long, density has been a bad word amongst urban planners," said Glen. "But now we're realizing that density when done right is our great, great advantage. It's what drives what a good friend of mine often calls the 'infrastructure of opportunity.'"*
> 
> If the mayor—a longstanding proponent of density—has been upfront about his belief that the city must facilitate the construction of big, closely packed buildings to accommodate affordable housing, he’s been less forthright on the politically toxic question of which neighborhoods in this city should gird themselves to accommodate that density.
> 
> There's no shortage of advice on the matter.
> 
> “You could do it entirely in major corridors," said John Shapiro, the chair of Pratt Institute's Center for Planning and the Environment, naming by way of example, Fourth Avenue, Northern Boulevard, Coney Island Avenue, Queens Boulevard, and Atlantic Avenue, the latter a corridor one knowledgeable source told me the de Blasio administration has also discussed.
> 
> If there's plenty of room to reshape New York City's envelope to allow for taller buildings replete with affordable housing, there's also plenty of existing floor area that has yet to be used. That's the argument put forth by another urban thinker, Joan Byron, the director of policy at the Pratt Center for Community Development.
> 
> *She points out that the Bloomberg administration already rezoned a lot of the city (120 rezonings, to be precise), and a lot of the extra buildable square footage those rezonings created has yet to be used, thanks in part to the recession.*
> 
> *According to a preliminary Pratt Center analysis, there is *57 million square feet of unused, high-density residential zoning floor area in the Bronx, 24 million in Brooklyn, *56 million in Manhattan*, and 8 million in Queens.
> 
> Byron is working on mapping out precisely where that unused floor area is located, but said, "It's not unreasonable for the city to target some of those areas, especially the ones that are transit rich or have the potential to be transit rich, with the addition of bus rapid transit."
> 
> If Byron and Shapiro are looking at transit-oriented, developable corridors, Alexander Garvin, the urban planner and former City Planning commissioner, is looking at the infrastructure that connects it, and could, theoretically, support housing, too.
> 
> *“We have lots of railyards and highways that you can build on right now,” *he said, pointing by way of example to the railyards in Sunnyside and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, which has a below-grade cut separating the Columbia Street Waterfront District from Carroll Gardens.
> 
> There’s also room for infill near Yankee Stadium, and in East New York near the Long Island Railroad stop, according to the Regional Plan Association’s vice president for research, Chris Jones.
> 
> And then there's the Staten Island waterfront, and, well, the water itself.
> 
> “We used to build in the water,” said Garvin.
> 
> Battery Park City was built on landfill, he reminded, and: “Ten percent of Manhattan Island was under water in 1800."
> 
> There's also the fertile landmass now occupied by industry: Eleventh Avenue north of 41st Street, if the city ever builds that 7 train station that the Bloomberg administration mothballed; Long Island City; Sunset Park.
> 
> Garvin says neighborhoods like those have "underutilized industrial property," and New Yorkers have to recognize “the fact that we are not going to be an industrial power anymore."
> 
> Mention that idea to Shapiro, and he'll tell you he feels his "temper rising" and that the notion of rezoning industrial for residential is "low-hanging poison fruit.”
> 
> Sure, industrial sites tend to be single-story buildings, with big footprints that make ideal building sites. Sure, they are also not typically surrounded by entitled, ornery neighbors.
> 
> But they are also often brownfields that require remediation.
> 
> And more to the point, New York City is no longer hemorrhaging industrial jobs. Actually, the sector has stabilized, arguably strengthening the case for preserving what's left.
> 
> "It’s sort of like fighting the Cold War with Putin," said Shapiro."Putin is not the Soviet Union. ... This is not the 1950s Cold War, and it’s the same thing here. The story with industry is much different from what it was 40 years ago."
> 
> When I asked Seth Pinsky, the real estate executive who used to run Bloomberg's Economic Development Corporation, where de Blasio's density should go, he would only tell me where it shouldn't go: in manufacturing zones.
> 
> “We have to ensure that industrial businesses are able to locate and create good middle class jobs," he said, "and that we’re not displacing those businesses with affordable housing."


----------



## ThatOneGuy

aquablue said:


> No, on the contrary, i think it's rather good. It forces developers to build something more interesting than another neo-1970's modernist box (there are enough of those proposed). The Chinese like interesting designs that have good fung shui, so if they are building something like this to appeal to the Chinese market it's ok with me despite the tacky undertones regarding the source of inspiration. At least the design is somewhat interesting and not like the 1960's-is-back 50 HY renderings.


That building has no resemblence to anything Chinese whatsoever. I could think of many ways to be Chinese-lantern inspired without going tacky or pastiche, but that design isn't one of them.
What is kitsch is blatantly making up a cultural inspiration as an afterthought in order to sell rooms.


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## aquablue

ThatOneGuy said:


> That building has no resemblence to anything Chinese whatsoever. I could think of many ways to be Chinese-lantern inspired without going tacky or pastiche, but that design isn't one of them.
> What is kitsch is blatantly making up a cultural inspiration as an afterthought in order to sell rooms.


I disagree. Take a look at many of those supertalls going up in Shenzhen right now. Many are boxes with a little flash thrown in like this. I am sure this would have been just a plain dull 1970s revival box if the Chinese market was not the target. Obviously all these great designs proposed in NYC are somewhat influenced by the need to attract the foreign buyer. If the domestic market was the taget, I doubt many of these towers wold have interesting designs. Frankly, Americans in general don't really care about innovative design in their future homes. Look at all the suburban neo-colonial crap that gets built in the NE, midwest, midatlantic, south, etc.. nothing very groundbreaking there. This would be another bloomberg tower without glaring fact that foreign buyers like some flash. 432 Park is mostly domestic targeted, and it's a boring and dull design. So thank the Chinese because they actually appreciate and DEMAND something other than another dull glass box because without them NYC developers would be only building like that since its cheaper.


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## aquablue

Vertical_Gotham said:


> This will happen..
> 
> *1 Vanderbilt Place:*


I prefer the more futuristic looking glass towers. This one is more retro looking. This is one place where a glass tower would be a welcome relief from all the brown stone and dull towers.


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## Vertical_Gotham

^^ This will be cladded in glass. Here's a rendering of that model.


----------



## Manitopiaaa

Wow, came out nicer than I expected.


----------



## el palmesano

awesome!!!


----------



## Jaffster

Anybody have any renders for the project on 46th and eighth?


----------



## Ghostface79

*Revealed: 290 West Street*
http://newyorkyimby.com



















There are quite a few nice buildings going up in that area that barely get mentioned, there's another condo rising at the opposite of the same block on West street and on Renwick street there are 2 or 3 buildings going up. I'll try to take some pics next time I'm around.


----------



## Ghostface79

Follow up to desertpunk's post, Whitney Museum update.

From [email protected]
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=118066&page=8


----------



## desertpunk

*170 Amsterdam 6/4*


170 Amsterdam Avenue by Drew Dies, on Flickr


----------



## Ghostface79

Right on cue with my post yesterday, *15 Renwick update*

http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/06/construction-update-15-renwick-street.html#


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Nice facade, but the top makes no sense. Shame.


----------



## Ghostface79

505 west 19th street update

From [email protected]
http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10006&page=64


----------



## desertpunk

The riverfront face of the new Whitney Museum from early May:


The Great Saunter-The New Whitney Museum, 05.03.14 by gigi_nyc, on Flickr


----------



## DannyR2713

Ghostface79 said:


> From [email protected]
> http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10006&page=64


Which is the one behind it up 10th avenue?


----------



## Ghostface79

Other buildings u/c or planned on Renwick street in TriBeCa

*Construction Update: 503 Canal Street*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/06/construction-update-503-canal-street.html/1


















Also on the same block

*Related reveals first glimpse of 12-story Tribeca rentals*
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/06/09/related-reveals-first-glimpse-of-12-story-tribeca-rentals/


----------



## desertpunk

*Revealed: 237 East 34th Street*












> A tipster sent along the first rendering for 237 East 34th Street, which is about to give rise to a predominantly residential building. The site’s former occupant was a lecture hall used by Yeshiva University, and it will be demolished and enlarged to make way for the new structure; Alex Forkosh is the developer, and C3D Architecture is designing the new tower.
> 
> 237 East 34th Street will stand 23 stories and 210 feet to its roof, and includes 6,282 square feet of ground-floor retail.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

^^Nice considering it's location.


----------



## streetscapeer

Nice addition


----------



## desertpunk

*Phillip Johnson's AT&T Building May Go Condo - Partly*












> After an auction last year, prolific developer Chetrit Group won the right to buy the Sony Building for $1.1 billion. It's long been speculated that the new owner would undertake a partial offices-to-condos conversion, and lo and behold, it (very likely) shall be so. The Wall Street Journal dug up filings from the Attorney General's office showing that a section of the building is earmarked for 96 apartments. The paperwork doesn't shed light on which floors, or how many, are slated for the overhaul—even though past remarks and profit-making reasons would lead one to think it'll be the upper floors, with the lower floors continuing to serve as office space or perhaps a hotel. And because Sony's lease-back lasts through 2016, construction won't start immediately anyway.


----------



## desertpunk

*1,000-Foot Tower Could Rise on Junior's Site In DoBro*












> If all of the pieces come together, a tower as high as 1,000 feet could sprout on the site of Junior's Most Fabulous Cheesecakes and Desserts in Downtown Brooklyn at the corner of Flatbush Avenue Ext. and Dekalb Avenue. The iconic two-story eatery, which comes with development rights that would allow for a 20-story building, was put on the market in February. Then in April, the landmarked JP Morgan Chase next door announced that it was interested in selling its air rights, which would allow for a 50-story building on the Junior's site. Now the Times reports that if the winning developer collects all of the development rights on the whole triangular block, a 1,000-foot skyscraper could be built. *It's a mindboggling height for Brooklyn, considering that the borough's current tallest tower only stands at 590 feet, but there is a decent chance that it could actually be built.*
> 
> Bidding for the site begins this week, and dozens of big name developers are interested, including Michael Stern of JDS Development Group and Joseph Chetrit of the the Chetrit Group. And it just so happens that the pair purchased Junior's neighbor at 340 Flatbush Avenue Ext. late last year. If they win Junior's and acquire the air rights from Chase, they would be able to build at least a 500,000-square-foot structure.


We'll see who wins, this could be a corker!


----------



## desertpunk

View towards 150 Charles (middle ground) and new towers rising in Jersey City:


Downtown NYC & Jersey City, NJ by David Dávila Ortiz, on Flickr


----------



## ThatOneGuy

desertpunk said:


> *Phillip Johnson's AT&T Building May Go Condo - Partly*



What they need to do is powerwash it.


----------



## Ghostface79

More on TriBeCa, this is on the same block as 290 West Street

*Construction Update: 460 Washington Street*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/06/construction-update-460-washington-street-6-2014.html


----------



## desertpunk

*Condo Comeback Kid Michael Shvo Nabs Next Target for $180M*












> That resurrected developer with a pun-tastic name, Michael Shvo, wants everyone to know he's staging an epic comeback. After buying up a gas station on Tenth Avenue (cost: $23.5M; it'll be condos) and an eight-parcel site on Varick Street (cost: $130M, it'll probably be condos), Shvo has moseyed onto the next deal. The Post reports he's shelled out about $180 million for the vacant lot development site at Thames and Greenwich streets. Previous owners Fisher Brothers and Steven Witkoff were slated to erect a slender, glassy Rafael Vinoly-designed tower full o' rental apartments at 22 Thames Street that, at 957 feet, would have been the tallest residential building downtown. Shvo, however, will probably build luxury condos on the old American Stock Exchange site instead, because that's obviously his bag and, of course that's where the money is. *Plus, the sky is literally the limit because there are no height restrictions in the area.*


Viñoly's design: soon to be scrapped for a supertall?


----------



## desertpunk

*Long-Awaited 50 West Street Reveals Everything Except Pricing*












> A few renderings gave a peek inside the 191 condos coming to 50 West Street, and now, with the launch of its full website, the highly anticipated condo tower bares it all—interior renderings, penthouse renderings, amenity details, design details, floorplans—everything, that is, except pricing (previous reports say homes will average $1,900/square foot). But no matter, the wealth of new information is enough to satiate those that have been watching and waiting for this building for a decade. The 780-foot tower is being designed by Helmut Jahn, and the ever-popular Thomas Juul-Hansen is doing the interiors. Condos range from one- to four-bedrooms, and the amenity collection is one of the best we've seen. It includes a 60-foot pool, spin studio, an entire floor of home offices, and a private rooftop observatory and terrace at 734 feet.


----------



## desertpunk

*Permits Filed For Roseland Ballroom Tower*












> The Roseland Ballroom on West 53rd Street closed in April, and it's now nearing its end of days. Permits have been filed for the 62-story, 675-foot residential tower that will be replacing it. Designed by CetraRuddy, the building will have a wider retail base and hold 426 apartments in a tower wrapped with a brick-like window pattern.
> 
> http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/06/permits-filed-242-west-53rd-street.html


----------



## desertpunk

*Oosten Williamsburg Revealed*












> The Oosten is a Williamsburg condominium project with a decidedly international flavor — it's being designed by Dutch architect Piet Boon (the complex's name means East in Dutch) and it's the first ground-up American project from XIN Development Group International, the U.S. branch of Chinese development giant Xinyuan Real Estate Company. Not only that, but it sounds — and looks — likes it's going to be pretty luxurious, especially considering the location. The developers just released a new set of renderings, showing us exactly how the Oosten will, as the Times put it, "put a stylish stamp on a rough-edged industrial area south of the Williamsburg Bridge."


----------



## desertpunk

*Neighbors Uneasy About Astoria Cove Megadevelopment*












> One of the two waterfront megaprojects planned for Astoria's Hallets Point peninsula continued its public review process last night at a community board meeting that revealed many neighbors are aching for details about affordable housing. In April, City Planning green-lit Alma Realty's application for the 1,000,000-square-foot Astoria Cove development, which earmarked 295 units out of 1,689 as affordable, or just about 20 percent. But at the meeting, an attorney representing Alma, Howard Weiss, could neither divulge if that's the final number nor how much the affordable units will cost. "I can tell you right now, as you know, it's 295. We're working to exceed it," Weiss told Queens Community Board 2's zoning committee and a crowded banquet room at Astoria Manor. The company is currently discussing the details with City Planning. Added Weiss: "We're not there yet. So I can't provide a number."
> 
> The zoning committee is expected to make a recommendation at a June 17 meeting of the entire community board before Alma's plans get passed along to the borough president, City Planning, and City Council for the next steps in the six-month Uniform Land Use Review Process. But residents worried the board would vote next week without specifics on affordable housing and other matters. "It's really hard for me to approve on a hand if we don't know what we're talking about," said one board member. Others echoed that sentiment. "I'm shocked to the extent they threw back your questions at you," said John Collins, a Queens College professor.
> 
> The question of affordability emerged from the larger concern that Astoria will gentrify at the rate of other waterfront neighborhoods such as Greenpoint or Long Island City. "Manhattan has become too expensive for those with the big bucks to live, so they come to Astoria," said Robin Person, who's lived on the peninsula for 32 years.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*City Closes On Another Willets Site As Development Ramps Up*












> The City of New York has paid the Paterno Family of Flushing $7.94 million to acquire 126-23 37th Avenue in Willets Point, according to property records.
> 
> The deal is part of the city’s strategy to control the land necessary to proceed with the redevelopment of the Queens neighborhood. The city currently holds over 95 percent of the land earmarked for phase one of the project, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
> 
> Known for its collection of auto-repair shops and salvage yards, Willets Point is the target of a $3 billion redevelopment plan by Queens Development LLC, a joint venture between the Related Companies and Sterling Equities. The 62-acre development site features the New York Mets’ Citi Field at its heart.


----------



## desertpunk

*35XV*


red and silver buildings by olive witch, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Wythe Avenue corridor to get yet another hotel*












> The $30 million purchase of a site in North Williamsburg paves the way for an 180-room hotel by the developer behind the Condor Hotel.
> 
> The developer behind the Condor Hotel in South Williamsburg is building another hotel near the Wythe Hotel, the successful pioneer of what now has blossomed into a string of hotel projects in the neighborhood.
> 
> Developer Zelig Weiss has acquired 121 N. 12th St., a parcel that fills the entire block front between North 12th and North 13th streets along Wythe Avenue.
> 
> Mr. Weiss just closed on an $18.35 million loan from Madison Realty Capital, one of the most active specialty lenders in the boroughs, to purchase the site, which he is buying for about $30 million.
> 
> Joel Friedman, an executive with Nationwide Realty, helped Mr. Weiss arrange the transaction to acquire the site and said a 320,000-square-foot hotel can be erected there with about 180 rooms.
> 
> *The new hotel, to be called the Level Hotel[/b, is one of several that is being built in North Williamsburg along Wythe Avenue, where commercial zoning prevents the wave of residential development that has overtaken much of the rest of the neighborhood. Heritage Equity Partners, for instance, is also building a hotel around the block from the Wythe.
> *


----------



## desertpunk

*Naftali Group's 234 East 23rd Street Launches Sales*












> Yet another project from the prolific Naftali Group launches sales today. The brand new 20-story tower at 234 East 23rd Street, described on its official website as "an oasis of calm in the beating heart of the city" has nine active listings, ranging from an $815K studio to a $2.895 million two-bedroom, although the four-bedroom, full-floor penthouse with multiple large, private terraces will be asking north of $6 million whenever it comes to market.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

That hotel looks like three different architects took turns designing it. The one above is really nice though! Reminds me of NY's industial era.


----------



## streetscapeer

Great updates.. NY is on fire!


----------



## desertpunk

*101 Tribeca Could Be Financial District's Tallest Residential Building*












> Whew, it turns out the tall residential tower planned for Murray Street won't actually have a metallic spaceship at its pinnacle. But man, will it be tall. As first reported by New York YIMBY, Fisher Brothers and The Witkoff Group—developers of the site between Greenwich and West streets that was formerly a dorm for St. John's University—have tapped Kohn Pedersen Fox to design a glassy skyscraper for 101 Murray that gently curves outwards into a slightly wider apex. The 63-story building would house 129 condos, and while its exact height is as of yet unclear, YIMBY approximates it at 950 feet, which would make it downtown's tallest residential building. Oh, and it got a trendy new name, apparently: 101 Tribeca.


----------



## desertpunk

*135 W. 52nd St. Conversion Revealed*












> A Times article about condo developers employing artists to make their projects stand out reveals not only a full rendering of 135 West 52nd Street, where lighting designer Thierry Dreyfus will be installing a 423-foot tower of light, but a GIF that shows the building transition back and forth between its lighted and unlighted states. (Click on the picture to make it light up.)
> 
> The building is being converted from a hotel to 109 condominiums by Joseph Chetrit and David Bistricer, who bought the building last year for $180 million. They're spending another estimated $250 million on the renovation, so the pressure will be on Drefyus's lighting installation — as well as the huge penthouses and 12,000-square-foot residents' club) to draw the big money buyers.


----------



## RegentHouse

50 West Street and 101 Tribeca look like beautiful towers, and I hope 22 Thames Street gets a redesign at least commensurate to the former Western Electric Building.


----------



## desertpunk

*1715 Broadway*


aanepnycbnnyny052014_09969 by aanephotography, on Flickr


----------



## erbse

That Naftali project is so classy, thumbs up! kay: Great early modern appeal.


I like this one in Manhattan's Upper East Side too, some American architects really are still fluent in classical architecture language:

*1110 Park Avenue, NYC*
























http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37431

Simple, well proportioned, elegant, beautiful. Timeless.

Is it U/C already?


----------



## ZZ-II

so much awesome projects. No city will ever beat NYC :cheers:


----------



## Groningen NL

So? Dubai has many supertalls too, yet even comparing a city like that to nyc is like an insult to architecture, urban planning and history in general


----------



## DannyR2713

Maybe should discuss that in another thread ... Anybody know this tower under construction by the Brooklyn bridge? Pic I took today with my phone


----------



## EMArg

Some very useful shots in this video of some NYC developments:


----------



## desertpunk

View towards 1 WTC from construction at Greenwich Lane:


Cranes and One World Trade Center by Adrian Cabrero (Mustagrapho), on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*New Renderings Show More of Harlem's Taystee Redevelopment*












> Work is underway at the old Taystee Bakery Factory site in Harlem, and developer Janus Properties is trying to lure tenants to the site with a new batch of renderings and an informational website. *New York YIMBY* spotted the new images, which, save for the new blue hue, look pretty similar to the last visuals we saw. The website also has an interior rendering, a shot of an exterior seating area, and show the nearby neighbors. The 300,000-square-foot building will rise 11 stories on West 125th Street near Amsterdam Avenue, and it's being built to meet LEED silver certification.


----------



## desertpunk

One Morningside Park is topped out and nearing completion:


One Morningside Park by SamuelWalters74, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Developer May Just Slap Glass Thing Atop Mercantile Library*












> Adapting an old building for modern use comes with many challenges, especially when that adaptation includes an addition. Should the addition imitate the existing structure? Should it pay homage without being identical? Should it be of a completely different style, but one that complements or, at the least, defers to its surroundings? Or should you just throw a huge folding glass thing on top and call it a day? George Boyle, the architect in charge of turning the former Mercantile Library at 17 East 47th Street into the Merc Hotel, is going with the fourth option. On his website, Boyle explains, "We sought to design a roof-top addition that speaks softly to the original structure - to converse rather than merge."





















http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/07/revealed-17-east-47th-street.html


----------



## desertpunk

*Silverstein Will Roll Out Case for Hudson Yards Mega-High Rise*












> Attorneys for Silverstein Properties will present their case for turning a two-acre Hudson Yards site at 520 West 41st Street into a 1,100-foot-tall residential and commercial tower in the proposal’s first public hearing at the Department of City Planning tomorrow morning.
> 
> The plan would turn “Projected Development Site 46” of the 2005 rezoning from a potential office tower to a mega-high rise with 1,400 residential units, 175 units of corporate housing, 300,000 square feet of retail space and a 10,000-square-foot covered public open space; and the Silverstein team will argue with Chairman Larry Silverstein‘s signature vehemence on Thursday that only residential development would unlock the potential of the site that’s adjacent to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and approaches to the Lincoln Tunnel.
> 
> “The applicant believes that the proposed zoning text changes to facilitate the residential development at the site are appropriate and necessary as the project site has unique qualities and characteristics that make it more suitable for residential development while at the same time unsuitable for large-scale office development,” reads a draft environmental study document that rolls out a litany of reasons for the shift to residential in advance of the proposed rezoning plan’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Meet the Rental Towers Putting the Nails in 5Pointz's Coffin*












> Demolition of iconic graffiti mecca 5Pointz is slated to begin any day now—though let's face it, everyone's been in mourning since the Great and Sudden Whitewash of 2013. Vilified developers Jerry and David Witkoff are putting up two rental towers in its place; and construction on those will start in three to five months. Based on their first reveal last year, the blocky modern buildings will leave no trace of the once-colorful warehouse across the street from MoMA PS1 on Long Island City's Jackson Avenue. *New York YIMBY* unearthed some new renderings, above and below, that show the design hasn't gotten any more innovative, though they do include the 7 train curving around the complex.


----------



## desertpunk

*Revealed: 125 Chrystie Street, Broome Solar Tower & Theater*












> For this afternoon’s reveal, YIMBY has unearthed renderings of a mixed-use building on the Lower East Side, from the website of Leven Betts, a husband-and-wife architectural practice based in West Chelsea.
> 
> The images show a boxy, stark white structure at the corner of Chrystie and Broome, overlooking the narrow and very well-used Sara D. Roosevelt Park. If the project comes to fruition, it would represent yet another step forward in the revival of the Bowery (which is just on the other side of the block) and the Lower East Side, bringing another piece of high design to a neighborhood that was once one of the world’s most infamous slums.
> 
> The building would reach what appears to be nine stories and contain 35,000 square feet of floorspace, according to the architects’ website, on a double-wide tenement lot. It would contain only 16 apartments, with the remainder of the space taken up by “a downtown dance company’s theater, rehearsal space and offices.”


----------



## desertpunk

*Inside the In-Progress Amenity Spaces of Midtown's Halcyon*












> Things are moving along at Midtown East's Halcyon, the 32-story tower rising at 305 East 51st Street. It's been about nine months since a few of the building's 123 apartments appeared on the market, with asks from $1.3 million for a one-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor. The building has since premiered its pricy penthouse B, a $11.75 million four-bedroom pad. All of the building's occupants will have access to its touted amenity spaces, including the double-height, serenity-inducing "Motion Studio" and sky-high pool.


Motion studio:




















Pool: 





























C Residence:


----------



## desertpunk

*Beekman Condos Above Temple Court Unveil Pricing, Interior Shot*












> Any day that brings more information about the hotel and condos coming to historic Beekman Street is a good day. The Beekman unveiled pricing (h/t The Real Deal) for its 68 condominiums, which will rise in a 51-story glassy tower (background, above) adjacent to the 1883-built, atrium-filled beauty dubbed Temple Court (foreground, above) that's on its way to becoming a 287-room hotel.
> 
> The condos will start at $1.2 million for the 20 one-bedrooms, $2.95 million for 38 two-bedrooms, and $3.7 million for eight three-bedrooms. Apartments will range from 700 to 3,550 square feet, while the two full-floor penthouses will also have private outdoor space. Penthouse pricing has not yet been announced, so of course, those asks will be higher.



Here's a shot of 5 Beekman (the old part, which'll be the Beekman Hotel) and the under-construction Beekman Residences tower behind.











Here's a shot of the lobby of the Residences.











The view: (possibly via drone)


----------



## Ghostface79

This one too might be back from the dead, hopefully with a redesign. Maybe we should reopen the thread.

*Famed Hotel Pennsylvania facing wrecking ball again*

http://nypost.com/2014/08/05/famed-hotel-pennsylvania-facing-wrecking-ball-again/











> The Hotel Pennsylvania may not be safe from the wrecking ball after all.
> 
> *Vornado chief Steve Roth revealed Tuesday that financial firms have approached the real-estate powerhouse about resurrecting its plans to raze the famed hotel opposite Madison Square Garden and replace it with a 3 million square-foot tower, known as 15 Penn Plaza.
> 
> “We are getting very interesting intriguing incomings as to office tenants that might want that site,” Roth said during a conference call.
> 
> “We are putting our big toe in the marketplace to explore the opportunity to land a major anchor tenant for the site and the Penn Plaza district,” he added. “We are up to our eyeballs in it, but there is nothing specific we are able to go public with.”*
> 
> Vornado shelved plans to build a tower to house new trading floors for Merrill Lynch after the brokerage firm backed away from the deal in 2007. Less than a year later, Bank of America bought Merrill Lynch as it teetered on the brink of collapse.
> 
> “We have a 3 million square foot financial services-oriented tower, which was designed for a huge financial services company that we had a deal with that went away during the Great Recession,” Roth recalled. “It is sitting on our shelves.”
> 
> The plans for the 68-story tower, which would rise almost as high as the nearby Empire State Building, also had been criticized by that building’s ownership for potentially ruining the skyline of New York.
> 
> Vornado finally shifted gears in March 2013, as The Post first reported, and announced plans for a massive renovation of the Hotel Pennsylvania, which would have the added benefit of improving the neighborhood where Vornado has extensive holdings.
> 
> But now, the Hudson Yards neighborhood to the west is gathering steam with a new park, major towers and big-name tenants, leading more companies to consider all the area sites and options.
> *While Roth said the roughly $300 million hotel renovation has been put “on hold,” the firm will go down one of two paths — either landing an anchor tenant for a new tower or a renovation of the hotel that would still generate more income and improve the neighborhood.*
> 
> Roth, who acknowledged that the transformation of the neighborhood won’t be a short-term endeavor, said: “It’s three or four blocks in the city of New York on top of the busiest train station in North America.”


----------



## totaleclipse1985

Ghostface79 said:


> This one too might be back from the dead, hopefully with a redesign. Maybe we should reopen the thread.
> 
> *Famed Hotel Pennsylvania facing wrecking ball again*
> 
> http://nypost.com/2014/08/05/famed-hotel-pennsylvania-facing-wrecking-ball-again/


YEAH :banana: Tear down that shitty hotel and build the tower :cheers:


----------



## MarshallKnight

Ghostface79 said:


> This one too might be back from the dead, hopefully with a redesign. Maybe we should reopen the thread.


Seconded.

I'm not a fan of the 15 Penn Plaza design we've seen to date, but would love for something wonderful to rise there (the development opportunity is too great to go to waste). Here's hoping this does get resurrected, and that it does get a new design. Someone tell SHoP to submit a bid! This is pretty damned close to where they envision their Gotham Gateway tower.









shoparch


----------



## ThatOneGuy

There's a thousand buildings nicer than the hotel in NYC. Just hope its replacement will be one of them.


----------



## desertpunk

Looks like they scrapped the diamond tuck:

*New Look: Related’s 15 Hudson Yards*












> Plans for the individual buildings of Related’s Hudson Yards have continued to evolve, and a new rendering shows an apparent redesign of Diller Scofidio + Renfro and the Rockwell Group’s 15 Hudson Yards, which will house condominiums in the tower portion, and a “Culture Shed” in the podium.
> 
> Modifications to the tower’s form have not been significant, with the building retaining its warped, multi-cylindric appearance, but detailing has been partially eliminated. Visual evidence of the tower’s inspiration — said to be derived from a corset — seems to have been lost, as the straps that formerly cinched “the tower at its midsection, squeezing the rectilinear lower half of the building into a curvaceous upper half” have been eliminated.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

ThatOneGuy said:


> There's a thousand buildings nicer than the hotel in NYC. Just hope its replacement will be one of them.


The only thing unique about Hotel Pennsylvania is the heavy colonnaded front entrance which dialogued with the long-gone Penn Station. The rest is just architectural salvage.


----------



## desertpunk

*Designs Unveiled for Controversial Brooklyn Bridge Park Sites*









[One of 14 proposals for the development sites at Pier 6. Rendering by NV/da + O’Neill McVoy Architects via WSJ.]



> In the midst of a heated debate (and an ongoing lawsuit) over whether there should even be more housing in Brooklyn Bridge Park in the first place comes news that 14 different designs for two development sites near Pier 6 are under consideration. The 14 designs for the affordable towers were submitted following a request for proposals in May, and the Journal published three of the renderings plus details on the plans, which Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation members will discuss at a meeting today.











[Rendering for the development sites at Pier 6 by Asymptote Architecture via WSJ.]











[At left, a rendering for the development sites at Pier 6 by Marvel Architects via WSJ.]


----------



## LCIII

desertpunk said:


> Looks like they scrapped the diamond tuck:
> 
> *New Look: Related’s 15 Hudson Yards*


Good. It's much more elegant like this.


----------



## el palmesano

desertpunk said:


> Looks like they scrapped the diamond tuck:
> 
> *New Look: Related’s 15 Hudson Yards*


:bash::bash:

no!

the concept of the other tower was much better!!


----------



## Kopacz

^^ The previous one looked like a fat lady turned upside down


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Pier 6 looks like a tornado hit the buildings.


----------



## dexter2

^^ Actually 432 is much more interesting than Seagram in my opinion. 

And here you have just totally basic alpha-stage like renders but you both talk like you already touched and licked It's fasade. 


Changing topic a little bit - someone in the dedicated thread said that this made WTC1 look not so special anymore and fake it. Well, I strongly disagree - this building is based on totally different concept, It's very slim. If so, It'll make WTC even more imposing. I think those shapes will look great together.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

hateman said:


> Pithy quotes don't really reflect reality. Imagine if the Seagram Building, Mies's masterpiece didn't have 1,500 tons of non-structural, decorative bronze cladding the exterior.


Neither does John Hancock Tower in Boston but that is still a masterpiece.


----------



## el palmesano

desertpunk said:


> *One57* entrance: _(With luxe orange barrel!)_
> 
> 
> One 57 by ILNY_, on Flickr


:cheers:


----------



## desertpunk

*ShoP's UES 'Affordable Luxury' Building Will Look Like This*












> Luxury real estate developer Anbau Enterprises has unveiled renderings for the SHoP-designed tower they're bringing to First Avenue between 88th and 89th streets. The building at 1711 First Avenue will rise 34 stories and contain 78 apartments—*New York YIMBY* reports they'll be condos—of the one- to four-bedroom variety that range in size from 875 to 2,850 square feet. The building will have ground-floor retail that will be "tailored to the building's amenity program," which may include an indoor basketball court, as well as a 29-spot garage with a robotic parking system. The building is being touted by the company as "affordable luxury," although what constitutes "affordable" seems to be up for debate.


----------



## desertpunk

30 Park Place challenging the Woolworth Building for total domination!


Woolworth Building's like whatever, noob by Scoboco, on Flickr


----------



## Troopchina

Those 2 will make a fantastic pair :cheers:


----------



## LDN N7

That super tall residential is... well, very unsympathetic to its surroundings.

Its a shame, I thought 1WTC would deservedly be the focal point for that area of NY.


----------



## desertpunk

*Hudson Yards Gets Even More Renders, Reveals Retail Interiors*












> Along with yesterday's announcement that Neiman Marcus will be the flagship retailer at The Shops at Hudson Yards, new renderings of the megaproject have revealed some design tweaks throughout the massive site. *New York YIMBY* spotted some minor changes to 35 Hudson Yards, the David Childs-designed residential tower that will hold 100 condos and a 150-room hotel. The building's facade, formerly curved, will now be—sigh—boxier. The renderings also depict the new, formerly noted design for Diller Scofidio + Renfro's 15 Hudson Yards, which has ditched its center "corset" feature in favor of a smoother facade.


----------



## BrickellResidence

WOW that Hudson Yards cluster is elegant and beautiful


----------



## desertpunk

*432 PA*


r_140828123_qedc_a by Mitch Waxman, on Flickr


r_140828426_qedc_a by Mitch Waxman, on Flickr


----------



## phoenixboi08

desertpunk said:


>


Forgive me, but is that condo in the left-foreground the Zaha Hadid design?


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Yes


----------



## erbse

The Hudson Yards just turned a bit *too glassy*. Earlier renders were more promising, even if the stone-covered Neo Art Deco pieces just seemed to be placeholders.

The cluster would be much more appealing with some different facades. Let's hope there are some stone/brick-clad towers coming along. After all, the variety is what NYC is about.


----------



## hateman

I think all those renderings are just phase 1 of Hudson Yards. Phase 2 should be more residential, and since they're closer to the river, smaller scale to preserve views for the towers in phase 1. There's still a chance to see more of a diversity of architecture (Robert AM Stern was still rumored to be working on the site). We might see something similar to Battery Park City and the WTC.


----------



## desertpunk

Harlem gets Renzo Pianoed


CRANES by joselantigua66, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

Tribeca Royale poking its way up:


Tribeca Royale by ILNY_, on Flickr


----------



## RegentHouse

ThatOneGuy said:


> Nice, a little brother for 432 Park Avenue in Downtown! It should provide some interesting photos with 1WTC when it's done.
> 
> I hope it will have some cladding fins like the last design.


...more like the bastard child of 432 Park Avenue. Seriously, as if this design could get any worse!

68 Trinity Place looks alright, but is still inferior to what it's replacing in all aspects.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

They could plonk on some fake chrysler crown mixed with plasticky woolworth-style detail, some pink faux-marble and green glass random cladding, an all gold interior, and fake pillars near the bottom. And of course leave the floorplates exposed.


----------



## RegentHouse

^^Or, they could build something more innovative worthy of being across the street from the WTC.


----------



## msquaredb

desertpunk said:


> Harlem gets Renzo Pianoed
> 
> 
> CRANES by joselantigua66, on Flickr


Does this building have a thread? Is it the site in the foreground or the building in the background (blue glass cladding)?


----------



## desertpunk

We have a winner!

*BREAKING: Hudson Companies / Marvel Architects Announced as Brooklyn Heights Library Developer:*












> The Hudson Companies and Marvel Architects (designers of the Pierhouse and 1 Hotel at Brooklyn Bridge Park) have been identified as the development team of choice for a new residential tower on the library site that will include a new branch for BPL. The developer’s proposed bid of approximately $60 million would not only allow BPL to invest $10 million in outfitting a 21,000 square foot library but will allow for $40 million in capital funding for other needy branches in BPL’s system as well as an 8,000 square foot temporary library to be located at Our Lady of Lebanon Church (113 Remsen Street).
> 
> A final vote on the proposal is scheduled for BPL’s board meeting to be held at 5:30 tonight at the Library’s Grand Army Plaza location.
> 
> The project, following expected approval by the full BPL board, will then go through thorough public review, including ULURP (Universal Land Use Review Process)—the City’s process for reviewing the sale of public land, which the Brooklyn Heights Library branch sits on—as well as a number of key political decision-makers, including Council Member Steve Levin, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council.
> 
> [...]


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

LondoniumLex said:


> NY, Chi, and HI are the 3 finalists for the Obama Library!


I'm pulling for Columbia U! It's been reported Obama wants to live in NYC after the Presidency.


----------



## msquaredb

desertpunk said:


> We have a winner!


That is a sexy looking building. Would love to get a look at those rooftop terraces.


----------



## dexter2

Good choice.


----------



## LondoniumLex

Vertical_Gotham said:


> I'm pulling for Columbia U! It's been reported Obama wants to live in NYC after the Presidency.


I concur. NY was the first (and remains the true) capital of the US. It makes sense that former presidents flock here.


----------



## towerpower123

Crosby Street Condos, 210 West 77th, and 252 East 57th all look amazing! Great materials and architects that know how to use them are really beautifying New York City's streets!

In other news, Trump SoHo will go bankrupt soon.
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/09/17/trump_soho_heads_to_foreclosure_due_to_unsellable_condos.php



> The unsellable condo-hotel units, which can only be used by owners for 120 days per year, show that the property never really recovered from the financial crisis.


That might be why, or it might be the death rays!





















































Scroll > > > > >


----------



## desertpunk

*Seen & Heard: The Glassing of 56 Leonard*














DSC_1603 by Carly L Dean, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Self-Proclaimed 'Next 15 CPW' Is Poised To Launch*












> Here's one more building to add to the master list of buildings that will launch sales this fall: a representative for the Robert A.M. Stern-designed 520 Park Avenue has reached out to say that it, too, will avail itself to the world in the coming months. That is, avail itself to a very small portion of the world; the Zeckendorfs-developed tower will follow in the footsteps of the outrageously expensive 15 Central Park West and 18 Gramercy Park before it. "Simplexes will start 'in the teens,'" the representative writes. Unfortunately they mean the teens of the million variety, "and duplexes around $60 million." Sigh.


----------



## desertpunk

*More Renderings Revealed for Megatower One Vanderbilt*


----------



## desertpunk

*Dock Street Dumbo Development Nears Completion*












> Is it just us, or did the huge development formerly known as Dock Street Dumbo (now 60 Water Street) go from giant hole in the ground to giant building in no time at all? Professional construction-watcher Field Condition snapped some photos of the 290-unit building yesterday, and it looks like its very close to the finish line. Just three more floors on the 17-story tower need their glass. The market rate rentals, for which prices have not been revealed, should be hitting the market within the next few weeks, and the project, designed by LEESER Architects and Ismael Leyva Architects, will be ready for occupancy by the end of the year.






























http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2014/9/17/dock-street-dumbo



Downtown-close, Dumbo-convenient!








https://www.flickr.com/photos/gary_in_nb/


----------



## desertpunk

*30 Park Place rising behind the Calatrava PATH Terminal*


DSC_0043 by ajwphoto56, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Silvercup's Tower-Tastic $1B Expansion Makes A Comeback*












> Remember Silvercup West, the massive three-tower extension of Long Island City's famed film and television production studio? Probably not. That's because chatter of the undertaking has been on the outs for the past, oh, six years. But now, Queens Courier and Q'Stoner report that the $1 billion expansion is back on the table. The studio has filed special permit renewals with Queens Community Board 2's land use committee. If actualized, the project will bring a 2.2 million-square-foot complex with eight sound studios, an office tower, 1,000 apartments, a 1,400-space parking garage, and cultural and retail space to the site just south of the Queensboro Bridge.


----------



## desertpunk

*Jean Nouvel's 1,050-Foot MoMa Tower Will Finally Advance*












> After ten years of trying, developer Hines has finally pinned down all the moving parts necessary to build their 1,050-foot-tall tower at 53 West 53rd Street. The so-called MoMA Tower—also known as Tower Verre, a moniker which, unlike the building, may not be moving ahead—was finally resuscitated with Hines' acquisition of 240,000-square-feet of air rights from the neighboring Museum of Modern Art and St. Thomas Episcopal Church, for which the development company paid $85.3 million, The Real Deal reports.
> 
> The project got a huge boost about a year ago when Hines, along with development partner Goldman Sachs, secured $1 billion in financing for the project from a bevy of Asian banks as well as the billionaire Kwee family of Singapore. The 82-story, 145-apartment tower is designed by Pritzker Prize-winning starchitect Jean Nouvel. Floors two through five will become absorbed by MoMA as part of their ferocious expansion plan. The Real Deal reports that construction is expected to commence shortly, and a sales office for the building is expected to open early next year.


----------



## desertpunk

*Permits Filed For 39 Story Tower At 112 W. 25th St. In Chelsea*









112 West 25th Street, Antiques Garage at left, new building at right -- image from LAM Generation



> 112 West 25th Street: Lam Generation has filed applications for a planned 39-story and 330-unit hotel that will span 112-118 West 25th Street, in eastern Chelsea. Revealed in August, the building will total nearly 182,000 square feet in construction area, and will rise 432 feet. Demolition of the existing three-story structure is imminent.


----------



## desertpunk

*Permits Filed For 700 ft. Hudson Rise Hotel At 470 11th Ave.*












> As architects rush to file plans for new developments while they can still abide by the 2008 building code, we’ve seen a number of applications submitted for Far West Side towers, from Brookfield’s Manhattan West to Related’s Hudson Yards buildings.
> 
> And over the weekend came a filing for one of the lesser known, but no less impressive structures to eventually rise on the Far West Side: the Hudson Rise Hotel, at 462-470 11th Avenue, which YIMBY revealed in May. The tower will stand at the southeast corner of West 38th Street and 11th Avenue, across from the Javits Center, on land purchased for $115 million. Zoned primarily for commercial use, the site is too far from Penn Station and the new 7 train stop to be used for office development, so the developer has wisely chosen to build it out as a hotel.
> 
> Developed by Sean Ludwick’s Black House (supposedly in partnership with a Chinese private equity firm) and Siras Development, the mixed-use building will include 242 hotel rooms, 108 condo hotel rooms (which are purchased for part-time use, but must be rented out as hotel rooms for the majority of the year, as with the Trump SoHo) and 47 regular condominiums at the top. The tower will soar to 700 feet spread over just 47 stories, for very roomy average floor-to-floor heights of nearly 15 feet.


----------



## desertpunk

*W57 pyramid at night*


#construction at #56thstreet #westsidehighway #midtown #manhattan #nyc #newyorkcity #nycity #ny #newyork by simon_male, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*New Look: Williamsburg’s Futuristic 87 Wythe Avenue*












> “We set out to design a building that was distinct from the kind of ‘faux-factory’ aesthetic that has characterized some recent Williamsburg development,” wrote Cycle Cities founder Tony Daniels. “You might find precedents for our approach in office buildings of the ’20s, with their setbacks and terraces that correspond to zoning envelope requirements, like the Bricken Casino Building, Squibb Building, the telephone buildings of Ralph Walker, etc.,” though of course 87 Wythe also adds thoroughly modern cantilevers to the mix.
> 
> “The form,” he continued, “also allows for each floor to have some dedicated outdoor terrace space and large shaded windows which frame views across the East River. The building aims to satisfy demand for office space in the neighborhood by tech, culture and media firms who could locate elsewhere, but choose to be in Brooklyn.”


----------



## desertpunk

*Permits Filed: 1562 Second Avenue*












> Amidst rounds of permits for projects from the distant future come filings for a building where construction is actually around the corner, at 1562 Second Avenue, on the northeast corner of 81st Street. YIMBY revealed the very well-received design back in May, and Icon Realty is developing, while Issac & Stern is the project’s architect.
> 
> The filings give exact specifics, and the project’s entirety will span 43,832 square feet, all of which will be residential besides a 2,192 square foot retail component, on the ground floor. Above, 12 apartments will average 3,400 square feet each, though the developer has not decided on whether the building will house condominiums or rentals just yet.
> 
> At 14 floors and 164 feet in height, ceiling heights will also be generous. The building will markedly improve a corner of the Upper East Side that will soon be much more accessible, thanks to the Second Avenue Subway’s 2016 opening date.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Columbia's Newest Building Shows Off Its 'Cascading' Stairs*












> The newest addition to Columbia University is also the most fun to watch rise. The new home for Columbia University Medical Center's graduate program is a crazy zig-zagging tower with a "study cascade" designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The cascading floors and interesting angles are already very visible in the tower, which Field Condition recently photographed. The 14-story tower is now topped out, and pieces of the interior, like the prefabricated stairs that will fill those cascading ramps, are arriving at the site. The facade's curtain wall should be arriving soon, and the building will be complete sometime next year.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

How is that project not more followed??


----------



## towerpower123

^^^ That thing is awesome! I would hate to be the concrete contractor though...

CUNY Brooklyn



























Somebody please tell me the name of this Brooklyn project!



























Another Brooklyn residential tower









Another by the Brooklyn Bridge Park.









Across from it.


----------



## Jaffster

I know I asked this before but no one answered. Does anyone know if 2 Court Square will be completed? There is currently a building boom in LIC, and that blank wall facing Manhattan is hideous! It was supposed to be 38 floors but was capped at 15 due to recession. Are there any plans to build phase 2 of the building now?


----------



## desertpunk

Jaffster said:


> I know I asked this before but no one answered. Does anyone know if 2 Court Square will be completed? There is currently a building boom in LIC, and that blank wall facing Manhattan is hideous! It was supposed to be 38 floors but was capped at 15 due to recession. Are there any plans to build phase 2 of the building now?


2 Court Square was completed in 2007. http://www.emporis.de/building/court-square-two-new-york-city-ny-usa


----------



## desertpunk

*400 Park Avenue South Reveals Interiors, Lots of Floorplans*












> The Fortress of Glassitude at 400 Park Avenue South has been kickin' around for a decade, and now she's thisclose to launching sales. The final product is an crystalline Christian de Portzamparc creation that will hold Equity Residential rental apartments on the bottom 22 floors, and Toll Brothers condos on the top 18 levels. Leasing and sales are imminent, and today, Toll Brothers dropped buckets of floorplans and renderings for the 81 condos with the launch of the project's website. Thanks to the building's unique shape, there are dozens of different unit layouts, and sizes range from 664-square-foot studios to four-bedrooms, with the bulk of the units being one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes. Detailed pricing has still not be released, but homes will start around $1 million, and the 40th floor penthouse will priced around $20 million.


----------



## desertpunk

*65-Story Tower Planned Across from City Point in DoBro*












> Downtown Brooklyn is to Brooklyn what 57th Street is to Manhattan: ground zero for the borough's tallest residential towers. New York YIMBY spotted permits for yet another sky-scraping apartment building in the ever-popular neighborhood. *This one, located at 420 Albee Square across the street from City Point, will rise 65 stories and 679 feet*, eclipsing both the current tallest tower, 388 Bridge Street, and the soon-to-be tallest tower, Avalon Willoughby West (but then they'll all be topped by the JDS-developed, SHoP-designed 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension). The permits were filed by developer JEMB Realty and architecture firm SLCE.


----------



## desertpunk

*New Woolworth Building Condos Reveal First Glimpse Inside*












> The eagerly anticipated Alchemy Properties condo conversion of the top floors of the historic Woolworth Building is nearing closer to a sales launch, and in the meantime, the Times reveals the first renderings of the interiors and a few amenities. Above, what the reconstructed 55-foot-long pool in the basement—long abandoned—will look like, with a sauna, hot tub, and, crucially, tiles by Bisazza Mosaico. As the sales office readies to open, the model apartment has "prewar proportions, dark herringbone floors and marble-clad bathrooms." Designed by Thierry Despont, the 34 apartments of the Woolworth Residences will start at $3.875 million (floorplans!) and asking prices climb skyward, culminating in a whopping $110 million for the seven-level penthouse, a.k.a. "The Castle in the Sky."





























Woolworth and WTC by gigi_nyc, on Flickr


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Wow, that is beautiful.^^


----------



## ThatOneGuy

desertpunk said:


> 2 Court Square was completed in 2007. http://www.emporis.de/building/court-square-two-new-york-city-ny-usa


There's a plot next to it. You can see the blue fencing:


----------



## Jaffster

ThatOneGuy said:


> There's a plot next to it. You can see the blue fencing:


http://www.greenbuildingsnyc.com/2007/08/03/citigroups-court-house-two-long-island-city-queens/

This article talks about the tower portion of 2 Court Square.


----------



## GOL2007

Before I release such a visualization to the public I would check with a peer group of 10 people what they think the people in these shower cabins are doing... :lol:



desertpunk said:


>


Btw, great floor plan of this apartment:
- South/southwest orientation of living room: check
- Nice kitchen with kitchen block in the middle: check
- Separation public from private area: check
- Limited loss of usable area by corridors: check
- Powder room for guests: check
- Separate room for washing/drying machine: check
- Each bedroom has its own bathroom: check
- Walk-in-closet for master bedroom: check
- Plenty of storage space: check

My only criticism would be that the two smaller bedrooms are not very big and a big bed might not really fit in there... but that's a luxury problem! :cheers:



desertpunk said:


>


----------



## LCIII

^Are you referring to what is obviously the silhouette of treadmills?


----------



## streetscapeer

Renderings of 1800 Park Ave in Harlem

Already getting site prep'd!




Vertical_Gotham said:


> More renderings from ODA website
> http://www.oda-architecture.com/projects/1800-park-avenue


----------



## el palmesano

*Riu Plaza Hotel Times Square New York*

733 8th Ave (301 W 46th) | 324 FT | 29 FLOORS














































> BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON AUGUST 4TH 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/08/construction-update-riu-hotel-301-west-46th-street.html





Ghostface79 said:


> From ILNY
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/






> Founded in 1953 by the Riu family of Spain, this 3rd generation, 5-Star, international hotel chain started as a small holiday hotel over 60-years ago. Today, Riu specializes in sun and sand holiday resorts and enjoys it’s current ranking as, according to Hotels Magazine, the 30th largest hotel chain in the world with over 100-hotels in 16-countries and 25,000 employees welcoming more than 3.2-MM guests per year.
> 
> With the inauguration of it’s first urban hotel in 2010, Riu widen it’s range of hotel products with a new city hotel line called Riu Plaza and with Riu Plaza Times Square, it lands only it’s second hotel in the United States behind Miami’s South Beach resort location in sunny Florida.
> 
> Given Riu’s existence and longevity, it’s purchasing power on FF&E specialties and products has helped reduce their overall CM contract value, although the overall hard cost of construction is estimated to be approximately $115-MM, all-in.
> 
> This high-profile hotel Project shall be the first $100-MM+ non-Union construction project in New York City history.


http://rinaldinyc.com/projects/riu-hotel/


----------



## desertpunk

^^
We do have a thread for this: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1742556&highlight=new+york+riu+hotel


----------



## desertpunk

*400 PAS asserts itself:*


IMG_5731 by ruizmark, on Flickr


----------



## el palmesano

desertpunk said:


> ^^
> We do have a thread for this: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1742556&highlight=new+york+riu+hotel


yes, I know, I quote some of the pictures from that thread


----------



## desertpunk

*Fulton Transit Center* _great shot from Nexis!_


Fulton Center in Lower Manhattan,New York by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


----------



## ThatOneGuy

That kinda looks like the new dome cladding they have on the UN Building^^


----------



## desertpunk

el palmesano said:


> yes, I know, I quote some of the pictures from that thread


I see. 

It's one of those oft-overlooked projects.


----------



## LeCom

860 Washington Street by the High Line. X-posted from the main building thread.


----------



## desertpunk

*Supertall potential*

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/...udson_yards_party_with_tenth_avenue_tower.php



> SHoP Joins the Hudson Yards Party With $3 billion Tenth Avenue Tower
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SHoP is one of the hottest architecture firms in New York right now, so it was only a matter of time before someone brought them to the development party happening around Hudson Yards. Developer Frank McCourt selected the firm to design his $3 billion, 730,000-square-foot mixed-use tower at 360 Tenth Avenue. The Real Deal also reports that McCourt brought in Hines as an equity and development partner. No renderings were released, but SHoP partner Vishaan Chakrabarti said they plan to "create a building that evokes the best of historic Chelsea while making a strong contemporary addition to the skyline."


Here's the 61 story tower first proposed for the site in 2007:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Nice, I was wondering when that plot would be built on.
Will the chimney be demolished?


----------



## desertpunk

ThatOneGuy said:


> Nice, I was wondering when that plot would be built on.
> Will the chimney be demolished?


I doubt it. The site at 360 10th was cleared long ago so the neighboring stuff remains...for now.


----------



## desertpunk

*LES's Cantilevering 'Chandelier' 100 Norfolk Launches Sales*












> It's been a year and a half since it was confirmed that ODA's crazy, cantilevering glass box would rise on the site of the offices and refrigerators for Jewish kosher deli Ratner's. In the meantime, not too much has been revealed about the 12-story building on Norfolk Street between Rivington and Delancey streets; that is until now. In tandem with its sales launch, the building receives its first interior renderings that broadly illustrate its 38 apartments with floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Amenities in the building include two large outdoor spaces, a gym, yoga room, bike and additional storage space. 100 Norfolk is anticipated in late 2015.


----------



## desertpunk

*Robert A.M. Stern's Latest Condos Will Start at $4.5 Million*












> Robert A.M. Stern has designed some of New York City's most expensive condos in 15 Central Park West and some of the future most expensive condos in 520 Park Avenue. His newest building, 20 East End Avenue, won't be quite as expensive as either of those places (don't worry — it will still be unconscionably expensive, with prices starting around $4.5 million and rising above $20 million for the penthouses) and will instead try to stand out in a different way: with the lux amenities...











http://www.6sqft.com/real-estate-wi...-controversial-astoria-cove-project-approved/


----------



## desertpunk

*Oro and Oro II aka BKLYN-AIR*


Blue hour (Brooklyn Bridge NYC) by BecauseIamhappy, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Concept: ODA Architecture’s Plan for Final Phase of Westchester’s Ridge Hill*












> Forest City’s plans for a major development in Yonkers were fraught with politically-charged accusations, but amidst all the controversy, one parcel of the overall site went unbuilt, awaiting financial backing. Though funding for the next phase has not yet been secured, YIMBY has renderings of what it could look like, thanks to the project’s architect, ODA.
> 
> Plans are far from concrete, and per the architect, were intended to give a sense of potential; they may be used once the 600,000 square-foot expansion is developed, or they could be tossed for a more generic design. Mini-cantilevers dominate in typical ODA fashion, and the scheme would also weave public access throughout the expansion.


----------



## desertpunk

*Progress at 34 E. 51st St. in September: >>>*


New York City by goodhike, on Flickr










http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/01/revealed-34-east-51st-street.html


----------



## desertpunk

*West Chelsea Art Gallery Site Sells But In Litigation*









http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/08/revealed-540-west-26th-street.html



> Savanna has closed on a deal that will see the firm pay $24.7 million to acquire and redevelop a West Chelsea art gallery site owned by the Silvermintz family, The Real Deal has learned. But construction on the project will likely be delayed by an ongoing legal battle with an existing tenant.
> 
> The venture calls for demolition of the existing site at 540 West 26th Street and construction of a 160,000-square-foot complex, anchored by a nine-story building designed by Morris Adjmi Architects. The property will include a range of office tenants, galleries and community space, according to the companies. Plans released last month indicated the site will include 29,000 square feet of gallery space and 99,000 square feet of office space.
> 
> - See more at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/09...llery-site-filing-shows/#sthash.dPN3qIdV.dpuf


----------



## desertpunk

*Guggenheim Museum to expand into new space *



> The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is taking a page from MoMA’s book and crafting plans for an expansion. The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed art space at 1071 Fifth Avenue is planning a new space called the Collection Center, which the Guggenheim described to the Art Newspaper as “one efficient, multi-use building” with a “dynamic public-programing component” aimed at New Yorkers. A spokesperson for the museum told the news site that it is too early in the process to provide further details.
> 
> - See more at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/09...o-expand-into-new-space/#sthash.DtSOT0f3.dpuf



Guggenheim Museum by Arno de Natris, on Flickr


----------



## LCIII

Its been in need of a major renovation for quite some time now. I wish they'd take care of that before bothering to expand. Its in some pretty rough shape inside.


----------



## Ulpia-Serdica

One57 is the first of 7 new super-tall, super-thin, and super-expensive towers going up around NYC's 57th street. The 90-story blue glass skyscraper has breathtaking views of Central Park. In May, a penthouse sold for a record-breaking $90 million. Architect Christian de Portzamparc speaks to Bloomberg about his design for the building and how it's changing New York City's skyline.


----------



## desertpunk

*Revealed: 86 Fleet Place, 32-Story Downtown Brooklyn Tower by Catsimatidis’ Red Apple Group*












> Last month, we brought you news that permits had been filed for 86 Fleet Place, a 32-story tower in downtown Brooklyn. Now, the developer – the Red Apple Group, led by Gristedes owner John Catsimatidis – has shared renderings of the project with YIMBY.
> 
> The building will contain 440 apartments (not the 192 that we reported earlier and which is for some reason listed on the new building permit filing), divided between about 385,000 square feet of net residential floor space, plus another 10,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.


----------



## sbarn

ThatOneGuy said:


> Nice, I was wondering when that plot would be built on.
> Will the chimney be demolished?


The chimney is on the neighboring property. Steven Holl (architect) has his office on one of the top floors of the "chimney" building. Had a chance to visit once, it is actually an amazing space.


----------



## desertpunk

*Large Mixed-Use Development Coming to Sunset Park*












> Sunset Park is the next neighborhood bracing for a mega-development akin to Queens' Flushing Commons and the Upper West Side's Riverside Center. Brooklyn Paper reports that a group of developers have signed on to erect a massive mixed-use project in the southern Brooklyn neighborhood on Eighth Avenue between 61st and 64th streets. Aptly named Eighth Avenue Center, the new development, designed by Raymond Chan, will have a three-story Chelsea Market-style retail space at its base that will cover some 167,000-square-feet or, as BP puts it, about three football fields. Above it will rise a 10-story, 150-room hotel, two 15-story residential towers with some 350 apartments between them, and a 17-story office tower. The tallest nearby buildings top out at about eight stories, so needless to say, the development's scale is largely unprecedented for the neighborhood.


----------



## msquaredb

That AM Stern project is amazing! Hope it turns out like the renders.


----------



## desertpunk

*Top NYC Midrises For September*


The Adele:










Cassa Residences by Assa Properties:










234 East 23rd Street by Naftali Group:










The Seymour by Naftali Group:










42 Crosby Street by Atlas Capital Group:










Pierhouse at Brooklyn Bridge Park by Toll Brothers City Living and Starwood Capital:


----------



## desertpunk

*W57 pyramid*


#newyorkcity #newyork #nyc #construction #blue #red #architecture #whatoncewasisnow by Jared Adam Young, on Flickr


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## Ghostface79

For those of us who can't keep track of those new towering residential towers, this might help.

http://www.6sqft.com/living-in-the-clouds-50-new-york-residential-towers-poised-to-scrape-the-sky-part-i/


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## desertpunk

*56 Leonard*


DSC_1598 by Carly L Dean, on Flickr


DSC_1602 by Carly L Dean, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*400 Park Avenue South*


Untitled by jplangpictures, on Flickr


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## RegentHouse

desertpunk said:


> *LES's Cantilevering 'Chandelier' 100 Norfolk Launches Sales*


If only those two front buildings could be demolished for a more consistent block... Also, the design is hideous.


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## streetscapeer

I love the design and its juxtaposition with the gritty surroundings


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## RegentHouse

You love the gritty surroundings? Hipster much? Do you not care about cities being better and more civilized places through good design and the eradication of blight?

Who the hell would even pay a million dollar-range price tag for a unit here?


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## streetscapeer

RegentHouse said:


> You love the gritty surroundings? Hipster much? Do you not care about cities being better and more civilized places through good design and the eradication of blight?
> 
> Who the hell would even pay a million dollar-range price tag for a unit here?


Yes, I like some grit.. not necessarily the same thing as blight. Areas of cities with a balance of grit and modernness are the most interesting visually to me. Yes, this usually corresponds to the hipster areas.


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## .Adam

RegentHouse said:


> You love the gritty surroundings? Hipster much? Do you not care about cities being better and more civilized places through good design and the eradication of blight?
> 
> Who the hell would even pay a million dollar-range price tag for a unit here?


The Grit is actually what makes the city real - there are reasons for the grit and they don't make it a bad place. You can sanitise areas and make them functionally beautiful but they lose some soul. No doubt those buildings will go very soon but currently they provide a great urban moment.

Appreciating all aspects of a city and not wanting it to be disney land does not make you a 'hipster'.


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## ThatOneGuy

Why do people even associate 'hipsters' as bad? They are some of the most progressive people I know and they always have good taste, from my experience.


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## sbarn

Put me down as someone who enjoys grit. If everything was organized and sanitized the city would loose the element of surprise and the unexpected. 

And I'm pretty sure many people are willing to pay $1M and up to live in this location...


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## desertpunk

*This Angular Tower Could Rise on FiDi's 19 Beekman Street*









http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/10/first-look-19-beekman-street.html



> The on-the-market lot at 19 Beekman Street has been given the "this could rise here" treatment. C3D Architecture designed the pictured mid-sized paneled tower which seems to exist mostly as a marketing tool for the site that currently houses a six-story office building, but could accommodate a 161,596-square-foot tower. Developer Roonie Oved purchased 19 Beekman Street for $11.2 million in late 2012, YIMBY says; it is currently listed (PDF!) for an unspecified price. Despite the site's lack of height restrictions, building rights allow a tower similar in size to the nearby 30-story, 168-apartment The Lara, or Naftali Group's in-construction 34-story tower of dorm rooms at 33 Beekman Street. -_per NY YIMBY_


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## desertpunk

*Community Board Approves $1B Silvercup Studios Expansion*












> It's been just a few weeks since the announcement that the long-delayed expansion of Long Island City's Silvercup Studios was back on the table. Now, the proposed Silvercup West has cleared the first hurdle, with Queens Community Board 2 voting near unanimously to approve special permits for the $1 billion project.
> 
> The proposed 2.2 million-square-foot film studio/mixed-use complex would flank the Queensboro Bridge. It would include eight sound stages, an office tower, 1,000 apartments (20 percent of which would probably be designated affordable), and a 1,400-space parking garage, as well as cultural and retail space. As for the replication of the iconic Silvercup sign, the CB is pushing the developers to use original rather than modern materials for preservation purposes.
> 
> *Now, Silvercup West must gain the approval of the Department of City Planning, which—along with the Queens Borough President and the City Council—supported the initial proposal back in 2006.*


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## erbse

Just loosely project-related (well, it's all due to skyscrapers), very interesting graphic nonetheless:

Day-time vs. night-time population of New York's core








http://www.coolinfographics.com/sto....jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1265650945255


I don't know how that translates into numbers exactly, though.


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## streetscapeer

erbse said:


> Just loosely project-related (well, it's all due to skyscrapers), very interesting graphic nonetheless:
> 
> Day-time vs. night-time population of New York's core
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> http://www.coolinfographics.com/sto....jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1265650945255
> 
> 
> I don't know how that translates into numbers exactly, though.


Manhattan's daytime population rises to 3.94 million on a typical workday, more than 2.5 times its resident population (1.64 million).

On a typical weekend day it still almost doubles in daytime population with 2.9 million people

On a weekday night the population still remains above the resident population at 2.05 million


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## desertpunk

*1800 Park Avenue Is Definitely Going to Stand Out in Harlem*












> 1800 Park Avenue, the peak of which will reach 352 feet, will be the tallest building in Harlem. It will also be among the most reflective judging by the new renderings scrounged up by *NY YIMBY*. The new renderings mostly show the building off from the same angles as the old ones, but are much clearer, putting in stark contrast the extent to which this development is unlike anything in its immediate vicinity. Bruce Eichner is developing the 32-story, 682-unit (20 percent affordable) tower, and ODA contributed the very-ODA design.


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## desertpunk

*Midtown Board Rejects Bid To Landmark the Park Lane Hotel*












> In a contentious and lengthy hearing Monday evening, the landmarks committee of Midtown's Community Board 5 rejected a bid to have the 43-year-old Park Lane Hotel designated both an exterior and interior landmark. While community boards don't hold any actual power, they are advisory bodies whose decisions are carefully considered by city agencies like the Landmarks Preservation Commission. While the session was about the past and present, many fear what it will mean for the future.
> 
> The 46-story building, located at 36 Central Park South between Fifth and Sixth avenues was designed by the firm Emery Roth & Sons, and completed in 1971 at the commission of Harry Helmsley. It is a through-block building and the tallest building on Central Park South. It features a limestone and glass exterior, as well as a semi-circular driveway on 58th Street (the only "unique" feature committee member Renee Cafaro could come up with).
> 
> [...]


LOL Goodbye ugly Leona Helmsley POS, hello 850+ foot tower!


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## desertpunk

*45 Park Place: Tribeca’s Latest Condo Tower Could be an Architectural Stunner*












> New images have been uncovered of an upcoming 39-story condominium tower poised to rise from a storied site in Tribeca. Curbed first broke the rendering reveal back in July and a representative of the developers noted that tower depicted in renderings are not quite final. Nevertheless new images posted on of SOMA Architects’ website give us additional glimpses of what the project could be.
> 
> Simply known as 45 Park Place (for now), the development is comprised of a 665-foot tower luxury tower and an Islamic museum, is being developed by a consortium led by Soho Properties, headed by Sharif El-Gamal. The tower is being crafted by Michel Abboud of SOMA Architects, with Ismael Leyva serving as the architect of record. Renderings posted on SOMA’s website convey a light, airy tower composed of stem-like volumes bundled by delicate bands of lattice-like mullions. The ground-level view gives us our first glimpse of the adjacent Islamic museum and prayer space reportedly designed by Pritzker Prize–winning French architect Jean Nouvel. A small plaza fronting the museum will expose a vegetated side wall of the neighboring building that houses popular downtown grocer Amish Market.
> 
> Demolition permits filed this past spring will seal the fate of a small cast-iron structure and an Italian Renaissance styled building that housed a Burlington Coat Factory prior to 9/11. Construction permits call for a 120,000-square-foot tower containing 46 units. Just last month, a press release announced that the development secured $33 million in first mortgage financing, and construction of the tower is expected to begin next year with a completion date anticipated sometime in 2017.
> 
> [...]


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## Vertical_Gotham

^^ Nice!


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## ThatOneGuy

Looks really good^^

The Harlem tower also looks good, the cladding has a bit of a cool 70s vibe to it.


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## streetscapeer

Awesome new tower!


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## Ghostface79

Still the top dog.

*These are the top cities for property investment*
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102066229



> The global property investment market grew to $788 billion in the year to June 2014, with New York hanging on to its title as the top city for investment, a new report shows.
> 
> According to Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), global real estate investment volumes rose 17.2 percent in the twelve months to June 2014, as cross-border and domestic investments increased 38.8 and 11.3 percent respectively.
> 
> For the fourth consecutive year, New York has claimed the top spot with volumes growing 12.6 percent year-on-year to $55.4 billion, capturing 7 percent of global market share.
> 
> But second-placed London is hot on the heels of the Big Apple, with a 40 percent surge in investment activity to $47.2 billion fueled by cross-border investors. The U.K. capital remains "by far" the most favored market among international players, attracting a 14.1 percent share of international capital ahead of Paris -5.5 percent – and New York's 4.9 percent.
> 
> The big movers
> 
> The cities making up the top ten remain little changed and very U.S-heavy. The list is comprised of New York, London, Tokyo, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Paris, Chicago, Washington D.C., Dallas and Hong Kong.
> 
> However "while gateway cities remain a primary focus for investors, interest in a broader spread of locations is increasingly apparent due to improved confidence and finance availability as well as a lack of supply in core cities", Carlo Barel di Sant'Albano, international CEO at C&W wrote in the report.
> 
> As such, Singapore, Moscow, Seoul and Toronto were ousted from the top 20 by Shanghai, Beijing, Miami and Stockholm, but these moves, notes the report, "are relatively small".
> 
> Dubai and Dublin however saw significant change by featuring in the top 50 this year, up from their previous respective rankings at 186 and 82.


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## msquaredb

Without sense of scale that new tower looks large, but then you see the buildings next to it and you understand its a delicate flower amongst trees.


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## desertpunk

*Landmarked 1867 Nomad Building May Recieve Blade Runner-Like Addition*












> Another iteration of a towering addition to a landmarked NoMad building has emerged from the 3-D visualization wizzes at Avoid Obvious. YIMBY broke the news back in March of a 20-story tower designed by the Spector Group and Think Architecture atop a charming commercial building at the northwest corner of West 27th Street and Broadway.
> 
> Both iterations of Spector Group’s design reveal a clean visual break between old and new: a restored neoclassical façade juxtaposed with a setback glassy prism rising above. The new reveal shows a more sculptural and chiseled tower rather than a Trump SoHo-like prism of clean vertical lines. It’s unclear if this proposal is still on the table and if the Spector Group remains involved.
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*Vision: 1865 Broadway*












> October 8, 2014
> 
> YIMBY featured a sneak peek of 1865 Broadway’s potential earlier this year, with renderings by Danny Forster Design Studio depicting the reconfiguration and vertical extension of the building. Since then, the site’s current occupant — the American Bible Society — has elected to leave the location for a new building, opening the possibility for a skyline-altering icon to take its place.
> 
> *Now, we have the first firm look at a proposal for the site, designed by Goldstein Hill & West, which would involve the total demolition of the old structure. The new building would stand approximately 40 stories tall, but the height would be accentuated by palatial ceilings, like many other new skyscrapers rising across Manhattan. GH & W could not be reached for comment, but the tower appears to rise between 600 and 700 feet, and would stand on the corner of Broadway and West 61st Street.*
> 
> [...]
> 
> *The site’s development potential measures approximately 300,000 square feet, and will likely include retail along Broadway. Even 15 Central Park West, where a penthouse sold for $88.5 million in 2013, has active retail in its frontage on Broadway.*
> 
> [...]


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## LeCom

Demolition at 5Pointz graffitti art center continues unabated. Note how roughly half the building's ground footprint has disappeared within the past month.


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## Vertical_Gotham

*Vision: Supertall Possible at 1710 Broadway*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/10/vision-1710-broadway.html



















*read entire article in link*



> YIMBY came across the first renderings for a potential tower coming to *1710 Broadway*, on the northeast corner of West 54th Street, which could also become the street’s first actual supertall, *potentially topping the 1,000-foot* mark.





> the Municipal Art Society’s “Accidental Skyline” map reveals approximately *350,000 square feet* of unused air rights within the surrounding block. That number is one of the highest totals along Broadway, and would invite the possibility of a tower like the one depicted in the renderings, which stands *approximately 80 stories tall*. Goldstein Hill & West is the architect


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## droneriot

Three new towers on Broadway in two days. That's pretty cool.


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## LeCom

In order of appearance: 505 W 19th Street, 860 Washington Street, 10 Hudson Yards, 50 W 28th Street, 507 W 28th Street, 520 W 30th Street, and the Hudson Yards complex.


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## hateman

Too bad all three proposals scrape the bottom of the barrel. 1710 Broadway is a fine limestone building too. Aside from height, the proposal is no improvement.


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## towerpower123

Several of the smaller projects without their own threads.

14 Warren Street









77 Reade Street


















New office and retail building on Broadway









Nearby extension and reclad









Smaller infill towers in the East Village and Lower East Side


















A building extension near One Vandam off of 6th Avenue









Moynihan Station


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## erbse

Thank you! Concerning Moynihan Station, is that what's going on there?










Resources: http://www.mas.org/urbanplanning/moynihan-station/


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## LeCom

Here is an oft-forgotten part of the city skyline that will become much more noticeable in the near future:


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## Jaffster

The tower at 28th and 6th is 1 floor out of the ground already


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## Jaffster

Is there even a thread for the 28th and 6th project?


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## Jaffster

http://newyorkyimby.com/2013/11/revealed-101-west-28th-street.html


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## streetscapeer

*1010 Park Avenue*



chris08876 said:


> *First (But Not Last) Look: 1010 Park Avenue*
> 
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> 
> The site is complicated, hence the rendered cantilever — but even that portion of the development is a departure from buildings like 160 East 22nd Street and 217 West 57th Street. Rather than a shallow overhang, 1010 Park Avenue would sheath the neighboring Park Avenue Christian Church within a transparent wall of glass, replacing the original rectory with the new 20-story tower, designed by Keith Goich.
> 
> [...]
> 
> 
> 
> ==================================
> http://newyorkyimby.com/2014/10/first-look-1010-park-avenue.html
Click to expand...

...


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## VDB

That's disgraceful :shocked:


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## LondoniumLex

That's nor what's being built.


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## LCIII

I kind of love it haha


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## desertpunk

*Dock St. Dumbo finishing up:*


New development in Brooklyn by Lars Plougmann, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*432 PA*


r_141024378_high_a by Mitch Waxman, on Flickr


Untitled by kevinrubin, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*Revealed: 229 Lexington Avenue*












> On the eastern side of Lexington Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Streets, two older low-rise buildings spanning 227-229 Lexington Avenue are currently awaiting demolition to make way for a new residential development. And now, YIMBY has the first renderings of the project, which was designed by C3D Architecture.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> Albert Shirian of the NY Lions Group is the developer, and the new structure will stand 14 stories tall. With only 40 units, the building will be of a smaller scale than typical new developments in the neighborhood; that list includes 160 Madison Avenue and the soon-to-rise 172 Madison Avenue, both located just two blocks to the west. ...
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*First Look: 36 Central Park South, Park Lane Hotel Redevelopment*


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## ThatOneGuy

I'll settle for it. Glad there's at least no random cladding or faux Kaufmanesque brick


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## desertpunk

ThatOneGuy said:


> I'll settle for it. Glad there's at least no random cladding or faux Kaufmanesque brick


It's a very preliminary conceptualization but the high-profile site excludes the chances of a Kaufman nightmare (which usually get buried in obscure midblock locations anyway ).


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## sbarn

Small infill project to rise in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at 510 Driggs Avenue:









ArchDaily


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## desertpunk

*Height Bump & New Look: One Vanderbilt to Stand 1,514 Feet Tall*


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## desertpunk

*Excavation Begins at 53 West 53rd Street, former Tower Verre*


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## desertpunk

*Skadden Arps Signs Key Lease At Brookfield's 1 Manhattan West*


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## desertpunk

*Plant-Covered Apartment Building to Rise on Union Avenue*












> EcoRise Union Avenue, a new seven-story, 18-unit apartment building coming to 305 Union Avenue in Williamsburg, is, as the name suggests, meant to be somewhat environmentally oriented. To that end, some initial renderings spotted by NY YIMBY reveal that the building's glass and metal facade will be covered in patches of greenery. Garrison Architects, who are behind the design, explain on their website that, "Layered over the façade are stainless steel mesh trellises for growing climbing plants. When the filled out with greenery these will add a living texture that will ripple in the breeze and change color with the seasons." It's doubtful that these renderings really capture what the finished product will look like, so this is one to keep an eye out for.


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## desertpunk

*3 World Trade Center Finally Funded, Will Open in 2018*












> The long-stalled 3 World Trade Center finally has a green light to build after developer Larry Silverstein sold $1.6 billion of tax-exempt Liberty Bonds to finance the project. Municipal market conditions, only after the previous month, allowed the deal to pan-out leaving the project fully-funded. Crain's reports that Goldman Sachs placed $1.1 billion of senior bonds maturing in 30 years at a 5 percent yield. For non-numbers folk, that all means the 2.8 million-square-foot, 80-story tower is a go after being stuck at seven stories for several years


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## Bligh

Great news with 3 WTC!


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## desertpunk

*Massive Tech Complex Floated For The Red Hook Waterfront*












> It seems that Italian developer Est4ate Four has made it its mission to change Red Hook, first with its luxury condo development at 160 Imlay Street that brought the neighborhood a new slew of very expensive apartments (which is somewhat surprisingly 70 percent sold after just one month on the market), and now word comes that the group is planning a "tech campus" for the neighborhood. The massive, 1.1 million-square-foot complex—an area, *YIMBY* points out, that's equivalent to a "Manhattan skyscraper's worth of floor space"—will stretch between Coffey and Wolcott streets, and Ferris Street and New York Harbor. The complex will take over several pre-war brick buildings, and add space with glass toppers. Some of the buildings on the lot, like the New York Daily News's old printing press, will be razed. Architecture firm NBBJ is working on the project, which appears to also bring a waterfront promenade to the area.


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## desertpunk

*Zeckendorfs Lock Down $450M For 520 Park Avenue*












> Remember that $130 million penthouse? The record-breaking listing made waves after developer Arthur Zeckendorf revealed the nine-figure asking price for the triplex penthouse at his 520 Park Avenue to Bloomberg News this September.
> 
> Now, Mr. Zeckendorf, who with his brother William forms the development team behind much of the city’s fanciest—and most elegant—housing, is one step closer to making some Russian oligarch’s dreams of cash stashery come true. The Zeckendorfs closed on a $450 million construction loan to build the 31-unit Park Avenue condominium tower earlier this month, a source close to the deal told Mortgage Observer. The mortgage has not yet hit city records.
> 
> The perhaps unlikely lender was a London-based philanthropic organization called the Children’s Investment Fund, the source said.


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## desertpunk

*Curtain wall rising at Bjarke Ingels’ not-a-pyramid at 625 West 57th Street *


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## towerpower123

These smaller projects are incredibly beautiful. A few others are progressing rather unnoticed. For more, please see my blog at http://urbanismvsmodernism.blogspot.com/?view=sidebar

World Financial Center renovation









This one is being reclad.









A small project between 30 Park Place and 56 Leonard









11 North Moore


















10 Bond Street


















This one should start soon. 22 Bond Street or 25 Great Jones Boulevard.









Right next to both, 372 Lafayette









42nd Street CUBE


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## streetscapeer

So many scrumptious projects we never talk about. Great updates, thanks!


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## ThatOneGuy

I thought that brick building was getting demolished, not reclad. I wonder what the future cladding will be.


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## desertpunk

10 Bond St. is terrific!


*625 and 432*


Aida Luna by Visual Thinking (by Terry McKenna), on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*860 Washington St.*


Construction Along Washington by HorsePunchKid, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*45 E. 22nd St. Prices out From $2.5 Mln To $40+ Mln*
















































16B wants $2.5 million. 










The full-floor 55A wants $19.9 million.


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## ThatOneGuy

Hopefully they choose a good stone for the base, otherwise it would look tacky.


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## desertpunk

*252 E. 57th St.*

*Awaited East Side Tower Hopes To Equal 57th Street Hype*












> Although the buildings that are coming to define the corridor are in their infancy, the rush to 57th has already endowed the street's addresses with the kind of clout reserved for those of the city's more iconic avenues. And it seems the esteem is here to stay. Developers World-Wide Group and Rose Associates are so certain of this that they've wandered all the way over to Second Avenue—yes, still on 57th Street—to construct a 65-story luxury tower with both rentals and condos.
> 
> Although the building is, in comparison to its skyline-domineering neighbors, far away from it all, it oozes the same stuff of luxury.


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## Kopacz

These interiors look like they were just moved from the 400 Park Ave. S tower (page 250). The kitchen even has the same recessed central part.


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## towerpower123

Lots underway.









Small hotel on 29th street


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## towerpower123




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## desertpunk

*David Chipperfield Designing 20 West 40th Street*












> 20 West 40th Street [Chipperfield]: A tipster sent along word that David Alan Chipperfield has been selected as the design architect of 20 West 40th Street, to be developed by HFZ Capital. Chipperfield was also the architect behind the renovation and conversion of the American Radiator Building just down the block, heading the icon’s transformation into the Bryant Park Hotel.


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## desertpunk

*Revealed: Three-Towered Plan for East River Plaza, Harlem’s New Tallest Buildings*












> Earlier this fall, filmmaker Andrew Padilla got his hands on the massing diagram of Forest City Ratner’s proposed East River Plaza redevelopment. The portion of the mall on FDR Drive between East 117th and 119th Streets would give rise to three fifty-odd-story buildings. And now, YIMBY has the first semi-detailed look at the plans, designed by TEN Arquitectos.
> 
> The three towers would rise atop two podiums placed over the existing mall and parking garage. Previously posted diagrams reveal the tallest of the group will stand 575 feet to its pinnacle, which is certainly tall for Upper Manhattan – taller than 1800 Park Avenue will be, even – but nothing extraordinary for New York City.
> 
> Still, the trio of high-rises would dwarf the surrounding tenements and even the public housing farther afield, with even the two shorter buildings clocking in at 515 and 455 feet tall. (The towers are only 47-, 41-, and 32-stories tall, but are boosted an extra 100 or so feet by the mall and transfer decks on which they would be built.)
> 
> [...]


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## ThatOneGuy

desertpunk said:


> *David Chipperfield Designing 20 West 40th Street*


Much better than the former all-glass design!


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## desertpunk

*12 Years In The Making, Fulton Center Finally Opens*












> At 5 a.m. this morning, the first commuters passed through the brand new, $1.4 billion Fulton Center. The station was conceived in 2002 as a way to connect the "spaghetti mess" of 10 subway lines, and to help revitalize and rebuild downtown after 9/11. The Fulton Center is a key part of Lower Manhattan's rebuilding, and even though it was plagued by delays (it's only seven years late) and cost overruns (it was supposed to cost $750 million), it's opening is a pretty big deal. As such, everyone from the New York Times to the American Institute of Architects to commuting Instagrammers has weighed in on the "magical," "monumental," and "gleaming" new station...
> 
> [...]


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## desertpunk

*Revealed: 134 Vanderbilt Avenue, Fort Greene*


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## streetscapeer

great Brooklyn project!


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## ThatOneGuy

I wonder if that's cor-ten steel.


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## desertpunk

*West Side projects*


harbor panorama by Visual Thinking (by Terry McKenna), on Flickr


early evening, NYC panorama by Visual Thinking (by Terry McKenna), on Flickr


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## desertpunk

New York YIMBY brings us this video of 425 Park Avenue:

111685444


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## Vertical_Gotham

Article today suspiciously included Solow’s project in a rendering at the bottom of page which prompted me to do some digging:

Could this project be back on?? Forbes profile on Solow was updated today which indicates this is ready to break ground. I wonder if the original plan/ architect would still be retained. Past articles on this project originally mentioned that each tower would rival Trump UN tower. 

The East side deserves some love construction wise with this, JDS and Maki’s projects could be game changing along with re-imagining the east midtown waterfront esplanade revitalization.

*There's Nothing to Fear From New York's Next Skyscraper Boom*
http://www.citylab.com/housing/2014/11/theres-nothing-to-fear-from-new-yorks-next-skyscraper-boom/382663/









From left: 555 10th Avenue, a 52-story rental building for Hudson Yards designed by SLCE Architects (Extell Development); 346 Livingston Street, a 52-story rental building in Downtown Brooklyn designed by Lattner Architects (Steiner NYC); 250 Ashland Place, a 51-story rental building designed by FXFOWLE Architects (Gotham Organization); 700 First Avenue, a proposed development for Midtown East designed by Richard Meier and Partners (Solow Management). 

*Profile updated today (11/13/14) for Solow’s Forbes profile:*
http://www.forbes.com/profile/sheldon-solow/



> New York real estate mogul Sheldon Solow *is finally set to break ground on a 275-unit residential building on the Con Edison Redevelopment site *on Manhattan's East River. He paid $630 million for the property in 2005, but the project stalled amid the Great Recession and a lawsuit filed by his former partners that was eventually settled in 2010.



*In 12/13, Application filed to construct 2 story parking garage with roof to withstand future construction (700 1st Ave)*
http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobsQueryByNumberServlet?requestid=2&passjobnumber=121184315&passdocnumber=01


*Richard Meier Development Plan:*
http://www.richardmeier.com/?projects=east-river-master-plan-2


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## desertpunk

^^
Interdasting!


There's still a thread for this gargantuan orgy of Richard Meier glass somewhere...


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## streetscapeer

desertpunk said:


> New York YIMBY brings us this video of 425 Park Avenue:
> 
> 111685444


Awesome video, really shows how slick this will really be... definitely catapults this project on my list of "can't-wait" projects!


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## Tower Dude

Is this building going to be like the leadenhall hall building? As in all of the mechanicals are in the core at the rear of the building?


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## JohnFlint1985

desertpunk said:


> *Trinity Church Plans To Build At Least 4 Residential Towers*
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> http://www.6sqft.com/trinity-church-will-build-first-residential-developments-in-hudson-square/


I don't know about any other places, but the building behind the church is just a gem of Gotham style NYC style. It is a travesty to get rid of it... I don't get it - how is this possible. :doh:


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## hateman

JohnFlint1985 said:


> I don't know about any other places, but the building behind the church is just a gem of Gotham style NYC style. It is a travesty to get rid of it... I don't get it - how is this possible. :doh:


This article might give you some idea of what Trinity Church has come to represent in the last decade:

http://nypost.com/2012/03/18/trinit...t-against-rev-james-coopers-extravagant-ways/

"Instead of helping the poor, Cooper’s helped himself — with demands for a $5.5 million SoHo townhouse, an allowance for his Florida condo, trips around the world including an African safari and a fat salary.

Rather than building an endowment, he is accused of wasting more than $1 million on development plans for a luxury condo tower that has been likened to a pipe dream and burning another $5 million on a publicity campaign.

Cooper, 67, whose compensation totaled $1.3 million in 2010, even added CEO to his title of rector. He began listing himself first on the annual directory of vestry members.

The atmosphere has become so poisonous that nearly half the 22 members of the vestry, or board, have been forced out or quit in recent months."

The loss of that building is sickening enough, but the undermining and corruption of an institution meant for good works is despicable.


----------



## desertpunk

*605 W. 42nd St.*


West 42nd Street on the Hudson River, Midtown Manhattan, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*SHoP's Revised, Shorter South Street Seaport Tower, Revealed!*



> Last night, developer Howard Hughes Corporation presented 300 slides worth of information to community members, all about the revised version of the neighbor-hated residential tower they want to build along the waterfront at the base of Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport. In short, their concessions—mainly, to shorten the building by 10 stories, but also to build a middle school and a waterfront esplanade—were simply not sufficient to satisfy community members or elected officials. This morning, at their offices in the Woolworth Building, SHoP architects held an unveiling of the new design, showcasing the now-42-story structure, which is striated and narrows slightly as it rises.



Before: a 50 story, 600 ft. tower looming over the East River and the redeveloped Pier 17












Now: chopped and redesigned







































Special bonus! A tortured attempt at integrating historical Seaport District elements ( a reconstructed Tin Building) into SHoP's characteristic modernism:


----------



## LeCom

America's largest screen, and world's largest HD screen, has just opened at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on Times Square






http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/19/us-usa-new-york-billboard-idUSKCN0J228120141119

*Billboard in NY's Times Square is world's largest high-def display*

(Reuters) - The biggest advertising billboard in Times Square history, longer that a football field and eight stories high, will light up for the first time on Tuesday.

The world's largest high-definition video display will turn on its nearly 24 million LED pixels at 7:30 p.m. EST and make its debut with an exhibition of digital art by Universal Everything Studio. Next week Google will become the billboard's first advertising client, said Clear Channel Outdoor, the firm selling the gargantuan ad space.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

> Special bonus! A tortured attempt at integrating historical Seaport District elements ( a reconstructed Tin Building) into SHoP's characteristic modernism


Nice! 
The current state:


----------



## City-of-Platinum

The highway needs to be buried. Throughout the country they are burying waterfront highways recently (Seattle, Boston for example).. It's time for NY not to be the exception to this welcome phenomena. 

The tower is OK! Windows are very weird though.

The Verizon Tower is very nice -- classy art-deco revival.

The Sign on TSQ is very large and impressive -- but I would prefer less signs and more NEON lights because too many signs is overwhelming.

The Seaport was always a tacky place but had nice river views. Now I hope it will be more like a place NYC denizens will use and not just your average tourist.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

City-of-Platinum said:


> The Verizon Tower is very nice -- classy art-deco revival.


The interior, yes, the tower is from the 1920s.


----------



## streetscapeer

I saw the new Times Sq screen yesterday.. Very awe-inspiring.. my jaw dropped. Great addition. Can't wait for the retail underneath to open up and the pedestrian plaza to be done there.


----------



## desertpunk

*More Luxury Sneaking Into Astoria*












> Another day, another new development in the books permits. This time, look to Astoria, where 6sqft has the renderings and details about a building with very square windows that's set to rise near the Museum of the Moving Image and Kaufman Astoria Studios. Fogarty Finger is designing the 33-unit structure, clad in gray brick, which will likely be rentals. SDS Procida is the developer. The best part? It's called The Marx.


All that squarish modern style will be replacing some classic Astoria vernacular:


----------



## desertpunk

*Surprise!*

*Macklowe to Convert One Wall Street into Condos and Rentals*












> When the inimitable Harry Macklowe (known, most recently, for being the man behind the record-breaking 432 Park Avenue) bought One Wall Street in May for $585 million we all held our collective breath waiting to see what he was going to do with the iconic building, while at the same time assuming that he was going to convert it to condos because, you know, condos. Now the Daily News has revealed Macklowe's plans, and it turns out that he's going to convert the building into condos...and rentals. Apparently Macklowe learned his lesson (or, at least, a lesson) after losing most of his portfolio in the financial crisis of '07, and is hedging his bets by using half of the building's 800,000 (!) residential square feet for rentals in case the condo market takes a hit. There will also be 350,000 square feet of retail.


----------



## Ulpia-Serdica

New York’s tallest residential building, 432 Park Avenue, reached its full height on Friday, at 1,396 feet. It opens next year and the penthouse views, in all directions, are spectacular.


----------



## desertpunk

*Hell's Bargain Basement*

*City to sell land and development rights worth $110M for $1 *









525 West 52nd Street in Hell’s Kitchen



> Transfer to non-profit will make way for new development on West 53rd Street
> 
> Mayor Bill de Blasio is planning to sell a lot on the south side of West 53rd Street, including a development rights package, for $1 to the Clinton Housing Development Corporation.
> 
> City officials need to approve the transaction of the 25,204-square-foot plot and 22,241 square feet of transferable development rights on West 53rd Street between 10th and 11th avenues, according to the New York Observer.
> 
> The deal would help realize a 103-unit affordable development slated for 530-548 West 53rd Street and Taconic Investment Partners and Ritterman Capital‘s upcoming 405-unit development with 81 affordable units at 525 West 52nd Street, according to a new proposal from the Department of Housing and Preservation cited by the newspaper.
> 
> The land and the development rights are worth $110.6 million.
> 
> [...]
> - See more at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/11...rights-worth-110m-for-1/#sthash.n2IsKAgk.dpuf











http://commercialobserver.com/2014/11/city-to-sell-110-6m-manhattan-land-air-rights-for-1/


----------



## TowerVerre:)

I made a video about New York's supertall projecs:


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

^^ Nice job! Thanks. :cheers:


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Surprised no one has posted this...

*New York Boosts Lead on London as Leading Finance Center *

By John Glover Nov 23, 2014 7:01 PM ET

"New York is extending its lead over London as the world’s most important financial center as the City reels under a string of scandals and question marks over the U.K.’s continued membership of the European Union. 

New York was picked for the top spot by 59 percent of respondents, against 38 percent who named London, according to a Kinetic Partners survey of almost 300 finance professionals carried out for the consultancy’s 2015 Global Regulatory Outlook, published today. New York went into the lead last year, when 49 percent named it as the preeminent financial center and 44 percent said London. 

“This shift from just two years ago is a testament to the resilience of the New York market,” said Julian Korek, chief executive officer of London-based Kinetic. “New York has proven that it can draw and maintain institutions that believe it is the best place to grow their businesses...”


----------



## streetscapeer

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/articl...1129943/building-boom-lifts-citys-culture-biz

*Building boom lifts city's culture biz
Nearly $2 billion in museum expansions are underway or planned.*


BY THERESA AGOVINO 
NOVEMBER 24, 2014



> Even the pens handed to visitors will be cutting-edge when the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum reopens next month. Visitors can use the tech tools to draw shapes on special tables, and then see museum objects with a similar motif. The device will enable interior-design wannabes to create wallpaper patterns that are projected onto large screens. And with a tap on an exhibit's label, the slender stylus records information about the display that can be downloaded to a computer.
> 
> The last function might come in especially handy. After its three-year, $81.3 million renovation, the Cooper Hewitt has 60% more exhibit space, so there will be much more to explore for the 300,000 visitors it hopes to attract.
> 
> "Everything has been redone from A to Z," said Caroline Baumann, the museum's director. "We really wanted people to be able to see the collection."
> 
> "If you build it, they will come" has become the mantra of many New York City cultural executives during the past few years. After one major museum expansion last year, there are at least six other additions either near completion, underway or planned. Plus, two new major cultural institutions are on deck. Already close to $1 billion has been spent on ventures that are either finished or nearing completion. A similar price tag for the projects that aren't as far along can be expected.
> 
> The Whitney Museum of American Art will debut its new $760 million downtown building early next year, which almost triples the size of its former Madison Avenue home. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is taking over the 85,000-square-foot former Whitney building and plans to start showcasing its modern and contemporary collection there in 2016.
> 
> Meanwhile, the Museum of Modern Art plans to gain 40,000 square feet of gallery space through an expansion on the site of what was once the American Folk Art Museum. The latter institution is now located on the Upper West Side at 2 Lincoln Square and, according to published reports, plans to open a 17,000-square-foot Queens annex next year that will be used primarily for storage but will also feature a 2,000-square-foot gallery.
> 
> And by the end of 2015, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum is slated to begin an $8.5 million construction project to add more exhibit space in the building it acquired seven years ago for $7 million. Last year, the Queens Museum doubled in size, to 105,000 square feet, in a $68 million expansion.
> More major renovations may be on the way. Earlier this year, the Frick Collection announced it wants to increase the space of its 180,000-square-foot Fifth Avenue mansion by about 25%. However, the mansion's landmark status means the Frick needs city approval to move forward, and there's been significant opposition to the plan.
> 
> Not all the new cultural space will be in the form of expansions. Daniel Doctoroff, former deputy mayor and soon-to-be ex-president and CEO of Bloomberg LP, is chairman of Culture Shed, a 170,000-square-foot, multipurpose space that has already received a $50 million appropriation from the city. Mr. Doctoroff is busy raising money and seeking an executive director for the project. Additionally, there are plans to construct a performing arts center at the World Trade Center, though it's unclear when that will happen. A Frank Gehry design with an estimated $400 million price tag was scuttled earlier this year.
> 
> Accommodating the increasing flow of visitors to the city is often cited by museum officials as a reason for the cultural construction boom. This year, a record 55.8 million tourists are expected, up 3% from last year. Museum directors say the great works their institutions possess should be displayed, not stored. In the Frick's case, Mr. Wardropper said, the desire to grow stems as much from a wish for more gallery space for its 320,000 annual visitors as a need to increase the size of its auditorium and add its first classrooms.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

I might as well add this as well. 

*Near $10B in higher-ed construction planned*
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2014/09/8552705/near-10b-higher-ed-construction-planned



> Higher education institutions in New York City will undertake nearly $10 billion in construction projects over the five years ending in 2017, nearly double the amount spent over the previous five years, according to a report to be released Wednesday morning by the New York Building Congress.
> 
> The report, entitled “NYC EDU; Building a 21st Century College Town,” will be unveiled at a morning forum keynoted by New York University President John Sexton. Underwritten by several of the schools it surveyed, the report delivers an auspicious view of the development efforts.
> 
> The building boom, which in some corners of the city is already well underway, is a “continuation” of some $2 billion in investments made over the proceeding three years, the report finds. The new construction starts represents a recovery from the recession years, when many projects were shelved for better times. Some $2 billion in construction activity is expected this fiscal year alone.
> 
> Much of the work that's ongoing or nearing fruition will be the result of major expansion and renovation projects commissioned by the likes of N.Y.U., Columbia University, Cornell Tech and the city and state university systems. Some, the report notes, “are massive in scope.”
> 
> Columbia is building a 6.8-million-square-foot expansion of its Manhattanville campus, in addition to other projects that include the creation of a 450,000 square foot center neuroscience research.
> 
> N.Y.U. plans a 1.9-million-square-foot expansion—one still hotly contested by some faculty and Greenwich Village neighbors. The school plans 14 major projects over the five-year period, including a $345 million Center for Urban Science and Progress in Downtown Brooklyn.
> 
> On Roosevelt Island, Cornell Tech—a new joint program that has just 100 students this fall but plans to grow to 2,000 over coming decades—is just starting work on a campus on Roosevelt Island in the East River. Over three phases, the campus is planned to grow to 2 million square feet and cost $2 billion to construct.
> 
> The City University of New York anticipates work on 11 different projects in coming years, including a $406 million, 360,000-square-foot academic building at New York City College of Technology.
> 
> More broadly, though, there are other projects planned by additional schools and teaching hospitals, according to the report, which is based on a survey of higher education officials in New York. The report notes the big-ticket efforts account for “a fraction of the work” being undertaken.
> 
> “Dozens of other institutions throughout the five boroughs are in the planning or construction phases with a wide range of projects designed to improve libraries, student housing, performance venues, athletic facilities, nursing programs, and other facilities that house a variety of academic disciplines,” the report says. “In addition to strengthening each individual institution, these projects are providing multiple benefits to the New York City economy in general and the construction industry in particular."
> 
> Colleges that disclosed plans for annual maintenance and repairs anticipated, on average, that they would spend 17 percent more on outlays “as a result of development that is underway or anticipated.”
> 
> The report was commissioned by the Building Congress’ higher education committee, which is co-chaired by officials at N.Y.U., Columbia and CUNY. A letter from the three opens the report.
> 
> “The fact that New York City is in the early stages of a higher education building boom is certainly great news in the near term for the construction industry and the local economy,” they wrote. “Far more important, however, is what it means for our future. By investing billions of dollars to maintain, upgrade, and expand their facilities and campuses, these schools are confirming that they are thriving today while also preparing for an even brighter tomorrow.”
> 
> Among the recommendations is for the city to establish a Mayor’s Office of Higher Education, build on the city’s Allied Science NYC competition and for governments and industry to collaborate with higher education on “big data” projects meant to design for efficient and “smart cities.”


----------



## sbarn

Revealed:

1 West End Avenue in the Riverside Center Development (is there a thread for this?):


----------



## Simfan34

Riverside Center Development? New to me.


----------



## _Anunaki_

New york and Paris two beautiful cities  Look this nice video :


----------



## Avemano

Ulpia-Serdica said:


> New York’s tallest residential building, 432 Park Avenue, reached its full height on Friday, at 1,396 feet. It opens next year and the penthouse views, in all directions, are spectacular.


Oh. My. God.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

I guess I have to start saving up


----------



## skytower666

desertpunk said:


> As visions go, they don't get more curious than this render of a "NoMad Tower" that popped up on the website of architects *Fernando Romero EnterprisE*:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then again, in the current environment this may not be a vision at all. Stay tuned...


uke:uke:uke:uke:uke:uke:uke:uke:uke:uke:uke:uke:uke:uke:uke:uke:uke:


----------



## Syndic

That is an ugly building. Please don't let that be built, New York.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Scaffolding up at Broadway and Spring, any ideas anyone? 

Additionally, there a list of 200+ meter projects floating around?


----------



## Kopacz

Probably the supervisor said to the architect "*No*, You're *Mad* to propose such tower"
And so the "*NoMad* Tower" was born 
Looks out of place totally, no matter what city it was.


----------



## Middle-Island

desertpunk said:


> Then again, in the current environment this may not be a vision at all. Stay tuned...


Good god. Send that back to Mexico City.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Bored. I tried to limit any projects where a developer has merely assembled a collection of lots and nothing concrete has been proposed, but I'm sure there are one or two. 

Underlined, financing is lined up and/or anchor tenant is on board, so U/C is just a matter of when, not if.

Missing anything?

*Supertalls 300+ meters*
U/C

217 W. 57th 1490 FT
432 Park Ave 1396 FT
30 Hudson Yards 1287 FT
3 WTC 1170 FT

Prep


[*]Vanderbilt Ave 1514 FT	Tenant Secured (TD)
2 WTC 1350 FT	Seeking Tenant
[*]Tower Verre 1050 FT	Prep/Financing Secured
Girasole 1050 FT	
35 Hudson Yards 1000+ FT	Prep
50 Hudson Yards 1000 FT	Seeking Tenant
[*]Manhattan West Tower I	995 FT	Tenant Secured (Skadden)
Manhattan West Tower II	995 FT	Seeking Tenant

Proposed

111 W 57th ST 1397 FT	Prep
125 Greenwich St 1350 FT
15 Penn Plaza 1216 FT	Seeking Tenant
520 W. 41 St 1100 FT
Hudson Spire 1000+ FT	Seeking Tenant
80 South St 1000 FT

*Skyscrapers 200+ meters*
U/C

4 WTC 977 FT
220 Central Park South	950 FT
30 Park Place 937 FT
15 Hudson Yards 915 FT
10 Hudson Yards 895 FT
56 Leonard St 821 FT
50 West St 783 FT
250 E. 57th St 715 FT
610 Lexington 712 FT
115 Nassau St 687 FT
605 W. 42nd St 656 FT

Prep

281 5th Ave 900 FT	Demo
101 Murray St 850 FT	Demo
227 Cherry St 850 FT	Demo
55 Hudson Yards 780 FT	Seeking Tenant (Construction expected to start Q1 15)
[*]520 Park Ave 780 FT	Financing Secured/Demo
[*]45 E. 22nd St 777 FT	Financing Secured
118 Fulton St 700 FT	Demo
[*]3 Manhattan West 700 FT	Financing Secured
31 W. 57th 650+ FT	Demo

Proposed	

425 Park Ave 905 FT
520 5th Ave 900 FT
15 E. 30th St 825 FT
75 Nassau St 800 FT
340 Flatbush Ave 775 FT
470 11th Ave 720 FT
45 Park Place 665 FT
740 8th Avenue 650+ FT
Park Lane 650+ FT


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

^^Girasole should be the same height as Tower Verre!! 1050' tall.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Changed the height on that, thanks for the heads up.


----------



## Old Yorker

605 West 42nd St (Atelier 2) under construction
www.flickr.com/photos/strykapose/15060016935/


----------



## desertpunk

*Approved: SHoP’s 1,397-Foot 111 West 57th Street*











Excavation has been chugging along:









ILNY via NY YIMBY

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


While the approved height is for the highest floor, the matter of the crown is yet to be decided. The tower will either be 1412 ft or 1421 ft. tall:



Vertical_Gotham said:


> *From Engineering Report*


----------



## desertpunk

*10 Sullivan St. Progress:*









http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2015/1/6/10-sullivan









http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2015/1/6/10-sullivan









http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2015/1/6/10-sullivan









http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2015/1/6/10-sullivan


----------



## Dale

Oh well, if I have to choose ... I'll take the 1,421.


----------



## desertpunk

*432 PA*


IMG_0664 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Demo Duo*


*Demolition underway for 39 story tower in Greenpoint*












> 145-155 West Street [Brownstoner]: Demolition has kicked-off on the existing two-story warehouse at 145-155 West Street, in Greenpoint. Palin Enterprises and Mack Real Estate Group has planned a 39-story, 600-unit mixed-use development measuring 800,000 square feet; Ismael Leyva Architects is designing.


http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/01/yim...en-for-531-6th-street-in-park-slope-more.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


*Demolition underway for 606 West 57th St.*












> From the High Line to Midtown, the far west side is abuzz with construction activity, and we can soon add another project to the list: TF Cornerstone’s 606 West 57th Street.
> 
> Demolition has just begun for the existing structures – a Lexus dealership and four-story building used as a garage, among others – and construction is set to begin this winter, with completion targeted for the spring of 2017.
> 
> In November, the Mortgage Observer reported that TF Cornerstone landed a $384 million construction loan for the project, to be financed by Wells Fargo, M&T Bank, and German Helaba.


----------



## LouDagreat

desertpunk said:


> *Demo Duo*
> 
> 
> *Demolition underway for 39 story tower in Greenpoint*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/01/yim...en-for-531-6th-street-in-park-slope-more.html
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 
> *Demolition underway for 606 West 57th St.*


God the first one looks so ******* generic. Every proposed construction project that gets posted here fills with me excitement that a potential masterpiece will be built. Then I see that shit. Gets me angry actually. As much as I dislike NIMBYs, crap like this is what fuels the cause of the NIMBYs.

Second one looks good though.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

If it had green glass and white spandrel it would be even more generic


----------



## Skylimitone

01.11.15
The Boerum - 265 State Street








tectonic


----------



## desertpunk

*Pierhouse*


01.11.15 brooklyn empire state by denvermullets, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Apartments at St. John the Divine*









https://www.flickr.com/photos/jschumacher/









https://www.flickr.com/photos/jschumacher/


----------



## Troopchina

Does not blend in well with the church...


----------



## desertpunk

*It ain't just IKEA anymore...*

*Red Hook's Office Empire Unveils Cost, Timeline, Details*












> Red Hook's transformation from sleepy waterfront neighborhood to baron of (trendy) industry seems to inch closer every day. In October 2014, developer Est4te Four—the company behind a wildly expensive condo building in the area whose units are selling like hotcakes—unveiled ambitious plans for a massive hub near the intersection of Ferris and Coffey streets targeted towards fashion, arts, and tech tenants. Now the Times has proffered a long read about the 12-acre, 1.2-million-square-foot mecca of office buildings, green space, and room for events; some parts will be converted from former factories, while others will be new construction designed to fit in among the existing industrial structures. The whole low-lying project is designed to be flood-proof.
> 
> Things we learn: 1) It shall be called the Red Hook Innovation District. (Eeeesh.). 2) It shall cost $400 million, and be built in phases over five years. 3) The Daily News' old printing plant won't get totally razed. Instead, part of it will be removed to make way for parkland. 4) Speaking of that green stuff, the hub will contain two acres of public parkland, a promenade, a pier, plazas, and courtyards.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Hudson Yards A Go-Go*

*Permits Filed: 35 Hudson Yards, 1,009-Foot Office/Hotel/Condo Tower*












> A new building permit application was filed this morning for 35 Hudson Yards, the Related/Oxford Properties-developed mixed-use tower set to rise at the southeastern corner of 33rd Street and 11th Avenue, a block south of the new 7 train terminus, near where Hudson Boulevard meets the public square below 33rd Street, with a legal street address of 532-560 West 33rd Street. According to the Schedule A filing, there would be six stories of office space, 217 hotel rooms (up from the 175 previously disclosed), and 135 condominium apartments.
> 
> *The 1,000-foot-tall, 79-story tower has morphed into a 1,009-foot, 72-story one, per the filing*, with a bit over 1 million square feet of total construction area, including common space and mechanicals that do not count towards zoning. The square footage for zoning purposes is, oddly, not listed, but the Schedule A filing provides some clues about the space breakdown.
> 
> The first floor would be consumed by lobbies, with retail on the second, fourth, and fifth. Six floors of office space – hitherto unannounced – would start on the eighth floor, with the hotel portion stretching from the 19th to the 29th (20 rooms per floor, except for the 27th which would have 17).
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*First Look: Potential Macy’s Redevelopment at 450-458 Fulton Street, in Downtown Brooklyn*












> Late last year, Racked reported that Macy’s was rethinking its future in Downtown Brooklyn, with the company considering the addition of a second location, and the potential sale of both its current building and a parking garage next door.
> 
> Now, YIMBY has the first reveal of potential plans for the old garage at 11 Hoyt Street (and a neighboring structure at 450-458 Fulton Street), which may be reborn as 217 Livingston Street. Per a piece by The Real Deal last August, the garage comes with 584,000 square feet of air rights, and Macy’s is also requesting that any developer build a 300,000 square foot store.
> 
> The images come from a proposal by Brookfield, which is apparently in contention for the purchase of the site, though representatives did not respond to YIMBY’s request for comment. Beyer Blinder Belle is behind the design.
> 
> While plans are far from final, Brookfield’s vision looks to depict the refurbishment of the existing garage into a major expansion for Macy’s, likely fulfilling the demand for 300,000 square feet of retail. Besides re-using the old garage, a very tall and glassy residential tower is also featured in the images, though its entire height is not apparent.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Garage-Replacing Leonard Street Condos Will Look Like This*












> Plans for a BKSK-designed condo building at 24 Leonard Street were filed in August 2013, and we finally have the first rendering of the new building, thanks to Tribeca Citizen, who calls the building "a respectable addition to the neighborhood." The existing parking garage is mostly being demolished (permits call it "selective demolition" and say the plan is to "convert and enlarge" the building), and a nine-story building with seven full-floor units will replace it. The building's current footprint will stay the same up to the fifth floor, 100 feet by 100 feet, and the higher floors will be set back so they are only 50 feet deep.


----------



## desertpunk

*New Look: Imperial Companies’ 30-Story 509 West 38th Street*












> EDIT: Iliad Developers are no longer behind 509 West 38th Street, and Imperial Companies is now the developer.
> 
> The New York Post covered designer Ken Fulk’s recent career moves in a piece last week, and buried in the body of the article was an image of one of his new buildings, though it did not have an address attached. A quick glance at the photo shows Related’s MiMA lurking in the background and TF Cornerstone’s 505 West 37th Street at right, which means that the rendering is actually a new look for Iliad Development’s 509 West 38th Street, a 30-story rental tower that was previously revealed by the New York Times.
> 
> While the building’s appearance has seen significant changes, its overall massing has stayed relatively consistent, and appears to match diagrams revealed by The Real Deal earlier this year. BKSK Architects is designing the tower while Ismael Leyva is the architect of record, and when it comes to the exterior, the new look is a definite improvement.
> 
> [...]



Old, fussier design:


----------



## desertpunk

*Silverstein Closes on Site of Planned 1,100′ Mixed-Use Tower on 11th Avenue*












> 520 West 41st Street [Crain's Business]: Also known as 514 11th Avenue, Silverstein Properties has closed on the block-long parcel at 520 West 41st Street, on the Far West Side, for “more than $100 million.” Plans, currently being processed through the city’s land-use review, call for a 106-story, 1,400-unit mixed-use tower spanning a gross of 1.685 million square feet.


----------



## desertpunk

*Revealed: 172 Madison Avenue, 31 Stories of Karl Fischer-Designed Condos*












> Back in September, YIMBY covered the first drawings posted for the revival of 172 Madison Avenue, a long-stalled site in Midtown on the northwest corner of Madison and 33rd Street. In the years since plans were initially conceived, another 42-story tower has already risen across the street, at 160 Madison Avenue.
> 
> Now it finally seems like 172 Madison Avenue is also about to begin rising, and YIMBY has the first rendering for the 31-story and 391-foot tall tower. Karl Fischer is the architect, while Yitzhak Tessler is the developer, and the building will span 129,442 square feet, with 4,523 square feet set aside for ground-floor retail. The remainder will be divided between 63 condominiums, averaging nearly 2,000 square feet apiece. Rooftop mechanicals boost the building’s height to just shy of 450 feet.
> 
> [...]


----------



## el palmesano

wow lot of new projects!


----------



## desertpunk

Columbia U. getting more Renzo Piano up in Manhattanville:


IMG_1816 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

...Meanwhile, the Columbia U. Medical Center is getting cladded:


IMG_1503 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


IMG_1499 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


IMG_1504 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


----------



## Josedc

Where do you fit so many buidings?!?!


----------



## towerpower123

35 Hudson yards looks like a mess while 509 west 38th street looks really good. It looks like a Streamline Modern design similar to the McGraw-Hill Building.


----------



## desertpunk

*30 Park Place* Not far from topping out...


30 Park Place by apardavila, on Flickr


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

Nice! This tower will be an instant classic. Would love to see this same exact photo when this puppy is finished.


----------



## Tower Dude

*NEW YORK | Projects &amp; Construction*

What Art-Nuevo is to Paris, Art Deco is to New York!


----------



## desertpunk

*Another tower rising in Long Island City*


queensboro winter-4 by eligit, on Flickr


----------



## propertygyaan

Hi,

Smoebody please guide me the list of new upcoming real estate projects in new york


----------



## TowerVerre:)

^^
This is a list of all built, under construction and proposed projects in the city over 200m: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=194273


----------



## desertpunk

*West 57th pyramid*


Untitled by kevinrubin, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Hookah Bar-Replacing East Village Condos Will Look Like This*












> Neighbors really weren't big fans of the hookah bar and restaurant that used to occupy a one-story building on East 1st Street, but will they like what's replacing it better? Work is already underway at the lot, located between First and Second avenues, and architects GF55 have sent along the first official rendering of the six-story condo building that will rise there (click for big!). As per GF55's description of building, which will house six apartments, each about 1,900 square feet.


----------



## matzek

desertpunk said:


> *New Renderings for 53 West 53rd Street*


Its like a giant middle finger to the poor :lol:


----------



## birdman4481

will it build because i love design One Vanderbilt


----------



## desertpunk

*REVEALED: Lions Group Developing Complementary Skyscrapers in Long Island City*












> Just north of Long Island City‘s Court Square and its once lonely Citigroup Building, the Long Island-based Lions Group will erect a complementary pair of residential towers fronting opposite sides of Jackson Avenue. Sensibly dubbed Jackson East (26-32 Jackson Avenue) and Jackson West (27-01 Jackson Avenue), the project is just one of the more than two dozen high-rise developments underway in LIC’s Court Square / Queens Plaza area.
> 
> While details remain scarce, renderings recently posted on the Lions Group’s website depict that the taller east tower will rise nearly 40 stories while the shorter west building will be about 30.


----------



## desertpunk

*The Greenwich lane Tops Out*


----------



## streetscapeer

wow, Long Island City is really booming with highrises!


----------



## desertpunk

Riverside Center, 175 W.60th St. (behind) and the W.57th St. pyramid:


Untitled by Natalie Budak Photography, on Flickr


----------



## erbse

Riverside's really getting crowded, but in some oppressive way. At least the park piers will still get enough sunshine, being located on the southside.

Long Island City's development is long overdue. It's getting too many glassy towers though imho, it should get some nice *classic-style setback towers in stone cladding*, too. That'd provide balance and a more interesting and classy appeal.


----------



## desertpunk

erbse said:


> Long Island City's development is long overdue. It's getting too many glassy towers though imho, it should get some nice classic-style setback towers in stone cladding, too. That'd provide balance and a more interesting and classy appeal.


That would be nice but almost everything going up in LIC is either rentals or hotels. That usually means developers will go to more affordable options. No Robert AM Sterns likely in da LIC...


----------



## desertpunk

*Revealed: 600 West 58th Street, 65-Unit Mixed-Use Project by Durst*












> Back in January of 2014, YIMBY reported that permits were filed for a new building at 600 West 58th Street, on the corner of Eleventh Avenue. And now, we have a rendering of the project, which is being developed by Durst and designed by Studio V Architecture.
> 
> The lot is the only remaining vacant parcel on the block bounded by 57th and 58th streets and 11th Avenue and West Street, with the other two buildings on the block also developed by Durst. The Helena was completed back in 2003, while the Bjarke Ingels-designed 625 West 57th Street is still under construction.
> 
> The building set to rise at 600 West 58th Street will be an 80/20 rental project, with 53 market-rate units and 12 affordable apartments. The building will stand 10 stories tall and span almost 120,000 square feet, split between a sizable retail and community facility component, with apartments above. The ratio has shifted towards more commercial space since permits were initially filed, and they had previously indicated the project would have 120 apartments.


It's curious that Durst would build such a short tower in that location. I'm guessing all available air rights were suctioned away by neighboring developments...


----------



## desertpunk

*Citi-Owned LIC Site Could Give Rise to a 40-Story Building*












> When Citigroup erected its Long Island City tower in the 1980s, it hoped to spur an office district that would become a less-expensive Midtown offshoot. Now, 30 years later amidst company-wide post-recession woes and the neighborhood's residential boom, the financial institution is abandoning that dream. The Times and TRD report that the bank is looking to sell a 36,000-square-foot development lot adjacent to the Citigroup Building, where once they planned a third Court Square tower, for a sum between $140 million and $150 million. The lot, bounded by 44th Road, 44th Drive, and 23rd Street, could give rise to a 40-story office, retail, hotel, or apartment tower.
> 
> Citigroup has been slowly selling off its stake in its Long Island City properties...


----------



## towerpower123

desertpunk said:


> *Revealed: 600 West 58th Street, 65-Unit Mixed-Use Project by Durst*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's curious that Durst would build such a short tower in that location. I'm guessing all available air rights were suctioned away by neighboring developments...


That is tiny, but it is nice to see some quality low-rise infill!


----------



## royal rose1

The massive amount of development in Long Island City right now is baffling, really nice to see! The area is cool but could use some redevelopment, I imagine its proximity to astoria could be an attractive feature for companies looking to relocate offices in NYC, and to attract millennials. I just hope a ton of these actually become reality.


----------



## desertpunk

*New Look: 520 West 20th Street*












> Earlier this week, YIMBY posted the first renderings for an office project underway at 520 West 20th Street, between the High Line and Eleventh Avenue. Now, we have a new look at the project courtesy of its architect, Morris Adjmi, which gives a much better idea of where the design stands. Eli and James Haddad (doing business as the Carolina Manufacturing Co.) are developing.


----------



## desertpunk

*35 Cooper Square, Marymount Manhattan College Dorm*












> The construction netting has finally come off 35 Cooper Square, and the Marymount Manhattan College dorm building has finally been revealed to the world.
> 
> Located on the western edge of the East Village near NoHo between East Fifth and Sixth streets, just above where the Bowery branches off into Third and Fourth avenues, the dorm building rises 13 stories and 133 feet into the air. The developer – Bhatia Development, led by Arun Bhatia – has also designed buildings for the New School in the past, along with the 47-story Capri on East 55th Street, which houses some of Marymount Manhattan’s other dorm rooms. Kossar + Garry Architects was responsible for its design.












35 Cooper Square, images by *Tectonic*


----------



## desertpunk

*New Look: 190 South 1st Street, 13-Story Williamsburg Project by ODA*


----------



## desertpunk

royal rose1 said:


> The massive amount of development in Long Island City right now is baffling, really nice to see! The area is cool but could use some redevelopment, I imagine its proximity to astoria could be an attractive feature for companies looking to relocate offices in NYC, and to attract millennials. I just hope a ton of these actually become reality.


Yeah, LIC is indeed filling up with towers. Well maybe there's room for a few more:

*Tishman Speyer's Long Island City Towers Will Look Like This*












> A construction fence rendering has been posted of the three residential towers that developer Tishman Speyer is bringing to Long Island City, giving us, if not a complete picture of what the buildings will look like, at least an idea of their general shape and size. The towers, located at 28-34 Jackson Avenue, 28-10 Jackson Avenue, and 30-02 Queens Boulevard, will contain a total of 1,789 apartments and 15,500 square feet of retail space, and will also be haunted by the ghosts of a formerly prominent Queens family. Construction is expected to be finished in June 2018, according to the signage.


For projects built as of right, the first inklings of the design are often what gets posted at the job site.


----------



## desertpunk

*Landmarked Synagogue Moves Forward With Condo Neighbor*












> In late December, landmarks unanimously approved plans to demolish a community facility adjoined to Congregation Shearith Israel in the Central Park West Historic District, and now West Side Rag reports that scaffolding has appeared around the dejected structure. According to WSR, the congregation has been in talks with the community to develop a new facility—topped by five stories of apartments, no less—at 8 West 70th Street off of Central Park West for the last 30 years.


----------



## towerpower123

Brooklyn Building Boom 2 25 2015









8-16 Nevins Street









300 Schermerhorn









8-26 Nevins Street









33 Bond Street









72 Willoughby









172 Montague









City Tech Campus Expansion


----------



## desertpunk

*Checking in on 3 World Trade Center:*





























Pics: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2015/2/26/world-trade-center-site

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/...trade_center_finally_started_rising_again.php


----------



## Tower Dude

I still cannot believe that this tower is actually rising!


----------



## desertpunk

*Pier 1*


Pier 15 by Christopher D. Brazee, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Landmarks Shoots Down New Wooster Street Building*












> Plans for a new building on Wooster Street in Soho have been in the works for more than seven years, and the road to reality will be longer still. On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission could not find its way to approving the eight-story building proposed for 150 Wooster Street between Prince and West Houston streets. While the direction of the design was appreciated, several commissioners wanted more integration of the steel at the base, more detailed windows, and a better resolution of the cornice.


----------



## desertpunk

Wired takes on the NYC skyscraper boom: http://www.millersamuel.com/wireds-phallic-take-on-the-high-rise-boom/


----------



## desertpunk

*First Look: ODA's Condos, Affordable Housing in Hell's Kitchen*












> New York YIMBY has the full rendering reveal and intel on a new building headed for West 43rd Street between Tenth and Eleventh avenues. Developer El Ad Group is putting up condos and affordable housing on a platform above the Amtrak tracks; there would be 106 apartments, and 26 of them would be affordable. It wouldn't be that vertically prominent—only 15 stories at its tallest point—and amenities are pretty basic: bike storage; a rec room; and 23 parking spots. Permits haven't been approved yet, so this is all preliminary..


http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/03/rev...ned-midtown-west-residential-development.html


----------



## desertpunk

*Inside the Still Unfinished $4 Billion WTC Transportation Hub*



















http://animalnewyork.com/2015/exclusive-look-inside-costly-wtc-transportation-hub/


----------



## desertpunk

Work has begun on the first building at Domino: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/articl...as-breaks-ground-on-domino-sugar-site-finally












> *Jed Walentas breaks ground on Domino Sugar site, finally*
> 
> A Brooklyn developer will announce Monday that construction workers have sunk a shovel into the ground on the Williamsburg waterfront for the first of five buildings destined to open at the site of the Domino Sugar refinery, dormant since 2004.
> 
> It's a day that just a year ago seemed like it might never come.
> 
> Back then, Jed Walentas, the co-head of Two Trees Management, clashed with the de Blasio administration over its demands for more affordable housing on the site, before ultimately agreeing to add another 40 such units to the 660 already planned. But the breakthrough came only after negotiations nearly collapsed. Later, Mr. Walentas and his father, David, publicly accused city officials of overplaying their hand at the bargaining table and risking derailing the entire project. Now, however, those disputes have been largely forgotten.
> 
> "Certainly we said things to the newspaper we shouldn't have said as an organization, and I think both sides probably think they could have conducted themselves better—we certainly do," Mr. Walentas said in an interview with Crain's. "But we have a good relationship with City Hall and the mayor's office, and like any relationship, sometimes you do things you wish you hadn't, but you move on and go forward."
> 
> Since then, the two sides have shifted gears and are now working in relative harmony, as evinced by the 500-unit rental building soon to rise on the inland side of Kent Avenue. The 16-story, SHoP *Architects-designed tower, with a large cutout in the middle, will include 105 apartments for low-*income residents, plus ground-floor retail space. It is scheduled to open in two years.
> 
> [...]


----------



## streetscapeer

That building on Wooster St in SOHO looks great.. I wish they'd accepted it!


----------



## desertpunk

*551 W. 21st St*









http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/03/construction-update-551-west-21st-street-west-chelsea.html


----------



## desertpunk

*Another Huge New Tower May Rise Next to One Vanderbilt*












> The Vanderbilt Corridor rezoning may spawn another enormous tower next door to rezone poster child One Vanderbilt. The Post reports that developer Howard Milstein is planning to replace his 1.1 million-square-foot office tower at 335 Madison Avenue with an even larger building, possibly containing a high end hotel. As it happens, that would return the site to its original use—335 Madison was built as the luxurious Biltmore Hotel in 1913 by architects Warren and Wetmore, but in 1984 the Milstein family gutted and stripped the landmarked building to the dismay of preservationists everywhere.


----------



## dexter2

desertpunk said:


> *Landmarks Shoots Down New Wooster Street Building*


I can't believe how stupid that is. Landmark comission makes problems for investors with really decent project, but at the same time those lazy bastards are doing nothing to protect real gems from demolition, that are beeing teared down as I write those words. This is ridiculous.


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

I agree! I don't get it.


----------



## desertpunk

400 Park Avenue South


modern architecture by Visual Thinking (by Terry McKenna), on Flickr


----------



## LouDagreat

desertpunk said:


> *Landmarks Shoots Down New Wooster Street Building*


A decent, classy, stylish building rejected, while garbage across the city is accepted without complaint.


----------



## Nexis

From the other day

WTC 3


DSC_0251 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


World Trade Center 3 Rising in Lower Manhattan and WTC 4 behind by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

432 Park Ave 


Midtown Manhattan Skyline viewed from West New York,NJ by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Midtown Manhattan Skyline viewed from Little Ferry,NJ by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

30 Park Place 


30 Park Place Rising in Lower Manhattan,New York by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


World Trade Center Transportation Hub , WTC 1 & 7 and 30 Park Plae in Lower Manhattan by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Skyline viewed from the Staten Island Ferry by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Skyline viewed from Weehawken,NJ by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

56 Leonard Street


56 Leonard Street Rising in Lower Manhattan by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


56 Leonard Street Rising in Lower Manhattan by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Hudson Bergen Light Rail departing Exchange Place Station by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

10 Hudson Yards - Coach Tower


Midtown Manhattan Skyline viewed from Weehawken,NJ by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

Atelier 2 - 605 W.42nd St. 


Midtown & Lower Manhattan Skylines viewed from the Staten Island Ferry by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

City Point Brooklyn 


Downtown Brooklyn Skyline viewed from the Staten Island Ferry in New York Harbor by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Downtown Brooklyn Skyline viewed from the Staten Island Ferry in New York Harbor by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

625 W.57th St. - Pyramid


Midtown Manhattan Skyline viewed from West New York,NJ by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Midtown Manhattan Skyline viewed from Weehawken,NJ by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Midtown Manhattan Skyline viewed from North Bergen,NJ by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

WTC Hub


World Trade Center Transportation Hub , WTC 1 & 7 in Lower Manhattan by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


World Trade Center Transportation Hub , WTC 1 & 7 in Lower Manhattan by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


World Trade Center Transportation Hub , WTC 3 & 4 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


----------



## sbarn

LouDagreat said:


> A decent, classy, stylish building rejected, while garbage across the city is accepted without complaint.


...and actual historically significant structures like the Bancroft Building are being demo'd. Pathetic.


----------



## desertpunk

*Questionable Seventh Ave. Landmark Finally Razed For Condos*












> Demolition has started at the site of the landmarked-but-not-really-worth-it triangular building at 130 Seventh Avenue South, DNAinfo reports. The site will give rise to a new high-end condo building designed by BKSK that won over the Landmarks Preservation Commission on its third try in April 2014. The building will replace embattled nightclub Veranda that shuttered amidst legal woes in 2013. The new six-story building between West 9th and West 10th streets is being developed by Greystone with Continental Ventures and Itzhaki Acquisitions. It will have five floor-through condos measuring about 2,500-square-feet each, and ground-floor retail. Demolition of the existing structure will last until about April, and the new building is expected to be complete 18 months following.


----------



## desertpunk

*Developers Want To Spend $1Billion, Build a Hotel in Industry City*












> Since its purchase in 2013 by a consortium of owners including Jamestown Properties—who just happen to be the successful converters of an old Nabisco factory into a bustling office-and-retail complex called Chelsea Market—Industry City has attracted new tenants from Rooftop Films to bakeries to 3-D printing house MakerBot. A 6-million-square-foot, 16-building complex on the Sunset Park waterfront, Industry City has gotten a few facelifts, totaling about $100 million, since then, and it's probably about to get another one. A big one.
> 
> Crain's reports that Jamestown, along with Belvedere Capital and Angelo Gordon, want to build a hotel within Industry City, as well as sink $1 billion into further improvements across the whole complex that will attract even more businesses to lease office space there.


----------



## desertpunk

*REVEALED: Massive Mixed-Use Development at Red Hook’s Revere Sugar Factory Site*












> The housing-design experts at Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP) have hashed out a feasibility study to redevelop the Revere Sugar Factory site in Red Hook with a 1.7 million-square-foot development to include more than 900 apartments, 250,000 square feet of retail, and 400,000 square feet of parking. The six-acre site at 280 Richards Street is owned by the Joesph Sitt-led, Thor Equities, who purchased the parcel back in 2005 to the tune of $40 million, according to the New York Observer.


----------



## Hudson11

left: 56 Leonard; Center: 5 Beekman, 30 Park Place, 3 WTC 133 Greenwich; Bottom Right: 50 West Street


fidi, new york by sky-surreality, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Hunters Point South*


IMG_3068 by kz1000ps, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

The Sutton, 3/02


IMG_3055 by kz1000ps, on Flickr









trd


----------



## desertpunk

LexLofts conversion at 90 Lexington Ave. under way:


IMG_1286 by fuzzywomack, on Flickr


----------



## dexter2

desertpunk said:


> trd


This looks like Red Tower in Łódź:










But the other way around


----------



## ThatOneGuy

desertpunk said:


> LexLofts conversion at 90 Lexington Ave. under way:


Any renders of the new facade?


----------



## desertpunk

ThatOneGuy said:


> Any renders of the new facade?


None that I could find. Hopefully it will improve on the old façade:


Lex Lofts by edenpictures, on Flickr


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Ugh, air conditioners make me cringe.


----------



## Tower Dude

Reason why most new buildings have built in HVAC systems to mitigate their effect on design.


----------



## streetscapeer

*456 Greenwich Street*

100-Room Hotel to Rise on Tribeca Site Eyed for Restaurant












> A block-through development site on Greenwich Street along Debrosses Street won't be getting a Gene Kaufman-designed restaurant after all, but a *high-end hotel*. Commercial Observer reports that Western Heritable Investment Company, Caspi Development and Barone Management are planning an *eight-story hotel with 90 to 100 guest rooms* for the site, which takes the address of *456 Greenwich Street*. The lot—currently occupied in part by a single-story garage—straddles the boundary of the *Tribeca North Historic District* and as such, the developers have decided to seek Landmarks approval for the building's design. The project architect has not been named, although its rendering is accredited to architect Stephen B. Jacobs Group.
> There is a Request For Proposals out for the hotel brand. When complete, the *93,900-square-foot hote*l will have a bar, an interior courtyard, a spa, a pool, a business center, and a screening room. The hotel also might have a private members club.


----------



## DrunkMonkey

desertpunk said:


> The Sutton, 3/02
> 
> 
> IMG_3055 by kz1000ps, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> trd


Any more details on this? I wonder what materials they'll use for the cladding. That pink part kind of looks like bricks, hope it really is bricks and not some crappy imitation.


----------



## sbarn

ThatOneGuy said:


> Ugh, air conditioners make me cringe.


Window unit air conditioners are about as common as cars in New York.


----------



## Nexis

> *New Port Authority Bus Terminal would cost $8 to $10 billion​*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Beyond spending $90 million on short-term repairs involving passenger comfort and convenience at the aging Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, seen here, officials are planning an entirely new structure to address bus parking, circulation and other long-term issues. (Robert Sciarrino | NJ Advance Media) (Robert Sciarrino | NJ Advance Media)
> 
> By Steve Strunsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
> Email the author | Follow on Twitter
> on March 16, 2015 at 7:30 PM, updated March 17, 2015 at 2:43 PM
> 
> NEW YORK — If you think the $3.9 billion World Trade Center transportation hub sounds pricey, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
> 
> Officials of the Port Authority of New York and New say replacing the aging and overcrowded Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan will cost an estimated $8 to $10 billion. Officials disclosed the cost estimate for the first time today, in advance of a staff presentation to Port Authority commissioners scheduled for Thursday's monthly meeting in Jersey City.
> 
> The figure is ten times the amount commissioners were using during discussions of a new terminal last summer, based in part on a previous cost estimate of $800 million for a new terminal that had been included in the agency's previous capital plan.
> 
> The agency's chairman, John Degnan, who began his tenure last year by riding a bus into the old terminal, acknowledged that "most commissioners, including me, thought it would be less."
> 
> Degnan pointed out that the new figures were a "gross" estimate that did not include potential revenues from, for example, the sale of air rights to a developer for building above the new terminal. He also said the board could seek outside estimates, and vowed that he and other commissioners would work on minimizing costs.


http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/03/plans_for_a_whole_new_port_authority_bus_terminal.html


----------



## storms991

^^^ I wonder how they would simultaneously construct a new station and allow service to continue.


----------



## Nexis

> *Sell $3B in real estate to fund new Hudson River rail tunnel, top Dem tells Port Authority​*
> By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
> Email the author
> on March 17, 2015 at 1:45 PM, updated March 17, 2015 at 5:22 PM
> 
> NEWARK -- State senate president Steve Sweeney called on the Port Authority to sell at least $3 billion in real estate to help fund construction of a new Hudson River rail tunnel.
> 
> Sweeney, who made the public call at a Newark Penn Station press conference today, said he spoke to Port Authority chairman John Degnan about the idea.
> 
> "He recognized the need," Sweeney said. "We need to send a message to Amtrak and the federal government we're willing to work to come up with a funding component."
> 
> Sweeney was flanked by leading Democratic lawmakers and transportation experts who all called on the Port Authority to sell real estate to help fund Amtrak's Gateway Tunnel project. Sweeney and other speakers stressed the need for new tunnels after Amtrak revealed the old tunnels were damaged by flooding from Hurricane Sandy and would have to be shut down, one at a time for one year for repairs.
> 
> "This proposal is seed money," said State Senator Paul Sarlo, chairman of the senate transportation committee. "By divesting real estate, it provides the seed money for Gateway."
> 
> Sweeney said he did not have specific Port Authority properties in mind to be sold, but he identified the 1 World Trade Center building in a press release. Sarlo said he would look to Port Authority commissioners to identify property to sell.
> 
> But Port Authority Commissioner Ken Lipper said the bi-state agency had a more pressing need for any funds raised through the sale of its assets, including the World Trade Center.


http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/03/sell_3b_in_real_estate_to_fund_new_hudson_river_rail_tunnel_top_dem_tells_port_authority.html#incart_river


----------



## Nexis

storms991 said:


> ^^^ I wonder how they would simultaneously construct a new station and allow service to continue.


I believe part of the plan is to buy out some of the surrounding properties and build a new terminal there.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

sbarn said:


> Window unit air conditioners are about as common as cars in New York.


Cars have aesthetics, AC units are warts


----------



## Hudson11

http://newconstructionmanhattan.com/blog/2015/03/the-wondrous-212-fifth-avenue












> In January, a joint endeavor between Madison Equities, Building and Land Technology (BLT) and Thor Equities received a $275 million construction loan to acquire and complete the gut renovation of 212 Fifth Avenue. The partners gained the financial support from Midtown-based iStar Financial, allowing them to close on the purchase of the 220,000 square foot office property from Extell Development for $260 million.
> [...]
> The trio plans to convert the flagship property into 42 luxury apartments, with ground-level retail. Helpern Architects plans to replace all the building's windows and perform a full rehabilitation of the brick, limestone, and terra cotta facade.
> 
> Last week, the design team from AJSNY debuted renderings of the stunningly whimsical rooftop addition to be placed atop 212 Fifth Avenue in Nomad. The renderings show a bronze-clad, multi-story addition wrapped with meandering ribbons framing an enormous south-facing clock. 6sqft notes, “Below the steampunk-esque penthouse, AJSNY depicts a standard condo-conversion affair of open layouts and double-height spaces for the 1913 neo-medieval tower.” Although the renderings are not official, it gives New Yorkers an idea of what the trio – Madison Equities, Thor Equities, and Building and Land Technology – has in store for this exemplary Manhattan address.
> [...]


----------



## Nexis

From Yesterday

World Trade Center 3


World Trade Center 3 rising by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


World Trade Center 4 & 3 in Lower Manhattan by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


World Trade Center 4 & 3 in Lower Manhattan by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

56 Leonard Street


56 Leonard Street Rising by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Skyline by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

WTC Transit Hub


World Trade Center Site in Lower Manhattan by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


World Trade Center Transit Hub by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Future World Trade Center PATH Station by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Hoboken PATH Platform at World Trade Center by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Hoboken PATH Platform at World Trade Center by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Hoboken PATH Platform at World Trade Center by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


5:25PM & the Date by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


World Trade Center Transit Hub at Night by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

WTC 1


Lower Manhattan Skyline viewed from Montclair,NJ by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Skyline viewed from the Northeast Corridor by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Skyline viewed from the Northeast Corridor by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


World Trade Center 1 viewed from Jersey City by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Skyline by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Early Evening in Downtown Jersey City,NJ by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Early Evening in Downtown Jersey City,NJ by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


World Trade Center 1 & 7 in Lower Manhattan by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


----------



## obses

newconstructionmanhattan.com/sites/default/files/uploads/212-fifth-avenue.jpg

This is really ugly.


----------



## Tower Dude

> Meet One of New York’s Last Affordable Market-Rate Developers
> BY: STEPHEN SMITH ON MARCH 20TH 2015 AT 5:00 PM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In New York City, as everyone knows, there are mostly two kinds of new construction: luxury market-rate development, and subsidized “affordable housing.”
> 
> But near the end of the 2 train in the Bronx, on the corner of East 216th Street, developer Mark Stagg’s Stagg Group has started work on 3677 White Plains Road, a new apartment building that will be neither luxury nor fully subsidized. The apartments will be one- and two-bedrooms, and the latter are expected to rent starting around $1,700 on the open market (like his other projects nearby), and less for the 20 percent that are subsidized by cheaper financing on top of the 421-a tax abatement that all new apartment buildings in the Bronx get.
> 
> “Our model is that we provide market-rate apartments for working-class people,” said Stagg. “The nurses, nurses’ aides, firemen, policemen making $40,000 to $80,000. Those people need a place to live.”


http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/03/meet-one-of-new-yorks-last-affordable-market-rate-developers.html

This is the type of New Development that the city needs especially in the Bronx, Queens, Outer Brooklyn and Staten Island.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Hudson11 said:


> http://newconstructionmanhattan.com/blog/2015/03/the-wondrous-212-fifth-avenue


That's so art deco.


----------



## streetscapeer

chris08876 said:


> *Extra Rendering of:* 25 Kent Avenue
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Credit: http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-yor...artmentsfor-brooklyns-williamsburg-1428355772


..


----------



## streetscapeer

*Reconstruction*

This is amazing!

Harlem's Historic Corn Exchange Building Has Risen Again



> The Corn Exchange building on 125th Street revealed its new facade over the weekend, and Harlem + Bespoke got some photographs. The Queen Anne-style structure, *which lost its upper floors in 2009 due to safety concerns,* has been rebuilt by Danois Architects and Artimus Construction, with the Landmark Preservation Commission signing off and ensuring that the new structure is largely faithful to the historic former design. (As you can see from an old rendering, the design is much better than the one the developers first proposed.) The building is now looking to fill its retail and commercial space.


Curbed










Curbed


Pre-construction in 2009:











Finished product:


----------



## Tower Dude

Magnificent simply magnificent


----------



## streetscapeer

Vertical_Gotham said:


> *Luxury Mega-Tower For Sutton Place*
> http://www.nypress.com/local-news/20150407/luxury-mega-tower-for-sutton-place#sthash.N0kYugVA.dpuf
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Plans have been drawn up for a *luxury 900-foot condo tower* in Sutton Place, which, if completed as planned, would rank as one of the tallest buildings in Manhattan.The *268,000-square-foot tower* will become the second-tallest on the Upper East Side, behind the in-progress 432 Park Avenue at 1,400 feet, and one of the tallest in the city. Construction permits have not yet been filed for 4*26-432 East 58th Street*, allowing the massive project to fly mostly under the radar until now.
> 
> Read entire article in link:
Click to expand...

..


----------



## Victhor

There's already a thread for this one? http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/07/is_this_the_norman_foster_tower_coming_to_midtown_east.php
PD: lol, 14 seconds late.


----------



## streetscapeer

Yes there is:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=123031822#post123031822


----------



## Nexis

from yesterday

Park 432

from Queens


Manhattan Under Construction - Park 432 viewed from LIC by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Manhattan Under Construction - Park 432 viewed from LIC by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


203 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

from Lower Manhattan


Manhattan Under Construction - Park 432 viewed from Lower Manhattan,New York by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

Larger photos from the train


116 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

Amtrak's Sunnyside Yard in Queens,New York by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

56 Leonard Street


Manhattan Under Construction - 56 Leonard Street by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Skyline viewed from Jersey City,NJ by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

30 Park Place


Manhattan Under Construction - World Trade Center 1,7 & 30 Park Place by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


182 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Skyline viewed from Long Island City by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Dumbo Building Boom Continues as Work Starts on Rentals*












> The warehouse at 181 Front Street near the Dumbo waterfront has been knocked down to make way for a 105-unit rental building from developers Megalith Capital Management and Urban Realty Partners. NY YIMBY reports that excavation work has begun for the 12-story building, which will include a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments (20 percent affordable) as well as a doorman, fitness center, bike storage, and children's playroom. Nearby, a former factory at 200 Water Street is being converted into condos by the same developers. Both properties were formerly owned by the Jehovah's Witnesses, neatly encapsulating Dumbo's recent shift. Both projects are being designed by Aufgang Architects.


----------



## desertpunk

*Office Building To Replace Gas Station In Chinatown*












> Another Manhattan gas station will fall to the wrecking ball. The Daily News reports that a Chinatown ExxonMobil on the corner of Pike Street and East Broadway has sold to Yeung Real Estate Development, who has plans to erect a 13-story office condo at the site. The building, where office space will be available for purchase rather than rent, will also have ground-floor retail, underground parking, a restaurant, and community space. Studio C Architects will design the building, which is anticipated around 2017.


----------



## streetscapeer

Nice brick development in Dumbo!


----------



## desertpunk

*Williamsburg's Funky Hotel Rises, Acquires Dubious New Name*












> It's time to add the bonkers-looking 183-room hotel that's currently going up quickly on Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg to the list of the city's most absurdly named buildings. Formerly known as the Level Hotel, developers Riverside Developers announced today that the hotel and shopping complex, which just launched its teaser site, *shall henceforth be known as The William Vale.* The building's architects, Albo Liberis, designed a futuristic chevron-clad tower that straddles a shorter base below. And the name, according to a Riverside Developers exec quoted in a press release, "is derived from the name of a mid-1800s Brooklynite whose property boundaries encircled the location of the site."


----------



## Nexis

from the WTC facebook page


----------



## desertpunk

*Will ODA's Third Avenue Building Really Look Like This?*












> Two years ago, ODA Architecture founder Eran Chen leaked the rendering for the firm's 1444 Third Avenue project, revealing an adventurous design of vertical limestone and glass stripes. Now, as the structures that currently stand at the site are being dismantled to make way for the new building, Andrew Fine wonders if the rendering will indeed become a reality: http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2015/04/1444-third-avenue-fine-42015-1444-third.html


----------



## desertpunk

*3WTC rising fast:*


One World Trade peeking through the other buildings downtown #LoveNYC by JeffreyPutman, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

Looking up Church Street: 3 WTC, 56 Leonard and 30 Park Place


NYC en primavera by Yassef., on Flickr


----------



## Nexis

I don't know the names of any of these projects in Long Island City...

1.

032 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

2.

The Ever Changing Face of Long Island City - Queens,New York by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

3.

The Ever Changing Face of Long Island City - Queens,New York by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

4.

The Ever Changing Face of Long Island City - Queens,New York by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

5.

The Ever Changing Face of Long Island City - Queens,New York by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

6.

204 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

7.

The Ever Changing Face of Long Island City - Queens,New York by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

8.

The Ever Changing Face of Long Island City - Queens,New York by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side Development*

50 Clinton Street



> The Issac & Stern-designed project at *50 Clinton Street* has been anticipated in one way or the next since former site occupier, lauded Lower East Side eatery WD~50 was razed. Details of the project have been kept quiet since its inception; a few interior renderings made their way onto Instagram in February via (who other than) broker Fredrik Eklund, but beyond that not a whole lot was circulated. That changed today with 50 Clinton's sales launch, which brought with it a whole slew of renderings as well as word that *12 apartments are already in contract*. The building's interiors are designed by Paris Forino, and apartments will range from* one- to three-bedrooms and ask between $1.75 million and $3.5 million.* The building will have a landscaped rooftop terrace, fitness center, bicycle storage, and 24-hour doorman.


Curbed


----------



## marian105




----------



## Tower Dude

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/11/n...prod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

From the NY Times this morning!!


----------



## LCIII

News Corp. and 21st Century Fox Consider Move to World Trade Center Site, Officials Say


And heres the headline for people who dont like to blindly click links


----------



## dexter2

You don't know architecture, erbse


----------



## erbse

You don't know true beauty, dexter.  Swoosh, the boomerang.


----------



## desertpunk

*One57*


Cherry Blossoms at Central Park by nyc.nyc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*30 Park Place*

*30 Park Place*



Skylimitone said:


> 04.18.15
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> tectonic


----------



## Nexis

From Yesterday

432 Park Avenue


Lower Manhattan Rising - 432 Park Ave by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

3 WTC


Lower Manhattan Rising - 3 World Trade Center by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Rising - 3 World Trade Center by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


222 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Rising - 3 World Trade Center , Hub & 30 Park Place by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


227 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


231 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Rising - 3 World Trade Center , Hub by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Rising - 3 World Trade Center , Hub & WTC 4 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

30 Park Place


225 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Rising - Hub & 30 Park Place by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


238 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Rising - 30 Park Place by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


243 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

56 Leonard Street


Lower Manhattan Rising - 56 Leonard Street by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Rising - 56 Leonard Street by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

10 Hudson Yards


Manhattan Skyline viewed from New Jersey by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


013 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

5 Beekman Street


Lower Manhattan Rising by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


207 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

World Trade Center Hub


Lower Manhattan Rising - Hub & 30 Park Place by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


237 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Rising - 3 World Trade Center , Hub & 30 Park Place by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

The Pyramid


Manhattan Skyline viewed from New Jersey by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


Manhattan Skyline viewed from New Jersey by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr


----------



## dexter2

erbse said:


> You don't know true beauty, dexter.  Swoosh, the boomerang.


That is exactly your problem. Your taste is on a 16-year old girl's level, who only likes 'cute', colorful, shiny and painfully obvious beauty 

Bang, boomerang turns 180 once again


----------



## erbse

Clearly people who adore well executed classical, organic or Art Deco architecture are all 16 year old girls, it's blatantly obvious.  Like people who love a classy suit with Oxford shoes, or a good Mozart concert. Actually architecture is not even that much of a "grown people thing" like the last mentioned.

Hey, you're totally right. Classical architecture is for kids - and everyone who could retain that enthusiasm. Because kids still got true beauty ingrained, while some adults obviously were re-educated (_...brainwashed_ *duck*) to ignore or even despise natural beauty. 

The world just can't be wrong about a building like this.









Chrysler Building II by enfi, on Flickr









Touching the Sky - The Chrysler Building - New York City by Vivienne Gucwa, on Flickr









NYC - Midtown: Chrysler Building by wallyg, on Flickr


----------



## LCIII

Dexter- can you please just put Erbse on ignore like so many of us already have and move on from this childish conversation? It's spoiling an otherwise great thread.


----------



## AUTOTHRILL

erbse is one of the sane ones on here!


----------



## erbse

Clearly some people here root for a _discussion forum_ without any _discussions_. It's hilarious, isn't it. :|

Really, there's thousands of construction/real estate blogs (like Curbed NY), for people who just want to consume, as opposed to participate and discuss, who just want the information and pics wash over them.


----------



## desertpunk

*Revealed: 217 West 57th Street, Official Renderings for World’s Future Tallest Residential Building*






































The spire is resolutely architectural:











http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/04/rev...rlds-future-tallest-residential-building.html


----------



## desertpunk

erbse said:


> Clearly some people here root for a _discussion forum_ without any _discussions_. It's hilarious, isn't it. :|
> 
> Really, there's thousands of construction/real estate blogs (like Curbed NY), for people who just want to consume, as opposed to participate and discuss, who just want the information and pics wash over them.


This.

It's ok to discuss folks, just be respectful of others... :cheers:


----------



## hateman

The spire on Nordstrom is terrible. Zero elegance befitting its Central Park visibility. Typical Extell.


----------



## desertpunk

hateman said:


> The spire on Nordstrom is terrible. Zero elegance befitting its Central Park visibility. Typical Extell.


I was expecting worse so for me this is win. The fairly blandular box design of the tower doesn't lend itself to any wildly creative spires.


----------



## albanyjd

Simfan34 said:


> Mother of God, this turned out better than the renders had it.


I always admired this building when passing on my Amtrak trips to NYC. Great renovation!!


----------



## erbse

This is from June 2014, but worth a post, really nice list:

*42 Star Projects Transforming Architecture in New York City* (Curbed NY)










(Though I'm really not a fan of the "starchitecture" label, quality matters more than names, as various examples in the link show)


----------



## streetscapeer

Really liking Nordstrom, will be a good counterweight to 432 Park:


----------



## streetscapeer

And here, with 111 W57, 220 CPS, and Verre... It's crazy how all of these are currently U/C (and others not shown as well)



MarshallKnight said:


> In anticipation of Otie's new Nordstrom renders, I had some fun and took a stab at combining the earlier one with the latest Steinway:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure I got the scale 100% but I think it's pretty darn close.





MarshallKnight said:


> I guess I should have waited like 12 hours...
> 
> Unfortunately I have to get to work, so only had time to slap in Steinway from my earlier Photoshop job, but I will try to do Verre, 220 and the others tonight.





MarshallKnight said:


> Yeahhhhh...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I cheated it (and made it transparent) but it is a little out of scale because of the perspective. Still, I think this more or less covers it unless anyone can think of other developments I'm missing.
> 
> And now I'm late for work. But I couldn't help myself.


----------



## erbse

Nordstrom would profit from a more elegant spire. Other than that, it's a solid design thanks to setbacks and getting proportions right.


----------



## erbse

I also liked this list:
*Ranking Robert A.M. Stern's Contributions to NY and the NY Skyline* (Curbed NY)

Even the smaller ones can be real eye-openers... *20 East End Avenue*






































Damn, those renders are still so gorgeous: *Robert A.M. Stern's 220 Central Park South Tower, Revealed!*


----------



## towerpower123

In case you didn't know already, Newark line passengers will soon join the Hoboken line passengers, about 3 hours from now. FROM THIS POINT ON, THE OLD STATION WILL BE CLOSED AND REMOVED!










Workers were frantically working overnight, seen here at 11:45 pm, to finish the next section and the platform.

















The new turnstyles from the new entrance through 2 WTC have already been installed.


----------



## towerpower123

Brookfield Place mall in the World Financial Center is completed and opened. A few stores still have yet to open.































































This place is absolutely gorgeous! A simply beautiful renovation to the complex! :banana::banana::banana:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

^^I'm glad they kept the stairway (weren't there plans to demolish it?).


----------



## streetscapeer

Can't wait until the whole hub opens later this year, but glad that we're able to see some more parts of it come online today


----------



## erbse

This neatly integrating piece of New Classical is finished for a while, but pics weren't present at this thread anymore, so I'm "reintroducing" it. 

*New York City, 535 West End Avenue* - Upper West Side (2008)

Architect: *Lucien Lagrange*, Chicago (http://www.lucienlagrange.com/)









Full resolution









Image source: http://mercedesberk.com/building/60107/ 









http://images7.blocksy.com/L_2103127/32279g/original.jpeg 

























Image source: http://www.extelldev.com/extell_residential_535.html


----------



## erbse

What's the current progress on this one?

*20 East End Avenue* (Robert A.M. Stern www.ramsa.com)




































http://20eastend.com/


----------



## streetscapeer

*WTC Transportation Hub*



DiogoBaptista said:


> *Today the Port Authority opened PATH Platform B at the World Trade Center Transportation Hub for approximately 50,000 average weekday PATH riders*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​





fidalgo said:


> *Gallery: Get a sneak peek of Santiago Calatrava’s Oculus WTC Transit Hub*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://inhabitat.com/get-a-sneak-peek-of-santiago-calatravas-oculus-wtc-transit-hub-opening-soon/





Hudson11 said:


> Untitled by denkmanttlb, on Flickr
> 
> 
> Untitled by denkmanttlb, on Flickr


..


----------



## Nexis

From Yesterday

*3 WTC*


World Trade Center Hub , 1, 3, 4 , 7 in Lower Manhattan,New York by Corey Best, on Flickr

*30 Park Place*


Manhattan Rising - 30 Park Place by Corey Best, on Flickr

*56 Leonard Street*


Manhattan Rising - 56 Leonard Street by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - 56 Leonard Street by Corey Best, on Flickr

*10 Hudson Yards*


Smoggy Midtown Skyline by Corey Best, on Flickr

*WTC Hub*



> So yesterday I was at the WTC taking some photos of the New train station that had opened on Wednesday. I wasn't there for more then 30 seconds when the guard approached me pointing a Flash light and yelling at me to stop taking photographs... I had read a Hudson reporter article saying that it was legal to do so , which I told him. He said I had to delete my photos , I told I wasn't.... After a few more minutes oh arguing with him over it , he decides to give up and walk away. But as he was walking he said something threatening , I couldn't make it out...but I decided to call him out on it...which I realize was a mistake... He comes back over even more aggressive then the first time. I then ask for his name so I could report him , he refuses...so I go to take his photograph and he tries to reach for my camera. I decided to leave the station not wanting to escalate things further and on my way up I spoke with a staffer about the rules...Which he seemed unsure of...
> 
> During this whole time , numerous other people were taking photos with there phones....I guess because I had the big DSLR I drew attention to myself. But over the last few days 100s of photos of the station have been taken... I didn't delete the photos if your wondering I uploaded them to my Flickr... I know the PA had a Photography ban in the past , but over the last few years it has been quietly removed... I do hear of people being harassed in the Aviation & Bridge community from time to time...by Security Guards.. I don't spend much time at PA facilities aside from the WTC... I never saw any signs on the PATH , only a few at the Bus Terminal which were removed last year...and a few on the Bridges which were removed from what ive heard.
> 
> The Article where it says it legal http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/...g-policies-for-photographers--videographers-?


I did manage to take a few photos before I was yelled at...


069 by Corey Best, on Flickr


PATH - World Trade Center Station in Lower Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr


PATH - World Trade Center Station in Lower Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr


PATH - World Trade Center Station in Lower Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr

The Outside...


World Trade Center Hub , 1 ,3 in Lower Manhattan,New York by Corey Best, on Flickr


World Trade Center Hub , 1 , 7 in Lower Manhattan,New York by Corey Best, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Boutique condos in Midtown/UES*

118 East 59th St


Exterior renders via Curbed!












> Singaporean architect Soo Chan, who may be better known for his High Line project with "neo-tropical" individual private pools, is responsible for the "facade that recalls the pressed-down buttons on an old-fashioned tape recorder, with sections that are beveled, at slight angles." Each apartment will be at least one floor, most will have two bedrooms, and about half will have Central Park views



A massing showing where it will go

http://www.6sqft.com/118-east-59th-street-boutique-skyscraper-to-rise-in-hybrid-area-between-midtown-and-the-ues/


----------



## erbse

That tower to the left has levitating top elements! It's magic!


----------



## streetscapeer

*New tallest for the USA/Western hemisphere*

1,530' is the new roof height for the Nordstrom Tower! 










http://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/57th-Street-Skyline.jpg


----------



## towerpower123

desertpunk said:


> *Rose Takes Over At 70 pine St.*


It fell behind, but the work is ongoing.









Also, 84 William Street, which will be an AKA extended stay hotel









It's base will be spectacular!








http://www.stayaka.com/locations/wall_street/default.aspx

11 North Moore


----------



## streetscapeer

*High flyer: A vision of Jean Nouvel's addition to New York's soaring skyline
*


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Wow, that room is stunning.


----------



## streetscapeer

hunser said:


> 2420 Manhattan by Joel Zimmer, on Flickr


..



Oasis-Bangkok said:


> Manhattan Haze by jqpubliq, on Flickr
> ^^^^


----------



## streetscapeer

*Renderings*



Otie said:


> Two renderings from my portfolio.





MarshallKnight said:


> Took a stab at Photoshopping Steinway into the new Nordstrom renders.


..


----------



## streetscapeer

*Verre*





































Curbed


There's also a video within the link.


----------



## streetscapeer

erbse said:


> What's the current progress on this one?
> 
> *20 East End Avenue* (Robert A.M. Stern www.ramsa.com)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://20eastend.com/


Already risen out of the ground.


----------



## hateman

1681 Third Avenue:









http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/05/rev...nium-tower-coming-to-the-upper-east-side.html

Replacing these walkups:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.784...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s1zfLlKAmOcUq13_X0Po4YQ!2e0


----------



## erbse

@*1681 Third Avenue:*
Wow, NY's New Classical projects turn better and better as we speak! :drool:
Love the lattice windows, terraces, neogothic-styled pinnacles and the setbacked top area. Great job Extell!

According to the Yimby article, it'll have 84 condominiums at 31 floors. Architects are *Beyer Blinder Belle*.


















/Extell Dev, image source


Also cheers to streetscapeer for providing the photo of 20 Eeast End Ave!


----------



## Vertical_Gotham

Nice


----------



## towerpower123

A beautiful project! There is too little red-brick art deco revival!


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Love it!!


----------



## Axelferis

The hub is superb but what a miserable rolling stock


----------



## streetscapeer

*Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pierhouse*























Nearing Completion:
































4 months ago:


----------



## streetscapeer

*SAS update*

Second Ave Subway more than 80 percent complete.


----------



## djm160190

Wow, some really amazing projects lined up for NY! Can't wait to visit in August


----------



## streetscapeer

*Cool Aerials*













































Credit: Jose Tutlven


----------



## Ulpia-Serdica

New York is creating jobs at the fastest pace in 65 years, and with many of those in tech industries, the boom is lifting property prices in the hot Midtown South area of Manhattan.


----------



## Nexis

*From Friday*

*625 W.57th St. - Pyramid*


Midtown Manhattan ongoing Construction Boom by Corey Best, on Flickr

*551 / 10th Avenue*


Midtown Manhattan ongoing Construction Boom by Corey Best, on Flickr

*56 Leonard *


Manhattan Rising - 56 Leonard Street by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - 56 Leonard Street by Corey Best, on Flickr

*30 Park Place*


Manhattan Rising - 30 Park Place by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - 30 Park Place by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - 30 Park Place & WTC 1 by Corey Best, on Flickr

*10 Hudson Yards*


Manhattan Skyline from the New Jersey Turnpike by Corey Best, on Flickr

*World Trade Center 3 & Hub*


Manhattan Rising - WTC Hub , 3 , 4 by Corey Best, on Flickr

*World Trade Center 1 & 7*


Manhattan Rising - 1 & 7 by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - 1 & 7 by Corey Best, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*NoMad Tower*

Revealed: 126 Madison Avenue, Aka 15 East 30th Street, 730-Foot Condomium Tower












> Back in late April the Wall Street Journal posted a sliver of the rendering for *126 Madison Avenue, a 47-story residential tower* which is being developed by Fosun Property and JD Carlisle at the northern edge of NoMad, on the east side of 30th Street and Fifth Avenue...
> 
> ...Handel Architects is designing 126 Madison Avenue, and the facade will be *glassy and sleek, with an angular roof capping the project. The building will also be very slender,* and the site’s zoning diagram better illustrates the configuration of the tower and base. The structure will have*
> * with a total area of approximately* 350,000 square feet*, and was originally filed under the address 15 East 30th Street.


NYYIMBY

.


----------



## streetscapeer

*NY renderings*

*NEW YORK 2030 by VisualHouse*


----------



## ryaboisse

streetscapeer said:


> *NEW YORK 2030 by VisualHouse*


I'll optimistically say it's missing the unfinished WTC towers.


----------



## streetscapeer

It's missing many, many large towers

and also, NY will have all of these by 2020 let alone 2030


----------



## boss-ton

New York is about to stand alone at the top of the skyline kingdom. Right now yea Hong Kong can be argued, Chicago maybe....but after this its a wrap. The Empire State king of the castle, surrounded by absolute gems. They have the ESB, Chrysler, GE, tons of Art Deco masterpieces and now buildings like that are going to buried by modern beauties. Are you kiddimg me. They've absolutely dominated every single architectural era. Dubai.....LOL have fun when your empty generic office park supertalls age horribly. Ny is king of the skyline past, present, and future.

I also doubt that this will give NY Philadelphia syndrome where a couple buildings stand out so much that it looks like a small skyline, just because of the sheer enormity of the city.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

And that's coming from a Boston guy...


----------



## streetscapeer

*Another supertall -- 1 Park Lane*

The renderings above are already obsolete:



http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/05/rev...o-tower-replacing-the-helmsley-park-lane.html

*Revealed: 1 Park Lane, at 36 Central Park South, 1,210-Foot Tall Condo Tower Replacing the Helmsley Park Lane*



> The 57th Street boom is now reaching for the stratosphere, in a trend that started with One57. 432 Park Avenue took things to new heights at 1,397 feet, but things will rise higher at the 1,421-foot tall 111 West 57th Street, and then higher still, at 217 West 57th Street (which will likely brush the 1,800 foot mark).





> *At 1,210 feet, 1 Park Lane* will rank as the fourth tallest residential tower in New York City, and the ninth tallest overall building. It will also help bridge the gap in the skyline between the larger towers of 57th Street, and buildings like 53 West 53rd Street, One57, and 220 Central Park South, which will all stand within 50 feet of the 1,000-foot mark.





> *Windows will measure 10×14 feet, while ceilings on every floor will stand 15’5″ tall*. It appears the developers will maximize views by gutting the vast majority of the existing Helmsley Building and turning it into an enormous foyer, which will allow them to stack the extra floorspace up top.
> 
> Per the documents, upon “*completion in 2020, the condominium will be the finest, most elegant and luxurious condominium apartment building in both New York City and the world. It will be the most desired address for the world’s rich and powerful*.”
> 
> Amenities will span 40,000 square feet, including a library, playroom, 100-foot swimming pool, a branded spa, and a private restaurant. The tower will also have a private port-cochere (hence the address 1 Park Lane, as the assemblage spans through the block from 58th to 59th Streets).* Every residence will also have an outdoor terrace.*


----------



## phoenixboi08

NYYimby said:


> *Planning Begins For Bjarke Ingels-Designed “Dryline” Flood Protection*
> The Dryline would eventually continue into Midtown on both sides and is estimated to cost $1 billion link





CurbedNY said:


> *Exploring How the Dryline Could Transform Manhattan's Coast*
> 
> Architect Bjarke Ingels introduced New York to his fantastical-seeming "Big U" plan more than two years, enticing Manhattanites with the idea of a lushly planted park that would protect the island from future Hurricane Sandy-like storms.
> 
> ...the city is already in the survey phase of a protection plan for an area from East 23rd Street to Montgomery Street. The whole Dryline would stretch 10 miles from East 40th Street, around the tip of Manhattan to West 54th Street link



You can view the BIG team's vision below:
117303273


----------



## streetscapeer

*Construction Update on 45 East 22nd st*


----------



## streetscapeer

*1110 Park Ave Update - 19 floors - Topped out*

Excellent Upper East Side addition


----------



## streetscapeer

*220 Central Park South Update*














































http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/01/15/robert_am_sterns_220_central_park_south_tower_revealed.php



ILNY said:


>


----------



## desertpunk

*1162 2nd Ave.*


NYC one way street Traffic by hansntareen, on Flickr


----------



## officialchris.s

By 2030, NYC will have an even more stunning skyline.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn rising*

And to think how many towers are just starting construction now.. in few years, DT Brooklyn will be even more amazing. 

FW4A2835 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Far West Side*

Progress on the many Far West Side projects


10 Hudson atop 1WTC by lance wetli, on Flickr


----------



## ZZ-II

desertpunk said:


> 1162 2nd Ave. https://flic.kr/p/twGt2i NYC one way street Traffic by hansntareen, on Flickr


:drool:


----------



## streetscapeer

*50 West Street Video*











Video of 50 West Street

You will want to Fullscreen this!


----------



## desertpunk

New 45 E.22nd St. render:









http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/06/new...foot-tall-condo-tower-coming-to-flatiron.html


----------



## desertpunk

*BIG takes small steps with their atrocious redesign of 2 WTC:*









http://www.fubiz.net/en/?s=tower&type=posts


----------



## desertpunk

*New Looks at Hudson Yards's Vexed 'Chinese Lantern Tower'*












> Although the fate of Kuafu Properties's Hudson Rise Hotel is still in limbo following partnership issues and several lawsuits surrounding the Hudson Yards property, the design for the 42-story tower is still being tweaked showing some promise to its future. YIMBY got its hands on a few new renderings for the Chinese lantern-inspired building, and notes that its base has been tweaked by project architects Archilier Architects to add more masonry than glass. The hotel, residential, and commercial development got a few slight adjustments in September, when its room count was tweaked to hold 242 hotel rooms, 108 condos with hotel amenities, and 47 condos at the top of the tower.






























http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/07/des...talled-hudson-yards-mixed-use-skyscraper.html


----------



## desertpunk

*Step Inside the First Complete Apartment at 432 Park Avenue*












> Up until this point, views inside of the skyline-domineering 432 Park Avenue have been limited to renderings. But behold: ahead of the tower's fall move-ins, a few photographs of its first completed model unit have finally been released. The model is everything one would expect from a building with current availability between the $16.95 million and $82.5 million mark: the Deborah Berke-designed space, a 4,082 square foot half-floor residence on the 38th floor, has ritzy amenities like dual master bathrooms and flaunts luxe finishes like a marble breakfast bar in front of one the building's iconic 10-foot by 10-foot windows and statuary book-matched marble floors and walls in the master bathrooms. The apartment's furnishings are nothing to scoff at, either: a gold leaf Yves Klein coffee table, a hand-poured glass chandelier by John Pomp, and artwork by Ellsworth Kelly, amongst others, dots the three-bedroom apartment. Now behold, 432 Park Avenue's first complete apartment.


----------



## desertpunk

*Brooklyn Bridge Park's Controversial Pier 6 Towers, Revealed*












> Just one week after a public board meeting of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation, during which attendees once again expressed opposition to the plans to construct apartment buildings within the southern swath of Brooklyn Bridge Park known as Pier 6, the park has announced its chosen developers for the project: RAL Development Services and Oliver's Realty Group. (It helps, too, that the lawsuit detractors filed has been settled.) At a press briefing Tuesday afternoon, the developers also debuted renderings for the two towers from the ubiquitous boxy-building experts at ODA Architecture. The taller of the two, "Parcel A," will contain market-rate condominiums; while the other, on "Parcel B," will contain a mix of affordable and market-rate rentals. The choice of developers is still pending approval by the park's Board of Directors.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Those interiors look exactly like the renders. Well done.
I love the floors.


----------



## desertpunk

*Fortis's 60-Story Seaport Tower Is Actually Happening*












> It looks like Fortis's sky-high South Street Seaport tower is moving forward after years of planning. Broker Fredrik Eklund, whose Instagram account is a small goldmine of new renderings and things of the like, just took to the social media platform to promote his involvement in 151 Maiden Lane, to be known as One Seaport, all while revealing that the tower will stand a whopping 60 stories tall along the East River. October's round of renderings for the residential tower depicted a helix-shaped building compliments of architects Goldstein, Hill and West, who may still be involved in the project. At the time, the building was expected to top out at 51 stories and hold 74 apartments, but given the added floors, the building's apartment count is literally up in the air.


----------



## desertpunk

*NYU Is Finally Cleared to Expand Greenwich Village Campus*












> New York University and the residents of Greenwich Village have been waging war for hundreds of many, many years, but the battle may finally be coming to an end. Today, New York State's highest court of appeals ruled in favor of NYU, granting the university the right to proceed with the long-planned expansion. The Court of Appeals found that the land NYU wants to build on is not, as opponents argued, parkland, and therefore, the university can move forward with development without needing special approvals from the state. The anti-NYU crew argued that the since the land had been used as parkland for years, it was "implied parkland," but the court could find no evidence that the owners of the land, the city's Department of Transportation, were, according to DNAinfo, "'unmistakable in their purpose' to establish it as a permanent park.'" Instead, the land had been temporarily loaned (for several decades) to the Parks Department. The Court of Appeals was the last hope for NYU's opponents, so here come the new superblocks.
> 
> The university can now move forward with its first building at 181 Mercer Street. When the masterplan was approved by City Council in 2012—which, by the way, was the same year that NYU had at one point hoped to start construction—NYU agreed to build only one structure at a time, so as not to engulf the entire neighborhood in construction.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*East 86th Street's New Condo Tower Will Look Like This*












> Renderings have been revealed, via NY YIMBY, for the large new mixed-use tower coming to 147-151 East 86th Street. The HOK-designed tower, *which is now going by 1289 Lexington Avenue*, will rise to 21 stories with four floors of retail (two of which will be a New York Sports Club) and 65 apartments averaging a hefty 2,300 square feet apiece. Kuafu Properties, Stillman Development, and Ceruzzi Properties are developing. The project will cost $340 million in total and is expected to be completed by mid-2018.































http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/06/rev...er-east-side-condo-tower-designed-by-hok.html


----------



## desertpunk

*100 Franklin St. Cleared For Takeoff In Tribeca*












> DDG's had plans to bring high-end condos to the site of a parking lot across from the Tribeca Grand Hotel for a good long while now, *and with the news that the developer's finally won a zoning variance that will help the two slim buildings rise* comes new details for the project. According to Crain's, the developer plans to erect two buildings, one standing six stories and the other eight, on the lot that's shaped like two contiguous triangles. The buildings which will cover 30,000 square feet combined will have 10 apartments total that will ask about $3,000 per square foot, which Crain's notes is par for the course in the perennially pricey neighborhood. DDG is using their in-house design team for the project. Renderings on the firm's website reflect the same brick design that won the Landmark Preservation Commission's approval in January 2014.


----------



## el palmesano

^^ awsome


----------



## streetscapeer

*520 West 28th Street, Chelsea*

Zaha Hadid’s Building Above Street Level


----------



## streetscapeer

*70 Charlton Street, Hudson Square*

22-Story, 114-Unit Development At 70 Charlton Street, Hudson Square














> A total of 2,830 square feet of retail will be split on the ground levels of each building. Construction began last August, and occupancy is expected in late 2016


----------



## Nexis

From Yesterday

WTC Hub


World Trade Center Hub in Lower Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


World Trade Center Hub in Lower Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


World Trade Center Hub in Lower Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


World Trade Center Hub in Lower Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


World Trade Center PATH Station by Corey Best, on Flickr


World Trade Center PATH Station by Corey Best, on Flickr


World Trade Center PATH Station by Corey Best, on Flickr


World Trade Center PATH Station by Corey Best, on Flickr

5 Beekman


Lower Manhattan Skyscraper boom by Corey Best, on Flickr

30 Park Place


Lower Manhattan Skyscraper boom by Corey Best, on Flickr

50 West Street


Lower Manhattan's booming Skyline by Corey Best, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Skyscraper boom by Corey Best, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Skyscraper boom by Corey Best, on Flickr

3 WTC


World Trade Center 3 Rising in Lower Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


World Trade Center 3 Rising with WTC 4 in Lower Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


World Trade Center 3 Rising with WTC 4 in Lower Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

great update of some financial district projects


----------



## Nexis

From Yesterday

30 Hudson Yards


10 Hudson Yards Rising in Midtown Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

133 Greenwich Street


Manhattan Rising - 133 Greenwich St by Corey Best, on Flickr

World Trade Center Hub


PATH at World Trade Center Station by Corey Best, on Flickr


World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

10 Hudson Yards


10 Hudson Yards Rising in Midtown Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


10 Hudson Yards Rising in Midtown Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


10 Hudson Yards Rising in Midtown Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


10 Hudson Yards Rising in Midtown Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

50 West Street


Manhattan Rising - 50 West St by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - 50 West St by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - 50 West St by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - 50 West St by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - 50 West St by Corey Best, on Flickr

WTC 3


World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

Brookfield Manhattan West


Manhattan Rising - Brookfield Manhattan West by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - Brookfield Manhattan West by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - Brookfield Manhattan West by Corey Best, on Flickr

551 10th Avenue


41&10th Avenue rising... by Corey Best, on Flickr

133 Greenwich St


Manhattan Rising - 133 Greenwich St by Corey Best, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Renderings*

A rendering with just a few of the new downtown Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan projects



86 Fleet Place in the Future Downtown Brooklyn and Downtown Manhattan Skyline by cityrealty_nyc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*A drop in the bucket*

Curbed!













pqmoore said:


> SCDA’s Switchback Skyscraper Launches Teaser Site and Clears its Midtown East Lot
> By Ondel Hylton
> July 16, 2015
> 
> www.6sqft.com/scdas-switchback-skyscraper-launches-teaser-site-and-clears-its-midtown-east-lot
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Last November, 6sqft brought you news that a 29-unit boutique condominium would rise at the edge of Billionaires’ Row, in that somewhat ambiguous zone occupied by Bloomingdale’s and Bloomberg LLP. Now, the high-end development’s teaser site has launched, which showcases a handful of images of the tower’s common spaces, and we took a trip to the site to get a first look at the construction progress.
> 
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> More info and images in the post here.
Click to expand...


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## skyscraperhighrise

This is why i love new york.


----------



## Android2000

A drop in the bucket indeed. Amazing density.


----------



## stop that

The density of new York is breathtaking, nothing like it on earth, and it's still growing so fast with no end in sight, good times for USA construction as many other US cities are going through rapid growth, so good too see


----------



## Eno

I've been to NYC around 20 times and I still can't get enough. The density of this city really is something to behold.


----------



## Ulpia-Serdica

*NYC's LaGuardia Airport to receive $4 billion redesign*










Source:http://www.gizmag.com/la-guardia-makeover/38677/


----------



## Ghostface79

Not exactly the architect we wanna hear about, but at least this one looks decent.

*First Look: Bjarke Ingels-Designed 146 East 126th Street, Harlem*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/07/first-look-bjarke-ingels-designed-146-east-126th-street-harlem.html


----------



## stop that

Ulpia-Serdica said:


> *NYC's LaGuardia Airport to receive $4 billion redesign*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Source:http://www.gizmag.com/la-guardia-makeover/38677/


Awesome, is jfk in line for refurbisment/upgrade anytime soon?


----------



## el palmesano

^^

is there any thread of the new airport??


----------



## Old Yorker

Our Financial Infrastructure by Sam Yee, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

I love the Financial District... way more than midtown, actually!


----------



## desertpunk

*10 Hudson Yards 7/31*


Untitled by Justin Whiteford, on Flickr


Untitled by Justin Whiteford, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Progress on The Bryant*










The New York Public Library Main Branch in Bryant Park by Tony Shi, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

New West Manhattan shapes:


W57 1 by joevare, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*220 CPS*









http://ny.curbed.com/tags/220-central-park-south


----------



## desertpunk

56 Leonard reaching the apex:









http://www.6sqft.com/construction-update-tribecas-jenga-tower-56-leonard-tops-out/


----------



## MarshallKnight

*Mystery Tower Alert (x2)*

...which actually brings me unexpectedly to this. While I was searching for a render of 212 Fifth Ave (above), I wound up sitting through a long AJSNY homepage video and discovered:



















...and:










Maybe I'm not the first to spot these and they're already in this thread somewhere, but anyone know what the heck we're looking at??

*Edit:* No reply from AJSNY reps about it, so I forwarded the tip to New York YIMBY. There's a good chance they're just fantasy/visions, but hopefully YIMBY will have some idea whether they correspond to some existing development or not.

*Edit #2:* YIMBY emailed me back and they also believe these are just pie-in-the-sky concepts worked up by AJSNY (similar to the ultra skinny one in the Madison Park area with the ugly cantilevered penthouse terrace.) Fine by me, as these are both a little wonky designs, although it's made me realize I wouldn't hate another spire downtown somewhere.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Checking in on Tower Verre - lots of Foundation progress*









































ILNY said:


> 8.8.15
> 
> There is so much going on in Manhattan that I almost forgot about this tower. It was getting dark when I realized I missed it and started rushing to the site. I made it, just few minutes before the night.


----------



## streetscapeer

*55 Hudson Yards Progressing*


































































ILNY said:


> Nice progress.
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
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> [/url]


----------



## ThatOneGuy

This is probably my 2nd favourite project in NY behind the Steinway Tower.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Another Hudson Yards Project taking off*

Had know idea about this one... Looks like brick and metal on the lower portion, looks promising

509 W 38th St | 367 FT | 30 FLOORS 











Location...













ILNY said:


>


----------



## MarshallKnight

streetscapeer said:


> Had know idea about this one... Looks like brick and metal on the lower portion, looks promising


Looking good! Has a nice sense of scale and great materiality. Definitely belongs in the same neighborhood as 55 HY.


----------



## bodegavendetta

MarshallKnight said:


> And then there's this thing...which is so bonkers I think I actually laughed out loud when I saw it the first time, but I can't wait to see it become a permanent part of the skyline.
> 
> I have to wonder what's propelling this new era: whether it's advances in materials and manufacturing, or just a new generation of architects who grew up longing for the great old styles during a really dismal couple of decades. In any case, it's exciting times!


Forgot about that one! I really hope they do not modify it, it's a genuinely thrilling piece of architecture. I do think the skyline will definitely get more interesting thanks to projects like this, which I think is due mainly to global competition to attract wealthy buyers with flashy buildings. Not to mention the rise of "starchitects" has had a lot of influence throughout the architecture world. With the market being so hot a lot of international architecture firms have set up shop in the city recently, so there's more competition all around. But OTOH there are too many cheap hotels/residential projects proliferating in less prime areas of NYC (e.g. Kaufman, Karl Fischer in Brooklyn...). Nothing new for the city but I wish "normal" projects would get more than the minimum effort too. But still, definitely an exciting time overall.


----------



## Tellvis

I will be in NYC next week. I can't wait! Looking forward to catching up on all these projects, it's been 4 years since my last visit. I so love NYC.
NYC and London, the two greatest cities in the world.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn Rising*

250 Ashland Place, and the growing secondary core in Downtown Brooklyn.


New Look: 250 Ashland Place, Downtown Brooklyn[/B]










https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/19195940433/sizes/l











https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/19816840625/sizes/l


----------



## bodegavendetta

*12 Warren Street* has new exterior and interior renderings.






























> The building is technically an alteration of an existing structure, which will be expanded from 37,268 square feet and five floors to 55,447 square feet spread over twelve floors. Including the bulkhead, the height of the old building will more than double, from 73 feet up to 162 feet. The entirety of the project will be residential, divided between thirteen condominiums, and HTO Architect is the architect of record, though DDG designs its projects in-house.
> 
> Completion of the building is expected in early 2016, and sales will begin this fall, although pricing is not yet publicly available.


http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/08/new...ors-for-ddgs-12-warren-street-in-tribeca.html


----------



## JohnDee

Tellvis said:


> I will be in NYC next week. I can't wait! Looking forward to catching up on all these projects, it's been 4 years since my last visit. I so love NYC.
> NYC and London, the two greatest cities in the world.


Not for beautiful streets anyway. I'm in Paris right now, and it blows the shitz out of those cities, although London can compete in a few areas. If you like large piles of glass and steel over beautiful ornamented streets, you'll chose nyc over Paris.


----------



## TheMoses

JohnDee said:


> Not for beautiful streets anyway. I'm in Paris right now, and it blows the shitz out of those cities, although London can compete in a few areas. If you like large piles of glass and steel over beautiful ornamented streets, you'll chose nyc over Paris.


That's somewhat subjective. I can see the beauty of Paris but I find it fussy, stuffy and stultifying. I'll take New York streets over Paris streets any day.


----------



## bodegavendetta

JohnDee said:


> Not for beautiful streets anyway. I'm in Paris right now, and it blows the shitz out of those cities, although London can compete in a few areas. If you like large piles of glass and steel over beautiful ornamented streets, you'll chose nyc over Paris.


Well, most of NYC is neither glass nor steel. I've been to Paris and it's gorgeous, overall it's probably more beautiful than NY. But NY has variety on its side by far, and there are even certain neighborhoods and streets here I think are as objectively beautiful as nearly anything in either London or Paris. Just wish we had more greenery in parts of Manhattan.


----------



## dexter2

NYC is more multidimentional, with lot's of water, old skyscrapers, huge parks and some hills. This, mixed with scale, makes it capital of the World. But I agree that It's streets are often neglected and unfriendly for pedastrians.

NYC could use more streets excluded from traffic. I think Boston could be a role model here.


----------



## Nexis

Massive Long Island City update , I only know a few of these projects....i'm sure the forum could help me identify the rest of them...


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

*Jackson & 44Dr*


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

*Purves Street*


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

*Hunter & 43rd Road*


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

*Purves Street*


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

*Hunter & 43rd Road*


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

*43rd Road*


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

*27-45 Jackson Avenue*


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

*Long Island Railroad ESA Portal Access*


Construction Boom of Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

*Cranes , Cranes , Cranes..*


BMT Astoria Line at 39th Avenue in Long Island City - Queens,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


----------



## hateman

151 E. 78th Street:









http://afinecompany.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-wraps-are-off-151-east-78th.html


----------



## streetscapeer

streetscapeer said:


> This one has certainly flown under the radar



Slightly different perspective in this rendering:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

hateman said:


> 151 E. 78th Street:


Tell me those A/C boxes in the windows are temporary..


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards Observation Deck*

See Hudson Yards' Towering Open Air Observation Deck










Curbed


----------



## Ghostface79

http://tectonicphoto.com/
560 West 24th Street





























Pierhouse at Brooklyn Bridge Park


----------



## ThatOneGuy

streetscapeer said:


> I truly never thought there'd be people who'd actually admire the 1980's Po-Mo style but to each his own


That building's from the 50s.. shows how much the lot of you know.


----------



## streetscapeer

ThatOneGuy said:


> That building's from the 50s.. shows how much the lot of you know.


exactly most architecture from 50s-80s looks pretty uninviting and uninspiring IMO.. I think most people don't value that architecture and are ok seeing them go.

Doesn't really matter when it was actually built or how old it is.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

I disagree. I think you all sound like how people in the 50s dismissed Victorian architecture. It's the same cycle of mistakes repeating.


----------



## streetscapeer

ThatOneGuy said:


> I disagree. I think you all sound like how people in the 50s dismissed Victorian architecture. It's the same cycle of mistakes repeating.



That architecture just looks too...economical and cheap. I like to see something with more flair and elegance. If you don't have architectural flair, then you need to make it up with nicer materials, not ticky tacky cheap stuff from most of the buildings of this era.

Perhaps you're right. Who knows, maybe 50 years from now we'll all be lamenting the loss of this building.. although it's very hard for me to see it that way. 

I just thought it was interesting seeing someone value this architecture (you).
I will say this though, that building is far from being the worst of its architectural style.


----------



## hateman

Victorian buildings were built to last until they were ruins and made of masonry, steel, etc. Midcentury buildings were made of cheap materials, uninsulated glass, gypsum walls, asbestos, etc. 

There's no comparison. Most 1950s buildings are ripe for demolition/redevelopment.


----------



## streetscapeer

*meh*

possible new render for 125 Greenwich


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - 330 WEST 122ND STREET*

Replacing a gas station













> RGS Holdings will develop a 127-apartment building at 300 West 122nd Street that will have apartments ranging in size from studios to four-bedrooms. The apartments won't be cheap; studios will start at $517,000 and select penthouses with outdoor space will ask between $1.8 million and $6.2 million, meaning it'll be one of, if not the priciest building north of Central Park.


Curbed


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## JohnDee

streetscapeer said:


> Replacing a gas station
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> Curbed


Nice for a Harlem tower.


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## ThatOneGuy

hateman said:


> There's no comparison. Most 1950s buildings are ripe for demolition/redevelopment.


They are ripe for renovation. It's completely ridiculous to demolish skyscrapers.


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## JohnDee

ThatOneGuy said:


> They are ripe for renovation. It's completely ridiculous to demolish skyscrapers.


There is absolutely nothing ridiculous about it. If it makes a profit for the developer, it's perfectly fine. Why should skyscrapers be saved demolition? NY is full of them. Unless they are landmarked, take the old towers down. That's the system in NY. It is a city that has to constantly renew itself, including old towers that are outdated.

There are few sites available that are not high rise towers available for development. Much of the city is landmarked and downzoned. NY is a real estate town driven by capatalism. This isn't Paris. If the figures work for demolition and the market is there there is nothing absurd about it. There is nothing uniquely beautiful or interesting about this tower that merits saving it. It has not been land marked for a reason. It doesn't deserve it. There are countless ugly 1950's towers in NY. They will hopefully all meet their maker and only a few examples kept for posterity.


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## streetscapeer

*45 E 22nd Street in the Flatiron District*

This is a month old but you can see the beginnings of 45 E 22nd St on the skyline


THE IRON CITY by kirit prajapati, on Flickr


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## Aaronaa4

Hey, I just made a video on the Hudson Yards Project. Check it out if you are interested, I promise you wont be disappointed 

https://youtu.be/R0AXdW4RhXU

Enjoy!


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## Oron Zchut

Downtown NY from Exchange Place


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## hseugut

Dam F. ! New York is crazy (sorry am just back from the london thread lol)


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## streetscapeer

Massive New Hudson Yards Station Update by me... it was great!  (except the floors on the platform level I thought looked rather cheap)

Hudson Yards feels like a real neighborhood now!


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## Amrafel

Finally some decent-looking subway stop in NYC


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## ThatOneGuy

I love that mosaic. Provides a nice contrast to the stainless steel arches.


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## Nexis

So I covered the New Subway stop at Hudson Yards , did an overview Hudson Yards , and photographed...just about every project along the High Line. I don't know the names of the high line sites , could someone post a link to the individual threads or list the names. I will be doing Queens on Wednesday....


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## THEWIND

I like old new york.


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## THEWIND

but an update is not necessarily a bad thing.


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## royal rose1

THEWIND said:


> I like old new york.


Frankly, we don't care. The Old New York had way more problems than the NYC of today, finally this city is really hitting a great stride and you complain? Go to sleep troll.


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## Noah48

royal rose1 said:


> Frankly, we don't care. The Old New York had way more problems than the NYC of today, finally this city is really hitting a great stride and you complain? Go to sleep troll.


You are awesome!


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## streetscapeer

*3 U/C towers in one shot*


IMG_3049 by Phil, on Flickr


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## streetscapeer

*30 Hudson Yards*










P8310153 by Tony Masiello, on Flickr


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## streetscapeer

*W57th st "Pyramid"*

137783144

The video was featured in an article on archdaily


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## streetscapeer

*Washington Heights - CUMC Graduate Center*
































































More at Field Condition


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## towerpower123

Ghostface79 said:


> I have a feeling this one is gonna turn out quite interesting. This is the infamous Shvo after all, he's probably looking to come back with a bang.
> 
> http://news.buzzbuzzhome.com/2014/01/239-10th-avenue.html
> 
> *Go to sleep, sheep: Construction starts at Michael Shvo’s 239 10th Avenue*
> 
> Construction has started at Michael Shvo’s condo project at 239 Tenth Avenue.
> 
> Shvo partnered with Victor Homes to buy the Getty gas station at West 24th Street for $23.5 million. The property traded for almost $800 per buildable square foot, a record for a development site in Chelsea, the Wall Street Journal reported.
> 
> In September, Shvo turned the site into public art of the fleecy kind — “Sheep Station,” by surrealist Francois-Xavier Lalanne, featured epoxy stone and bronze sheep, pictured below:
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> Now, the white picket fence is no more, and the livestock have left for greener pastures. But fret not — the condo project will be* “something that will combine art, luxury residential, design and architecture,” Shvo told the Journal. “We will have river views and we will be looking over the High Line.”*


The gas station has long been removed and now looks like this.


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## Nexis

from this week...

*34th Street - Hudson Yards....*


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


IRT Flushing Line at 34th Street - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr

*56 Leonard Street*


A Cool Summer Evening in Lower Manhattan,New York by Corey Best, on Flickr


141 by Corey Best, on Flickr


147 by Corey Best, on Flickr


150 by Corey Best, on Flickr


152 by Corey Best, on Flickr

*30 Park Place*


152 by Corey Best, on Flickr


A Cool Summer Evening in Lower Manhattan,New York by Corey Best, on Flickr

*10 Hudson Yards*


Manhattan Rising - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Rising - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr


A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr


A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr


A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr


A Cool Summer Evening in Lower Manhattan,New York by Corey Best, on Flickr


Skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan,New York by Corey Best, on Flickr

*30 Hudson Yards*


Manhattan Rising - Hudson Yards by Corey Best, on Flickr


A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr

*Culture Shed*


A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr

*Soori High Line *


A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr


A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr


A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr


A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr

*551 W. 21st St.*


A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr

*520 W.28th St*


A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr


A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr


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## bodegavendetta

It's exciting seeing so many cranes around town.


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## Nexis

A recent update from Brandon Nagle for September 



> * 125 Greenwich (22 Thames St.)*
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> * Soori High Line - 522 W. 29th St.*
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> *15 Hudson Yards*


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## LeCom




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## streetscapeer

*YEs Please!!*













Photo courtesy of JDS


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## dexter2

^^ Glass should be more transparent and colorless. And I would prefer more silverish cladding panels, just to have bigger contrast between them and those golden razors.


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## streetscapeer

^^It's freaking spectacular regardless.. geez we've really gotten to be a spoiled bunch, haven't we? lol


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## streetscapeer

*Atlantic Yards, Brooklyn - 615 Dean Street*









===========================
NYY
*Map of Pacific Park:* http://pacificparkbrooklyn.com/files/about/pacific-park-map.jpg


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## Nexis

From Yesterday

Park 432


056 by Corey Best, on Flickr


060 by Corey Best, on Flickr

3 WTC


Lower Manhattan Rising - WTC 3 by Corey Best, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Rising - WTC 3 by Corey Best, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Rising - WTC 3 by Corey Best, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Skyline viewed from Jersey City,NJ by Corey Best, on Flickr

10 Hudson Yards


Manhattan Skyline viewed from Secaucus,NJ by Corey Best, on Flickr

30 Park Place


Lower Manhattan Rising - 30 Park Place by Corey Best, on Flickr

56 Leonard


Lower Manhattan Skyline viewed from Jersey City,NJ by Corey Best, on Flickr


Lower Manhattan Skyline viewed from Jersey City,NJ by Corey Best, on Flickr

50 West


Lower Manhattan Rising - 50 West Street by Corey Best, on Flickr


Katyn Statue & Lower Manhattan Skyline by Corey Best, on Flickr

133 Greenwich


Lower Manhattan Rising - 133 Greenwich Street by Corey Best, on Flickr

WTC Hub


World Trade Center Hub in Lower Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr


World Trade Center Hub in Lower Manhattan,NY by Corey Best, on Flickr

Queensboro Plaza


064 by Corey Best, on Flickr


This is Queensboro Plaza by Corey Best, on Flickr


This is Queensboro Plaza by Corey Best, on Flickr

East Side Access Portal


East Side Access Portal in LIC by Corey Best, on Flickr


East Side Access Portal in LIC by Corey Best, on Flickr


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## streetscapeer

*30 Park Place*

kznyc always with awesome pics



kznyc2k said:


>


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## Noah48

http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/09/166...roposed-for-lambert-houses-in-west-farms.html

The 731-unit Lambert Houses complex, a collection of six-story buildings spread over five blocks in the Bronx’s West Farms, may soon be demolished for 1,665 units of new affordable housing.. More in the article

I think this is great and especially for the area!!


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## Ghostface79

*290 West Street*

http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2015/9/23/290-west


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## streetscapeer

*WtC Transportation Hub*


Inside the Oculus WTC PATH by Jonathan Collins, on Flickr


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## streetscapeer

Construction Begins On Virgin Hotel At 1225 Broadway, Midtown South


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## towerpower123

Vertical_Gotham said:


> *Morris Adjmi-Designed Condo Building(s) Coming to Flatiron*
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/09/25/morris_adjmidesigned_condo_buildings_coming_to_flatiron.php


As of 9/22


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## streetscapeer

*Tribeca*

Reveal For 43-Story, 667-Foot-Tall Condo Tower At 45 Park Place, Tribeca













Demo from August:


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## erbse

What was in its place before?


Same question goes for the project at Flatiron?! Thanks!


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## Pitchoune

https://www.google.be/maps/@40.7135994,-74.0100299,3a,75y,28.63h,131.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sto8K06V-nR0XAGtyxKbWZg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

I don't understand why they don't, at least sometimes, keep the old facades and integrate them in a podium and then build the mordern tower on it. Here the small builidng on the left seemed interesting. Which percentage of pre-WWII New York is protected ?


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## phoenixboi08

Pitchoune said:


> https://www.google.be/maps/@40.7135994,-74.0100299,3a,75y,28.63h,131.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sto8K06V-nR0XAGtyxKbWZg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1
> 
> I don't understand why they don't, at least sometimes, keep the old facades and integrate them in a podium and then build the mordern tower on it. Here the small builidng on the left seemed interesting. Which percentage of pre-WWII New York is protected ?


This site is your friend 

If you take a careful look around in the street view in the link in the previous post, you should be able to figure out why the Tribeca South Historic District Extension didn't include this block, and why they didn't bother to include this particular resource: it's not that significant, in the grand scheme of things, and it's preservation - as one of the singular such buildings on that block - would not go to great lengths in preserving anything (i.e. the character of the block has shifted).
That's kind of how these determinations get made. Just go up one block to Murray St., and the difference should be apparent...

It obviously would be a different story if this was a Key/Contributing Resource (e.g. the Fuller, "Flatiron" Building), but it is not. 
As to why it isn't landmarked, itself, I couldn't say...but I would wager that it has been evaluated - likely, when they were making determinations on extending the Tribeca Historic District - and didn't find it eligible, for whatever reason...


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## Pitchoune

Thank you,
I was looking for such a map,
It seems they are a lot of protected buildings and areas.


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## ThatOneGuy

What a shame those facades were torn down for that.


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## desertpunk

50 West St. topped out:


Manhattan NYC by John Barclay, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

Columbia U. Manhattanville 









https://www.flickr.com/photos/jedistrings/


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## Chris08876

I'm hoping 111 Murray rises just as fast as 50 West. This is one tower, along with 99 Church, that still boggles me how fast they rose.


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## ThatOneGuy

I doubt it, the floor plates change gradually, unlike 50 West which is mostly a rounded rectangle for most of the way.


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## Chris08876

Extra rendering for 32 Claremont Avenue aka 3009 Broadway.









Credit: http://barnard.edu/about/teaching-learning-center

*Original Rendering:
* (For Comparison)








Credit: http://www.westsiderag.com/2015/03/...arnard-tower-warily-meeting-set-for-wednesday



> This is an exciting moment for Barnard, as we embark on a new building program that will enhance the College’s unique position as a nexus of teaching and scholarship. The center for teaching and learning has been conceived—in design, structure, and program—to celebrate our stellar faculty, ambitious students, and dedicated staff, and to provide a diverse range of innovative and essential resources that will continue Barnard’s legacy for decades to come.
> 
> *When the building opens its doors in August 2018, it will stand at the core of a Barnard education and at the heart of our campus in Morningside Heights. Designed by the award-winning firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the 128,000 square foot building—with a base of five floors and a narrow tower of eleven floors aligned with Altschul Hall—will be a distinctive place that brings students and faculty together, facilitating collaborations and fostering dialogue. It will include a new kind of library, one that incorporates state-of-the art technologies and learning spaces in an interactive setting. And it will act as a dynamic hub for the campus, linking departments and disciplines, both physically and philosophically*
> 
> As we begin our next 125 years, Barnard will continue to be the premier college for women of intellect, ambition, and vision... with an extraordinary new building slated to transform our campus and our community.


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## Chris08876

*NEW YORK | 115 East 97th Street | 231 FT | 13 FLOORS*

*Project:* 115 East 97th Street










*Where it will rise:*












> Marymount School, a tony all-girls Catholic school on the Upper East Side, hopes to build a 13-story academic building on an empty lot at 115 East 97th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues.
> 
> *The structure will reach 231 feet into the air and host an impressive variety of facilities. New building applications filed yesterday reveal that the cellar levels will include a gym, locker rooms, dance studio, smaller exercise rooms, a gallery, classrooms and offices. Besides the lobby, a laboratory and “garden court” will occupy the ground floor, followed by an auditorium and rehearsal rooms on the second.*
> 
> The third floor will have a media lab, recording booth, dressing room and control booth for the auditorium, and a cafeteria will take up the fourth floor. There will be a chapel, music room and health center on the fifth floor, and a combination of classrooms, offices and terrace gardens on the sixth and seventh stories. The next three floors will have science labs, art studios, classrooms and offices, and student lounges and study rooms will round out the tenth through 12th stories. Students will also get to enjoy a greenhouse and garden on the roof.
> 
> The school has tapped CookFox Architects to design the 111,510-square-foot project. It sounds like the building will have plenty of landscaped green space, and we wonder if the firm will channel its garden-filled designs for 550 Vanderbilt.


======================
NYY


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## Chris08876

*NEW YORK | 41-32 27th Street | FT | 15 FLOORS*

*Project:* 41-32 27th Street












> An LLC has filed applications to precede construction of a 15-story and 46-room hotel of 34,409 square feet at 41-32 27th Street, in Long Island City; an existing two-story structure was approved for demolition in September, and Arc Architecture + Design Studio is designing.


*Current Status: *









===========================
LICCourt


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## Ghostface79

27 Wooster

http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/10/sohos-27-wooster-street-nears-the-finish-line.html


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## Ghostface79

I always wondered what that project was, finally got an answer: Kimmel Pavilion, NYU Hospital building

Credit EastMillinocket from WNY

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37724


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## Chris08876

*NEW YORK | Strivers Plaza (2750 FDB) | FT | 8 FLOORS*

*Project:* Strivers Plaza (2750 FDB)










*Current Site:*












> Construction has started on a lot at 140th and FDB recently and now the rendering of the new building has been posted on the plywood. Apparently this will be 54 units of affordable housing planned for the block just north of Strivers Row and a new supermarket will be the anchor tenant for the street level storefront. Bespoke readers have inquired on which market will move into the commercial space but those details have yet to be made public.


========================
hbESPOKE


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## C4creeper

How did 50 West top out so fast?


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## Chris08876

C4creeper said:


> How did 50 West top out so fast?


A floor per week. Groundbreaking was in Q1 of 2014, and the develop worked on an aggressive schedule. Structurally, it topped out mid August. Aiming for a 2016 opening. Most likely Q1.


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## skanny

I wonder what's the average floor space of an average skyscraper in NYC , it would be quite interesting to compare it to a city like Tokyo , wich's building shorter offices ..


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## royal rose1

Average office building? Presumably high since NYC's office buildings are clearly designed to maximize floor space and NYC has a grid built to accommodate "efficient" building. I would say NYC definitely has the highest average floor space for a building in the world, given the cost of real estate and the fact that office buildings usually build out as much as they can given the zoning on their plot.


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## Chris08876

*Project: *111 Montgomery Street












> The Department of Buildings approved the plan exam application in June. But brokerage TerraCRG wants to market the property as condos rather than rentals, and they’ve proposed fewer, larger units. Their offering memo details a building with 137 units—44 one-bedrooms, 75 two-bedrooms, and 18 three-bedrooms. They also claim that condos at 111 Montgomery could fetch up to $1,100 a square foot. That’s certainly at the top end of the market for prices in the hood, but it’s comparable to apartments for sale north of Eastern Parkway.
> 
> The 22,000-square-foot lot sits between Franklin and Washington Avenues, just west of the shuttle train tracks.
> 
> Karl Fischer created this design. While it isn’t particularly exciting, it does have a setback starting at the seventh story, which helps maintain the street wall with the six-story prewar buildings next door. The first two floors are clad in a dark brick, accented with golden metal window frames, topped by 10 stories of sand-colored, cast concrete.


======================
NYY


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## Chris08876

*Construction Update:* 23-01 42nd Road

Over in LIC, to the left of One Court Square.

Some nice density so far for LIC. Can't wait for its new tallest.









Credit: icoNYCa


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## streetscapeer

New Renderings Show Fresh Views Of One Vanderbilt


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## ThatOneGuy

Looks like the crown won't be as 'transparent' as others have perceived it to be.


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## carlosjennings55

Nikonov_Ivan said:


> WHAT?????????????????????? WHY?


You think they could be stuck for cash?


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## Chris08876

*Construction Update:* 282 South 5th Street


















===========================
http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/201...gned-tower-rises-on-broadway-in-williamsburg/


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## streetscapeer

streetscapeer said:


> New Renderings Show Fresh Views Of One Vanderbilt



http://www.jgch.org/onevanderbilt/


----------



## bodegavendetta

Ok that last render is very cool. I wish all renders were that well done.


----------



## Ghostface79

*Rafael Viñoly, OLIN To Design Pier 26 Estuarium & Park Space, Tribeca*

http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/10/rafael-vinoly-olin-to-design-pier-26-estuarium-park-space-tribeca.html












> The Hudson River Park Trust plans to redevelop the vacant Pier 26 in Tribeca, between North Moore and Laight Streets, into a science center and park space, according to The New York Times. Last week, it was announced that Rafael Viñoly will be designing the education and research facility, and OLIN will be the landscape designer. The $30 million project is being equally funded by Citigroup, the City, and, pending request, the LMDC. Completion is expected by early 2019.


----------



## royal rose1

So this seems to be the appropriate place to ask this question, but I've been in times square a couple times recently and noticed a building demolished, quite a rare occurrence in Times Square; what's going on? Any news on what's getting built there?


----------



## Ghostface79

*Williamsburg's Zany Hotel and Retail Building Tops Out*

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/10/14/williamsburgs_zany_hotel_and_retail_building_tops_out.php


----------



## ReNaHtEiM

streetscapeer said:


>


Man, MetLife building is the one building in NYC that needs to be demolished ASAP. :madwife:


----------



## webeagle12

ReNaHtEiM said:


> Man, MetLife building is the one building in NYC that needs to be demolished ASAP. :madwife:


you are an idiot


----------



## ReNaHtEiM

webeagle12 said:


> you are an idiot


Says who.hno: I'm too lazy atm to start a discussion on this. But the following article sums up my point of view pretty well.

http://www.aviewoncities.com/nyc/panam.htm



> The main reasons for the dislike of the New Yorkers for this building are the blocking of the view on Park Avenue and the massive structure, which has often been criticized as 'cheap quality' or 'monumental bad architecture'. On the other hand the structural concept of the building is very intriguing and its sheer massiveness symbolizes New York as a huge compact city.
> 
> Due to its location though, the building completely blocks the view on Park Avenue and the - much more appraised - New York Central building (Helmsley Building), which dates from 1929.


Something *like that* would be a lot more appealing in this location and would also solve the problem of the blocked view.


----------



## streetscapeer

*10 Hudson Yards -Coach Tower*





































http://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/Template/GetSlideShowImages/82


----------



## ThatOneGuy

ReNaHtEiM said:


> Man, MetLife building is the one building in NYC that needs to be demolished ASAP. :madwife:


Just, no.


----------



## AUTOTHRILL

webeagle12 said:


> you are an idiot


at least he's not a rude idiot!


----------



## skanny

Metlife building is the most imposing building in all Midtown skyline , it's the most visible one from many angles ...


----------



## erbse

Indeed, those stone facades really are something! 

Much more love should be poured into New York's facades, to get more of these (12 Warren Street, TriBeCa):



























http://verticalaesthete.tumblr.com/


Like a natural canyon cliff in the middle of the city. Geil, supergeil.


----------



## Nexis

From Yesterday

333 Schermerhorn


A Cold Autumn morning in Downtown Brooklyn by Corey Best, on Flickr

Atlantic Yards


Barclay's Arena by Corey Best, on Flickr


----------



## Nexis

I'm trying to give these buildings a proper home  , what are there names so I can place them in the Individual threads...

*Long Island City*


Long Island City & Manhattan Skylines viewed from Sunnyside by Corey Best, on Flickr


Long Island City & Manhattan Skylines viewed from Sunnyside by Corey Best, on Flickr


Long Island City & Manhattan Skylines viewed from Sunnyside by Corey Best, on Flickr

Manhattan

10th Avenue by 36th Street


Skyscrapers & High Rises of Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr


Skyscrapers & High Rises of Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Pano*

Pano by me showing: 

W57 Pyramid
Hudson Yards
56 Leonard
30 Park, 
Harbourside, Jersey City



FW4A2714-2 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ Holy freaking moly! If that doesn't belong in the World's Best Skylines thread, I don't know what does.


----------



## Stanford White

A few more updates:


The Sterling Mason, Tribeca

The facade is an exact replica of the neighbouring building, but made entirely out of aluminum!










11 North Moore, Tribeca, same architect as above, Morris Adjmi









15 Leonard Street, Tribeca,
rather bland if you ask me...









more photos and angles on my blog, I just dont know how to make the pictures small enough to post here!

http://verticalaesthete.tumblr.com/


----------



## Stanford White

*261 Hudson Street, Hudson Square (west Soho) awaiting cladding*










*
10 Sullivan Street, SoHo, scaffolding coming down! I love this building!*










*One Vandam, SoHo*










*290 West Street*










More on my blog
http://verticalaesthete.tumblr.com/


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Honestly, 10 Sullivan could be one of the best NY buildings of the decade. It looks genuinely 30s Streamline Moderne.


----------



## RegentHouse

Pier 26 seems promising. A recent project by Vinoly which might actually be good? Madness!

Circa looks cool, but are there any renders showing the back side?

12 Warren Street indeed has an interesting texture, but the windows are ugly. 360 East 89th Street, 27-45 Jackson Avenue, 15 Leonard Street, and One Vandam are shit. William Beaver House architecture needs to be banned in NYC or better yet, everywhere for the betterment of humanity.


----------



## C4creeper

I like 15 Leonard for it's simplicity.


----------



## Chris08876

*Construction Update: *100 Greenwich Street


















Credit: Vitali Ogorodnikov


----------



## streetscapeer

Essex Crossing's 150,000-Sq-Ft Market Unveils Plans
















































> *The space will cover 150,000 square feet, make it one of the five biggest markets in the nation (though not quite as large as Anthony Bourdain's massive Pier 57 market)*. The two-level promenade will have 40-foot-tall glass walls, and at its western end (the Essex Street Market), there will be a 60-foot-high ceiling. A 9,000-square-foot garden space would float over the market, which is envisioned as more than just a food hall, though a 3,000-square-foot beer hall is planned as part of it and the first phase will focus on food. The developers are courting clothing boutiques, artisans, galleries, and service providers like watch repair and beauty shops.
> 
> *Site 2, located at 80 Essex Street/115 Delancey Street, is slated for completion in 2018 with sites 3 and 4 breaking ground the previous year.*


----------



## bodegavendetta

The renders they used are out of date (at least the last one), since there won't be a Warhol Museum. Otherwise it looks pretty nice! The new Market sounds interesting.


----------



## royal rose1

So this seems to be the appropriate place to ask this question, but I've been in times square a couple times recently and noticed a building demolished, quite a rare occurrence in Times Square; what's going on? Any news on what's getting built there?


----------



## hateman

royal rose1 said:


> So this seems to be the appropriate place to ask this question, but I've been in times square a couple times recently and noticed a building demolished, quite a rare occurrence in Times Square; what's going on? Any news on what's getting built there?


It's probably the Marriott Edition hotel.
http://nypost.com/2014/01/20/marriott-brings-schragers-vision-to-times-squares-new-edition/


----------



## streetscapeer

*With Rooftop Pergola Gone, South Street Seaport Pier 17 Plan Sails Past Landmarks*

_EVAN BINDELGLASS 
OCTOBER 21, 2015_


> One of the most controversial developments in Lower Manhattan got a big thumbs up from the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday. The LPC approved the Howard Hughes Corporation plan for Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport, which includes demolition of the Link Building. A big point of contention when the plan was presented in August was a proposed rooftop pergola. With that removed, commission approval was a snap. Tuesday’s presentation also revealed some new renderings of the site.











_Pier 17 roof without pergola (approved)_









_Pier 17 roof with pergola (*not* approved)_









Rendering of Fulton Plaza access road.


----------



## autool

ok


----------



## streetscapeer

*New renders of 12 East 37th st*





















Three new renders from Yimby forums


----------



## streetscapeer

*520 Park Avenue update*




























Credit: VG




ILNY said:


> They will be on the 4th floor.... in about two weeks.
> 
> From yesterday.


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Side Supertall*

More renderings of the 151 E 60th St Supertall


----------



## FEDO

edit....


----------



## royal rose1

The quality of this New York new construction gets me all warm and tingly inside. Best city in the world for development, bar-none. An eye for quality and consistently amazing development.


----------



## C4creeper

I really like 12 East 37th St.It reminds me a little of 2 WTC.


----------



## streetscapeer

*30 Park Place update*

From forummer ILNY


----------



## streetscapeer

*111 W57th st - Extra facade views and renderings*

A Behind the Scenes Look at How SHoP’s Stunning Facade at 111 West 57th Street Will Come to Life


----------



## bodegavendetta

royal rose1 said:


> The quality of this New York new construction gets me all warm and tingly inside. Best city in the world for development, bar-none. An eye for quality and consistently amazing development.


Somewhat agree. I feel like consistency is something NY needs to improve on, actually. One one hand, yes, we've got completely top notch buildings like 111 W 57th, TV, and some starchitecture downtown that are unlike anything else anywhere, but we also have too many cheap Gene Kaufman style things going up. I guess I would agree with you if you were referring to mainly big blockbuster towers, but it doesn't apply to mid-size buildings as much. I do think things are improving in that area with buildings like 10 Sullivan or 215 Chrystie, however.


----------



## Ghostface79

^^ I actually think the midsize buildings in the city are as good a quality as the skyscrapers these days, look at W57, Zaha's building on the highline, Shop's east side building, 10 Bond, Stern's 20 East end or even in the outer boroughs 2222 Jackson in LIC just to name a few. All different styles but pretty good architecture. Of course there are turds going up but we can't expect every building to be exceptional. 
Besides that I agree that what is going up in the city these days is just plain amazing and I believe unrivaled.


----------



## streetscapeer

*551 W 21st St*



Nexis said:


> from Monday
> 
> 
> A Early Evening Stroll along the Highline park in Manhattan by Corey Best, on Flickr



From Tectonic

http://tectonicphoto.com/


----------



## Aaronaa4

Hey,

Just made a video on the top 10 cities with the most skyscrapers and New York is on the list!! Check out the video if you are interested  When Hudson Yards, Steinway, Vanderbilt, Tower Verre and Nordstrom are completed NYC will shine bright!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO48JxnWMxw


----------



## Ghostface79

507 West 28th street

By me


----------



## Ghostface79

325 west Broadway, now that's some pretty good architecture 

From field condition 
http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2015/10/23/xoco-325


----------



## dexter2

Gaudi Reborn


----------



## Ghostface79

145-147 East 47th street From EastMillinocket at WNY

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37412


----------



## Ghostface79

237 East 34th street From EastMillinocket at WNY

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37831


----------



## Ghostface79

120 West 41th From EastMillinocket at WNY

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37827


----------



## Nexis

From Wednesday

East 22nd Street by Madison SQ park


New Construction on 22nd Street by Corey Best, on Flickr

West 21st street by 6th Avenue


New Construction on West 21th Street by Corey Best, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

So many tall, unknown projects!! Only in NY would this go up under the radar:




Ghostface79 said:


> 237 East 34th street From EastMillinocket at WNY
> 
> http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37831


----------



## yankeesfan1000

The boom around Madison Square Park is set to continue, there's a new two tower complex, 20 and 13 stories give or take, set to get rolling in terms of demo in the next couple of months, if it hasn't started already.


----------



## Ghostface79

239 10th avenue










By me


----------



## hendryd22

*From Surabaya, Indonesia*

I love new york city... !!


----------



## Chris08876

:cheers:




































Credit: http://www.citylab.com/housing/2015...-and-busts-of-nycs-skyscraper-history/412360/


----------



## ThatOneGuy

The 40s was almost nonexistent for architecture.


----------



## BrickellResidence

why the F everyone counts 1WTC antennas? its not supposed to be the building's official height for god sakes


----------



## phoenixboi08

brickellresidence said:


> why the F everyone counts 1WTC antennas? its not supposed to be the building's official height for god sakes


...because it's part of the official height.
We go over this, again and again. Just get over it and move on. It's not really such a difficult idea to grasp.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 143 Fulton Street*

Demo underway

*26-Story, LEED-Certified Hotel Coming to the Financial District*


----------



## streetscapeer

*701 Times Square*

*Times Square’s Marriott EDITION Hotel Breaks Ground, Will Boast 76,000SF of Food Space*

Building itself will be nothing special, but fits in well with Times Sq, a welcome addition IMO... Jesusss that LED Screen!!

























































Came with a video to advertise their retail space


----------



## streetscapeer

*NoMad/Midtown - 172 Madison Ave*




































Credit: Vertical_Gotham


----------



## desertpunk

3-D printer delivers Hudson Yards years ahead of schedule! 


HY_3dmodel-8629.R1 by Jacob Gubler, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

56 Leonard Nov. 1









https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/


----------



## desertpunk

*432 PA*


Mid town skyline and Central Park by David Berry, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*1 West End Ave, Upper West Side*










http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/08/41-story-364-unit-mixed-use-tower-rising-at-1-west-end-avenue-lincoln-square.html



























Credit: Tectonic


----------



## Ghostface79

27 Wooster street 

from Field Condition 
http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2015/11/3/27-wooster


----------



## bodegavendetta

Interesting mid-century feel to 27 Wooster. I like it.


----------



## Chris08876

Some high line developments

Pics by me


----------



## Chris08876

Pic by me 

This being 444 10th Avenue










Some more developments.

Pics by me










Spotted this rendering


----------



## streetscapeer

*Museum of Natural History Expansion*

*Renderings Revealed for Jeanne Gang’s $325M Museum of Natural History Expansion*








































> The Times calls the concept for the new Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation “both cautious and audacious,” noting that it “consumes less coveted park space than expected, while introducing a contemporary aesthetic that evokes Frank Gehry’s museum in Bilbao, Spain, in its undulating exterior and Turkey’s underground city of Cappadocia in its cavelike interior.” The* new 218,00-square-foot Center will help solve circulation issues (it will create more than 30 access points across ten buildings) and will be an integrated space for museum activities and research*....
> 
> *A preliminary opening date is cited as 2019 or 2020.*


----------



## ThatOneGuy

^^ Wow :drool:

Also, that's probably the first render with snow I've ever seen


----------



## erbse

Ah well, it totally looks like an Ozeaneum Stralsund (German Maritime Museum) design recycled.


----------



## streetscapeer

By me:

*Booming Long Island City, Queens *

FW4A3697-Pano by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## WR HEARST

erbse said:


> Ah well, it totally looks like an Ozeaneum Stralsund (German Maritime Museum) design recycled.



Really!?..are wavy structures a german trademark?


----------



## streetscapeer

Ghostface79 said:


> http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/realestate/ian-schragers-newcondos-on-the-hudson.html


Larger version:









http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/r...s-newcondos-on-the-hudson.html?ref=realestate


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca Project - 15 Renwick Street*




























Vertical Aesthete


----------



## royal rose1

Call me overly proud of my city, but I don't believe there's higher quality architecture going up anywhere in the world than what's currently going up in SoHo/TriBeCa? I won't say all of NYC is so blessed, that'd be a lie, particularly outside of Manhattan quality goes down. But walking around SoHo, I'm in constant visual euphoria looking at how much these new buildings are contributing to make SoHo more visually pleasing, when I didn't even think it was possible.


----------



## BrickellResidence

^^ you should explore the world more often Lol


----------



## royal rose1

brickellresidence said:


> ^^ you should explore the world more often Lol


Thanks buddy, I've been to 40+ countries, including the "hub" of contemporary architecture, ie London and Scandinavia in the last six months, and I have to disagree with you. I think you need to walk around NYC more and get out of Mexico City to see what quality architecture is. How about you propose a counter in the form of neighborhoods with better architecture instead of being a troll.

Also, realize that height doesn't have any correlation with quality, in fact, I believe low to midrises are almost universally better quality, thus Dubai and China, and really everywhere except select European cities aren't credible counterpoints.


----------



## Kopacz

I guess it's the fact that NY has a lot of money behind its architecture. Manhattan doesn't have unlimited land, so you either had to build tall or pretty buildings to stay in the game. With other cities being rather strict about height, NY was able to gather around all the best architects, because many of them dreamt about designing beautiful towers, and it was possible to do it here and nowhere else. 
The fact that some ugly glass-only towers are being built in NY still boggles my mind, but I guess that's where height matters more than looks. 



ThatOneGuy said:


> Looks great. What would that green cladding material be?
> 
> And yeah there will be a nice contrast between the neighboring building and this project.


Website says that it's terracotta facade with copper window frames.
Interiors look a bit too retro for my taste, but damn that building is sure a looker on the outside.


----------



## royal rose1

^^ Thanks for the productive contribution, I agree. And the biggest issue at hand particularly, to expand on your point, is the lack of land and abundance of wealth in SoHo in Tribeca, these neighborhoods are extremely expensive to live in, have strict boards that govern what designs match the historical context of the neighborhood, and due to the status of the neighborhood, it's able to attract the world's best architects such as Jean Nouvel, to build lowrise architecture, and channel the best of their talent.


----------



## bodegavendetta

Nat Geo posted a neat interactive graphic showing NYC's future skyline. 

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/new-york-city-skyline-tallest-midtown-manhattan/


----------



## streetscapeer

National Geographic has cool interactive renderings of Manhattan's future skyline. I took screenshots and made gifs for easy viewing: 

SCROLL -->




















World Trade Center Complex












Hudson Yards - Phase I












57th St Corridor - Billionaire's Row


----------



## Axelferis

please is the project of canarsie line new metro still exist? i've heard 15 years ago that a project like this was in the track


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Thank you for posting that bodegavendetta/streetscaper, that turned my Monday around. It's a shame they didn't include the new cluster that's forming around Madison Square Park where at least 3 200+ meter buildings are going up. 

Additionally, I not only fully expect the area between 1 Vanderbilt and the 57th St billionaire buildings to fill out once East Midtown Rezoning fully passes, but the Hudson Yards and Penn Station area should continue to see massive amounts of development.


----------



## Ghostface79

*290 West Street*

http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2015/11/17/290-west


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Nice industrial look!


----------



## bodegavendetta

That corner used to be a gas station! A huge improvement.


----------



## Zabonz

Beutifull!

p.s. Love the 56 Leonard on the last pic!


----------



## bodegavendetta

*St. John's Terminal Redevelopment Gets First Renderings*



> The redevelopment of the St. John's Terminal site* could bring over 1,500 residential units, many of them affordable, to the West Village,* and the first images of what that project could look like are finally out, The Villager reports. Local residents aren't too thrilled about the proposed development, which entails razing the existing 1 million-square-foot St. John's Terminal building and erecting a 1.7 million-square-foot multi-building project, despite the benefits the developers say it would offer the community.* For the time being, the plan is conceptual; it still needs to pass through a uniform land use review procedure (ULURP) before getting the go-ahead*.
> 
> In a community meeting held this month, project architect *COOKFOX presented designs for the Atlas Capital Group- and Westbrook Partners-developed project*. The development's highlights include 500 units of affordable housing, of which 175 units are just for seniors. A little number crunching turns back that, at that rate, one-third of the projects apartments will be affordable, which is well above what's par for the course.
> 
> Here's how the plan breaks down: The tallest residential building proposed for the site, at *430 feet tall,* will be fully market rate and sit at the northern end of the development. The 175-unit senior housing building will also be in this area, as will 40,000 square feet of retail—the developers suggest bringing in a Trader Joe's. There's also an additional 105,000 square feet of basement space for a big box-type store, as per the developer's suggestions. The middle section of development will include a smaller residential building with almost equal market rate and affordable apartments spread throughout, and a small garden adjacent to this building would connect it to the another fully market-rate residential building. The southern portion of the development will hold a set of mews and a 350-room hotel.
> 
> The plan also includes publicly accessible park space. When St. John's Terminal was still in use, platforms connected it to the elevated railway track that now makes up the High Line. Under COOKFOX's plan, those platforms will be converted into mini elevated park space, much like the High Line.
> 
> If the plan moves forward, the developers will pay $100 million to the city to purchase Pier 40's air rights for the redevelopment of the terminal. In turn, those funds can be pumped back into the crumbling pier, which is in urgent need of repair.
> 
> Neighborhood residents are so up-in-arms because they believe the development does not address the burden it will add to the limited amount of schools in the area, the fact that they need more medical facilities, and how the flood protection mechanism for this development might endanger the homes of other residents in the area.
> 
> "The tallest building in this plan is equal to the Trump Soho," Andrew Berman, the director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, told The Villager. "The overall project is equal to six Trump Sohos."
> 
> If the proposed development does not pass the ULURP process, the developers may move ahead with an as-of-right development, which wouldn't allow for the residential buildings the developer is looking to add.
> 
> At the community meeting, the developers assured that this will be the first of several discussions with the community in terms of designs and proposals before the project moves forward.
















































http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/..._redevelopment_gets_first_renderings.php#more

*Edit: Two additional diagrams from The Villager*
http://thevillager.com/2015/11/19/a...er-try-to-build-the-case-for-st-johns-project


----------



## erbse

So Gotham, Art-decoesque! Totally adore it! Like a termite hill.

And BOY, my eyes! *The Fitzroy* by JDS has to be officially the greatest peace of Deco ever since this style took a halt in the 1940s/50s! Wow, über amazing. This could potentially be right up there with gems like the American Radiator Building. Can't wait for it! :drool:

I mean, seriously, this just has to be quoted:








http://jdsdevelopment.com/the-fitzroy/


Giving you the thrills. That glazing beauty. Now if they'd add actual ornaments, this will rob people of their sleep.


----------



## Chris08876

Fellow New Yorkers and users who adore the city. A memo:

*The Memo:*

The new SSC NYC sub-forum is up, so be sure to check it out. Its organized by borough, so no more confusion like in the world forum. Just pure NYC focus.

More threads will be added. :cheers:


----------



## erbse

The *New York City forum* looks great now, thanks! kay:

That's pretty much how I wanted it to look like for years.


----------



## skyscraperhighrise

streetscapeer said:


> National Geographic has cool interactive renderings of Manhattan's future skyline. I took screenshots and made gifs for easy viewing:
> 
> SCROLL -->
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> World Trade Center Complex
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hudson Yards - Phase I
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 57th St Corridor - Billionaire's Row


Nice.


----------



## el palmesano

*Riu Plaza Hotel Times Square New York*

733 8th Ave (301 W 46th) | 324 FT | 29 FLOORS





























-------


----------



## FelixMadero

http://www.wallpaper.com/architectu...dim-his-first-residential-project-in-new-york 

*Urban oasis: Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld unveils Jardim, his first residential project in New York*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens*

*First Look at SHoP's 3-Building Long Island City Development*


----------



## desertpunk

*High Line Costruction*


Radial Curve Transformation by Steven Severinghaus, on Flickr


520 W 28th St by Steven Severinghaus, on Flickr


Construction Zone by Steven Severinghaus, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*VIA pyramid*


Sunset Versus the Tetrahedron. by pat calligy, on Flickr


----------



## clouchicloucha

^^ Amazing pic! kay:


----------



## Opulentus

streetscapeer said:


> *First Look at SHoP's 3-Building Long Island City Development*


 This looks awful. The windows are hideous.


----------



## erbse

Ja, like an 80s international modernism nightmare... Meh!


----------



## streetscapeer

I totally disagree


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hell's Kitchen - 509 W38th St*












ILNY said:


>


----------



## streetscapeer

*35 Hudson Yards - Supertall - 1009ft/308m*





















ILNY said:


>


----------



## bodegavendetta

erbse said:


> Ja, like an 80s international modernism nightmare... Meh!


Meh, it's got some nice texture to it. The base might be too nice for an 80s modernism nightmare, too.


----------



## streetscapeer

*55 Hudson Yards new facade renderings and project update*




















http://newhudsonfacades.com/projects/55-hudson-yards/


























































ILNY said:


>


----------



## streetscapeer

*35 Hudson Yards - new renderings*



streetscapeer said:


>



http://newhudsonfacades.com/projects/35-hudson-yards/


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Those two buildings will look great together.


----------



## dexter2

The hell is that dilldo in the middle? hno:


----------



## desertpunk

Long Island City on the rise:


IMG_5081 - View of LIC, New York (Nov. 2015) by Vico_Jay07, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*A few downtown projects*

56 Leonard, 115 Nassau Street, 30 Park Place, 3 WTC, 50 West St











https://www.reddit.com/user/then0mads0ul

IMGP5078 1 by Elizabeth Wake, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*234 East 23rd St*





























Credit: The Vertical Aesthete


----------



## MarshallKnight

Wow, some great updates, thanks guys!



bodegavendetta said:


> Meh, it's got some nice texture to it. The base might be too nice for an 80s modernism nightmare, too.


Yeah, "nightmare" is probably an exaggeration. I was a little put off by the weird geometry around the windows, but if I've learned anything on this forum in the past couple years it's that SHoP delivers and their buildings tend to come out even better than in renders.



ThatOneGuy said:


> Those two buildings will look great together.


I am psyched for that block. Two buildings playing on the same theme: hard modern angles tempered by delicate, nonlinear facade detail. They contrast so much in terms of tone and texture, and yet they could almost be twins. Or at least brothers from another mother.



dexter2 said:


> The hell is that dilldo in the middle? hno:


Heh, that's the HY Phase II office tower. Thus far, the Phase II buildings we've seen in renders and models have all been placeholders, but there have been several recently that include a version of that design... 

Let's just say I do really hope it's still only a placeholder. As pictured that building doesn't belong in the same sentence as 35 and 55 HY, much less on the same corner.


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## Opulentus

skanny said:


> Buildings do not define an identity or culture , they are it's most visual and materialistic representation ...


They contribute to it though.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Prospect Park, Brooklyn*

*Pacific Park’s 17-Story Condo Tops Out At 550 Vanderbilt Avenue*







































*View from top*


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## streetscapeer

*Nomad District - 88 and 90 Lexington Ave*





















*View from top*



























See more at Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - One Vanderbilt*

*New Renderings & Video of One Vanderbilt, Midtown’s Future Tallest Office Tower*





















































hunser said:


> Some SS I pulled from the vid:




















Lobby









Lobby



















And here the promotional video:


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## Nexis

Such a shame they had to demolish a historic building to build that...


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## ThatOneGuy

Really nice. Can't wait to see it rise.


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## obses

This building isn't bad at all, but the top looks a bit strange for me. Although I prefer the historical building. :lol:


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## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 45 Park place*

*Construction to start in first quarter of 2016.*









Credit: Soho Properties


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## snot

Nothing yet here about this baby? :nuts:



Jan said:


> Hier eentje voor de fijnproevers:
> 
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> 
> meer op 6sqft.com


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## erbse

*WHUT @41 West 57th Street | Eagle Tower*

Whoa, wth, steampunk to the max! :shocked: :uh:

I don't even know what to say. Like it's just broke out of some utopian fantasy world:






































145157591
https://vimeo.com/145157591


by: *Mark Foster Gage Architects*


Looks like someone took my appeals for a "continuation and evolution of Beaux Arts, Art Deco and Expressionism" quite serious! 
This could be revolutionary in many ways. It's super-eclectic, but well. Just wow.


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## ThatOneGuy

OMG that's just...I can't even


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## Hudson11

at first glance it looks like something a divine monarch would have constructed for themselves. I hope SHVO uses this design for his supposed 100 story central park tower.


----------



## Ulpia-Serdica

That would be majestic, my guess is that it is only a concept. Literaly a new style which within 5 years will be present in every single global city on the planet.


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## erbse

No shite, I've been shedding tears looking at this website.
The opulent details. The abundant forms. The brave boldness.

My architecture moment of this year, ah well, this decade perhaps...  


_I'm opening a thread at the architecture forum, under tears..._


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## webeagle12

ThatOneGuy said:


> OMG that's just...I can't even


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## erbse

I did it! It hurts! :shocked:

*'Eagle Tower' NYC 41 West 57th Street:
A steampunk Neo-Art-Deco architecture revolution of the 21st century?*


----------



## Noah48

That building is way too much, if it were drastically simplified but still maintained it's deco appeal and were just a bit fatter, I would like it but the building just doesn't fit it's surroundings...


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## streetscapeer

*RE: Eagle Tower - 41 West 57th St*



> ...*While it turns out that the project will not be moving forward, as confirmed by building architect Mark Foster Gage, the design is still worth checking out.* The supertall building is adorned with sculptures of eagles and gold paneling, and appears to be topped by a gold watchtower with a golden clock (or a bell depending on how you see it.) It only gets better from there.
> 
> .....
> 
> *While this design—an homage to Art Deco architecture—won't be rising on the site, the fact that the plan exists suggests that someone might be interested in bringing another supertall tower to Central Park South.*


Curbed


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## JohnDee

I love it. This is what Ny needs, and what every skyscraper/modern built world city needs: towers with abundant facade artistry. Death to the multitudes of dull corporate mind-numbing glass boxes that have polluted everywhere and taken the fun and humanity out of the visual aspects of modern cities. People adore the ornate facades of Paris, Venice and Prague for a reason. A modern take on the visually stimulating ornate wonders of the past is due people. :cheers: there needs to be a complete revolution, a turning away from the heartless efficiency started by the awful 20th century thinkers like Corbusier, etc. people like him, and like Robert Moses, didn't care about people in the city at all. iNstead, treated the city like an engineering project where efficiency came first over emotional satisfaction.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown West - Via 57West*
































































More at Field Condition


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## desertpunk

NYC now has climbing condo vines!




streetscapeer said:


>


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## obses

streetscapeer said:


> *West End Collegiate Church To Create New Residential Presence At 378 West End Avenue*
> 
> 
> 
> *EXISTING*
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> *PROPOSED*
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Very beautiful!!! :banana::banana:


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## streetscapeer

Yes it is, but not necessary to quote the whole post, can you edit the pictures out.


----------



## el palmesano

wonderful!!


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Um, that's sensational.


----------



## bodegavendetta

That west end avenue project is ingenious.


----------



## Nexis

Updates from Yesterday

I covered Williamsburg & Greenpoint which you can view here : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4028

Long Island City , which you can view here : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4029

Abit of Manhattan here : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=610

A dose of the WTC here : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=458

& Jersey City / Hoboken Here : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=3514

I photographed over 100 buildings yesterday , a lot of Infill projects...


----------



## desertpunk

*New Looks at the Concave Condo Rising Along Central Park*












> The slow, steady leak of information surrounding the new luxury condo that's rising on the northwest corner of Central Park continues. The New York Times has now profiled Circa, the FXFowle-designed semicircular building, bringing way more information about the "luxurious" condo than previously gleaned through its bare-bones teaser site. The Times says condos in the development will ask from $1 million for a one-bedroom; a high water mark for the neighborhood, but on par for new developments elsewhere in the city with Caesarstone quartz counters, master baths with marble floors, and building perks like a fleet of remote-controlled model boats intended for use at the nearby Harlem Meer for the borrowing.
> 
> [...]


----------



## dexter2

erbse said:


> No shite, I've been shedding tears looking at this website.
> The opulent details. The abundant forms. The brave boldness.
> 
> My architecture moment of this year, ah well, this decade perhaps...
> 
> 
> _I'm opening a thread at the architecture forum, under tears..._


I always knew you couldn't see the difference between greatly designed ornamented architecture and kitchy 'the more the better' that is only a statement of possibilities for today's technology. I know I will propably hurt you a lot with this comparison, but you are just like those extreme modernists that think blank, minimalist walls of concrete are the best thing that happened to architecture... 


Btw, this: http://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/378WestEndAvenue_20151208_134.jpg
Is awesome.


----------



## Jim856796

About the AT&T/Sony Building, plans for the building's conversion have been revealed: A combination condominiums and hotel, with 96 condo units on floors 14 to 37, with a penthouse on floors 33-35, and a hotel on floors 6 to 13 with 170 rooms, including 60 suites, to open in 2018.

I have a question: The former AT&T/Sony Building looks like a one-use-only building. How come the building at 550 Madison Avenue couldn't have become a hotel-only or residential-only building instead?


----------



## royal rose1

Uh guys, how the hell are we ignoring this 378 West End development? Holy shit, it's beautiful, stunning. It's nothing short of a masterpiece, next to another masterpiece church. God, I love NY


----------



## erbse

dexter2 said:


> I always knew you couldn't see the difference between greatly designed ornamented architecture and kitchy 'the more the better' that is only a statement of possibilities for today's technology. I know I will propably hurt you a lot with this comparison, but you are just like those extreme modernists that think blank, minimalist walls of concrete are the best thing that happened to architecture...
> 
> 
> Btw, this: http://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/378WestEndAvenue_20151208_134.jpg
> Is awesome.


I agree that WestEndAve one is a great project.

But you didn't quite get what my fascination is about the Foster Gage vision, so you better check the separate thread and what I posted there. It's the possibilities, not the mere design at hand which is sort of a fantasy product of course. Don't be an arrogant fool, thank you.


----------



## dexter2

I don't care what you wrote in those threads, I commented only this one post. So, this makes you an even bigger fool, which can't properly express his opinions.
And thank you for reminding me why you were stripped off your moderator status and banned for so long. Boorish as always


----------



## Titan Man

dexter2 said:


> I don't care what you wrote in those threads, I commented only this one post. So, this makes you an even bigger fool, which can't properly express his opinions.
> And thank you for reminding me why you were stripped off your moderator status and banned for so long. Boorish as always


I don't see any reason why you would insult erbse for his opinion, this is a forum, if you didn't know, and here EVERYBODY is allowed to express their opinion about a topic which is being discussed. I myself have mixed feelings about this building but, surprisingly, I don't have a need to bash others that don't agree with me.


----------



## dexter2

First of all, I'm not the that wrote personal insults first. I just merely stated facts and how I see them based on his extremely polarised opinions.


----------



## royal rose1

So due to my posting incompetence, I am not posting a pic of the development. But somehow it seems a major development has slipped through the cracks. I live on 86th, and now theres a major development that involves the demolishing of an existing sizable parking garage on 87th and lex and it's being replaced with an approx 20-30 story condo building. It's a sizable development and I've yet to see anyone post on it.

(edit) Just found a curbed article related to it. If anyone's interested, here it is. I confirm it's full speed ahead now. 

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/08/25/more_looks_at_garagereplacing_upper_east_side_condos.php


----------



## erbse

dexter2 said:


> I just merely stated facts and how I see them based on his extremely polarised opinions.


Haven't read any credible facts in your recent posts. Doesn't matter much anyway, we'll agree to disagree as always so we can just drop it.


----------



## desertpunk

*100 E.53rd*


1A001 by kwokts, on Flickr


1A003 by kwokts, on Flickr


1A005 by kwokts, on Flickr


1A006 by kwokts, on Flickr


1A002 by kwokts, on Flickr


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Nice clad.


----------



## desertpunk

*Reveal For 11-Story, 22-Unit Mixed-Use Building At 101 Morningside Avenue, Harlem*









http://harlembespoke.blogspot.com/2015/12/architecture-99-morningside-revealed.html


----------



## royal rose1

Sorry to push this, but this is an area changing development, bringing further density to one of the city's most important transit hubs 86th street. And I think it's indicative of the continuing renaissance happening here. Let me also mention, we're losing a rather unsightly parking garage to a condo tower. Obviously mutually beneficial. 



royal rose1 said:


> So due to my posting incompetence, I am not posting a pic of the development. But somehow it seems a major development has slipped through the cracks. I live on 86th, and now theres a major development that involves the demolishing of an existing sizable parking garage on 87th and lex and it's being replaced with an approx 20-30 story condo building. It's a sizable development and I've yet to see anyone post on it.
> 
> (edit) Just found a curbed article related to it. If anyone's interested, here it is. I confirm it's full speed ahead now.
> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/08/25/more_looks_at_garagereplacing_upper_east_side_condos.php


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - 196 Orchard Street*

11-Story, 94-Unit Mixed-Use Building At 196 Orchard Street



> Over the last few months, demolition of the site’s low-rise predecessors has wrapped up, and excavation equipment has arrived. Completion is expected in the second half of 2017.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City -*

Ground-breaking For 43-Story Residential Tower In Newport, Jersey City



> Completion of the development is expected in 2017.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Park Slope, Brooklyn - 613 Baltic Avenue*

New Rendering Of 11-Story, 44-Unit Mixed-Use Project At 613 Baltic Street



> Dubbed Baltic, sales are expected to begin early next year, with completion set for 2017.


----------



## streetscapeer

*West Village - 100 Barrow Street*

Construction Update:


----------



## desertpunk

^^

My car was once broken into there!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 280 Cadman Plaza West*

Brooklyn Library Plan Gets City Council Approval


----------



## streetscapeer

*SoHo - 10 Sullivan*

Construction Update from Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Noho Project - 36 Bleecker Street*

Renovation of the Schumacher Building Almost Complete


Before











After


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Omg 10 Sullivan turned out amazing! It still looks like a render!
And right out of the 1930s with that Streamline moderne/ Constructivist design.

NY now has two flatiron buildings :lol:


----------



## bodegavendetta

ThatOneGuy said:


> NY now has two flatiron buildings :lol:


There are more than two! One of the best is in Brooklyn:









But yeah, 10 Sullivan could not have turned out better. Undeniably a big plus for the neighborhood.


----------



## desertpunk

*10 HY*


Hudson Yard's rising. #igersnyc #manhattan #HudsonYards by JasonParis, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*See Floorplans For Deco-Inspired Chelsea Condo The Fitzroy*


----------



## desertpunk

*30 Park Place*


Lower Manhattan's 30 Park Place under construction by Graham Hart, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 138 East 50th St*











Equipment at site


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 520 Park Avenue*


















Credit: robertwalpole


----------



## Kot Bazilio

streetscapeer said:


> Credit: robertwalpole


I think need ban tall buildings near central park, because they shadowed more and more place in park...


----------



## dexter2

Here we go again...


----------



## erbse

Large swathes of Central Park are covered by trees, so 'shadowed' anyway.

And the Great Lawn esp. is rather central and big enough to always find a sunny spot.









http://fp-murphy-images-production....-view-Central-Park-New-York-United-States.jpg


----------



## MarshallKnight

erbse said:


> 145157591
> https://vimeo.com/145157591
> 
> by: *Mark Foster Gage Architects*


Jesus. I feel like we've been talking about the 3D printing revolution for a while now, but it's still pretty wild and unexpected to see it applied so thoroughly to a supertall. 

I admit I am excited about the possibilities the technology raises. So many beloved architectural styles throughout history have fallen by the wayside out of sheer practicality as much as changing trends and cultures. I'd love to see a renaissance of Gothic, Mudejar, Art Nouveau and many others. And since NYC really has taken the reins as an architectural playground, with developers competing for those ultralux dollars through aesthetics and materiality (see Steinway and the Fitzroy), this seems as likely a place as any for the practice to take off. 

But I also have to address the actual Gage design, which is just the worst kind of kitchen-sink maximalism, and a total eyesore. Sure it's a showcase of what the technology could allow for and thankfully it's not a real proposal... But it gets me worried about the possibility that any developer with a goofy idea can have it realized in building form.

I wonder if the advent of 3D printing is going to wind up creating a new branch of architecture -- the architect/sculptor. As long as there is someone out there with the taste and restraint to utilize the technology without turning every building into a gaudy mess, we could really be headed into an incredible time.


----------



## erbse

Exactly my thoughts, Marshall! The possibilities of new tech may be used wisely for architecture. Robotic construction could also allow for yet unknown prospects.

We'll likely see gaudy and very strange buildings, too - but I'm not any more worried about this than about all the bland and boring faceless boxes and dildos or the disproportional deconstructivist shite going up everywhere.


----------



## desertpunk

*St. John Divine apartments*


20151031-20151031-1000103 by Morgan Sandquist, on Flickr


20151031-20151031-1000106 by Morgan Sandquist, on Flickr


20151031-20151031-1000101 by Morgan Sandquist, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*One Morningside Park*


20151031-20151031-1000081 by Morgan Sandquist, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*860 Washington*









https://www.flickr.com/photos/quatquat/


----------



## desertpunk

*Downtown Brooklyn Getting Another Tall-ish Tower*












> A year after it was announced that Downtown Brooklyn was getting yet another residential tower, renders have been unveiled for the 25-story building set to rise at 210 Livingston Street, Real Estate Weekly reports.
> 
> The building will have a total of 368 apartments divided into studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms. Seventy-four, which is about 20 percent of all available units, will be affordable.
> 
> The project is being developed by Benenson Capital Partners and Rose Associates, the latter of which recently worked on the conversion of the art deco landmark, 70 Pine Street.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Bjarke Ingels's High Line Project Will Have Offices, Not a Hotel*












> There are some changes afoot at Bjarke Ingels Group's geometric High Line-adjacent development on West 17th Street. Developer HFZ has filed new plans for the four-story base of the two-towered building, which spans 242,750 square feet. (The entire project comes in at 800,000 square feet.) The original proposal was to build out retail space along the 50,000-square-foot ground floor, with a 150,000-square-foot hotel on the next three floors. But according to The Real Deal, the hotel has been replaced and now the base will hold retail and office space.
> 
> Plans for the building—which is located at 76 Eleventh Avenue, with an alternate address of 501 West 17th Street—show retail taking up the cellar level, first, and part of the second through fourth floors. Office space will also occupy the second through fourth floors.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Bryant Park --- The Bryant*

*Construction Update*

















[/url]New York City xmas 2015 by Ed, on Flickr[/IMG]


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 551 West 21st st*


551W21, a residential condominium in Chelsea, New York City by cityrealty_nyc, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Roseland Ballroom Redevelopment At 242 West 53rd Street*


















Tectonic Photo


----------



## Chris08876

*New York, 1876-2025*​ Updated* ** 










☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	





































*2025
*









*2000*










*12/15*










================
Credit:

1) http://www.citymetric.com/skylines/some-pretty-impressive-city-skyline-transformations-gif-form-666
2) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ork-skyline-1876-transformed-skyscrapers.html
3) http://www.6sqft.com/flashback-see-the-new-york-skyline-change-over-150-years/
*** Original had 2015 only


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## desertpunk

^^









Visualhouse


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## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 56 Leonard update*



kznyc2k said:


>



New by Matthias Knecht, on Flickr


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## meds

desertpunk said:


> *New Looks at the Concave Condo Rising Along Central Park*


Was wondering what is getting built here. Took it last week


----------



## streetscapeer

*Roosevelt Island - Cornell Tech Campus*

























































See more at Field Condition


----------



## skyscraperhighrise

Chris08876 said:


> *New York, 1876-2025*​ Updated* **
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆	☆
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *2025
> *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *2000*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *12/15*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ================
> Credit:
> 
> 1) http://www.citymetric.com/skylines/some-pretty-impressive-city-skyline-transformations-gif-form-666
> 2) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ork-skyline-1876-transformed-skyscrapers.html
> 3) http://www.6sqft.com/flashback-see-the-new-york-skyline-change-over-150-years/
> *** Original had 2015 only


New york has changed all these years.


----------



## desertpunk

*Hudson Yards's Tallest Tower Begins Its 1,287-Foot Ascent*












> The tallest of the Hudson Yards buildings has finally taken off and the structure is already a few floors above the ground, photos by Tectonic have revealed. When complete, the building, designed by Kohn Pendersen Fox, will stand almost 1,300 feet tall and have 90 stories. The building won't be ready for occupancy until 2019, but developers, Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group have already found a tenant for the commercial building. Investment firm, KKR & Co. will occupy the top 10 floors of the building, a space totaling 343,000 square feet.


----------



## desertpunk

*Steiner Studios Expands its Brooklyn Navy Yards Headquarters*












> Steiner Studios is building upon its Brooklyn Navy Yards empire with yet another lot in the neighborhood, The Real Deal first reported. The new, 178,800-square-foot space will eventually become home to six sound stages, a cafe, makeup rooms, and office space.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

This WWII-era warehouse (Building 77) is also being redeveloped on the Navy Yards site


----------



## royal rose1

^^ Happy doesn't begin to explain how I feel about this. The Brooklyn Navy Yard remains the area with the largest potential for redevelopment in NYC, I believe. I'd love to see it expanded into a neighborhood, with residential and office space. But the studios are astounding news, any push to help the media industry here further thrive is hugely welcome.


----------



## bodegavendetta

The Steiner Studios expansion will also include CUNY's new graduate film studies program, "the first public graduate school of cinema for New York City, and the only school in the country situated on a working film lot." So that's exciting. Silvercup is majorly expanding as well, both in Queens and the Bronx.

http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/support/foundation/impact/bcfnews_140221.php


----------



## desertpunk

*170 Amsterdam*


Modern Architecture, Amsterdam Avenue, New York City by Lenny Spiro, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*VIA W57*


New Skyscraper Construction, West 57th Street, New York City by Lenny Spiro, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*616 1st Ave.*


View of Empire State Building on Christmas Day evening. The iconic building is hoisted by the crane like a Christmas tree ornament from this view. by javansg, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*252 E.57th St.*


Manhattan Just Continues To Go Skyward Beyond Any Comprehension by Nolan H. Rhodes, on Flickr


----------



## Nexis

I did a massive update yesterday , photographing over 50 buildings in Midtown & Lower Manhattan south of 42nd Street..

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=610

On Thursday I will photograph Uptown , Roosevelt Island and take photos from 1WTC... I did miss 15 projects in Midtown & Lower Manhattan I will get those aswell...


----------



## desertpunk

*111 W. 57th St. begins its vertical rise:*



ILNY said:


> I counted 7 workers... they are on hiring spree !
> 
> 
> 
> Foundation work is completed for some of the first support columns.


----------



## desertpunk

*Jean Nouvel's Supertall MoMA Tower Is On the Rise*









ILNY



> Jean Nouvel's 53rd Street tower has been in the works for the better part of a decade, but it's only recently that progress has been made on the supertall residential building. Sales of its luxury condos launched this year (with a cushy sales office to entice potential buyers), and now, construction is underway on 53W53. New photos by NYConstructionPhoto show that work on the foundation is happening, with some support beams being put into place. The building isn't expected to be completed for a couple more years (move-ins will happen in 2018), but once finished, it'll be home to plush amenities (a full-service gym and spa, private screening room, wine cellar), as well as new galleries for the Museum of Modern Art next door.











http://www.6sqft.com/the-most-impor...-parks-south-corridor-a-k-a-billionaires-row/


----------



## erbse

Steinway Tower will be the king of the Central Park without doubt. Such an incredible thing.

I'm really looking forward to Tower Verre and the amazing new classical towers by Robert Stern, too (220 CP, 520 PA, almost finished 30 PP).


----------



## Chris08876

Random Highline midrises and high rises


20151230_134306 by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr


20151230_134319 by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr


20151230_134544 by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr

20151230_134611 by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr

20151230_134503 by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr

20151230_134413 by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr


20151230_134446 by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr


20151230_140108 by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr


20151230_140151 by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr


20151230_135316 by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr


----------



## Opulentus

There's something gothic about Tower Verre/53W53. I like it.


----------



## Chris08876

I fixed the broken links. A couple of pics from yesterday didn't work. Google photo was the culprit. Make a flikr account to solve the issue.


----------



## Nexis

I did another Massive update of Manhattan , this time focusing on Uptown mostly. I decided to post pone finishing Downtown & my trip to WTC 1 due to mostly cloudy skies even though the Weather services predicted clear skies...sigh.. I will be doing Downtown next week along with Coney Island , Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay along with some Downtown Brooklyn photos taken from Smith-9th Street Station and WTC... Apparently not all the larger projects in Manhattan have there own threads and finding info on YIMBY is really hard...which is rare...

Manhattan Infill thread > http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1872707
Manhattan Section > http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=610


----------



## desertpunk

^^^

You need FREKI weather!


----------



## desertpunk

*50 West St. and 3WTC on Jan. 1*


01.01.16 by Justyna Kruk, on Flickr


----------



## Hudson11

downtown update via earthcam: Glass panels are slowly but surely being installed at the upper floors of 56 Leonard, 3 wtc continues to rise, and 50 West Street is nearly fully clad.


----------



## erbse

Downtown turns really glassy, almost vancouver-ish random... I think some setbacked *new classical supertall* design with a crown, covered in limestone and/or bricks would be great there, close to the waterfront and complementing the new international style WTC complex and the postmodern WFC/Brookfield Place nicely.

I always wanted to see the American Radiator Building and the General Electric Building re-interpreted in the 21st century, this would be an ideal location to stand out and accentuate without a chance of it being obstructed seen from the waterside.


----------



## Titan Man

I agree with you, couple of new classical skyscrapers would really protect the skyline from blandness, and I think we no longer need to feel scared of some kitsch buildings as there are many architects that are able to make a new classical building that still has the touches of our time and architectural taste.


----------



## Nexis

desertpunk said:


> ^^^
> 
> You need FREKI weather!


I thought Danish weather was rather gloomy? :lol:


----------



## desertpunk

Nexis said:


> I thought Danish weather was rather gloomy? :lol:


Never for FREKI!


----------



## desertpunk

Woolworth residential conversion and 30 Park Place:


DSC_0170 by Ashleigh Perrella, on Flickr


----------



## bodegavendetta

I would rather they at least have decided to build up rather than out for the Javits Center. It's already sort of useless to residents and that $1 BILLION could should have gone to transit repairs. At least the renderings look sort of nice.


----------



## Ulpia-Serdica

Bronx - the next Brooklyn?


----------



## yankeesfan1000

CityGuy87 said:


> Well where else would you wanna put a convention center in Manhattan? It only makes sense for it to stay put and be integrated into the Hudson Yards neighborhood.


Why should a convention center be in Manhattan in the first place? The city and/or state own the land under the Javits Center, so as that neighborhood continues to develop there will come a point where the land is just too valuable to have it be a convention center, and the city/state will lease it out to a private developer for a huge sum of money.


----------



## Nexis

I covered lower Manhattan and a slice of Brooklyn yesterday http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=105


----------



## Nexis

CityGuy87 said:


> Well where else would you wanna put a convention center in Manhattan? It only makes sense for it to stay put and be integrated into the Hudson Yards neighborhood.


I would move it to Queens , in the Sunnyside yards...


----------



## Amrafel

Ulpia-Serdica said:


> Bronx - the next Brooklyn?


Yup, gentrification is coming  Interesting to see how developers already know how to start it. Thanks for sharing this video.


----------



## WillBuild

*375 Pearl Street gets a makeover*

The Verizon building that has spoiled many a tourist's photo of the Brooklyn Bridge is getting a partial reclad.

On a walk downtown I noticed that the facade at the top is being removed. I only took only one photo. They are also working on the opposite side.



The official site, 375pearl.com, has a great render. It is flash, so I cannot share it here. Tribeca Citizen got its hands on one that's a bit less exciting.










Unfortunately, it is far from a full reclad. At least for now. Searching for renders brought up an earlier proposal that seemed much more exciting.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

They should just extend those glass strips down to the base. That'd be the perfect refurbishment, imo.


----------



## Dale

Still a nice refreshing though. Brings it into the 1990's at least.


----------



## 909

WillBuild said:


> The official site, 375pearl.com, has a great render. It is flash, so I cannot share it here.


Here you go:


----------



## BrickellResidence

^^ could have been better :/ still an eyesore for me


----------



## WillBuild

ThatOneGuy said:


> They should just extend those glass strips down to the base. That'd be the perfect refurbishment, imo.


Yep. But that likely won't happen anytime soon.

The lower floors are rented out to datacenters. Those tenants pay top dollar for these scarce facilities. And probably do not want people to be able to look at their equipment too closely, for all kinds of competitive and other reasons.


----------



## desertpunk

New Doubletree Hotel at 350 W. 40th St.


West side. #Nyc #iphone6s #realtime by John de Guzmán, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

30 Park Place and The Beekman


Brooklyn bridge and Manhattan bridge from observation deck of 1WTC. by almost_social, on Flickr


----------



## Atmosphere

WillBuild said:


> Yep. But that likely won't happen anytime soon.
> 
> The lower floors are rented out to datacenters. Those tenants pay top dollar for these scarce facilities. And probably do not want people to be able to look at their equipment too closely, for all kinds of competitive and other reasons.


Windows are also just a annoyance for datacenters as these often need kept cool and at optimal temperatures.


----------



## jonathaninATX

I'm really glad to see the Verizon Tower geting a makeover.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

New stunner for the Hudson River water front courtesy of Robert Stern :


----------



## desertpunk

Riverside Center and VIA W57









https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/


----------



## Hudson11

yankeesfan1000 said:


> New stunner for the Hudson River water front courtesy of Robert Stern :


70 Vestry



Hudson11 said:


> http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/...lding_will_bring_47_apartments_to_tribeca.php


----------



## desertpunk

Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan projects


IMG_8838 by Phil, on Flickr


----------



## desertpunk

*Final Renderings for 220 Central Park South Show Slight Design Changes*


----------



## obses

It looks a bit worse.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

I think it looks better


----------



## msquaredb

obses said:


> It looks a bit worse.


Hard to tell from one rendering, but I think the subtle changes ended up making the facade look a bit too busy for my taste. The previous iteration was a great balance.


----------



## erbse

220 CP performs much better in context now, actually they should stick to classical and Art Deco at Central Park:


















http://newyorkyimby.com

Great improvement for the design, almost exactly what I had in mind with my earlier remarks! Thanks for listening, Mr. Stern.  kay:

It might seem less characteristic now especially with the top, but instead it turned more elegant and classical, it will age more gracefully. And also the residential qualities are probably higher, even the outside balconies help improve the structure of the facade (though some refining needs to be done). Great job, one of the best supertalls of the 21st century so far probably.


----------



## freedomsurfer

I love the design of the 220 CP, fits perfectly with the skyline.


----------



## FelixMadero

much better!


----------



## bodegavendetta

I'm baffled at the Barney's proposal.

1) It doesn't look like the new building would be THAT much larger than the old one. Why not just retrofit the existing building? 
2) It's freaking Barney's. You'd think they, among all the high end department stores, would appreciate history and idiosyncrasy the most. This mismatched/random design trend needs to die. I simply don't see how anyone would find the new design more appealing than the current building.


----------



## desertpunk

*Columbia's Curvy Medical Building Now Has Its Glass Facade*












> Work on the curvy, cascading stairs-fitted building in Washington Heights, otherwise known as the Columbia University Medical Center has been progressing steadily over the last few years, and it appears that the building's glass facade has now been installed, photos by Tectonic reveal. The Diller Scofidio + Renfro-designed building stands 14 stories tall and features 100,000 square feet of classroom facilities.
> 
> Construction on the project began in August 2013, and by the looks of it is likely that the building will ready for occupancy sometime this year.


----------



## desertpunk

*220 CPS and Central Park Tower entering the Columbus Circle picture:*


business lunch views by Phil, on Flickr


----------



## HT

What the hell is that white "no window" building in he front?


----------



## royal rose1

^^ 2 Columbus Circle, it houses the Museum of Arts and Design, click on the link and you can see the pic of how it used to look, it was built in 1964 and used to look HORRENDOUS.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Columbus_Circle


----------



## ThatOneGuy

It looked better before I think.


----------



## Maksima

I kind of liked how 2 Columbus Circle looked before its reno and what happened to the block behind it?


----------



## JohnDee

The new design is boring. I really am tired of Stern's copy cat designs now. The crown of the old design at least looked distinctive and grandiose. The new crown looks overly reserved and cookie-cutter (from his other projects). I have a feeling that the new design is cheaper to build too. The facade looks more basic than the more elegant shaft of the old one. I hate the new design, it's another PoMo rehash just like the hotel downtown :bash: The developers went cheap here, it's pathethic. The old design had some wow, the new one looks like another boring apartment building and is nothing to write home about. Sad!


----------



## JohnDee

desertpunk said:


> I agree. The city should give generous FAR bonuses for developments that preserve the architectural heritage.


The city doesn't really care about preserving most unlisted old buildings in midown. You saw that with the drake Hotel being demolished and other examples going on today if you read around NY threads. I think the city is very much invested in the development industry, it's quite obvious, rather than the "make a city looks good" industry. They could have it both ways, but they are too scared to force the developers to do anything that might upset them. I'm sure making them have to send a lot of money and time to preserve an old facade would be on of those things that would really irk them. Therefore you end up with more and more old buildings being knocked down and many being replaced by boring modernist boxes that do not replace the lost beauties. That is because there is lack of interest in the political nexus of the city because these things have been happening in other cities for decades now. NY would have this by now if they were interested at all in preserving the old facades. Someday it might happen when the people finally get tired of seeing old beauties being demolished. The people needs to care to force the politicos to do something. Hopefully it won't take the destruction of another beautiful building to do it.


----------



## desertpunk

*32-Story Office Building Redevelopment Underway At 390 Madison Avenue, Midtown*


----------



## desertpunk

*Bjarke Ingels's Next NYC Project Is A $50M Bronx Police Station*












> Starchitect Bjarke Ingels's latest project is taking him to the Bronx —to the 40th Police Precinct to be precise. Ingels has been chosen to develop a new station located in Melrose, The Architect's Newspaper reports. The project will be constructed at an estimated cost of $50 million, according to the city's Department of Design and Construction, which is the agency responsible for handing out contracts for public projects such as this one.


----------



## desertpunk

*New York's Future Tallest Tower Reveals Its Facade (Sort Of)*












> Extell's Central Park Tower is still a ways off from claiming its prize as New York City's tallest tower, but construction on the 1,550-foot supertall is coming along. While it's in the early phases, one big mystery—what the facade will look like—is getting somewhat cleared up. An anonymous tipster sent a photo to YIMBY that shows one of the curved panels that will make up the building's steel-and-glass exterior, and it accompanies a construction update on the building. It's no longer just a big hole in the ground; the lower levels of the building, which will hold a seven-story Nordstrom department store, are already becoming visible above ground.


http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/02/sne...217-west-57th-street-aka-nordstrom-tower.html


----------



## desertpunk

*BKSK Architects’ “Hi-Side” Tower Goes Vertical on the Far West Side*












> To counter the far west side’s emerging future as a glass and metal ghetto, BKSK Architects have designed a robust steel- and brick-faced building at 509 West 38th Street, slated to open in 2017. After a failed condo proposal, a foreclosure, and a developer switch, the project is finally ascending and is already seven stories out of the ground since we last checked a week ago. Dubbed “The Hi-Side,” the 158,000-square-foot, mixed-use tower is being developed by investment firm Imperial Companies, who picked up the site from Iliad Development in an undisclosed deal.
> 
> Fast forward nearly eight years, and a 30-floor, 345-foot building is rising at the site. Situated at the eastern block front of the future Hudson Park Boulevard, bands of ribbon windows along its western face will provide residents with sweeping views of the Hudson River.


----------



## StoJa9

It's so hard to keep track of all these supertalls, but I thought the Nordstrom Tower was going to be the tallest in NYC?


----------



## desertpunk

Work finishing up at the Riu Plaza Hotel:


Stiff neck by Paco CT, on Flickr





StoJa9 said:


> It's so hard to keep track of all these supertalls, but I thought the Nordstrom Tower was going to be the tallest in NYC?


By roof height, yes.


----------



## towerpower123

Staten Island's Empire Outlets and New York Wheel (the 625 foot ferris wheel)

The outlet mall is between the ferry terminal and the stadium.


















The ferris wheel is on the other side of the stadium and has a second retail component and a parking garage. The piling machines are on the ferris wheel footings.


----------



## tateyb

What's Next For Penn Station?



> _The original Penn Station, image by Bain News Service via Wikimedia Commons_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Empire Station Complex, image via New York State_
> 
> Various schemes have been imagined throughout the years, including a series of proposals in 2013 by four notable architecture firms. SHoP Architects' plan would have moved Madison Square Garden to the southwest, built an extension to the High Line, and redeveloped the site of 2 Penn Plaza. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill also recommended moving the arena, this time to the lot just south of the post office, remaking the now clean slate over Penn Station into a mixed-use development. In similar fashion, Diller Scofidio + Renfro proposed moving the arena west of the post office and constructing a mix of uses on the Penn site, complete with theatres, a pool, restaurants, and park space. H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture would have constructed a new Hudson River pier beyond the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, placing Madison Square Garden at this location and using its original setting to house a revitalized garden-topped station with a skyscraper on each corner of the block.
> 
> Some of these ideas may be revived in the coming months, as firms prepare their submissions after a request for proposals was launched in January. They'll have until April 22 to outline their vision for Penn Station. Whether travelling by car, rail, foot, or bike, infrastructure must keep pace with the ever-changing transit patterns of big cities. New York City's extensive transit system is known the world over, and it looks like the time has come to reinvent one of the cornerstones of this crucial network.


----------



## Manitopiaaa

Rebuilt the old Penn! Anything that keeps MSG Arena is unacceptable.


----------



## Ghostface79

*18 West 56th street*










By me


----------



## C4creeper

No ones going to mention the newly proposed Hudson Yard's tower "The Spiral"? No? Okay.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

^^ Hm, it's like a less ugly 2WTC


----------



## 0scart

I don't know the name of this project but it's near Penn Station.



Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr




Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr




Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr




Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr



Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr




Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr​


----------



## 0scart

Two buildings on two very expensive and hectic corners in NYC. I can't even fathom out how much these two pieces of land must've cost.

A corner on 5th Avenue.



Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr




Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr​

A corner behind Times Square.


Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr



Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr​
A residental building under construction in Midtown.



Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr​

WTC.




Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr



Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr​


----------



## 0scart

Some projects around the High Line.



Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr



Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr​

Other projects from here and there.



Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr



Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr



Manhattan - NYC by Skr ©, en Flickr​


----------



## Ghostface79

Another hidden gem

*12 Warren Street*

http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2016/2/8/12-warren


----------



## Nexis

I have 2 updates planned over the next 2 weeks. I will be photographing Long Island City , Astoria & along 57th Street in NYC. New Rochelle , Stamford , White Plains , Newark , Harrison for outer NYC Coverage. An overview for Newark Airport , & New York Penn station is on my list.... In March I will be doing Lower Manhattan , New WTC Hub , & Downtown Brooklyn along with Journal Square in Jersey City...

*Week 1 *
Harrison
The Ironbound (Newark)
Downtown Newark 
Newark International Airport 
Long Island City
Astoria

*Week 1A*
Downtown Hackensack
Bogota 
Teaneck
Ridgefield Park
Weehawken 
Hoboken

*Week 2*
Downtown New Rochelle
Glen Island (New Rochelle)
Woodside (New Rochelle)
Harborpoint / South End (Stamford)
Downtown Stamford
Downtown White Plains 
57th Street Corridor (Midtown)
New York Penn Station

*Week 3*
Journal Square (Jersey City)
Downtown Jersey City 
Coney Island 
Brighton Beach


----------



## Andre_idol

^^We´ll be waiting :cheers:


----------



## Manitopiaaa

>


Gorgeous!


----------



## erbse

^ Indeed! A faithful piece of classical beauty coming along.
What's the actual name of this project and does it have a website?


----------



## Manitopiaaa

^^ 212 Fifth Avenue: http://newyorkyimby.com/category/212-5th-avenue

It's a commercial-to-residential conversion. You can see the building already completed here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/2...0x89c259a6808caf09:0xb1ec766d5b70dc04!6m1!1e1

One of my favorite intersections in New York. The whole Flatiron District is to me just jawdroppingly beautiful.


----------



## Hudson11

Court Square will be unrecognizable in the next decade. 28 on 28th is the tallest project underway at the moment. It will be just shy of One Court Square's height. 43-25 Hunter Street, the second tallest underway, is sneaking up behind the completed high rises. 23-10 Queens Plaza South is the topped out tower. 









source: Getaway Mavens


----------



## Ghostface79

Cool facade

*Hublot Flagship Boutique*

http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2016/2/12/hublot-nyc-flagship-boutique


----------



## Momosty

Wow !


----------



## _Barca_

It's kind of funny seeing all these plans to reclad buildings from the sixties and seventies. 
The architecths of that time didn't show any respect to the work of the architects of past times and teared down magnificient old structures to build their boring glass boxes and now their works are being teared down because of the same ideology.


----------



## teles448

The only difference is that they not tearing down the "magnificient old structures" that most buildings from the sixties and seventies are.


----------



## Ghostface79

*Samsung 837*

http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2016/2/29/samsung-837-washington


----------



## ThatOneGuy

teles448 said:


> The only difference is that they not tearing down the "magnificient old structures" that most buildings from the sixties and seventies are.


The Met Life is a magnificent structure and shouldn't be disfigured. It's seen in like every movie with NY.


----------



## teles448

I actually consider the Met Life building to be beautiful so it is not one of those cases.


----------



## bodegavendetta

*New Looks at Brooklyn Navy Yard's Forthcoming Office Spaces and Food Hall*
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/3/7/11175212/brooklyn-navy-yard-new-renderings




















> The diagram above provides some insight into the location of the Navy Yard's forthcoming projects, *including the Wegmans grocery store (which will rise on the site of the beloved, dilapidated Admiral's Row), the expansion of Steiner Studios, and Building 77, which is by far the Navy Yard's most ambitious project.*
> 
> *Building 77 will take up more than 1 million square feet of space*, which will be divided between office and shared work spaces, private event spaces, and a huge ground-floor food hall that will be anchored by the first Brooklyn outpost of Russ & Daughters.
> 
> The four different spaces detailed on the diagram above would add a planned 12,000 jobs to the Navy Yard. To accommodate those workers, the Yard has announced the creation of a free shuttle service, equipped with things like free Wi-Fi, and there will be additional transportation options like Citi Bike on the premises. According to Brownstoner, businesses who move to the Navy Yard could also benefit from the city's Relocation and Employee Assistance Program (REAP), a tax incentive program.


More at Curbed and Brownstoner http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2016/03/brooklyn-navy-yard-building-77-renderings-details/


----------



## bodegavendetta

*First Look at Turkey’s 32-Story Midtown East Consulate Building*
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/3/7/11175528/turkevi-center-turkish-consulate-nyc






























> A new, *32-story building* is set to rise on the east side's Consulate Row. A press release from Perkins Eastman says that the firm's received the go-ahead to move forward with the Turkevi Center, a* 200,000 square foot mission, consulate, and residential building for the Republic of Turkey.* The Turkevi Center will stand at 821 United Nations Plaza, at the corner of 46th Street and First Avenue, and "feature prominent loggias along the upper floors of the south and east faces, and be stacked atop a podium wrapped in perforated metal paneling."
> 
> Perkins Eastman says the building's design, rendered here, is in part modeled after the Turkish crescent. In addition to the residential space for staff and visitors, the building will also have passport and visa branch offices, conference rooms, a multi-purpose prayer room, a fitness center, an auditorium, and underground parking, the press release says.
> 
> Perkins Eastman was tapped for the project in October. *The building is scheduled to be complete in 2018* and will seek LEED silver status.


----------



## bodegavendetta

*New Look And Details For Ladies’ Mile Condos At 38-42 West 18th Street*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/03/new-look-42-west-18th-street.html









38-42 West 18th Street, rendering by Morris Adjmi Architects



> BY: REBECCA BAIRD-REMBA 8:00 AM ON MARCH 8, 2016
> The Morris Adjmi-designed condo building at 38-42 West 18th Street and 41-43 West 17th Street is pushing through its final phase of public approvals, and YIMBY has some new renderings and details for the project gleaned from freshly posted zoning documents.
> 
> The Landmarks Preservation Commission greenlighted the design for the development a year and a half ago. Now the City Planning Commission has to approve a special permit, which would allow the developer to build a more traditional structure than modern zoning allows. The property is a parking lot in the Ladies’ Mile Historic District, and it’s sandwiched between two early 20th century loft buildings.
> 
> With permission from City Planning, the building will reach 17-stories-tall, matching the height of its larger neighbors. And it won’t have to include a setback after the 12th story, which is what the city typically requires for new buildings here.
> 
> The developer hopes to build* 66 apartments spread between two towers. The West 18th Street facade would be 17 stories, and the southern facade on West 17th Street would top out at 16 stories.* The northern side will be clad in metal mesh panels, laid on top of a glass curtain wall, and the south side will feature brick panelling.











41-43 West 17th Street, rendering by Morris Adjmi Architects



> Under the current proposal, the building will hold *79,800 square feet of residential space and 23,320 square feet of retail.* The commercial space will occupy the first three floors, with tall glass storefronts that mimic the buildings next door. There will also be a 17-car garage and 39 bike storage spots in the cellar.
> 
> Acuity Capital Partners, led by Elliot Neumann, is developing the building. *The Midtown-based firm has also promised to restore two smaller commercial buildings next door,* one of which houses the Adorama camera shop on the ground floor.


38-42 West 18th Street today: 








Image from Curbed http://ny.curbed.com/2016/3/8/11179024/morris-adjmi-flatiron-condo-seeks-city-planning-approval


----------



## Hudson11

NYC's next cluster of high rises is forming in Jamaica, Queens. Perhaps in the future this area will experience a full-on boom like in Long Island City.

*First Look at MY Architect’s 19-Story Hotel Set for Jamaica’s Transit Hub*


----------



## bodegavendetta

^^ Jamaica has excellent transit connections so I'm not terribly surprised.


----------



## bodegavendetta

*New Renderings, Details On 11-Story, 21-Unit Condominium Project At 211 West 14th Street, Chelsea*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/03/new...-project-at-211-west-14th-street-chelsea.html












> The *39,494-square-foot project*, dubbed the d’Orsay, *will sport one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom condominiums *designed by Studio Jacques Garcia. Apartment should average 1,712 square feet apiece and some will feature private outdoor terraces. Amenities will include a spa, a roof lounge, a fitness center, and bike storage. *There will also be 464 and 284 square feet of retail and community facility space, respectively, on the ground floor. *Adellco is the developer and Goldstein, Hill & West Architects is designing. *The site’s old four-story commercial building was demolished this past July, and construction is currently underway*.












*The site today: *









More info at the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/06/r...eet.html?smid=tw-nytrealestate&smtyp=cur&_r=0


----------



## droneriot

Did they ever start on that highrise in Harlem? The thread hasn't been updated in months.


----------



## Hudson11

there's a good amount of projects in Harlem and East Harlem. You're going to have to be more specific. Im guessing it's one of these. 

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1875620&highlight=harlem

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1892345&highlight=harlem

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1875449&highlight=harlem

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1875456&highlight=harlem


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

WOW!!!!First time i hear about this! MAGNIFICENT!!
Construction Photos: Village Green West, NYC(from TECTONIC)
http://tectonicphoto.com/blog/2016/3/10/construct


----------



## droneriot

Hudson11 said:


> You're going to have to be more specific.


I specifically said "highrise", as in building above 100m. 

Your first link is the only one that qualifies and is indeed what I was referring to.


----------



## Ghostface79

^^ The fate of that project is uncertain right now, issues with the developer.


----------



## Nexis

Covered Urban Jersey and abit of Manhattan yesterday

Jersey City , Newark , Harrison / East Newark
Manhattan
World Trade Center


----------



## Nexis

Hudson11 said:


> NYC's next cluster of high rises is forming in Jamaica, Queens. Perhaps in the future this area will experience a full-on boom like in Long Island City.


Finally more of a reason to visit Jamaica aside from heading to JFK... Hopefully this will jump start a much need revitalization of the neighborhood...


----------



## meds

Hudson Yards is growing, 









^^ Does anyone knows the construction on right?


----------



## Hudson11

meds said:


> ^^ Does anyone knows the construction on right?


foreground is 319 tenth avenue (425') background is 3 Manhattan West


----------



## desertpunk

*Long Island City rising*


East Side by Developing Now Photography (On & Off For Awhile), on Flickr


----------



## MarshallKnight

6sqft has a really incredible rundown of the many new developments slated to go up in Long Island City in NYC. 
Lots of details on all the projects after the link, but I had to at least post the before-and-after .gif:










Some of the designs aren't exactly inspiring, but that's to be expected of an outer neighborhood like this. But in terms of sheer size, New York's "fifth skyline" is poised to overtake Downtown Brooklyn and Jersey City as the best skyscraper node outside of Manhattan (and would challenge many American and world cities). Now all they need is a true supertall in the works.


----------



## Ghostface79

^^ Great find. Also to be noted 23-15 44th Drive, which would be a tallest of the bunch, is not in that rendering.
And I also agree with Queens having the best skyline of the outer boroughs by the end of the decade, even with Brooklyn's 340 Flatbush, cause one thing that rendering doesn't show is the LIC waterfront, which I think looks better than Brooklyn's, and it too is still growing.


----------



## phoenixboi08

There's currently no direct connection between LIC and Penn, correct?
I can't remember...if not, does ESA do anything to rectify that, or no?


----------



## bodegavendetta

^^ I don't think so. I think ESA is just supposed to extend LIRR to Grand Central.


----------



## bodegavendetta

*134 Wooster Street-Morris Adjmi’s Soho Office Building Gets Landmarks Approval*
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/3/15/11239942/morris-adjmi-soho-building-landmarks-approval



> The Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved a plan to demolish an existing single story building in the Soho-Cast Iron Historic District and replace it with a six-story office building on Tuesday afternoon.
> 
> Commissioners heaped praise on the project prior to the approval saying the design, though using steel, was a refreshing take on the cast iron architectural history of the neighborhood, and that there were enough references in terms of the arched windows and the scale of the building that allowed for its construction.
> 
> The plan also includes retail on the ground floor which will be less than 3,600 square feet in size.


*Existing: *









*Rendering:*


----------



## Ghostface79

*Enclave At The Cathedral*
http://tectonicphoto.com


----------



## Ghostface79

*The Seymour*

http://tectonicphoto.com


----------



## Ghostface79

*160 Leroy Street*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/03/excavation-kicks-off-at-12-story-49-unit-condo-project-at-160-leroy-street-west-village.html


----------



## Ghostface79

*Xoco 325*
http://tectonicphoto.com


----------



## Torch

*BIG Plans Revealed For Two Penn Plaza Transformation*
New York Yimby






































Full article


----------



## bodegavendetta

The Penn Plaza plans look gaudy and unrefined, tbh. I'm losing my patience with BIG.


----------



## MarshallKnight

bodegavendetta said:


> The Penn Plaza plans look gaudy and unrefined, tbh.


I've actually thought a lot about designs similar to this -- trying to "hike up" the base of a building facade, giving the rigid materials the appearance of undulating fabric, like a rising curtain or, in this case, like Marilyn Monroe standing above a subway grate. It's not a bad idea, as it serves to soften what could otherwise be pretty chilly modernist boxes, and create a human scale around the couple ground floors...

But I agree the execution doesn't work too well here, I think because of the proportions. The "pleats" are a nice touch, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were specifically trying to reference our girl Marilyn in "Some Like It Hot." But it flares out too far in relation to the height of the building (and the glass-and-LED cubes sticking out of the base don't help)... I don't know a better way to put this, but I think they need to put a shorter skirt on a taller building.


----------



## Ulpia-Serdica

Ghostface79 said:


> *Enclave At The Cathedral*


When are they going to renovate the cathedral?


----------



## Nexis

phoenixboi08 said:


> There's currently no direct connection between LIC and Penn, correct?
> I can't remember...if not, does ESA do anything to rectify that, or no?





bodegavendetta said:


> ^^ I don't think so. I think ESA is just supposed to extend LIRR to Grand Central.


There was supposed to be a station called Sunnyside JCT built along the Main Line. But that's on hold till ESA is completed. I think it will be added to Metro North access to Penn Station project.


----------



## Nexis

Upcoming Regional Photography projects , Ive been abit neglectful of the outer boroughs lately but that will change as the days become longer...

*Friday or Saturday - 3/18 or 3/19*

Hackensack > Bogota > Teaneck > Ridgefield Park 

*4th Week of March *

Roebling , Palmyra - Riverton , Downtown Camden ...

*5th Week of March *

Hillsdale > Westwood > Emerson Midtown Manhattan (57th Street Corridor)

*1st full Week of April *

Malevern , Lynbrook , Rockville Centre , Freeport , Baldwin : Downtown Brooklyn > Brooklyn Waterfront , DUMBO , Lower Manhattan > Highline > Midtown Manhattan > Long Island City > Astoria


----------



## MPEARCE14

Ulpia-Serdica said:


> When are they going to renovate the cathedral?


Soon I hope, shocking that this building was allowed to be built next to the cathedral but if the money they got for leasing the land to build this development is used to maintain the cathedral then I guess it a small price to pay


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## bodegavendetta

MarshallKnight said:


> The "pleats" are a nice touch, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were specifically trying to reference our girl Marilyn in "Some Like It Hot." But it flares out too far in relation to the height of the building (and the glass-and-LED cubes sticking out of the base don't help)... I don't know a better way to put this, but I think they need to put a shorter skirt on a taller building.


Ha, I actually like the Marilyn analogy. And I agree that it flares out too much. It seems too dramatic a gesture for what it actually is.


----------



## Tower Dude

bodegavendetta said:


> Ha, I actually like the Marilyn analogy. And I agree that it flares out too much. It seems too dramatic a gesture for what it actually is.


Most definitely, but my question is how will this interfere with Cuomo's "Empire Station" Project?


----------



## hateman

More renderings of The Fitzroy at 514 West 24th St.


----------



## Ghostface79

^^ Wish the picture included Anabelle Selldorf's 10 Bond next door. A true gem, like many of its Bond street neighbors.

We were recently discussing the activity around Fulton street, here's a breakdown of what's currently under construction. Nothing great yet, but hopefully that will change soon.

http://www.6sqft.com/a-closer-look-at-odas-75-nassau-street-other-nearby-towers-planned-for-fulton-street/


----------



## towerpower123

^^^ 45 Broad Street will probably also show up in that image.


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## LeCom




----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

Ghostface79 said:


> ^^ Wish the picture included Anabelle Selldorf's 10 Bond next door. A true gem, like many of its Bond street neighbors.
> 
> 
> Anabelle Selldorf is...how can i say??..she is....
> Well..I LOVE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## ThatOneGuy

520 West 28th by Zaha Hadid





































http://ny.curbed.com/2016/4/1/11345810/zaha-hadid-nyc-high-line-condo-construction


----------



## ChuckScraperMiami#1

^^So sadhno:, She passed away Thursday Morning ,March 31st, 2016 at 65 Years younghno:, and Looked like Bette Davis, What a Loss, 
" We Will Never Forgethno: " You ZAHA !!


ThatOneGuy said:


> 520 West 28th by Zaha Hadid
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/2016/4/1/11345810/zaha-hadid-nyc-high-line-condo-construction


----------



## boss-ton




----------



## Ji-Ja-Jot

- edit


----------



## boss-ton




----------



## Ghostface79

*New Views and Video of David H. Koch Center for Cancer on Manhattan’s Upper East Side*
http://www.6sqft.com/new-views-and-video-of-david-h-koch-center-for-cancer-on-manhattans-upper-east-side/


----------



## Ghostface79

I didn't know Vinoly was designing this one.

*starbucks inks deal for upscale roastery, restaurant at 61 Ninth*
http://therealdeal.com/2016/04/05/starbucks-inks-deal-for-upscale-roastery-restaurant-at-61-ninth-avenue/












> The coffee giant plans to occupy 20,000 square feet across the ground floor and lower level at Vornado Realty Trust and Aurora Capital Associates’ 61 Ninth Avenue at the corner of West 15th Street. The nine-story, 123,000-square-foot, Rafael Vinoly-designed property on the former Prince Lumber site is now under construction.


----------



## LCIII

Stoked. I live a block from there and I cannot wait! The Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle is amazing.


----------



## desertpunk

*45 E. 22nd St.*


Untitled by lance wetli, on Flickr


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## desertpunk

*75 Nassau designed by ODA*









http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/04/rev...financial-district-tower-designed-by-oda.html


----------



## streetscapeer

Ghostface79 said:


> *New Renderings For 70 Vestry Street, Robert A.M. Stern’s TriBeCa Condos*
> http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/04/new-renderings-for-70-vestry-street-robert-a-m-sterns-tribeca-condos.html
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In February, public records revealed that Related expects to rake in $700 million from selling condos at 70 Vestry Street, the 14-story building under construction next to the West Side Highway in TriBeCa. Now, we have a slew of new renderings for the limestone-clad development.
Click to expand...

..


----------



## Fotografer

Hey, is there a chance that these water tanks and ladders / stairs on the facades of many old buildings to be removed?


----------



## bodegavendetta

Fotografer said:


> Hey, is there a chance that these water tanks and ladders / stairs on the facades of many old buildings to be removed?


Yes, but it doesn't really happen that often. The water tanks are still necessary and even new buildings have them, though they might be enclosed/hidden or replaced by something newer. The fire escapes can be removed but only if the building is renovated to allow for an interior fire escape route. Not to mention a lot of people just like them because they're iconic to the city, so I can't see either going away en masse anytime soon.


----------



## erbse

They are so New York and should definitely stay! NY, worship your heritage! :master:


----------



## streetscapeer

lol They are not going away.. no need to worry


----------



## streetscapeer

Ghostface79 said:


> I didn't know Vinoly was designing this one.
> 
> *starbucks inks deal for upscale roastery, restaurant at 61 Ninth*
> http://therealdeal.com/2016/04/05/starbucks-inks-deal-for-upscale-roastery-restaurant-at-61-ninth-avenue/


I can't wait for this one. 

6Sqft


----------



## bodegavendetta

phoenixboi08 said:


> The building isn't valuable. There's no point in saving it. It does not contribute any "historic" value to that neighborhood.
> 
> Downtown has been a sea of modernist boxes for decades, now.
> 
> Hence, it is of no worth saving; when considerations of making space for developable land hangs in the balance.


You're being obtuse about this particular case. This building was valuable because Trinity Square was surrounded entirely by older buildings. When you were standing there and looked around, it felt like you were in the 1930s from all sides. Now, it'll only look like that from three sides. 

I think your argument works better for the buildings being demolished for One Vanderbilt...they weren't that interesting and that part of Midtown had less of its old urban fabric intact than Trinity Square, which was anything but a sea of modernist boxes. I mean yeah it's not like they demolished the Woolworth Building but it's definitely a bummer.


----------



## Amrafel

Ghostface79 said:


> Speaking of under the radar starchitects in the city, I can't wait to see how Tadao Ando's project turns out. Simple and sophisticated, unlike some of those overly loud buildings we see too many of.
> Some updates would be nice too.


More Japanese architects for Western cities, please. Simple, minimalist and with philosophy behind it - that's how modern architecture should be :cheers:


----------



## phoenixboi08

bodegavendetta said:


> You're being obtuse about this particular case. This building was valuable because Trinity Square was surrounded entirely by older buildings. When you were standing there and looked around, it felt like you were in the 1930s from all sides. Now, it'll only look like that from three sides.
> 
> I think your argument works better for the buildings being demolished for One Vanderbilt...they weren't that interesting and that part of Midtown had less of its old urban fabric intact than Trinity Square, which was anything but a sea of modernist boxes. I mean yeah it's not like they demolished the Woolworth Building but it's definitely a bummer.


I'm not being obtuse...I'm simply pointing out that the way things work, don't mirror the mindset of "I like it, it should stay."

Look, it's not like I don't agree. I do. The building is nice, but your example of the Woolworth is odd...this would be like demolishing a cast iron building in SoHo.

There are _so_ few of those buildings left elsewhere in the city, or country, and little to no cohesive grouping of buildings, in that style, it is worth preventing a building being demolished, in that scenario.

If that same building happened to be in downtown, Brooklyn, it wouldn't be as high a priority. 

I just get exasperated, because I've worked with people in historic preservation, and I'm simply explaining the mindset many of them have and the perspective of preservation laws/efforts. 

There are other considerations to take into account, because everything can't - and won't - be saved.

If there were other buildings near the one, at hand, in very similar styles - there really isn't - then you would have what could be a historic district, with this structure being a key/contributing resource. As such, it would be worth saving.

As it currently stands, in the view of preservation efforts - understanding that the ability, time, effort, to preserve is limited - this is just not vital to the surroundings. It's a nice building, but not a "masterwork" example of Art Deco, doesn't have a cohesive grouping of Deco neighbors, and its neighborhood has long ago shifted its historic character, as older structures were demolished or altered beginning in the 60s and 70s.

That has nothing to do with a subjective value of the building but more about a hierarchical/comparative ordering of structures on which efforts should be focused.

If you want to criticize that, go ahead, I think that's a worthwhile discussion. However, I'm pointing out that the refrain of "we should make sure anything older than __ years is designated, particularly if it looks nice, and I like it," isn't how historic preservation works, in practice.

I mean, it should be patently obvious the tension between preservation, on the one hand, and development, on the other. You can't have a totality of either. There's a balance, and this building's fate is the consequence of a give-and-take.

Forgetting - or, as is often the case, refusing to accept - this reality is "being obtuse," to me.


----------



## Opulentus

phoenixboi08 said:


> I'm not being obtuse...I'm simply pointing out that the way things work, don't mirror the mindset of "I like it, it should stay."
> 
> Look, it's not like I don't agree. I do. The building is nice, but your example of the Woolworth is odd...this would be like demolishing a cast iron building in SoHo.
> 
> There are _so_ few of those buildings left elsewhere in the city, or country, and little to no cohesive grouping of buildings, in that style, it is worth preventing a building being demolished, in that scenario.
> 
> If that same building happened to be in downtown, Brooklyn, it wouldn't be as high a priority.
> 
> I just get exasperated, because I've worked with people in historic preservation, and I'm simply explaining the mindset many of them have and the perspective of preservation laws/efforts.
> 
> There are other considerations to take into account, because everything can't - and won't - be saved.
> 
> If there were other buildings near the one, at hand, in very similar styles - there really isn't - then you would have what could be a historic district, with this structure being a key/contributing resource. As such, it would be worth saving.
> 
> As it currently stands, in the view of preservation efforts - understanding that the ability, time, effort, to preserve is limited - this is just not vital to the surroundings. It's a nice building, but not a "masterwork" example of Art Deco, doesn't have a cohesive grouping of Deco neighbors, and its neighborhood has long ago shifted its historic character, as older structures were demolished or altered beginning in the 60s and 70s.
> 
> That has nothing to do with a subjective value of the building but more about a hierarchical/comparative ordering of structures on which efforts should be focused.
> 
> If you want to criticize that, go ahead, I think that's a worthwhile discussion. However, I'm pointing out that the refrain of "we should make sure anything older than __ years is designated, particularly if it looks nice, and I like it," isn't how historic preservation works, in practice.
> 
> I mean, it should be patently obvious the tension between preservation, on the one hand, and development, on the other. You can't have a totality of either. There's a balance, and this building's fate is the consequence of a give-and-take.
> 
> Forgetting - or, as is often the case, refusing to accept - this reality is "being obtuse," to me.


Regardless of it's historical value, one cannot deny that the older building was much more attractive. How can you justify such a beautiful building being demolished to make way for something so bad? It's criminal.


----------



## streetscapeer

Also what bodegavendetta says is true. The immediate area of this building is ALL classical buildings with respect to architecture, so demolishing the building does indeed break up the cohesiveness of that.


----------



## streetscapeer

I love that NYC is getting so many classically-inspired skyscrapers as of late


----------



## streetscapeer

But 220 Central Park South might get lost in the behemoths going up nearby


----------



## Android2001

How many people can live in one of those residential supertalls? It's gotta be a huge amount equivalent to several city blocks of your average townhouse. Crazy stuff.


----------



## desertpunk

Android2001 said:


> How many people can live in one of those residential supertalls? It's gotta be a huge amount equivalent to several city blocks of your average townhouse. Crazy stuff.


Not many. A lot of the units are floor-through meaning that you get one or two per floor. This is exclusivity on a global scale hence the moniker "Billionaire's Row".


----------



## Hudson11

Android2001 said:


> How many people can live in one of those residential supertalls? It's gotta be a huge amount equivalent to several city blocks of your average townhouse. Crazy stuff.


i generally assume 1 person per unit/apartment, though in reality its probably much lower. Way less than 100 for sure.


----------



## bodegavendetta

*53W53 Developer Plans 15 Story Senior Housing Project in Midtown*
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/4/20/11467510/hines-developer-senior-housing-midtown 











> Hines, the developer behind such high-end Manhattan skyscrapers as Jean Nouvel's MoMA-adjacent 53W53 and the Jenga-esque 56 Leonard Street, is going in a bit of a different direction for its next project. Bloomberg reports that the developer has partnered with health care facilitator Welltower to create a new senior housing building on *East 56th Street and Lexington Avenue*. The new building, which will rise *15 stories*, will replace a TGI Friday's. As Bloomberg notes, the neighborhood is better known for its pricey towers—including 53W53—and indeed, this new building would be only a few blocks from 432 Park Avenue.
> 
> The two companies noted that New York's older residents have been "vastly underserved," and that their property hopes to ameliorate that problem. "We expect this project will support a more-connected model for health-care delivery to seniors," an SVP for Welltower said in a statement.


And the original Bloomberg article: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-development-site-to-be-new-homes-for-seniors


----------



## desertpunk

*LPC Approves Brooklyn’s First 1,000+ Foot Tower*


----------



## towerpower123

Huge news for that one! Bring on the piling machines


----------



## LCIII

I can never get enough of this tower. Will absolutely become an icon.


----------



## BrickellResidence

damn thats one Iconic design!


----------



## Momosty

Awesome news !


----------



## storms991

The NYYimby article on the new brooklyn supertall is quite fantastic. Goes into detail on how they seamlessly integrated the Dime Savings Bank building into the design. 

http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/04/landmarks-approves-changes-to-dime-savings-bank-paving-way-for-brooklyns-tallest-tower-at-340-flatbush-avenue-extension.html


----------



## streetscapeer

Awesome! I love how it will also integrate with the historic structure next door:


----------



## droneriot

streetscapeer said:


> But 220 Central Park South might get lost in the behemoths going up nearby


Huh, what's that next to 10 HY?


----------



## Torch

*Isaac Chetrit, Yadidi plan Midtown tower of up to 80 stories*
Investors have now amassed 375K buildable sf along Sixth Ave.
The Real Deal



> Investors Isaac Chetrit and Ray Yadidi are planning a mixed-use skyscraper of up to 80 stories in the Garment District, after closing Wednesday on the missing piece of an assemblage spanning 375,000 square feet, sources told The Real Deal.
> The block-long assemblage on Sixth Avenue between West 36th and 37th streets consists of two existing buildings and 235,000 square feet of adjacent air rights. Himmel + Meringoff Properties sold the air rights affiliated with the landmarked Haier Building at 1352-1362 Broadway, also known as 981-987 Sixth Avenue for an undisclosed price, sources said. The Haier Building itself is not part of the assemblage.
> 
> Given the as-of-right zoning, sources said the most probable use of the property is a mix of residential, hotel and retail. ...











Picture of the site (NY.Curbed)

Location:  Google maps Steetview


----------



## desertpunk

*Transit Think Tank Says MSG Move Could Be a $5 Billion Example of ‘Architects Run Wild’*












> Moving MSG to make room for a bigger, better Penn Station train hub would be really expensive and probably not a good idea, according to a new report by transit think tank Rudin Center for Transportation Policy. Commercial Observer reports that the just-released study outlines the concern that moving the arena would come with a price tag of over $5 billion, take, like, forever, and would generally “become an urban planner’s worst nightmare.” The study refers to the proposed overhaul of Pennsylvania Station and the idea of extending it to the post office off Eighth Avenue as well as suggestions by urban planners for relocating MSG.
> 
> In January, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced plans for a $3 billion rehabilitation and extension plan for Penn Station, including renaming it Empire State Station Complex. Amtrak trains would be moved into the James A. Farley Post Office off Eighth Avenue, leaving 60,000 square feet in Penn Station free for retail, restaurants and other uses. The plan also involves relocating the Theater at Madison Square Garden to enlarge the entrance into the rail hub and bring in more light.
> 
> Mitchell Moss, head of the Rudin Center, dismissed civic groups “pining for a new version of the old Penn Station,” telling Commercial Observer they’re “pursuing a dream that is unlikely to ever be fulfilled,” and calling proposals for a new train hub “another example of architects run wild.”
> 
> Voices in favor of a new Penn Station similar to the one that was demolished in the 1960s have been advocating the relocation of the current 1968 version of the stadium. In 2013, the New York City Council only renewed MSG’s special permit at the current site for 10 years in hopes it would be relocated. As 6sqft previously reported, The Alliance for a New Penn Station, a coalition of the Municipal Art Society and the Regional Plan Association have proposed that MSG take up residency in the Morgan Post Office and Annex which runs from West 28th to West 30th Streets from Ninth to 10th Avenues. Moss believes recreating the old Penn Station’s spacious waiting area isn’t especially necessary given that the new Penn Station is more of a “place of quick transfers between subway lines, the Long Island Railroad and NJ Transit” rather than a landing point like Grand Central Station.
> 
> So what would cost so much and take so long–other than the overruns that plague every civic project? The new report finds the “frenzied development” currently in progress on Manhattan’s West Side would complicate the project, suggesting that land prices involved would also be costly; the report estimates the cost of acquisition at between $750 million and $800 million. Demo and construction costs for building a new MSG at that site would be at a minimum of $1.6 billion in 2016 currency. The study estimates that it would cost about $65 million just to demolish the existing MSG, which just got a $1 billion update in 2013.
> 
> Building a new Penn Station while keeping LIRR, NJ Transit and Amtrak running would cost upwards of $2 billion. And development of a new train station on the current MSG site would mean the demolition of Vornado Realty Trust’s Two Penn Plaza next door; that comes with its own $600 million price tag. Buying that building doesn’t seem like an option given Vornado’s recent announcement of plans to create a 4.2-million-square-foot complex on the site. Vornado executives have supported the state’s plans for upgrading Penn Station.
> 
> [...]


----------



## desertpunk

*Brooklyn's new towers*


IMG_0780 by Phil, on Flickr


----------



## bodegavendetta

*425 Grand Concourse: NYC's Largest Residential Passive House Will Rise in Mott Haven*
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/4/29/1154...ve-house-mott-haven-241-affordable-apartments












> A former public school in Mott Haven will soon be transformed into the city's largest residential passive house — and what's more, it will be fully affordable. The former *P.S. 31 building at 425 Grand Concourse is set to be transformed into a 24-story building with 241 apartments for low and moderate-income families.*
> 
> The project is not just restricted to housing. Plans also call for the creation of an 11,000 square foot supermarket on the ground floor, which will be located next to a cultural space and a social services facility. The floor above that will have a 44,480 square foot charter school.
> 
> In order to build such a large-scale project in the neighborhood, the developers will need to seek a zoning change, which in turn will activate the newly created Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) law. *That means that 25 percent of the units in the building will be permanently affordable.*
> 
> As part of the construction, the city will also rehabilitate and reopen the nearby Garrison Playground, which has fallen into disrepair over the years.
> 
> Future residents of the building will have access to amenities like laundry on each floor, a community room, and a landscaped roof terrace.
> 
> What makes the building environmentally conscious is the fact that it will have solar-shading devices, water saving features, and individual energy controls and energy efficient appliances in the apartments. *When complete, the building will use 70 percent less energy than conventional buildings*.


----------



## cilindr0

Anyone has a list of projects in NY that are going to be finished this year?


----------



## idmusik

i love newyork


----------



## phoenixboi08

desertpunk said:


> *Transit Think Tank Says MSG Move Could Be a $5 Billion Example of ‘Architects Run Wild’*


Well, I see there being two different channels for Penn improvements: 1) the immediate term stuff (Moynihan and the "Empire" complex, 2) the long, term relocation of the Garden.

They are not mutually exclusive. It's been obvious for some time that the latter doesn't ever need to actually happen...so long as other options remain on the table for improving platform-level access, and enhancing operations/service (which the long-term relocation of the MSG is ostensibly intended to do, rather than the improved passenger experience the former, short-term improvements are meant to address). 

This has been so from the time the MAS first solicited designs for the re-imagining of the station to Cuomo's proposals.


----------



## Momosty

cilindr0 said:


> Anyone has a list of projects in NY that are going to be finished this year?


http://skyscrapercenter.com/interac...ison=on&output[]=list&dataSubmit=Show+Results


----------



## streetscapeer

*From the top of 3 World trade Center as it continues its rise.* More at Curbed



















https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Cw9DtJoWuNwqNQb0HXVQt61UDLg=/1000x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6398637/160420_12-37-05_5DSR0166.0.jpg


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards is only beginning to make its very powerful mark on the skyline (which is usually hard to do in NY but the scale and breadth of the project and its position on the island make it so). Also visible in the lower right is the beautiful new 10 Sullivan. 

As seen from the top of the rising 3 WTC. *Curbed


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - Pier 55*

Construction on Pier 55’s Floating Park Will Begin This Summer


----------



## Ronan Rocha

Hudson Yards is surprising everyone , especially when it comes to the speed of execution of works!


----------



## desertpunk

*New public library. L.I.C.*


IMG_2549 New Public Library - LIC by changsterdam, on Flickr


----------



## Nexis

Over the last 2 days I have taken close 600 photos of Manhattan & the NJ gold Coast for the Forum... Light Room is being abit of a Ram / CPU eater lately so it will take a few days before I can upload them... I covered these neighborhoods... I did not venture into Brooklyn due to the numerous subway construction projects that would make it hard for me to get around...and the decreased headways on the Weekend. I will do Brooklyn on Wednesday...

-585 Photos
-I walked a combined 39.6 miles (62kms) in 2 days 
-Im very very sore... :lol:


*Manhattan *

 Battery Park
 World Trade Center
 Tribeca
 Soho
 Greenwich Village
 The HighLine
 Hudson Yards
 57th Street Corridor
Madison Square Park
Kips Bay
 Roosevelt Island
 Upper East Side - Up to 96th Street


*Queens*


Long Island City from Roosevelt Island

*Brooklyn *


Williamsburg from Roosevelt Island
Downtown Brookyln from Roosevelt Island

*NJ Gold Coast*


Exchange Place - Jersey City
Newport - Jersey City
Liberty Harbor - Jersey City
Historic Downtown - Jersey City
Powerhouse Disrict - Jersey City
Hoboken Waterfront

*Upcoming Trip for TBA*

*Long Island*


Malevern
 Lynbrook
 Valley Stream
 Rockville Center

*Brooklyn *


Downtown Brooklyn
Brooklyn Heights
Brooklyn Waterfront
DUMBO
Gowanus
Park Slope

*Manhattan *


Nolita
Lower East Side
Chinatown
South Street

*Brooklyn later on...*


Williamsburg
Greenpoint

*Queens*


Long Island City
Astoria


----------



## Nexis

My New York Photos are up , it took longer then expected to post due to my photo stream being out of sync due to uploading issues... The weather does not look nice for the week , so I'm not sure when I will do my next trip.

World Trade Center
Manhattan (an entire page of updates)
Brooklyn
Queens 
Manhattan Skyline , 1 , 2 , 3 
Long Island City Skyline 
Downtown Brooklyn Skyline 
NYC Subway updates , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5


----------



## streetscapeer

great massive update


----------



## Nexis

streetscapeer said:


> great massive update


The Next few updates will be equally large , and focus on the outer boroughs and suburbs...


----------



## desertpunk

*The Upper West Side Readies For Two Synagogue-Replacing Condo Skyscrapers*

*Extell's 44 West 66th may rise 80 stories*


----------



## HT

Momosty said:


> http://skyscrapercenter.com/interac...ison=on&output[]=list&dataSubmit=Show+Results


On Emporis there are 79 UC Buildings finishing in 2016 vs 35 on the Skyscrapercenter. 

Especially the coverage of smaller Highrises from 12 - 25 stories is much better on Emporis.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Citywide ferry service*

Website Launches for New City-Wide Ferry



> *The new city-wide ferry system is on schedule to launch in summer 2017*, and ahead of that launch, the ferry service, which will be run by the San Francisco-based Hornblower, *has launched their new website*. Visitors can find out about the ferry, and, more importantly, enter to win a free annual pass. Winners will be announced when the service launches next summer. The site features updates, public meeting info, maps and schedules, and postings for more than 150 jobs that will be created by the new service.
> 
> *Ferry rides will be $2.75–the same as a MetroCard swipe*. Bikes are a dollar extra (there’s also a $20 bike pass). Monthly passes will be available, price TBA. The city says the service will be running an estimated 4.6 million trips a year by the end of 2018. You won’t be able to get free transfers to subways and buses (though you can get them between ferries). Though this is in the works (and the mayor would like to see it happen), the city will be phasing out MetroCards by 2020, making it less than ideal for the ferry service to invest in the current system.


----------



## desertpunk

*Columbia U. Medical Center - 4/29*









https://t.co/dHur4bewMH


----------



## hateman

I'd like to see what a boutique New York architect like Peter Pennoyer or William Sofield or Roman and Williams could do with a major site like this. Ramsa is a natural choice for Billionaire's row though. While Stern might eschew most of the details that people look for in traditionalism, his designs are generally handsome and solid. I'm certain that 220 CPS and 520 Park will not disappoint, even if they don't fit everyone's view of what a contemporary or traditional tower should be. I don't think Stern does a pale facsimile, but his own architectural vision of what modern classicism looks like. What Stern does offer is a blue chip name. And no one else is designing limestone skyscrapers that high these days.


----------



## MarshallKnight

hateman said:


> I'd like to see what a boutique New York architect like Peter Pennoyer or William Sofield or Roman and Williams could do with a major site like this...


These guys do excellent work! This site will likely spawn something tall, and there's always questions about whether a firm can successfully move from lowrises to supertalls (*cough*BIG*cough*) but I'd be excited to see what any of those firms came up with.



> I don't think Stern does a pale facsimile, but his own architectural vision of what modern classicism looks like. What Stern does offer is a blue chip name. And no one else is designing limestone skyscrapers that high these days.


Yeah, I didn't really mean to insult the guy, although I'm not the biggest fan of his work. For me it just seems like, either do a perfectly integrated, historically accurate addition to this building, or go hard in the other direction -- Stern sits somewhere in the uncanny valley in between.


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

...Stern never forgot he was(is?) for years the official Disney's architect.
His work is,imo, highly despicable.
Beside Shop,Adjmi would be a great option.
(It's no surprise Walpole find Shop's work repulsive!)


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

COOKFOX’s 54-Story, J&R-Replacing FiDi Tower, Revealed
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/6/9/11894128/cookfox-fidi-jnr-condo-rendering

...Sounds great as it should hide the ugly Beekman something...(almost the same height)


----------



## Torch

Please, stop this hno::

*New Rendering Shows Restored Façade of Midtown Church-to-Hotel Conversion*
The Sam Chang-developed hotel will rise 20-stories
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/6/9/11894378/midtown-church-hotel-conversion-facade-preserved-rendering



> The church-replacing hotel set to rise 344 West 36th Street now has its first rendering, and as promised, the developer has maintained the façade of the historic church, and what's more he's also going to rebuild the church's parish house, the New York Post reports.


----------



## Manitopiaaa

^^ As long as it's integrated, I'm fine with it. That design is pretty meh, however.


----------



## matzek

They should at least keep the gabled roof and use Glass & Steel for the new facade to create a bigger contrast... This "Billboard"-Thing as seen in the Rendering is ridiculous.

Even better solution: Leave it as it is.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Wow that tower is awful. Looks like an average 'bad part of town' apartment block from the late 70s.


----------



## erbse

That's not what I wanted when I longed for "at least keep the facades instead of tearing down old marvels!" hno:


----------



## bodegavendetta

It definitely sucks but considering the original plan was to tear the whole thing down it's not the worst outcome. And as bad as it is, that building is not the ugliest thing Sam Chang has put up.


----------



## droneriot

erbse said:


> That's not what I wanted when I longed for "at least keep the facades instead of tearing down old marvels!" hno:


Every wish can backfire. They wanted to remind us that not every good intention turns into a Hearst Tower.


----------



## Nexis

Small Update from Friday - 6/10

Manhattan
Yonkers
Metro North


----------



## streetscapeer

Check Out the Manhattan Skyline in 2020! New Development Sales to Hit $8.4B This Year

Sorry, very large (but necessarily so) images 





















































More images and graphics at 6sqft


----------



## Hudson11

just as downtown's highrise construction spilled over to Brooklyn and Jersey City, Midtown's is spilling into Queens. This single-city highrise construction boom is unparalleled in the history of the United States.


----------



## bodegavendetta

I'll miss the ESB's dominance over midtown but the skyline's overall growth is still exciting.


----------



## Tower Dude

That's a lot of buildings also city realty still seems to have a supertall on the 360 10th ave site


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

bodegavendetta said:


> I'll miss the ESB's dominance over midtown but the skyline's overall growth is still exciting.



..So young and already nostalgic!?...
Show must go on!!..


----------



## Ghostface79

*See Rockefeller University's Modular Expansion As It's Lowered Into Place*

http://ny.curbed.com/2016/6/15/11949446/rockefeller-university-expansion-fdr-drive-construction





























> Rockefeller University filed permits for its hard-won expansion on top of FDR Drive in February 2015, and construction on the Rafael Viñoly-designed facility is now in full swing. Max Touhey photographed the site for Turner Construction last night as cranes started hoisting the first and smallest of the development’s modular components—yes! It’s modular!—into place.
> 
> The modular units are being fabricated in Keasby, New Jersey, and are then stored in Newark as they await placement at the site, which spans from about 64th to 68th streets


.


----------



## streetscapeer

Great! Space-starved Manhattan building over train yards and highways.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 360 East 89th Street*

34-Story, 84-Unit Mixed-Use Condo Tower Tops


----------



## Nexis

*Is Staten Island The New Brooklyn?*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Central Park Tower*

*New renderings of Central Park Tower have leaked*



Hudson11 said:


> from YIMBY http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/06/renderings-surface-for-central-park-tower-217-west-57th-street.html
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [...]
> renderings from Extell have finally started leaking online, this time courtesy of EB-5 materials that surfaced on the YIMBY forums. The images show the tower is identical to renderings created in-house by YIMBY previously, and while they confirm the supertall has lost its spire, it will still become the tallest building by roof height on the continent, reaching 1,550 feet tall, and having a marketing floor count of 131.
Click to expand...



*And some progress photos*





ILNY said:


> Little older, from two weeks ago.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown West - 1 Manhattan West*

Progress on 1 Manhattan West. One of the many supertalls U/C at the moment.




































Credit: http://ny.curbed.com/2016/5/26/11785790/manhattan-west-renderings-brookfield-midtown-megaproject




NYguy said:


> JUNE 6, 2016


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 45 Park place*

Construction Finally Begins on Sharif El-Gamal's 45 Park Place



> The kick-off on construction of the 50-apartment building comes less than two weeks after Soho Properties secured $219 million in financing for the development. *The tower is expected to be complete in 2018*.


----------



## AUTOTHRILL

amazing as usual.


----------



## LeCom

General skyline overview with close-ups of various projects






The insta-skyline continues to grow in Long Island City






The new Kosciuszko Bridge between Brooklyn and Queens is getting its first cables






The twin replacement spans of the Goethals Bridge keep growing











FDNY investigation at the ruins of the St. Sava Orthodox Cathedral back in May 26. The building was a city landmark, designed by Richard Upjohn, the architect if Trinity Church, ten years later in 1866. Latest finding have concluded that the structure may have to be demolished, after all. Please consider donating to the Cathedral's congregation at their time of need via their GoFundMe campaign.






Two towers are rising from the sidewalk jungles of the Flower District at West 28th Street near Sixth Avenue






As a bonus, here is a rather unusual fog I spotted in the New York Harbor the other day


----------



## streetscapeer

*Washington Heights - CUMC Graduate Center*

Columbia University Medical Center's Graduate Education Building
FIELD CONDITION

Construction Wrapping Up


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - The William Vale*

Wrapping Up
FIELD CONDITION


















































Views from the Rooftop bar opening this summer




























In the last pic - all of that is Brooklyn (and just a slice of it, at that)


----------



## Torch

*Macklowe’s 200 East 59th Street Revealed, In Midtown East*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/06/macklowes-200-east-59th-street-revealed-in-midtown-east.html












> he tower is set to rise 35 floors and 490 feet, with a total of 67 units splitting 99,848 square feet.
> 
> The base will feature a 14,861 square-foot retail component, with a metallic facade that takes inspiration from a woven basket. Above, the design will be decidedly modern, with the wraparound terraces and visible columns.
> 
> Floor-to-ceiling heights will be enormous, which is normal for new condo buildings in this neighborhood, and simple math of 490/35 yields average heights of 14 feet


More renderings on the official site of the project: http://200east59.com/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Rockefeller University Expansion Over Highway*



Ghostface79 said:


> *See Rockefeller University's Modular Expansion As It's Lowered Into Place*
> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/2016/6/15/11949446/rockefeller-university-expansion-fdr-drive-construction
> 
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> .











=========================
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/16/n...s-its-expansion-over-a-busy-highway.html?_r=0
NYY


----------



## streetscapeer

*Bushwick, Brooklyn - Bushwick II*



> All Year Management revealed their plans for it's development site at the former Rheingold Brewery complex, which will be called Bushwick II. https://www.buzzbuzzhome.com/bushwick-ii





> All Year Management has taken on a two-block-long site and plans to build a 1 million-square-foot, 800- to 900-unit rental complex, according to The Real Deal.
> ...
> According to TRD, the building "*will feature a complex system of interconnecting courtyards and common spaces, including coffee shops, art galleries, lounges and fitness areas.*" It will also outdo the roof at 10 Montieth Street, with 60,000 square feet, an urban farm, and rec and exercise spaces. *An 18,000-square-foot park will run through the center of the building*.
> 
> For this project, ODA took inspiration from a European village: "*By interrupting the rigid order of a typical NYC street grid and blending it with the sequencing of a European village, the path becomes a meandering courtyard rather than a direct line from a to b*," says ODA’s founder Eran Chen. Curbed

















































https://www.buzzbuzzhome.com/bushwick-ii

http://therealdeal.com/2016/06/15/yoel-goldman-planning-colossal-rental-building-at-rheingold-brewery-site/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - 100 Norfolk St*










Construction Update:









http://www.boweryboogie.com/2016/06/cantilevering-begins-12-story-100-norfolk-street-condos/[/QUOTE]


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 99 Hudson Street*

Right across the Hudson river is New Jersey's new tallest (899ft) under construction










Credit: http://www.de-simone.com/projects/project/99-hudson/




















20160617_103617 by Christopher Estevez, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*35 Hudson Yards*

Hudson Yards Supertall (1,039ft) now at ground level.


















Credit: http://www.6sqft.com/related-launches-hudson-yards-living-website-with-new-renderings/




chris08876 said:


> Credit: JC_Heights


----------



## bodegavendetta

The Rhinegold Brewery site development looks well thought out and high quality. I hope other developers take notice.


----------



## streetscapeer

bodegavendetta said:


> The Rhinegold Brewery site development looks well thought out and high quality. I hope other developers take notice.


Totally agreed!

So far the 10-block Rhinegold Brewery Site is churning out some good quality stuff.

This will be nearby:




Nexis said:


> *Bushwick | 1 Bushwick | FT | 7 FLOORS
> Project: 1 Bushwick *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The mixed-use project, officially known as 1 Bushwick, would offer commercial, retail, residential, hotel, cultural, and agricultural spaces. The aforementioned rooftop farm would be nearly 165,000 square feet; Brooklyn Grange, which is currently the world’s largest rooftop soil farm, occupies 108,000 square feet across two sites. A description of 1 Bushwick says: “Guests relaxing in the rooftop pool will be regaled by a rare experience: views of the skyscrapers of Manhattan — and cornfields.”
> 
> The 605,500-square-foot development is part of the larger, 10-block Rheingold Brewery development, where architectural firm ODA proposed a 400-unit rental building. Developer Rabsky Group bought 930 Flushing Avenue for $11.25 million in June 2014. The site was one of many sold by Read Property Group that caused controversy for the fact that their zoning prohibits affordable housing, though Read agreed it would set aside 30 percent of units for just that. Rabsky has said they will move ahead with the agreement, but they aren’t legally bound.
> 
> 
> 
> Source : http://www.6sqft.com/raad-designed-bushwick-building-may-have-the-worlds-largest-urban-farm/
Click to expand...


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards District - 509 West 38th Street*




























Posted by VG on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- 44-30 Purves St*















































Progress

Tower on left with crane











Tower on right with crane










Images posted by JC_heights on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 520 Park Avenue*




































Posted by VG on Yimby Forums


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - 196 Orchard Street*

Steel Rises For 11-Story, 94-Unit Mixed-Use Condo Building At 196 Orchard Street


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 300 Livingston St*

25-Story, 714-Unit Mixed-Use Project Rises Above Street Level At 300 Livingston Street


----------



## streetscapeer

New Details, Renderings For 12-Story, Nine-Unit Condominium Project At 117 West 21st Street


----------



## Torch

*200 Amsterdam Avenue Revealed, The Upper West Side’s Soon-To-Be Tallest Building*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/06/200-amsterdam-avenue-revealed-the-upper-west-sides-soon-to-be-tallest-building.html












> The lower blocks of the Upper West Side have given rise to a sprinkling of skyscrapers in recent years, from the Fordham redevelopment to 200 West 67th Street. And now, YIMBY has the reveal for 200 Amsterdam Avenue, which will rise 666 feet to its roof, becoming the tallest building on the Upper West Side.
> 
> The site originally held a synagogue,. It was acquired for $275 million in 2015 by SJP Properties and since then the developer has landed $160 million in financing from Mitsui Fudosan.
> 
> Elkus Manfredi is designing the exteriors, while CetraRuddy is being tasked with interiors. The building’s 400,000 square feet and 51 floors will have 112 residences averaging over 3,000 square feet apiece.












Full article


----------



## streetscapeer

Lovely Art Deco crown and setbacks on the tower


----------



## droneriot

Calling Nexis for a closer pic of the 99 Hudson Street site!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - The Bryant (16 W 40th St)*

Directly to the left of Empire






































Just a drop in the bucket in this pic


----------



## Hudson11

the construction of phase I of the Hudson Yards is now in full swing. 


DSC00069.jpg by Adam Paiva, on Flickr


----------



## towerpower123

Torch said:


> *200 Amsterdam Avenue Revealed, The Upper West Side’s Soon-To-Be Tallest Building*
> http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/06/200-amsterdam-avenue-revealed-the-upper-west-sides-soon-to-be-tallest-building.html
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
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> 
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> 
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> 
> Full article


More Neo- Art Deco!!!!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown South - 172 Madison Ave*












The black Granite stripes still hasn't been added 









City Realty









Tectonic


----------



## Tower Dude

Hudson11 said:


> the construction of phase I of the Hudson Yards is now in full swing.
> 
> 
> DSC00069.jpg by Adam Paiva, on Flickr



Nice to see there is some progress 35 Hudson Yards!


----------



## Ghostface79

*Massive Maya Lin-Designed Tribeca Townhouse Gets Thumbs Up From Landmarks*
http://www.6sqft.com/maya-lin-designed-tribeca-townhouse-gets-thumbs-up-from-landmarks/












> While better known for its manufacturing buildings converted to retreats of discreet loft living, Tribeca is ushering in a mini-Gilded Age of mega-modern townhouses that are rising from the neighborhood’s modicum of narrow lots. Yesterday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved Maya Lin Studio‘s design of a five-story, 20,000-square-foot single-family mansion at 11 Hubert Street that will use the structural bones of an existing three-floor commercial building and add more than 6,000 square feet of floor area throughout. The nondescript commercial structure is a vestige of a never-finished 1980′s residential project that Lin, in collaboration with architects Bialosky + Partners, hope to rectify.


----------



## Ghostface79

*New Look At Revived Fulton Market Building, South Street Seaport*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/06/new-look-at-revived-fulton-market-building-south-street-seaport.html





















> The Howard Hughes Corporation’s effort to revive the South Street Seaport is getting closer to reality. On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved revised plans for the exterior of the Fulton Market Building. That’s located at 11 Fulton Street, which occupies the block bound by Fulton, South, Beekman, and Front streets, in the South Street Seaport Historic District.
> 
> It was almost two years ago that the LPC approved the SHoP Architects-designed revamp of the 1983 structure. This tweak involves signage. The LPC can’t tell Hughes what the signs can say, but it can regulate their size.
> ...
> A spokesperson for the Howard Hughes Corporation said the company has yet to determine an opening date for the revamped Fulton Market Building


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 125 Greenwich Street*

Downtown Supernal gets updated rendering



hunser said:


> http://www.bizzipartners.com/125-greenwich
> 
> Updated renderings. Height looks about 1,000'.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Those 2 renders were also updated.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Bushwick, Brooklyn - Bushwick II*

New Renderings Show Rooftop and Courtyards at ODA’s Massive Rheingold Brewery Project


----------



## civil facts

*Revealed: 645 5th Avenue, Greenwood Heights*









Many of the little wood frame houses along the avenues in Park Slope and Greenwood Heights might not be around much longer. They occupy generously zoned lots near public transportation, in a neighborhood where rents are rising fast. And today we have a rendering for what’s replacing two old houses at 643-645 5th Avenue in Greenwood Heights.

The seven-story building will have 13 apartments, divided across 13,900 square feet of residential space. The typical unit would weigh in at 1,070 square feet, and those sizable apartments will likely be condos.

An 1,100-square-foot retail space will fill the ground floor, replacing the stores that are being demolished. Three units – including two duplexes – will occupy the second floor, followed by two units on the third floor, three apiece on the next three stories, topped by the upper portions of two sixth-floor duplexes on the seventh floor. The development will also feature a roof deck, exercise room, and bike storage. A seven-car parking lot will round out the project and fulfill zoning requirements.

Robert Bianchini’s ARC Architecture and Design is responsible for this rendering.

Ofer Prager, doing business as a Bed-Stuy-based LLC, is developing. He picked up the two small houses with storefronts for a combined $4,250,000 last year, paying roughly $280 for each square foot of his planned building.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- supertall*

The site of the the supertall in Long Island City, Queens is being cleared and set to rise!









Credit: nyc1


----------



## Josedc

who is buying all of this space??


----------



## TM_Germany

Josedc said:


> who is buying all of this space??


rich people who are trying to get their money out of the stock markets and away from hard currency.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 512 West 22nd Street*




































Cookfox
www.vno.com 



mrnyc said:


>


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - One West End*









Cityrealty
































































Posted by JC at Yimbyforums


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- 42-20 27th St*

One of the more architecturally interesting projects in Queens




























by JC at Yimbyforums


----------



## streetscapeer

*Roosevelt Island - Cornell Tech Campus*










































































Posted by Tectonic and VG at Yimbyforums


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 105 West 28th St*

Never even knew about this before and excavation is well underway

Will be a hotel (with restaurant on ground floor).






























Posted by JC at Yimbyforums


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 45 Broad St*

Developers are looking to *break ground in September on the 84-story, 1,127-foot-tall* residential-and-office condominium tower.

http://therealdeal.com/2016/06/29/breaking-down-the-numbers-on-madison-equities-fidi-supertall/


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Looks weird, not a fan. Though I guess the weird part wouldn't be visible on the skyline.


----------



## Nexis

That mid section looks ugly and unstable...


----------



## Nexis

A late posted Update from the 24th of June

*Westchester County*

WHITE PLAINS | 55 Bank Street / U/C
White Plains | 60 South Broadway / Pro
Mount Vernon Infill
Yonkers Infill 

*Manhattan*

Midtown | The Bryant (20 West 40th Street) | U/C 
Midtown | One Bryant Park (Bank of America Tower) | COM 
Midtown W. | New York Times Tower | COM 
 Midtown | 45 East 22nd Street | U/C 
 Midtown W. | 10 Hudson Yards | T/O 
 Midtown W. | 400 Times Square (577 9th Ave) | U/C 
 Midtown | 401 w 31st St - 3 Manhattan West | U/C 
Empire State Building
Midtown W. | 509 West 38th Street | U/C 
 Manhattan | 319 Tenth Avenue | 3 buildings | U/C 
Manhattan | Developments along the High Line | Updates/Compliation 

*Skyline*

Lower Manhattan

*Suburban Railway Stations*

Fleetwood (Mount Vernon)
Mount Vernon West
Wakefield (The Bronx)
238th Street Viaduct (The Bronx)
Woodlawn (The Bronx)


----------



## Nexis

*My Upcoming Photography Trips for July...* Its Summer so im not going to update as much...

*July 4*

*Manhattan*

Washington Heights
Inwood
World Trade Center
Lower Manhattan

*Urban Jersey*

Fort Lee
Englewood
Teaneck
Hackensack
Weehawken
Hoboken

*The Bronx*


Fordham
Arthur Avenue

---

*3rd week of july*

*Urban Jersey *


Mill - Trenton
South Trenton
Bordentown
Camden
Haddonfield
Collingswood
Westmont

----


----------



## streetscapeer

ThatOneGuy said:


> Looks weird, not a fan. Though I guess the weird part wouldn't be visible on the skyline.





Nexis said:


> That mid section looks ugly and unstable...


Yeah, if they could move that midsection down, thereby making it a setback, that would be much better. 

But I'm still excited about it and think it's one of those buildings that most nay-sayers will come around to once construction is in full swing and high-quality materials (hopefully) far out-weigh this one design issue (or might not even see it as an issue anymore, in real life). 

Plus that crown is just heavenly, hope they don't change that.


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

ThatOneGuy said:


> Looks weird, not a fan. Though I guess the weird part wouldn't be visible on the skyline.



:lol:...Don't you care about your socks and shoes when you get dressed !?...reminds me of a storynce,i was at Acquerello,a fancy italian restaurant in San Francisco.Larry Ellison was there,having diner with his daughter.
As always he was dressed up with a suit of great distinction.
However,when he got up to leave,i noticed,horrified,that he was wearing some ugly running shoes!
(But in any case i am still in awe of the blazing individual and the brilliant entrepreneur!)


----------



## erbse

Well, only the super rich can get away with a "style" like that, huh... (see Steve Jobs for reference)


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

One West End from PELLI CLARKE PELLI ARCHITECTS is a true lovely surprise!
Also,i am in awe of Morphosis design for the Bloomberg Center!
...I wish Mayne had more projects in beautiful LA(That genius works mainly in China!)


----------



## bodegavendetta

I don't know, if they don't value engineer the crown it could be a nice addition to the skyline. I'm optimistic.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 220 Central Park South*

As viewed from the Upper West Side, 220 CPS is about to pierce the midtown plateau. 









@212sid, found by VG at Yimby


















6sqft


----------



## SMCYB

They're making a new Tetris movie...
http://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/exclusive-tetris-movie-will-first-part-sci-fi-trilogy/

... so I feel compelled to post this one more time...











.


----------



## SMCYB

Torch said:


> *200 Amsterdam Avenue Revealed, The Upper West Side’s Soon-To-Be Tallest Building*
> http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/06/200-amsterdam-avenue-revealed-the-upper-west-sides-soon-to-be-tallest-building.html
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All four corners of that block are ugly, so this will be a welcomed addition.


----------



## streetscapeer

Speak for yourself, that tower is scrumptious.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 501 West 17th St*





























Work has started on this









posted by RW on Yimbyforums


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Great one!^


----------



## streetscapeer

*West Village - 150 Charles Street*









Trulia









posted by RW on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - skyline rendering with few projects*

Posted by Thomas_Koloski at Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 220 Central Park South*

220 Central Park South's presence on the skyline is starting to be felt.



ILNY said:


>





NYCrulz said:


> Douglas Rahden





hateman said:


>











@mc_gutty


----------



## RandomDude01

streetscapeer said:


> Posted by Thomas_Koloski at Yimby


Nice, looks kind of futuristic.


----------



## JD47

Well it is from the future


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 520 West 28th Street*

I was afraid of how this one would turn out... not so afraid anymore, looks quite decent!









6sqft



ILNY said:


> This tower has very nice cladding.


----------



## bodegavendetta

*25 Kent approval & Central Park fundraising campaign*

*25 Kent: Williamsburg Office 'Tech Hub' Gains Ground as Rezoning Passes City Council*
https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20...-gains-ground-as-rezoning-passes-city-council



> The *City Council has approved plans for a sprawling office complex near the waterfront*, the last hurdle it needed to pass in the city's complex land use process.
> 
> 25 Kent Avenue, an eight-story office building with two public plazas, a promenade, ground-floor retail, office space and light manufacturing space, backed by developer Rubenstein Partners and Toby Moskovits of Heritage Equities Partners, was unanimously approved by the council Thursday afternoon.
> 
> *In exchange for not having to build community facilities as required by current zoning rules, some of the floor area will be reserved for light manufacturing* uses.
> 
> The project is one of the first office buildings planned for construction in Brooklyn in decades and marks an increasing appetite for that type of space in the area.
> 
> The city had first tried to rezone a 15-block area around 25 Kent Ave. as part of the proposal, but that part of the plan got nixed during the land use process following community outcry that it was too much of an experiment.












------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Central Park, Bucolic but Aging, Is in a Quest for $300 Million*
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/14/a...rvancy-to-raise-300-million-dollars.html?_r=2



> On Thursday, *the Central Park Conservancy is set to announce an ambitious 10-year, $300 million fund-raising and improvement effort.*
> 
> It has already raised $112 million toward its $300 million goal, which includes a $25 million gift from the Thompson Family Foundation that will fund the restoration of Belvedere Castle and the park’s Children’s District, including the Dairy, Kinderberg, and Chess and Checkers House.
> 
> The intention of the park’s designers went well beyond pastoral scenery to promoting a civilized, improved life for citizens. The Dairy at the southern end, for example, was constructed in 1870 as a place where farmers could bring children fresh milk. Today the stone-and-wood structure needs new doors, windows, and stairs; floors sag and the loggia could use a paint job.
> 
> The Naumburg Bandshell, a site of free concerts, needs a new facade, stage and upgraded infrastructure.
> 
> The new campaign also aims to return arches, bridges and waterways to the original vision of Olmsted and Vaux, much of it inspired by woodlands in the Adirondacks and the Catskills, as depicted in art from the period, like Asher Brown Durand’s painting “Kindred Spirits.”
> 
> “Forever Green” hopes to rebuild the gazebo-like landings surrounding the boat pond, some of which disappeared 100 years ago and were redone in the ’70s in a different style.











View from Belvedere castle.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A cool timelapse gif of the storm the other day









Source: User solateor on Reddit


----------



## Nexis

Taken on July 14th


Thunderstorm above Midtown Manhattan,New York by Corey Best, on Flickr


Thunderstorm above Lower Manhattan,New York by Corey Best, on Flickr


Thunderstorm above Hackensack,NJ by Corey Best, on Flickr


----------



## Opulentus

New York is starting to resemble Dubai. All these cheap glassy buildings are ruining its image.


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## LCIII

Thats an absurd stretch.


----------



## Hudson11

hudson yards from the ESB. One Manhattan West is starting to grow.


DSC08299 by Mike Neilan, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 250 Ashland Place*

FXFOWLE’s The Ashland Kicks Off Leasing With New Renderings of Apartments and Food Hall



> ...Handily resolving its heterogeneous context at the juncture of Brooklyn’s blossoming high-rise district and brownstone Fort Greene, t*he 563-foot-tall high-rise is clad in a variegated skin of rose and sandstone colored-brick, limestone, brushed metal, and glass, providing for a dynamic silhouette *while alleviating some of the 580,000 square feet of bulk...


----------



## Shanghainese

@ Opulentus

"New York is starting to resemble Dubai. All these cheap glassy buildings are ruining its image"

No, you are fail. every owner can decide how it´s building will look like. you think like a collectivist. learn about Liberalism and capitalism. and then, you understand the individual freedom of people and not the image of a city....


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## droneriot

Indeed, learn about capitalism and learn about how the image of a city is part of the advertisment/promotion that attracts business. Why do you think businesses flock to NYC when its laws on liberalism/individual freedom are no different than in any other US city? 

By the way, quotes like "you think like..." and accusations of any ideology based on no information about the person are as strawman as it gets, which is an easy way to disqualify your own posts. Respond to what people actually say, not your baseless assumptions about the people. Opulentus may be a communist, a capitalist, an islamic republican or the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler, it's simply impossible to tell from the few words he wrote, so quit responding to your guesses.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 111 Murray St*






























Above street level









posted by mchlanglo973 at Yimby forums


----------



## Pew

Perfect, 111 murray st brings balance to downtown


----------



## Ghostface79

*Hunters Point Library Takes Shape On Long Island City Waterfront*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/06/hunters-point-library-takes-shape-on-long-island-city-waterfront.html


----------



## Nexis

Funky design..


----------



## JMeier

Shanghainese said:


> @ Opulentus
> 
> "New York is starting to resemble Dubai. All these cheap glassy buildings are ruining its image"
> 
> *No, you are fail. every owner can decide how it´s building will look like.* you think like a collectivist. learn about Liberalism and capitalism. and then, you understand the individual freedom of people and not the image of a city....


Of course they can. That doesn't mean that his statement is wrong. I'm not saying he's right, but the fact that every owner can decide what it's building will look like doesn't mean that NY isn't getting a lot of cheap glassy buildings.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 50 West Street*



Ghostface79 said:


> *New Public Plaza will Encircle Helmut Jahn’s West Street Tower*
> http://ny.curbed.com/2016/7/21/12251022/50-west-street-plaza-helmut-jahn
> 
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> Helmut Jahn’s new 782-foot-tall condo tower, 50 West Street, will soon be complemented by its very own pedestrian plaza. The Wall Street Journal reports that this fall will mark the reveal of the new privately-owned public space that will function not only as an urban oasis but also as a deterrent to the sidewalk traffic that would’ve increased as a result of the glassy pedestrian bridge pending construction above West Street.
> ...
> As for Jahn’s tower, more than half of the 191 condo units are already in contract with prices
> for the apartments asking between $1.615 million and $18.63 million.
Click to expand...

..


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - Essex Crossings - 242 Broome Street*

Foundation underway













































Cityrealty


----------



## streetscapeer

*Flatiron District - 45 East 22nd Street*


----------



## Nexis

Update from July the 20th

*Connecticut*

*New Haven *

Downtown New Haven overview

*Bridgeport*

East Bridgeport Mixed use
Steel Point Redevelopment
Ball Park

*Stamford*

 STAMFORD | South End & Harborpoint Redevelopment thread 

---------

*Manhattan*

56 Leonard Street
50 West Street
World Trade Center 1
World Trade Center 3


----------



## mrsmartman

NYC is the core of the region.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Progress on 220 Central park So. and Central Park Tower*









Credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/BILeo8JjGXP/?taken-by=light.feet


----------



## Torch

*Public Plaza, Pedestrian Bridge Outside 50 West Street Revealed, Financial District*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/07/public-plaza-pedestrian-bridge-outside-50-west-street-revealed-financial-district.html












> Now that exterior work has completed on 50 West Street – the 64-story, 191-unit mixed-use tower dubbed simply “50 West” under development in the Financial District – crews are now focused on building a 6,800-square-foot public plaza around the base of the building and a pedestrian bridge over West Street (a.k.a. the West Side Highway). Renderings of the spaces have been revealed by the Wall Street Journal. The 24-hour plaza will feature an art gallery, a café, vegetation, and seating. The pedestrian bridge, dubbed the *West Thames Street Bridge*, will feed directly into the plaza. It will boast steel structural supports and a glass roof and walls. The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is building the new pedestrian bridge, which *will replace the Rector Street bridge* located a block northward. *Demolition of the Rector Street bridge and construction of the new one is expected to last two years.
> 
> [...]
> ...WXY Studio is behind the design of the new pedestrian bridge.*


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

Wow!..check WXY website:very exciting!
http://www.wxystudio.com/


----------



## Torch

BLACK DAHLIA said:


> Wow!..check WXY website:very exciting!
> http://www.wxystudio.com/


^^ Thanks for the tip, BLACK DAHLIA!

Click for a *slideshow *of renderings of the bridge (from the same website):


----------



## streetscapeer

*Governors Island Redevelopment - Phase I*

Another great public space and iconic destination is finally coming together for New York



edwardhblake







































NYguy said:


> Can't wait to get home and get up here...
> 
> Michael Lee
> 
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> governors_island
> 
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> Jeffrey Blum


http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/new-hills-see-new-york-completed-governors-island-hills-west8


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Tower Verre*

53w53


















ILNY









RW on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 625 West 57th Street*

Almost complete 









@hrenewyork









@marcodegennarophotos


----------



## Josedc

the last building is simply amazing


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 1711 1st Avenue*









1711 First Avenue, image by SHoP/Anbau









by VG on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown Skyline Timelapse*

Cool gifs posted of how the midtown skyline has changed just in the 2000s. Imagine how radically different this view will look in 2020. 



Xoltage said:


> Rough gif of the skyline's changes
> 
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> Edit: Fixed 2013


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad District - 122 East 23rd St*

Great addition!



Ghostface79 said:


> The area around Madison Square Park is starting to grow as a new cluster of starchitecture.
> OMA is starting strong in NYC.
> 
> *First Offical Renderings of Rem Koolhaas' 122 East 23rd Street*
> https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/the-new-skyline/first-offical-renderings-rem-koolhaas-122-east-23rd-street/5042
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> An exciting new two-towered condo development is under construction at 122 East 23rd Street on the corner of East 23rd Street and Lexington Avenue in Gramercy. Toll Brothers’ City Living is developing the project, that has an estimated value of $134 million. Excavation at the site is well underway and upon its expected completion in 2018, the project will encompass 275,000 square feet of floor area and host 136 condominium apartments across 18 floors. The development also will seek LEED certification.
> 
> SLCE Architects is the architect of record with the highly-acclaimed Rem Koolhas and his firm OMA as the designer. The project will the Pritzker Prize-winner's first ground-up development in New York. Koolhaas is already well associated with the city having penned his book “Delirious New York,” nearly 40 years ago. Ultimately, the building will feature crystalline glass and concrete facades that meet in an “electrifying fashion,” according to construction managers CMA. The north building’s corner will feature a chiseled design, exposing glass edges and yielding a distinctive presence on its corner of 23rd Street and Lexington Avenue.
> 
> In between the two wings will sit a mid-block courtyard surrounded by private apartment terraces. These terraces will feature planters for beautiful hanging plants, as well as balustrades made of translucent, perforated metals. The courtyard will extend into an open pool area, a playful children’s area, and screening and party rooms on the lower level floors. The building’s entrance on 22nd Street will lead residents into an artfully designed lobby complete with tower elevators. 122 East 23rd will also contain a robotic parking system, which will automatically bring cars into underground storage.
Click to expand...


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East - 525 East 73rd St - Memorial Sloane Kettering Center*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 520 Park Avenue*


----------



## Nexis

I will be returning to my normal flood of photos by the end of August...

Cities and Neighborhoods I will cover in Big Updates... August to October

*New York City*


*Manhattan*
Upper Manhattan (North of 110th Street) - Washington Heights , Hudson Heights 
Uptown Manhattan - (57th Street to 110th Street) 59th Street Corridor , Upper East Side , Roosevelt Island , Second Avenue Subway 
Midtown Manhattan - (14th Street to 57th Street) Times Square , Kips Bay , Hudson Yards , The HighLine , Meatpacking District
Downtown Manhattan - (14th Street to Chambers Street) Soho , NoLita , East Village
Lower Manhattan - (Chambers Street to Battery Park) World Trade Center , Civic Center , South Street Seaport , Battery Park 

*Brooklyn *
Southern Brooklyn - Coney Island , Brighton Beach , Manhattan Beach , Sheepshead Bay , Bay Ridge
Northern Brooklyn - Downtown Brooklyn , Williamsburg , Greenpoint

*Queens *
Western Queens - Long Island City , Queensboro Plaza , Astoria 
Eastern Queens - Flushing , Jamaica , Kew Gardens 

*The Bronx*
Northern Bronx - City Island , Orchard Beach , Pelham Bay Park , Pelham Parkway , Fordham 

*Staten Island*
St. George 

*The NY Suburbs*

*Long Island*
Port Jefferson
Lakeview 
Hempstead 
Garden City
Mineola
Williston Park

*Hudson Valley*
Poughkeepsie
Scarborough 
Ossining
Croton on Hudson
Peekskill 

*Connecticut*
Downtown Bridgeport
Steel point Redevelopment (Bridgeport)
Downtown Stamford
South End / Harborpoint (Stamford)

*New Jersey*
Morris Plains
Morristown
Madison
Montclair
West Orange
Orange
South Orange
Maplewood
Millburn
Short Hills
Downtown / University Heights Newark
The Ironbound (Newark)
Harrison
East Newark
Journal Square (Jersey City)
Jersey City Heights
Downtown Jersey City
Hoboken
Weehawken 
Union City
North Bergen
The Ridgefield's
Fort Lee
Englewood
Teaneck
Metuchen 
Linden 
Rahway
Trenton 
Princeton JCT
Long Branch
Asbury Park 

That should be enough to satisfy the forum...


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards District - Culture Shed*









NYTimes


Amazing fly-through showing the marvel and versatility of the Culture Shed currently under construction in the Hudson Yards and adjacent to the Highline

174245694


----------



## Ghostface79

*Tadao Ando's Nolita 'jewel box' finally gets off the ground*
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/8/1/12342788/tadao-andos-nolita-jewel-box-finally-gets-off-the-ground


----------



## deckard_6

This is the proof that a single building can ruin a whole skyline.


----------



## schostabur

well..most skyscrapers are designed by `local heroes`. the top guys of the biz go for more prestigious, less limited projects. :rock:


----------



## Weissenberg

BLACK DAHLIA said:


> New York is not Rotterdam;as the Meca of architecture it is supposed to embrace different styles.
> Also,the comparison with BOA is kinda whimsical imo...


As a matter of fact I have very little appreciation for the architecture of Rotterdam and whenever somebody describes structures like Markthal or De Rotterdam as iconic I need to try really hard to suppress my gag reflex. What I wanted to say is, both 432 Park Avenue and Hudson Yards feel out of place in NYC as they lack a certain type of class the city has been always known for.


----------



## Architecture lover

I absolutely adore the panoramic photo of New York posted on the top of the previous page and I absolutely adore how pleasingly elegant and confident looks 432 Park Avenue in that panoramic photo of New York.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 45 Park place*




















photo by rbrome on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 70 Vestry Street*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 99 Hudson Street*


----------



## Ghostface79

325 W Broadway

From Fieldcondition

http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2016/7/20/325-west-broadway


----------



## Ghostface79

83 Walker Street

From Fieldcondition 

http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2016/7/22/83-walker


----------



## Kopacz

325 W Broadway is some Giger stuff, love it!


----------



## PsyLock

streetscapeer said:


>


Beautiful. That part of Midtown really needs some sprucing up.


----------



## PsyLock

I'm pleasantly surprised more and more taller buildings are built in Tribeca.. It'll definitely move Downtowns skyline north. Funny how 56 Leonard looks wide in that picture.


But still, the lowrise constructions around NYC are of superb quality!


----------



## streetscapeer

*progress on midtown towers*

progress on 220 Central Park South and 520 Park Ave from the Upper East Side



NYCD said:


> August 5th, 2016
> (Taken with my cellphone.)


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - The Jackson -- 13-33 Jackson Ave*


















by Waymon_womano on Yimby


----------



## Nexis

My Massive update that you've all been waiting for...

*August 5th*

*Skylines*

Long Island City
Manhattan

*Long Island *

Long Island Railroad at Port Jefferson
Village of Port Jefferson
Long Island Railroad meet at Jamaica Station

*Connecticut*

*Bridgeport*

Bridgeport Skyline
Steelpoint Redevelopment
Metro North at Bridgeport Station

*Stamford*

Stamford Public art 
Trump Tower in Stamford
Harborpoint & South End Redevelopment 
Post Office Redevelopment 
184 Summer Street
Harbor Square Hotel
Royal Bank of Scotland HQ
1055 Washington Boulevard
Stamford Infill Projects (9 Projects)

Queens

*Long Island City*

 Halo LIC (44-41 Purves Street) 
 43-25 Hunter Street
44-28 Purves Street
Tishman LIC Complex
26-29 Northern Boulevard
27-17 42nd road
Watermark Court Square
5 Pointz
27-21 44th Drive 
42-12 28th Street
Eagle Loft
23-10 Queens Plaza South

Manhattan

*Hudson Yards*

30 Hudson Yards
55 Hudson Yards
10 Hudson Yards

Along the HighLine

520 West 30th Street
319 10th Avenue

*Midtown Manhattan*

509 West 38th Street
400 Times Square
New York Times building
3 Manhattan West
One Manhattan West


----------



## streetscapeer

*Future Downtown Skyline*



















renderings by Thomas_Koloski at Yimby


----------



## jain ladda

*New York City Tallest Building Projects and Proposals 2016*


----------



## jain ladda

*New York LaGuardia Airport is getting $4B Renovation*


----------



## Ghostface79

Fun facts.

*NYC's Supertalls VS Olympians*


----------



## Chrisfoxx

I am always surprised that they have room to keep building.


----------



## bodegavendetta

*New Renderings Show Latest Revisions to BIG-Designed 76 11th Avenue*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/08/new...revisions-to-big-designed-76-11th-avenue.html



> While the far West Side has its fair share of mega-projects, the scale of development in lower West Chelsea and the Meatpacking District is generally more subdued. The one major exception to that rule is at *76 11th Avenue, where a development team led by HFZ has an assemblage with 800,000 square feet of air rights, with plans by Bjarke Ingels Group* previously revealed by YIMBY last year. Now, thanks to a tipster, we have a fresh set of images showing the fine-tuning occurring across several aspects of the design, including the retail podium and crown.
> 
> The twin-towered site will fill a hole that is buzzing with construction activity. YIMBY unearthed EB-5 renderings earlier this year, and now, it appears that work is moving full steam ahead, per the most recent update from the forum. *The buildings will eventually stand 38- and 28-floors-tall.*
> *
> The taller of the towers will reach 400 feet into the air, though the addition of a crown in the latest documents could possibly extend the parapet slightly above that mark*. The current preference appears to be for a glass crown, but in any case, the addition will not be too significant.
> 
> Sites along this stretch of the High Line have been filling out rapidly in recent years, with nearby projects including a 25-story hotel now under construction at 414 West 15th Street, as well as the nearly-completed 505 West 19th Street, designed by Thomas Juul-Hansen. Chelsea Market, just to the southeast, may also be topped by an addition in the near future, though previous plans never left the drawing board.
> 
> *76 11th Avenue will have 85,000 square feet of retail, and, per the EB-5 materials, the remainder will be divided amongst 130 hotel rooms and 260 condominiums*. The eastern side of the site past the High Line will host a plaza is fronted with retail, as shown in the latest images.
> 
> Besides the new crown and changes to the facade at ground level, the latest plans also include more details on two podium bridges that will connect the two towers with amenity space. JDS’s American Copper Buildings will be the first in the city to deploy that kind of concept, and while 76 11th Avenue’s bridges will be much closer to ground level, it does appear there will be two of them.
> 
> *Completion is currently anticipated for 2018*.


----------



## Nexis

Taken on August 22nd

*from Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange,NJ*

Lower Manhattan / Jersey City & Downtown Newark


Lower Manhattan & Jersey City Skyline viewed from Eagle Rock Reservation by Corey Best, on Flickr


9/11 Memorial at the Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange,NJ by Corey Best, on Flickr


Manhattan Skyline viewed from Eagle Rock Reservation by Corey Best, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*NY Rendering 2020*

Looking more and more like Coruscant


All posted by Thomas_Koloski on Yimbyforums and on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 99 Hudson Street*














































Pics by me


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - Pier 55*















































Piling Work has started:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Just love this project^


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

ThatOneGuy said:


> Just love this project^


I doubt you answer me(as you never do)but what makes you happy about this project?
Looks out of place,vain and kitchy to me...
...A sheer vanity project for bored whealthy people in search of general reconition..


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

Have you ever heard about the WOWWWW!!!!!!!factor?....
http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2016/8/25/529-broadway


----------



## RandomDude01

streetscapeer said:


> Looking more and more like Coruscant


I really can't wait to see what New York City by 2050 will be like.


----------



## MarshallKnight

Per Crain's today, the City has released their proposal for the Midtown East Rezoning!



> The city quietly published on Monday its plan to allow bigger and more modern office towers in midtown east—the first step in the formal rezoning of the neighborhood.
> 
> The long-awaited midtown east proposal would *allow the tallest buildings to be erected right next to Grand Central Terminal, increasing the current permitted maximum density by about 30%.*
> 
> "This would be the highest as-of-right density allowance in the east midtown subdistrict, reflecting the [city's] planning policy of focusing density in areas with excellent access to transit," wrote the Department of City Planning in documents posted on its website.
> 
> Though the rezoning has been a major focus of developers and planners for years, becoming at one point a priority of the Bloomberg administration, the planning department did not publicize the publication of its latest planning documents. It was unclear why that was the case, considering a rezoning would be worth billions of dollars in construction and real estate spending as developers knock down small buildings to erect soaring glass and steel office towers.
> 
> Buildings along Park Avenue and near subway stations farther north in the district, which encompasses the area bounded by East 39th and East 57th streets to the north and south, and Madison Avenue and Third Avenue to the east and west, would also receive a significant boost, while properties located on streets farther from transit would have smaller maximum densities.
> 
> The proposal would *allow owners of landmarked buildings in the district to sell air rights across the district, rather than just adjacent to their properties,* as currently allowed. Building owners who wish to achieve the maximum allowable densities would need to contribute financially to improving the area's transit infrastructure or purchase air rights from landmarked properties in the area.
> 
> Over the coming decades,* the city predicts the rezoning would result in the creation of 16 new towers, which translates into an additional 6.6 million square feet of office space with 26,507 workers.* Currently midtown east consists of 70 million square feet of office space, less than 5% was built within the past two decades.
> 
> The planning documents, called a draft scope of work, are the first step in formally recasting the neighborhood. *A public meeting to review the documents, which will then be used to study the potential effects of the rezoning on the surrounding environment, is scheduled for Sept. 22.* The rezoning is the second attempt at promoting the development of new office towers in midtown east after a Bloomberg-era plan was killed in 2013.
> 
> Two years later, the city rezoned a handful of blocks west of Grand Central called the Vanderbilt Corridor, which is where SL Green Realty is currently building 1 Vanderbilt. That same year, a steering committee chaired by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Councilman Daniel Garodnick came up with recommendations on how to modify the rezoning in the rest of the district. Many of those recommendations made their way into the city's plan released earlier this week.
> 
> "We need to ensure that east midtown continues to lead as a premier business district—and that means delivering better mass transit, pedestrian areas that are safe and welcoming, and high quality commercial space," Garodnick said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the administration to achieve those goals in this plan."


Be sure to check out the complete document here, which goes into deep detail.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

BLACK DAHLIA said:


> I doubt you answer me(as you never do)but what makes you happy about this project?
> Looks out of place,vain and kitchy to me...
> ...A sheer vanity project for bored whealthy people in search of general reconition..


NY needs as much green space as it can get, it brings more life to the cold industrial waterfront and it is architecturally stunning IMO. Like a cluster of giant concrete water lilies.


----------



## Ghostface79

BLACK DAHLIA said:


> Have you ever heard about the WOWWWW!!!!!!!factor?....
> http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2016/8/25/529-broadway


I walked by it a couple of weeks ago, that cladding looks amazing. Love it when you stumble onto little gems like that just walking around the city.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Soho - 529 Broadway*



BLACK DAHLIA said:


> Have you ever heard about the WOWWWW!!!!!!!factor?....
> http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2016/8/25/529-broadway


Looks great!


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

ThatOneGuy said:


> NY needs as much green space as it can get, it brings more life to the cold industrial waterfront and it is architecturally stunning IMO. Like a cluster of giant concrete water lilies.



I understand...but it doesn't really fit in there imo;I am much more enthusiast with old piers rehabilitation;but hopefully I will change my mind!


----------



## Architecture lover

What a beauty, that last building, the perfect mixture of modern with nice and delicate decorative elements, another architectural jewel for New York.


----------



## droneriot

There are so many, so very many so very amazing awesome magnificent buildings and projects in New York City, and you guys are drooling over a building covered in bathroom tiles? It's horrible, barring that Beekman thing and Bjarke's 2WTC proposal it's the worst I've seen the last few years, the entire World Development News forums have hundreds of projects in the city that are far better.

Hate thinking back of those 70s and 80s days when people covered their bathroom walls in tasteless stuff like that. Recently uncovered some of photos of the house I grew up in and taste must have really taken a creative break during the cold war. Now the bathroom tiles from the era are recycled for a wow factor in NYC, I guess.


----------



## Architecture lover

They (the tiles) don't look that tasteless to me, when you look the overall appearance of the building it's hard to even spot them, however if you walk close to it, you'll certainly notice them, but to me they look more like a pleasant surprise, rather than some tacky stuff, this is only my point of view ofcourse.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Crane going up for 160 Leroy Street.


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

I have never heard of bathroom embossed tiles!
Such a poor statement!...probably our eminent forumer grew up in some Ceaucescu kitschy palace!...
It's gonna be amazing when the joints are made and time gave some patina!


----------



## schostabur

no ornamental historicism :hm:


----------



## C4creeper

529 Broadway is a beauty, by far my most favorite low-rise.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Retail opens at the WTC Transportation Hub*

An icon is born 




































































































































See more at Dezeen


----------



## Hudson11

*Long Island City/Court Square area as of August 2016*


Queens Skyline.jpg by NP Photo2010, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

^^ wow Long Island City, all of this just popped up in that past 2 years basically... and to think there's still so much currently U/C.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Brooklyn Navy Yard*

*New Lab, a Brooklyn hub for future manufacturing, opens for business*




> The huge workspace, which took over a former shipbuilding site, seeks to catalyze a new generation of high-tech businesses...*It once launched warships during both World Wars*...The New Lab, a new *84,000-square-foot manufacturing site*, stands as both an optimistic view on the future of industry and New York City’s most recent big bet on economic development...*New Lab provides space to a curated list of firms working in hardware, robotics, connected devices, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and smart city tech *(as part of the Urban Tech NYC program), offering differing degrees of membership, from access to shared workspaces to permanent offices (studio spaces range from 1,000 to 10,000 square feet)...



Photos by Max Touhey


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

...What a great interior design!!!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 620 Fulton Street*

Really loving the facade on this lowrise in Downtown Brooklyn



























Tectonic


----------



## bodegavendetta

*Brooklyn Broadway Triangle Rezoning*

*Rezoning could bring 1,147 apartments to contentious Broadway Triangle site*
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/8/30/12711612/broadway-triangle-development-williamsburg-rezoning



> BY ZOE ROSENBERG @ZOE_ROSENBERG AUG 30, 2016, 1:00P
> 
> Simon Dushinsky’s Rabsky Group is pushing forward with its contentious proposal to *rezone two blocks where Bed-Stuy, Williamsburg, and Bushwick meet in an area known as Brooklyn’s Broadway Triangle*. The site that was formerly owned by pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer is *bounded by a demapped segment of Walton Street to the north, Harrison Avenue to the east, Gerry Street to the south, and Union Avenue to the west and is currently used for parking and storage*.
> 
> Rabsky Group is seeking a rezoning that would allow them to construct *seven buildings that would include apartments and retail, as well as create a 26,000-square-foot privately-owned park open to the public. *If the proposal moves forward, it would fall under the city’s new Mandatory Inclusionary Housing mandate that would *earmark 344 of Rabsky’s proposed 1,147 residences as affordable for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers*.
> 
> YIMBY spotted an Environmental Assessment Statement filed with the city for Rabsky Group’s project, marking the first of many steps towards obtaining a rezoning. *The proposal will also have to pass through a series of public approvals as well as a land use review that would require a green light from the local community board, the City Planning Commission, the borough president, and the City Council*.
> 
> YIMBY notes that Council Member Stephen Levin, who represents the area the site falls into, will have the final say in whether Rabsky wins the rezoning, and how much affordable housing will be built.
> 
> The new developments on the site *would be capped at nine stories along Harrison Avenue, 11 stories along the area that would face the park, and 14 stories alone Union Avenue.*
> 
> In addition to residential space, the redevelopment would also give way to nearly *65,000 square feet of retail space for seven-plus stores as well as 427 non-attended parking spaces.* If the development moves forward as-is, *Rabsky Group estimates it will bring 4,027 residents to the two-block area, judging by the average household size in the area.
> *
> Residents of the Broadway Triangle area have been warring over the site’s best use since a 2009 rezoning of eight blocks nearby ignited a debate between the neighborhoods' Hasidic, Black, and Hispanic communities about the land's best use and who developments in the region should cater to. Projects in the rezoned area have come under fire for violating the Fair Housing Act, and per an earlier Curbed article, similar concerns are being raised with Dushinsky's development where area residents believe that his plan to build shorter buildings with larger apartments is intended to suit the needs of the Hasidic population rather than cater to the community at large.
> 
> Rabsky first filed for a rezoning of the site in March 2015.


----------



## streetscapeer

*The South Bronx is Booming and Transforming*

*$1B in Real Estate Investment Flowed Into South Bronx in 2015, Report Says...That's an increase of nearly 700 percent from two years ago.*



*869 East 147th Street*

*pretty good for an affordable apartment building in the South Bronx*




















*329 East 132nd Street* - Market-rate apartments 





















*1017 Home Street* - Affordable Senior Housing 





















*530 Exterior Street*












*491 Gerard Avenue*












*110 East 149th Street*












*La central*







































*2401 Third Avenue*









All images from Yimby


















NYTimes


*And many more projects...*


----------



## JorgeORandall

This is the most beautiful station I've ever seen . Greetings from Mexico to everybody 



streetscapeer said:


> An icon is born
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> See more at Dezeen


----------



## RandomDude01

Love all of these new projects going on in New York City.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 351 West 54th Street*

Condos wrapping up - nice classic look


----------



## Bronxwood

Just visited today, quite amazing. Felt like a giant apple store. I would love to see brooklyns LIRR atlantic avenue branch extended into this beauty along with a direct airport branch. It has the potential to become a modern Grand Central.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards*

It's crazy that all this is happening over a very active rail yard. (including the Manhattan West complex right behind this)









@_hudsonyardsnyc


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 425 Park Ave*







































www.archute.com











*Mock ups*



JSsocal said:


>




*From June:*



ILNY said:


>


----------



## streetscapeer

*56 Leonard and 3WTC*









@papakila


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 959 1st Ave*

*Construction Wraps On 29-Story, 113-Unit Mixed-Use Tower At 959 First Avenue, Midtown East*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 130 East 82nd St*

*Moise Safra Community Center Rises At 130 East 82nd Street, Upper East Side*



















More renderings in link above


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 77 Greenwich St*

*Permits Filed For 500-Foot-Tall, Mixed-Use Tower At 77 Greenwich Street*




































photos from Yimby forums


----------



## erbse

@ 959 1st Ave:

Love the retro modernism of New York! It's right up there with Berlin in this regard, both cities are doing this style best currently, imho.


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2016/9/7/111-murray-street


----------



## RandomDude01

The vessel looks like some alien space ship.


----------



## Architecture lover

The city is buzzing with style.


----------



## hateman

Well, it's more elegant than the London Orbit, but it's no Eiffel Tower as was promised. Something more industrial might have suited the site better and reflected the style of New York more. It looks like something from the 70s. 

Then again the whole Hudson Yards concept could have stepped out of 70s urban renewal schemes.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Love the sculpture- it should really add more life to the square since it's also an observation deck. Lots of great designs out recently.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Washington Heights - CUMC Graduate Center*

*This is a modern masterpiece imo*






















































































































































Archdaily
Curbed


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem Project - Circa - 285 West 110th Street*














































































*Penthouse Views*


*South*





















*Cascading Terraces*












*Northwest*












*North*









More at Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - New York Public Library*

*After two-year renovation, New York Public Library’s historic Rose Main Reading Room will reopen October 5th*

















> The $12 million project, managed by Tishman Construction Corporation, came about in May 2014 when an ornamental plaster rosette fell 52 feet from the Reading Room’s ceiling. In addition to recreating and replacing this piece, all 900 rosettes in both rooms were reinforced with steel cables. Other work included the recreation of a 27′ x 33′ James Wall Finn mural on the ceiling of the Catalog Room and the restoration of the chandeliers.
> 
> ...And while this work was going on, the Library was also busy moving materials into a new, $23 million state-of-the-art storage facility below Bryant Park. This project was conceived after controversy over a previous plan to move the research collection to New Jersey and will be complete by early 2017. The new space will hold 4.3 million research volumes, allowing the Library to “fill over 90 percent of research requests with materials located on-site.” To do this, they also installed a $2.6 million modern conveyor system that uses 24 individual cars to bring these materials up from storage to the Rose Main Reading Room.


----------



## bodegavendetta

hateman said:


> It looks like something from the 70s.


I actually had the same thought but that's part of why I like it. It reminds me of the crazy bold urban experiments they used to do decades ago. They may or may not age well, but they become iconic. I think the interactive element with all the stairs will make it a landmark. That said it is kind of menacing in a way (I think it's the color?)...it gives me a weird Bladerunner vibe.


----------



## Opulentus

streetscapeer said:


> *After two-year renovation, New York Public Library’s historic Rose Main Reading Room will reopen October 5th*


Looking at things like this make me despair at the state of today's architecture.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Soho - 300 Lafayette Street*


























































posted by emoglez on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Dumbo, Brooklyn - 1 John Street*

*Construction wrapping up, pics by me*


FW4A8393 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr

FW4A8358 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr

FW4A8330 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr

FW4A8322 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr

FW4A8352 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr

FW4A8348 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr

FW4A8363 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr

FW4A8371 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr

FW4A8254 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Dumbo - 10 Jay Street*

*^^Right next door is this renovation/gut job:*


















Dumbonyc.com


*From this:*











FW4A8335 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

streetscapeer said:


> *This is a modern masterpiece imo*


Amazing!! Some photos look like a rendering :cheers:


----------



## ZZ-II

wow, didn't know One Vanderbilt is close to start!


----------



## AUTOTHRILL

that thomas heatherwick is brilliant


----------



## bodegavendetta

*La Central & Coney Island Development*

*Huge Bronx affordable housing project gets City Council approval
*http://ny.curbed.com/2016/9/15/12928444/bronx-affordable-housing-city-council-approval












> By Tanay Warerkar Sep 15, 2016
> 
> A week after the City Council’s planning subcommittee approved an affordable housing project that would bring close to 1,000 apartments to Melrose in the Bronx, the full Council has jumped on board as well. On Wednesday, *the Council approved the plan to bring 992 apartments to the neighborhood spread out over five buildings in a project that will be known as La Central*, the New York Daily News reports.
> 
> This project will also bring along with it a skate park, a YMCA, and an observatory for the Bronx High School of Science.


__________________________________________________________________________________________
*
New Coney Island development will bring 135 apartments to the area*
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/9/14/12921036/coney-island-supportive-affordable-housing












> By Tanay Warerkar Sep 14, 2016
> 
> Developers Concern for Independent Living (who specialize in supportive housing) and Georgica Green Ventures are partnering on a housing project that will bring *135 apartments to a currently empty plot at the intersection of West 21st Street and Surf Avenue.*
> 
> *Of the 135 apartments, 82 apartments will be reserved for homeless veterans*. *The rest will be made available to people making less than 60 percent of the area median income*. The apartments will be divided into studios and one-bedrooms.
> 
> It will take between 18-20 months for construction on the project to wrap up, and this particular project is part of a larger effort on part of the developer to bring 400 affordable and market rate apartments to Coney Island.


----------



## streetscapeer

bodegavendetta said:


> *Huge Bronx affordable housing project gets City Council approval
> *http://ny.curbed.com/2016/9/15/12928444/bronx-affordable-housing-city-council-approval
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> By Tanay Warerkar Sep 15, 2016
> 
> A week after the City Council’s planning subcommittee approved an affordable housing project that would bring close to 1,000 apartments to Melrose in the Bronx, the full Council has jumped on board as well. On Wednesday, *the Council approved the plan to bring 992 apartments to the neighborhood spread out over five buildings in a project that will be known as La Central*, the New York Daily News reports.
> 
> This project will also bring along with it a skate park, a YMCA, and an observatory for the Bronx High School of Science.
Click to expand...

Really looking forward to this for the Bronx



























6sqft


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - Culture Shed*


























*Close to topping out if it hasn't already*


















More at Field Condition







*Here's a mockup of the facade, the refraction and reflection really change depending on the angle (photos by me):*


FW4A8575 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr

FW4A8570 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 220 Central Park South*


















6sqft


Central Park by Oleg Korshakov, on Flickr

09119519 by RyanKirschnerImages, on Flickr









@jedilost1

FW4A8527 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr

FW4A8535 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr

FW4A8545 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr










@paulwhalennyc









@crete68


----------



## streetscapeer

*South Street Seaport District - One Seaport*














































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*WTC Transportation Hub*

The finished PATH hall 










posted by rbrome at Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Medical Complex - 525 East 73rd St*



























City Realty


















Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards District - 520 West 30th Street*

Pics by me


FW4A8562 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8558 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8569 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8567 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8565 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8548 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*30 Hudson Yards*


































*Cladding progressing:* 



















ILNY


Untitled by Justin Whiteford, on Flickr









@kohnpedersenfox







*Starting to become visible from across the city and to make its mark on the skyline:*


















From ILNY









From JC_heights on Yimby


FW4A8894-2 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8894 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Roosevelt Island - Cornell Tech Campus*


















































































































Cornell Tech Campus


FW4A8769 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## bodegavendetta

^^ Nice. The Cornell campus is looking even better than in the renders.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn*

*Downtown Brooklyn Rising:*



*From the East River*



FW4A8401 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8403-Pano by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr




*From New York Bay*


FW4A7887 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr





*Downtown, Brooklyn from Williamsburg, Brooklyn (all of this is just a slice of Brooklyn)*



FW4A8852 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8854 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8866 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8868 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr




*Williamsburg waterfront towers*


FW4A8878 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8879 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr



*Some extra density shots of Williamsburg, Brooklyn* 

FW4A8857 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr

FW4A8860 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens*

*Long Island City, Queens Rising:*




FW4A8833 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr



FW4A8836 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8758 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8780 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FullSizeRender by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8770 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr





*Screen grabs from this and this aerial video from a few months ago*






















*From Sunnyside, Queens*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City*

*Jersey City Rising* 


*From Governors Island*


FW4A7828 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A7826 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Balance*

*Lose yourself in these sweeping drone and helicopter views of NYC*


*Full Screen this - Start at 2 minutes*


163590531


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 390 Madison Ave*

*Converting this:*













*Into this:* 
































































http://www.390madison.com















by RW on Yimby









by JC_heights on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 520 Park Avenue*

























ILNY said:


>




FW4A8772 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8771 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - 28-10 Jackson Ave*

Just slabs of glass (as Hudson11 said), but at least it's decent




Ghostface79 said:


> We finally got some renders
> 
> http://www.wsj.com/articles/in-queens-residential-development-is-fueling-commercial-demand-1474248811





Hudson11 said:


> *YIMBY: First of Three Towers at 28-10 Jackson Avenue Arrives on the Long Island City Skyline*
> 
> photos by Vitali Ogorodnikov




*The site right next door in the above renderings is being developed as well by the same developers. *


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 1 Beekman*













































http://www.urbanmuse.us/portfolio/beekman



> 25-Story, 95,000 square foot ground-up mixed-use residential development
> ...
> Scheduled for completion in Spring 2018, the project includes 31 homes from 900 to 2,900 square feet, three commercial units of approximately 4,500 square feet each and one retail unit of approximately 3,200 square feet.
> ...
> Loggias / Outdoor Space
> One Bedroom Convertible to Two Bedroom Unit Concept
> Contemporary Architecture by Rogers, Stirk, Harbour + Partners
> 
> Double-height spaces augment the column-free interiors.
> 
> Side screens create a depth and materiality which resonate with the adjacent buildings and City Hall Park.
> 
> The loggia structures form an inhabited wall to be occupied by the residents, visible from within the apartments.
> 
> The public green space of the Park is mirrored by private green space on the uppermost floor of the building.




*Keep in mind, the adjacent lot is also being redeveloped and has already undergone demolition.*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Belmont, Bronx - 4511 Third Ave*

*Ground Broken For Two-Building, 314-Affordable-Unit Mixed-Use Project At 4511 Third Avenue, Belmont*


----------



## bodegavendetta

^^ So much affordable housing going up in the Bronx lately :cheers:

*Huge Flushing development will bring 326 apartments, hotel to the area*
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/9/19/12972316/flushing-point-plaza-residential-hotel-queens





















> Right across from the massive Sky View Parc development in Flushing, a developer is planning another large project that will bring two residential towers and one hotel to the neighborhood. Known as Flushing Point Plaza, a developer going by Flushing Point Holdings has filed plans for *two 19-story residential towers at 131-02 40th Road*, YIMBY reports.
> 
> *Plans for the hotel will be filed later on*, but all three buildings will be the same height, and be interconnected at the base. Together the residential towers will bring *326 apartments* to the neighborhood with the average size of an apartment measuring 845-square-feet.
> 
> The developers have roped in Angelo and Anthony Ng at Architects’ Studio to design the project, which also includes *278,365 square feet of retail, and a 1,500-square-foot community facility, apart from the hotel and the residential towers.*
> 
> No word yet on whether the project will be rentals or condos. The first building will come with a garage that fits 390 cars, and the second will have space for 112 cars on the ground floor.
> 
> The site of the project was embroiled in a bit of controversy earlier this when one of the previous owners wasn’t willing to part with the land despite the sale. Hotelier Sam Chang sold the site last year to the current developer for $44.5 million.


----------



## Middle-Island

Fantastic posts. So much to see almost every day! Astonishing amount of projects.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - 99 Morningside Avenue*



























City Realty


----------



## RegentHouse

streetscapeer said:


> City Realty
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tectonic


A smokestack next door is less of an eyesore than a new building. SMDH...


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Tower Verre*




























Credit: Vertical Gotham









ILNY




*As massive as it already looks from the ground right now, we're only about here:*


----------



## streetscapeer

*59th Street/Columbis Circle Station - TurnStyle*

*TurnStyle - The new food and retail hall that opened up earlier this year at the underground 59th St/Columbus Circle Station. (30+ retailers) *



FW4A8487 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8482 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8471 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8483 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8494 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8502 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## Ghostface79

1 Beckman is a pleasant surprise. Looking forward to see more high res renders.
This one might deserves its own thread.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Journal Square, Jersey City*

*New Jersey's new skyline forming in the Journal Square neighborhood of Jersey City* 



*The Top Developments Transforming New Jersey's Journal Square*























*One Journal Square*
*First phase completion expected in 2018*

































*Journal Squared
First Phase - Complete
































30 Journal Square
City-approved this summer















500 Summit Ave
Developer closed on property in June




















And more




A sample of Journal Square's urban bones: 




































Source*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Central Park Tower*

http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/06/renderings-surface-for-central-park-tower-217-west-57th-street.html




















































*Starting to rise again*

*220 Central Park South is U/C behind this in the photo below*






















































Posted by ILNY on SSP


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - 11-39 49th Avenue*

*12-Story, 194-Unit Residential Building Rises To Seventh Floor At 11-39 49th Avenue, Long Island City*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn -- 325 Kent Ave*

*16-Story, 522-Unit Mixed-Use Building Tops Out At Domino Sugar’s 325 Kent Avenue, Williamsburg*











325-Kent-Avenue-e1474501458146 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8424 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Soho - 565 Broome Street*

*New Renderings Released Of 25-Story, 115-Unit Mixed-Use Building At 565 Broome Street, Hudson Square*


----------



## BrickellResidence

^^ sexy curves


----------



## Luca9A8M

*70 Charlton*









70 Charlton by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









70 Charlton by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









70 Charlton by tectonic Photo, on Flickr


----------



## bodegavendetta

*Port Authority Bus Terminal "Competition"*

*Port Authority unveils finalist proposals for Bus Terminal redesign*
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/9/22/13022514/port-authority-bus-terminal-redesign-finalists-unveiled



> BY TANAY WARERKAR SEP 22, 2016, 5:38P
> 
> After months of squabbling, the Port Authority finally reached an agreement with the concerned parties earlier this week, when it was announced that these *five proposals will now be judged by the public*. The design competition website allows people to leave their comments and provide feedback on each of the five projects, and* the Port Authority will take all of this into consideration in the coming months as it organizes meetings with elected officials and the public.*
> 
> *But here’s a twist: they might not choose a single one of these designs*. Per the agreement reached by the PA and the elected officials, this competition and its outcome *"may inform the planning process, which will include a larger universe of planning options to be considered for replacing the existing obsolete and deteriorating 66-year-old terminal."*
> 
> The comments will be made available to the competition’s jury and the Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners. Of the proposals submitted, estimated costs range from $3.7 billion to $15.3 billion—yep, you read that right, that’s almost three times the cost of redeveloping LaGuardia Airport (It’s almost twice a recent estimate of $8 billion for airport).


*Hudson Terminal Center Collaborative—$15.3B*


> The priciest of the lot at $15.3 billion, HTCC’s proposal sees the entire terminal move underground right below the existing terminal building. They envision that will this allow for "private equity development on the PABT site." The Hudson Terminal Center, as they propose to call it, "will reconnect the Midtown West fabric of ‘the greatest city in the world.’" This consortium comprises of big names like AECOM (which also recently envisioned a massive project in Red Hook) and SOM.































*Perkins Eastman—$5.4B*


> Perkins Eastman is calling its proposal "Convergence," and has for some reason decided to move the terminal to another, much-maligned New York City establishment: the Jacob Javits Center. Yep, they envision the terminal to be on the lower level of the convention center, and remove buses entirely from street level. The terminal would be integrated into the Hudson Yards subway station, and the project would lead to the creation of a new public waterfront park.






















*Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects—$3.7B*


> Pelli Clarke wants to connect Hudson Yards to Times Square, place the bus terminal at the center of it all and call it Times Square West. This proposal looks to downsize the terminal and allow for more retail and residential development in the area. The new terminal, as per this design, would be located west of Ninth Avenue and feed directly into the Lincoln Tunnel.






















*Archilier Architecture Consortium—$7B*


> Archilier’s proposal wants to use the bus terminal as a means to connect Hudson Yards and Hell’s Kitchen and redevelop the existing "no man’s land," as they call it. Highlights for the new four million square foot project include 36 inter-city gates at street-level and 164 commuter gates at four upper floors that would cater to 36,000 passenger on average each day.































*Arcadis of New York, Inc.—$4.2B
*


> Dutch firm Arcadis proposal’s says it will preserve all the existing buildings, and will only utilize land already owned by the Port Authority. A major highlight of the proposal is creating an elevated pedestrian plaza over Dyer Avenue and creating a car-free entrance to the new bus terminal. This also incorporates plans for a new 7 train station at Dyer Avenue.






















Video presentations and lots more pictures at Curbed and the competition website. http://www.pabtcompetition.com/


----------



## streetscapeer

I liked Pelli's design the best (and happens to be the cheapest too)!


----------



## bodegavendetta

I'm partial to the first one by HTCC, even though it almost certainly won't happen. The Dutch firm's seems the most sensible to me, I just wish it was a little more architecturally interesting. 

Btw, here are the videos in case anyone wanted to watch them here. 



WillBuild said:


> Reported by many media. From Crain's:
> 
> 
> 
> See also the dedicated PABT thread in the NYC forums.


----------



## JorgeORandall

^^ I do not like *Pelli*'s design. His design looks like a mega parking nothing sustainable, invasive, no space for people to walk around the area, horrible design.

Definitely the best design is "*Archilier Architecture's design*".


----------



## Ghostface79

The HTCC design definitely appeals more to me, but I believe Pelli's design is the more practical one.
Not only is it price sensitive but it also has the right philosophy by using Port Authority land and it also connects directly to the Lincoln Tunnel. It also allows for more commercial and residential development around the area; good news for us skyscraper fans.

Beyond that it will integrate HY better into midtown and if I'm correct, it will also create a stop for the 7 train.

That said I do agree that design isn't quite inviting and needs to be worked on, but if this concept is chosen, I'm sure there will be a few design changes between now and then. So let's wait and see...


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

streetscapeer said:


> *New Renderings Released Of 25-Story, 115-Unit Mixed-Use Building At 565 Broome Street, Hudson Square*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> WOWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> Renzo Piano is just..GREAT!!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Couple new renderings*

One Vanderbilt:














Tower Verre:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jackson Heights, Queens - 40-31 82nd Street*












> Sun Equity Partners and the Heskel Group is planning a new 160,000-square-foot building on a Jackson Heights site that currently houses a former movie theater, sources told The Real Deal.
> 
> The firms recently acquired the property on the site at 40-31 82nd Street for $27 million.
> 
> The new building is expected to hold more than 100,000 feet of community space and, on the ground floor and lower level, 45,000 feet of retail space, sources said.



The Real Deal


----------



## Manitopiaaa

streetscapeer said:


> One Vanderbilt:


Did they change the Crown? Looks not as terrible as I remember it.


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ Yeah, unfortunately I think that probably reflects the 100 foot height reduction we've been trying to confirm. I agree though that it does look better than before (maybe better balanced?)

Interestingly, that Tower Verre render almost looks taller than the 1050' version... but that's probably a matter of perspective.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 111 West 57th St*











































ILNY said:


>





*The side of 111 57th Street is now visible from 6th Ave*


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Harlem - 1399 Park Ave*



























City Realty


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 269 West 87th St - The Chamberlain*

*Condos at The Chamberlain Hit the Market From $1,406/ft2*


----------



## Nexis

Some retouched Manhattan Skyline photos of mine hosted on my new website on Smugmug


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 301 East 61st Street - The Clare*

Construction drawing to a close




































City Realty


----------



## streetscapeer

*The view from 432 Park Ave*









@Fredrikeklundny


----------



## streetscapeer

*Citywide ferry service*

*Construction has officially begun for citywide ferry system; first boats to arrive in 2017*



























































> The 85-foot-long, fuel-efficient boats with heated decks and wifi, each with a capacity for 150 passengers, *are expected to arrive in New York Harbor in early 2017*.
> 
> 
> Citywide Ferry Service will carry a projected 4.6 million passenger trips per year over six routes, stopping at 21 landings throughout the city and providing new transportation to growing and underserved communities. The East River Ferry will be integrated into the new service, which will bring bring down the cost of a ferry ride to $2.75–the price of a subway swipe.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 551 West 21st st*

*This one turned out great!* (pics by me)




FW4A9029 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A9031 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A9034 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A9008 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A9006 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A9038 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A9041 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A9036 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A8986 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 76 11th Ave*

*And a few blocks down from the above project:*



















































20105386308a2f306f6b8b244fce1902933e7c43 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## Architecture lover

streetscapeer said:


> *Condos at The Chamberlain Hit the Market From $1,406/ft2*


This one looks nice, starting from the materials.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

The yellow/gold trim around the windows looks really good.


----------



## Architecture lover

It does look really good, also the brickwork around/above the entrance looks nice.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Views from Drone shots*

*Screenshots from drone videos shot by Tectonic


From Prospect Heights, Brooklyn 













Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan from Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn*













*From Prospect Lefferts Garden in Brooklyn*














*View from Red Hook, Brooklyn
*


----------



## RegentHouse

Pelli Clarke Pelli's Port Authority Bus Terminal proposal is the most aesthetically pleasing, while Perkins Eastman's looks like shit. All the funds for redeveloping it and LaGuardia Airport would be better spent on rail to replace the buses, while the latter should be closed and sold for redevelopment. All relevant flights can easily be divided among JFK and EWR. Of course, Cuomo wants his pet projects instead of proper First World infrastructure.


----------



## Nexis

Some moar retouched photos of the Downtown Brooklyn Skyline







Williamsburg Skyline


----------



## hateman

You can see the Kosciuszko Bridge has quietly made very good progress.


----------



## geoking66

*45 East 22nd Street* | Flatiron District

Official website: http://45east22.com

Project facts


Address: 45 E 22nd Street


Status: Topped out


Developer: Continuum


Architect: Kohn Pederson Fox


Residential: 83 units


Height: 777ft (237m)


Floors: 63


September 22:



Luca9A8M said:


> September 22, 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 45 E22nd by tectonic Photo, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 45 E22nd by tectonic Photo, on Flickr


----------



## geoking66

*138 East 50th Street* | Midtown East

Project facts


Address: 138 E 50th Street


Status: Under construction


Developer: Ceruzzi


Architect: Pelli Clarke Pelli


Residential: 124 units


Retail: 4,588 s.f. (426 sqm)


Height: 803ft (245m)


Floors: 63


September 15:



> *Foundation work underway for 63-story, 124-unit mixed-use tower at 138 East 50th Street, Midtown East*
> 
> Excavation work is nearly complete and construction has started on the foundation of the planned 63-story, 124-unit mixed-use building at 138 East 50th Street, in Midtown East.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (Full article)



Rendering:


----------



## geoking66

*25 Kent Avenue* | Williamsburg

Project facts


Address: 25 Kent Avenue


Status: Approved


Developer: Heritage Equity Partners


Architect: Gensler/HWKN


Office/retail: 316,533 s.f. (29,407 sqm)


Manufacturing: 63,714 s.f. (5,919 sqm)


Public space: 14,400 s.f. (1,338 sqm)


Height: 135ft (41m)


Floors: 8


Rendering:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Tower Verre*












ILNY said:


> First glass is up !


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Nice, that cladding should look great!


----------



## geoking66

*44-26 Purves Street* | Long Island City

Project facts


Address: 44-26 Purves Street


Status: Topped out


Developer: Brause/Gotham


Architect: FXFOWLE


Residential: 270 units


Retail: 2,600 s.f. (242 sqm)


Floors: 33


24 September:


r_160924213_beat0062_a by Mitch Waxman, on Flickr[/IMG]


Rendering:


----------



## bodegavendetta

^^ I've always liked that one. There's something retro about the design and the cladding on the side (copper?) adds some nice contrast.


----------



## geoking66

*3 Manhattan West* | Midtown West

Official website: http://manhattanwestnyc.com

Project facts


Address: 401 W 31st Street


Status: Topped out


Developer: Brookfield


Architect: SLCE


Residential: 844 units


Retail: 7,931 s.f. (737 sqm)


Height: 702ft (214m)


Floors: 63


September 19:



Hudson11 said:


> nearly fully clad. 319 10th and Related's Residential tower south of the railyard are also visible.
> 
> 
> Manhattan Closeup by C r u s a d e r, on Flickr



Rendering:


----------



## Architecture lover

bodegavendetta said:


> ^^ I've always liked that one. There's something retro about the design and the cladding on the side (copper?) adds some nice contrast.


I agree. I think the material used on the side might be some sort of stone. Is that a windmill for electricity on the top of the building?


----------



## streetscapeer

*WTC Transportation Hub*

The WTC transportation hub at night



Luca9A8M said:


> Calatrava Transportation Hub (DSC08639) by Michael Lee, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Calatrava Transportation Hub (DSC08628) by Michael Lee, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Calatrava Transportation Hub (DSC08624) by Michael Lee, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Calatrava Transportation Hub (DSC08769-Edit) by Michael Lee, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - 23-20 Jackson Ave*

*65,000-Square-Foot Mixed-Use Commercial Building Planned At 23-20 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City*











Pre-demolition


----------



## GB1

The WTC transport hub looks amazing, its futuristic, like something out of star trek.


----------



## droneriot

Architecture lover said:


> I agree. I think the material used on the side might be some sort of stone. Is that a windmill for electricity on the top of the building?


A helical blade vertical axis wind turbine.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - Rockefeller University Expansion Over Highway*

*Rockefeller University expansion over highway*









Curbed










http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/16/n...s-its-expansion-over-a-busy-highway.html?_r=0
NYY




























Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - City Point - 7 Dekalb Ave*

*Wrapping up*






































*View from upper residential terrace*









More at Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown West - 1 Manhattan West*




































Credit: http://ny.curbed.com/2016/5/26/11785790/manhattan-west-renderings-brookfield-midtown-megaproject









https://www.brookfieldproperties.com/development/








NYguy said:


> More...(with 30 Hudson looming)


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 111 West 57th St*

*Lobby taking shape*


----------



## Architecture lover

droneriot said:


> A helical blade vertical axis wind turbine.


It looked a lot like a wind turbine to me. That's innovative I guess.


----------



## geoking66

*111 Murray Street* | Financial District

Official website: http://111murray.com

Project facts


Address: 111 Murray Street


Status: Under construction


Developer: Fisher Brothers


Architect: Kohn Pederson Fox


Residential: 157 units


Retail: 2,088 s.f. (194 sqm)


Height: 792ft (241m)


Floors: 58


September 12:



Gerard said:


> ^^ It grew up a little bit more. Put the picture here especially for the lazy people.



Rendering:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 111 Murray St*

^^ That's an old construction picture, it looks like this now:


















posted by JC_heights on Yimby


----------



## erbse

Parts of the NYC metro area are still very car-reliant.
This map shows how commuters get to Manhattan:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - d'Orsay - 211 West 14th Street*





























City Realty


----------



## geoking66

*121 East 22nd Street* | Flatiron District

Project facts


Address: 121 E 22nd Street


Status: Proposed


Developer: Toll Brothers


Architect: OMA/SLCE


Residential: 133 units


Retail: 12,125 s.f. (1,126 sqm)


Floors: 18


Rendering:


----------



## bodegavendetta

erbse said:


> Parts of the NYC metro area are still very car-reliant.
> This map shows how commuters get to Manhattan:


Interesting, where did you find this map?


----------



## streetscapeer

*Soho - 134 Wooster Street*

*Construction Underway on Morris Adjmi-Designed SoHo Office Building at 134 Wooster Street*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 56 Fulton Street*

*23-Story, 120-Unit Mixed-Use Building Close To Topping Out*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - Turkey Consulate - 821 First Avenue*

*Turkey Files Plans For 35-Story Consulate And Apartments At 821 First Avenue*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 200 Amsterdam Avenue*

*Permits Filed: 200 Amsterdam Avenue, Upper West Side’s Tallest Building*


----------



## JohnDee

streetscapeer said:


> Moving Amtrak from Penn station has to help alleviate _some_ congestion.
> Widening the new LIRR concourse at 33rd Street to three-times its current 25 feet (which will also have higher ceilings) has to alleviate _some_ congestion
> Having LIRR platform access from Moynihan has to alleviate _some_ congestion
> Having some LIRR go to Grand Central with East Side Access has to alleviate _some_ congestion
> 
> 
> Once again the negative nancies have come out the woodwork to complain about every positive incremental change that isn't a complete overhaul. A complete redesign of Penn is coming, hold your horses. In the meantime, these projects do help some (especially for a "measly" $1.6 billion)


Yes, many were obviously hoping for a complete redesign that would rival the old Penn station, which is obviously unrealistic at the current time. I'm not surprised at all at the reactions because there are so many people who expect the moon after the loss of the old Penn. That won't be happening anytime soon because of MSG, and the Governor doesn't seem interested. So it's a decent stop-gap measure until that hopefully eventually happens .


----------



## phoenixboi08

JohnDee said:


> Yes, many were obviously hoping for a complete redesign that would rival the old Penn station, which is obviously unrealistic at the current time. I'm not surprised at all at the reactions because there are so many people who expect the moon after the loss of the old Penn. That won't be happening anytime soon because of MSG, and the Governor doesn't seem interested. So it's a decent stop-gap measure until that hopefully eventually happens .


This isn't a "new Penn," anyways. The media just likes to embellish. 

It's just the next step in adding capacity, and allowing for future reconfiguration of the existing station. 

Moynihan (Farley) has been on the drawing board since 1996, the west concourse secured financing in 2010 (began construction 3 years or so, ago, and will finish, this year), and the ESD was created to work with relevant stakeholders in completing the "Empire Station Complex," which is the envisioned rebuilt Penn, Moynihan-Farley, and Penn South-Gateway. 

This is simply one piece of the puzzle; a means to an end, if you will.


----------



## JohnDee

phoenixboi08 said:


> This isn't a "new Penn," anyways. The media just likes to embellish.
> 
> It's just the next step in adding capacity, and allowing for future reconfiguration of the existing station.
> 
> Moynihan (Farley) has been on the drawing board since 1996, the west concourse secured financing in 2010 (began construction 3 years or so, ago, and will finish, this year), and the ESD was created to work with relevant stakeholders in completing the "Empire Station Complex," which is the envisioned rebuilt Penn, Moynihan-Farley, and Penn South-Gateway.
> 
> This is simply one piece of the puzzle; a means to an end, if you will.


Yeah, I've been following the project for years from the beginning.


----------



## Architecture lover

streetscapeer said:


> *Permits Filed: 200 Amsterdam Avenue, Upper West Side’s Tallest Building*


This one is extremely beautiful and I really like the smaller building next to the skyscraper, the one with stone sides and glass on the front part, are they part from the same complex?


----------



## JohnDee

streetscapeer said:


> *Turkey Files Plans For 35-Story Consulate And Apartments At 821 First Avenue*


This one is great. Something pretty novel too as you dont see these kind of buildings much in NY but they are coming more and more often now.


----------



## Torch

*151 Maiden Lane And One Seaport Rising Quickly, Financial District*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/09/151-maiden-lane-and-one-seaport-rising-quickly-financial-district.html









Photo by Rich Brome

Renderings of 151 Maiden Lane:









Peter Poon Architects









Peter Poon Architects

full article


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 200 East 59th St*

*35-Story, 67-Unit Mixed-Use Tower Rises Above Street Level*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Drawing/Render*

mchlanglo793 on Yimby posted this drawing he made in four hours without tracing. It shows 99 Hudson (Jersey City's future tallest currently U/C), 45 Broad, 125 Greenwich St, and 2WTC (Foster's design because he loves that the most).


----------



## Luca9A8M

*20 Times Square* - September 28, 2016









20 Times Sq by tectonic Photo, on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*436 Albee Square* - September 23, 2016









436 Albee Sq by tectonic Photo, on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Vagelos Education Center* - September 22, 2016









CU Vagelos Education Center by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









CU Vagelos Education Center by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









CU Vagelos Education Center by tectonic Photo, on Flickr


----------



## TowerVerre:)

^^I love this building, maybe my favourite this year designwise.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - 247 Cherry Street*

*More Renders of 983ft (300m) rental tower*








































































Curbed


----------



## ThatOneGuy

That green terra-cotta(?) should look interesting.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards District - 509 West 38th Street*

*Bjarke Ingels's Hudson Yards skyscraper is officially moving forward*

The 65-story building will stand *1,005-feet* 




> Developer Tishman Speyer filed plans for The Spiral on Thursday, The Real Deal reports. The 1,005-foot behemoth will rise at 509 West 34th Street and will stand 65-stories tall when its complete


----------



## streetscapeer

ThatOneGuy said:


> That green terra-cotta(?) should look interesting.


Yes, it will be terracota!


----------



## Architecture lover

ThatOneGuy said:


> That green terra-cotta(?) should look interesting.


I agree. The contrast with the neighboring tower is quite nice, anyhow, once the bronze on One Manhattan Square changes to turquoise, the contrast will somehow disappear. I wonder if there is any way to make the bronze shiny, without too expensive maintenance.


----------



## Architecture lover

I must say I'm impressed, that's one of his best projects. But they'll have to use quality materials otherwise the effect might be the opposite. For example at first I liked VIA 57 West, but I wasn't impressed with the realization even though I liked the concept.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 319 Schermerhorn Street*









Curbed



FW4A2090 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hunts Point, The Bronx - The Peninsula - 1221 Spofford Ave*

*Notorious Bronx juvenile center will transform into affordable housing, community space*



> The massive mixed-use project will include more than 700 affordable apartments and plenty of open space.
> 
> This major transformation will include 740 units of affordable housing, 52,000 square feet of open and recreational space, 49,000 square feet of light industrial space, 48,000 square for community facilities, and 21,000 square feet of retail space. A bakery, bank and supermarket are slated to be included in the retail space.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - Park and Shore - 75 Park Lane*

*Jersey City will get two ‘ultra-luxury’ condo towers*



> Park and Shore recently broke ground and will bring a total of 429 residences to the Hudson River waterfront


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - The Oosten - 429 Kent Ave*



























































Penthouse Views





































More at Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 213 Jay Street*









213 Jay Street, rendering by Woods Bagot









Skyrise Cities



























Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 117 Livingston St*









Yimby


















Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 300 Livingston St*









33 Bond Street, image from TF Cornerstone




































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - Performing Arts Center*











Demo progression from Sep 22nd - Oct 22nd









Posted by Thomas K at Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - Domino Sugar Factory*

*New looks at Williamsburg’s Domino Sugar Factory’s future as The Refinery*



> 380,000-square-foot office space
> 
> *Because the Domino Sugar Refinery is an exterior landmark, the 19th-century red-brick facade must stay in place*; however, the offices within will be encased in “an entirely new glass and steel structure,” with the potential of incorporating elements of the building’s industrial past—exposed brick, ceiling beams, and the like—into the new offices.
> 
> *There will also be four separate terraces on the building totaling 34,000 square feet, along with ground-floor retail, an open plaza at the front of the building, and “direct access” to some of the Domino megaproject’s public amenities, including an enormous waterfront park and a new ferry landing.*
> 
> If all goes according to plan, the Refinery would be completed by *2018*, though that’s dependent on a tenant moving on it sooner than later. Check out more renderings below.



















































Possible interior fit-outs


----------



## Bronxwood

Luca9A8M said:


> *620 Fulton Street* - October 26, 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 620 Fulton by tectonic Photo, on Flickr
> 
> The project:


What a magnificent result, turned out exactly like in the render. Finally Downtown Brooklyn is witnessing much higher quality builds as we can see from the updates posted on this page, as opposed to the trash seen in the last decade (ie The Brooklyner).


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Just realized the dot of the 'i' in the Domino sign is missing. You'd think they could put one more support beam for it.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*300 Ashland* - October 26, 2016









300 Ashland by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*City Tech* - October 26, 2016









City Tech by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Nexis

Mini Update from October 29


hosted on smugmug

World Trade Center 1 
World Trade Center 3
World Trade Center Hub
50 West Street 
56 Leonard Street 
10 Hudson Yards 
Empire State Building 
New York Times Building


----------



## Teslatron

ThatOneGuy said:


> Just realized the dot of the 'i' in the Domino sign is missing. You'd think they could put one more support beam for it.


The brand does not have the dot. They used to have it ~100 years ago, but now they use a star. I'm pretty sure the Brooklyn building never had the dot.


----------



## Architecture lover

streetscapeer said:


> *New looks at Williamsburg’s Domino Sugar Factory’s future as The Refinery*


That's such a nice project, I love the towers next to the factory.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn -- 416-420 Kent Ave*








































































Credit: http://www.dezeen.com/2016/04/22/42...lliamsburg-brooklyn-waterfront-new-york-city/






















Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 220 Central Park South*


















6sqft



@marcodegennarophotos




@livejn


@maggiehuangnyc


@matthewchimeraphotography


----------



## Bronxwood

Livejns' photos are always fascinating. Crazy kid.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*850 Sixth Avenue (50 West 30th Street)* - November 2, 2016









850 6th Avenue by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Hindustani

C4creeper said:


> Someone really needs to consider building a supertall on the upper side of Manhattan, just imagine viewing Central Park, Midtown and lower Manhattan from one perspective.


I am not sure what the rules are regarding 500m supertalls in uptown Manhattan and nearby La Guardia Airport in Queens. 

there maybe some height restrictions.


----------



## Manitopiaaa

streetscapeer said:


> Looks lovely


I hope the Trinity Church gets no tenant and this proposal goes nowhere. That's what they deserve for destroying the old historic gem that used to sit here.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*115 Delancey Street* - November 2, 2016









115 Delancey by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









115 Delancey by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









115 Delancey by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









115 Delancey by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*242 Broome Street* - November 2, 2016









242 Broome by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*EŌS (855 Sixth Avenue)* - November 2, 2016









EOS by tectonic Photo, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 412 West 15th Street*

*18-Story Office Building Rises At 412 West 15th Street In Meatpacking District
*


----------



## streetscapeer

@craigsbeds










@thejacquescohen


----------



## erbse

*Uptown's New Tallest?*



Hindustani said:


> I am not sure what the rules are regarding 500m supertalls in uptown Manhattan and nearby La Guardia Airport in Queens.
> 
> there maybe some height restrictions.


Btw, what's the tallest tower in Uptown Manhattan (or Harlem) currently?

Wiki says the record holder was the brutalist dump called Harlem State Office Building.

Obviously *1800 Park Avenue* is set to become the new tallest in Uptown Manhattan / Harlem soon?
The site was acquired this June and probably gets "affordable residential units". See here.

Former renders (2015):























































Source and article: http://ny.curbed.com/2015/2/17/9991250/harlems-tallest-tower-wont-be-as-tall-as-originally-planned


I'd prefer either something more edgy or more classical with stone-clad facades.
Maybe a art-deco-refined version of the *Hotel Theresa*, Uptown's tallest tower for quite a long time (built 1913 by German stockbroker Gustavus Sidenberg):









Theresa Hotel, Harlem by Matthew X. Kiernan, auf Flickr


----------



## erbse

Your stalking starts to get truly annoying, "Architecture lover". Go play elsewhere.


----------



## MarshallKnight

erbse said:


> Obviously *1800 Park Avenue* is set to become the new tallest in Uptown Manhattan / Harlem soon?


Not sure about the current status (this is a very contentious development), but the tallest of the trio going up at the East River Plaza -- the mall between 117th and 119th along the river -- should be taller than 1800 Park:


----------



## bodegavendetta

erbse said:


> Btw, what's the tallest tower in Uptown Manhattan (or Harlem) currently?


My guess would be the Riverside Park Apartments which is 404 feet tall. There's also Riverside Church which at 392 feet is close behind but is much prettier.


----------



## bodegavendetta

*165-Unit Mixed-Use Project To Have Larger Grocery Store, Deeper Affordability, 120 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/11/165...ffordability-120-fifth-avenue-park-slope.html












> BY: REID WILSON 12:00 PM ON NOVEMBER 3, 2016
> After months of negotiations with the community, developer Avery Hall Investments has agreed to amendments to its two-building, mixed-use development planned at 120 Fifth Avenue, located on the corner of Baltic Street in Park Slope. When the plans were initially presented in February, YIMBY reported that the 196,000-square-foot project would include 165 residential units and 52,000 square feet of retail. Twenty-five percent, or 41 units, would rent at below-market rates through a lottery and 7,500 square feet of the retail space would be designated for a grocery store.
> 
> Now, those* 41 affordable units will have a wider range of affordability and a 22,000 square feet of retail will be designated for the grocery store*, DNAinfo reported. A request for proposals (RFP) will be launched to find a grocer that offers variety in regard to foods and prices. *The two buildings will remain at seven and six stories in height*. A Key Foods store must first be demolished. Multiple city agencies and the community board must first approve the project. *Groundbreaking is tentatively expected in 2017, with completion coming two years later*.


----------



## bodegavendetta

*Revealed: 17-Story Office Building Planned At 43 West 47th Street, In Midtown’s Diamond District*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/11/rev...e-building-for-midtowns-diamond-district.html





















> BY: REBECCA BAIRD-REMBA 7:30 AM ON NOVEMBER 3, 2016
> In June, pawn shop owner Boris Aronov filed plans for a *220-foot-tall office building at 43 West 47th Street*, in the block-long Diamond District in Midtown. Now, YIMBY has renderings for the development, which will replace a pair of smaller buildings between Fifth and Sixth avenues.
> 
> Designed by Marin Architects, the* 17-story development will host 58,000 square feet of offices and stores*. Glassed-in retail will fill the first two floors, and the rest of the building will be devoted to office space.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 211 West 28th Street*



























City realty


----------



## Architecture lover

^^ Great project with great choose of materials, however I think it should be shorter, but it's still a great project.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

>


Woah I almost didn't see that ugly tower in the background! That camouflage is really effective.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Murray Hill - 685 1st Ave*




































Curbed











posted by Sidestreet @yimby









Tectonic


----------



## Nexis

Update from Yesterday November 7th

*Good Morning Skyline*



World Trade Center 3
319 Tenth Avenue
55 Hudson Yards
30 Hudson Yards 
Central Park Tower
Empire State Building
Via 57th
Riverside Mega Center

Some night photos taken from Hoboken


----------



## streetscapeer

@lightsensitivity









@thousand.visions


----------



## streetscapeer

*Bushwick, Brooklyn - Bushwick II - Former Rheingold Brewery Site*

































































http://ny.curbed.com/2016/11/18/13677962/all-year-management-bushwick-rheingold-brewery-development


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - Pier 55*



> *55 of the total 535 concrete columns that will support the park over the Hudson River have now been put in place...*
> 
> ...The landscape architect for the project, Signe Nielsen, told the WSJ that the park will have 115 trees, and about two dozen of them will be 40-feet high when they’re planted. There will also be 400 species of plants growing on the 2.4-acre park. These trees and plants will create somewhat of a sound barrier for the 750-seat amphitheater that will be located on the island.

























































6sqft


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Nice to see they've also started renovating the art deco pier next door.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 515 West 29th St*





































posted by JC Heights on Yimby


----------



## DiogoBaptista

DiogoBaptista said:


> *SIZA MATTERS*
> *First look at Pritzker Prize winner Alvaro Siza's 400-foot Midtown tower.*
> 
> http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=8473#.VqeTWpqLTIV
> 
> The Architect’s Newspaper has a first look at Pritzker Prize–winning Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza’s first United States project, a 34-story, 400-foot ultra-luxury residential tower in Midtown Manhattan.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> COURTESY NOE & ASSOCIATES AND THE BOUNDARY
> 
> New York–based luxury real-estate development firms Sumaida + Khurana and LENY commissioned Siza to build 611 West 56th Street in Hell’s Kitchen. The tower will have 80 units and will feature a landscaped roof garden, a sun deck, and several private terraces. It will also feature amenities such as a private swimming pool, state-of-the-art spa and fitness center, children’s playroom, screening room, and an entertainment space.
> 
> “Álvaro Siza is one of the world’s most celebrated architects. We are honored to be working with Siza on his first building in the United States and believe that this project will capture the elegance and profound subtlety that is at the heart of his work. His sensitivity and collaborative mentality is teaching us as much about humanity as architecture,” Amit Khurana, founding partner at Sumaida + Khurana, said.
> 
> The building will be a new project type for the architect, as he has built only one other similarly tall tower, the 519-foot-tall New Orleans tower in Rotterdam, Netherlands. This new tower, however, is more subtle and refined, akin to Siza’s early structures like the Boa Nova Tea House and Piscinas de Marés in Portugal. The design for 611 West 56th Street features a subdued crown that tops an elegant gridded base.
> 
> The tower will be the second project in Sumaida + Khurana’s portfolio of seminal buildings built by renowned architects with a particular attention to detail and craft. The other was 152 Elizabeth Street, the first New York building by Japanese architect Tadao Ando.
> 
> Michael Gabellini and Kimberly Sheppard will work with Siza to design the building’s interiors. New York–based SLCE Architects will serve as the architect of record. Construction will begin summer 2016, and the building is expected to be complete in 2019.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 360 East 89th Street*


















Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 213 Jay Street*









213 Jay Street, rendering by Woods Bagot









Skyrise Cities





































posted by 5BFilms on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 207 West 79th Street*










































*Views of the Upper West Side from the top*





































Yimby


----------



## Demos-cratos

American Cities Vs Europeans Cities, why it's so different ? 

Great documentary here :


----------



## Luca9A8M

*207 West 79th Street* - November 18, 2016









207 W.79th by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*221 West 77th Street* - November 18, 2016









221 W77th by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Kent (200 East 95th Street)* - November 18, 2016









The Kent by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

Double post


----------



## Luca9A8M

*2230 Broadway* - November 18, 2016









2230 Broadway by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Sloan Kettering* - November 18, 2016









Sloan Kettering by tectonic Photo, on Flickr


----------



## Weissenberg

221 West 77th Street, 20 East End Ave, 70 Charlton, 121 East 22nd Street, The Chamberlain... so many great fillings. :drool:


----------



## civil facts

*33-Story, 271-Key AC Hotel Now 10 Stories Up At 151 Maiden Lane, Financial District*








Construction is now 10 stories above street level on the 33-story, 271-key AC Hotel, a Marriott brand, under development at 151 Maiden Lane, located on the corner of Front Street in the Financial District. The progress can be seen thanks to a photo posted to the YIMBY Forums. The latest building permits indicate the structure will measure 139,891 square feet and stand 336 feet to its pinnacle at the top of the bulkhead. Retail space will occupy some of the ground floor and hotel rooms will be located on the third through 30th floors. LCRE Group is the developer and Pizzarotti-IBC is building the project. Peter F. Poon’s SoHo-based architecture firm is the architect. Completion is expected in the summer of 2017.


----------



## sbarn

Luca9A8M said:


> *221 West 77th Street* - November 18, 2016


This is a different project, 210 West 77th Street:









NY Yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

^^
Thanks kay:, now is correct.


----------



## Hudson11

ThatOneGuy said:


> Nice to see they've also started renovating the art deco pier next door.


*Pier 57 *- Renovation by RXR Realty

http://www.rxrrealty.com/property/development/pier-57/





















> [...]
> The Pier, originally constructed in 1952, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, in large part because of the innovative engineering techniques that keep it afloat. Just below the water, three large concrete caissons support the main structure in lieu of traditional piles. Furthermore, these underwater containers serve as unique occupiable basement spaces, unlike at other piers.
> [...]
> RXR is seeking to create a vibrant and culturally rich experience, with a dynamic mix of office, retail, and public space, including a full wrap-around apron at water level and a landscaped rooftop park with breathtaking views of Manhattan’s West Side and the Hudson River. Pier 57 promises to be an ideal place to work, play, or relax with a drink while watching the sunset.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - Waterline Square*
























































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 242 West 53rd St (The Roseland)*









Yimby





















posted by VG on Yimby









posted by nyc1 on Yimby









posted by VG on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown West - 606 West 57th St*





























Tectonic









posted by JC_heights on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*35 Hudson Yards*


















Credit: http://www.6sqft.com/related-launches-hudson-yards-living-website-with-new-renderings/








































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown West - 1 Manhattan West*



























Credit: http://ny.curbed.com/2016/5/26/11785790/manhattan-west-renderings-brookfield-midtown-megaproject









https://www.brookfieldproperties.com/development/





























Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 23 Park Row*































































City Realty









Posted by RW on Yimby


----------



## hateman

CookFox always does something interesting. It's a little hard to believe the final product is going to have such an irregular shape though. The materials and details look good though.


----------



## civil facts

*Related Companies Plans Affordable Housing At 19-14 20th Avenue In Astoria*








As mega-developer Related Companies finishes construction on its first buildings at Hudson Yards in Manhattan, the firm led by Stephen Ross is pushing forward with a small affordable development for veterans in northeastern Astoria, near the East River waterfront.

Related scooped up the seven-building, affordable Marine Terrace complex for $121 million in June. The company plans to preserve below-market rents at the sprawling 1940s rental development and erect two new buildings at its northern edge. Marine Terrace consists of three- and four-story brick walkups and spans several blocks between Shore Boulevard, 20th Avenue, 21st Street, and 21st Avenue.

Related has filed applications for the first of those new buildings at 19-14 20th Avenue, between 19th and 20th Streets. The pair of low-income rental buildings will replace a row of single-story garages across the street from Con Ed’s huge generating station. The four-story development will hold 21 apartments across 21,580 square feet of residential space, for typical units measuring 1,027 square feet. While plans have not yet been filed for the second building, it will have 32 apartments—for a total of 53 low-income units, DNAinfo reported in August.

The ground floor will have a community room, gym, and bike storage, followed by seven units on each of the upper floors.

Gran Kriegel Architects and Planners are designing the buildings.

Eighty percent of the apartments will rent to veterans, and 20 percent of the units will go to formerly homeless vets. The apartments will rent to individuals who earn no more than 60 percent of the Area Median Income, and rents will max out at $1,020 a month, according to Astoria Post.

Then Related will revamp Marine Terrace’s 444 older apartments. The units will remain below market, thanks to Section 8 subsidies. And the developer will put in new kitchens, bathrooms, floors, and 5,400 square feet of community and amenity space. The company expects to break ground on the new buildings on 20th Avenue next summer.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Soho - 529 Broadway - Nike Store*

On November 18th, Nike opened a *five-story 55,000-square-foot* space loaded with technology, from 3D-printed decorations (pictured above) to a Kinect-powered basketball court. 

The recently completed building is leased entirely to Nike












































































































Field Condition









Engadget


----------



## streetscapeer

*3 WTC*

*3 WTC from Brooklyn*
































jukerr


----------



## Luca9A8M

streetscapeer said:


> On November 18th, Nike opened a *five-story 55,000-square-foot* space loaded with technology, from 3D-printed decorations (pictured above) to a Kinect-powered basketball court.
> 
> The recently completed building is leased entirely to Nike


This building is lovely :cheers:


----------



## bodegavendetta

*Seven-Story, 16-Unit Residential-Hotel Project Filed At 144 Barrow Street, West Village*
http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/11/sev...-filed-at-144-barrow-street-west-village.html












> BY: REID WILSON 1:00 PM ON NOVEMBER 29, 2016
> 
> William Gottlieb Real Estate has filed applications for a *seven-story, 16-unit mixed-use building at 144 Barrow Street* located a few steps from the Hudson River in the West Village. The project will measure *26,684 square feet and rise 80 feet above street level*. The ground floor will feature a restaurant, along with separate lobbies for the residential and hotel components. The second and third floors will host the hotel, which will have five suites and an outdoor terrace. The residential units, averaging 878 square feet apiece, will be located across the fourth through seventh floors. *Morris Adjmi Architects is the architect of record*. The 4,998-square-foot site is occupied by a single-story warehouse. *Demolition permits were filed in August*.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Murray Hill - 591 3rd Ave*



























City Realty


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Waldorf Astoria - 301 Park Ave*

*First Possible Renderings of the Waldorf Astoria's Monumental Conversion, Opulent Interiors Remain Intact*




> Plans are being finalized to convert a portion of the 44-story hotel into high-end condominiums and upgrade the remaining rooms into a five-star facility offering unparalleled customer experience. *The three-year overhaul is set to begin next year with the hotel slated to close on March 1, 2017
> ...
> 
> Building permit applications were filed earlier this month and detail the building’s room count will be shaved down to 840-keys between the 5th and 12th floors. Above, starting on the 14th floor, 321 commodious residences and world-class amenities will be added*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 620 Fulton and 590 Fulton*









Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*30 Hudson Yards*


















@franksly67









@hrenewyork









@hrenewyork


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenpoint, Brooklyn - The Greenpoint - 21 India Street*





















From Field Condition
































Views from the first condo floor


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 60 Fulton St*





























posted by rbrome on Yimby


----------



## C4creeper

It's nice to know that that hideous parking garage was demolished.


----------



## civil facts

*42-Story, 1,028-Unit Mixed-Use Complex Rises To 17th Floor At 606 West 57th Street, Hell’s Kitchen*

Construction is now up to the 17th floor on the 42-story, 1,028-unit mixed-use complex under development at 606 West 57th Street, located on a large portion of the block bounded by West 56th and 57th streets and 11th and 12th avenues in Hell’s Kitchen. Progress can be seen thanks to photos posted to the YIMBY Forums.

The latest building permits indicate the project will encompass 1,054,847 square feet and rise 440 feet to its highest roof. There will be 37,463 square feet of ground-floor retail space, followed by residential units on floors two through 42. The apartments should average 935 square feet apiece and 220 of them, or roughly 21 percent of the total, will rent at below-market rates through the affordable housing lottery. TF Cornerstone is the developer and Arquitectonica is the design architect. SLCE Architects is the executive architect and completion is expected in 2018.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - One Vanderbilt*

*Manhattan to Get 1,020-Foot Skydeck Near Grand Central Terminal*

*Observatory at SL Green’s 1 Vanderbilt will be fifth in NYC*
























> New York visitors are going to have another choice for a high-altitude view of the city.
> 
> SL Green Realty Corp. is set to announce today that 1 Vanderbilt, the office skyscraper it’s building just west of Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal, will have an indoor-outdoor observation deck more than 1,000 feet (305 meters) above the street. Foundation work has begun for the Midtown tower, set to be New York’s second-tallest at 1,401 feet and slated for completion in 2020.
> 
> 
> The skydeck will join those at the Empire State Building, 1 World Trade Center downtown, the “Top of the Rock” at 30 Rockefeller Center, and one planned for 30 Hudson Yards that’s scheduled to be ready in 2019. SL Green expects its deck will be a “very high-margin business,” as the Empire State Building’s two observatories have been, said Rob Schiffer, a managing director at the company and the point person for the One Vanderbilt project.
> 
> “What could differentiate us is an experience that is unrivaled amongst the competing observation decks,” Schiffer said in an interview. “First and foremost is our location. Grand Central Terminal is one of the most highly visited attractions in New York and the world.”
> 
> 
> The deck will be directly connected to the train hub -- whose vaulted ceiling and Beaux Arts architecture draw tourists as well as daily commuters -- with an entrance down a hallway from Grand Central’s main concourse. *Plans are being developed by Montreal-based GSM Project*, which designed decks at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building, and London’s Shard tower.
> 
> Schiffer declined to say what SL Green, New York’s largest office landlord, plans to charge for a visit the observatory, nor would he estimate how much revenue it’s expected to generate.
> 
> Observatories have been a lucrative business at Midtown’s Empire State Building. According to reports by landlord Empire State Realty Trust, annual revenue from the tower’s two decks -- one on the 86th floor, the other on the 102nd -- grew almost 40 percent since 2011 and continued to increase even after the opening last year of One World Observatory at 1 World Trade Center in lower Manhattan.
> 
> “The ESB observatory has proved quite resilient in the face of new competition at 1 WTC, with results holding up much better than we expected,” Jed Reagan, an analyst at real estate research firm Green Street Advisors LLC, said in an e-mail. “The continued success of the business underscores the power of the Empire State Building’s global brand.”
> 
> Competing Observatories
> 
> Still, there may be a limit to tourist demand, according to Reagan. “One has to wonder how much bigger the NYC observatory market pie can really grow,” he said.
> 
> *The outdoor platform at 1 Vanderbilt will offer views from 1,020 feet. That compares with the 1,100-foot outdoor deck planned at 30 Hudson Yards on the far west side, which developer Related Cos. has called the city’s highest. One World Observatory is higher at 1,268 feet, but it is entirely indoors.*
> 
> *Helping to set 1 Vanderbilt apart will be its proximity to the Chrysler Building, one of New York’s architectural jewels, as well as the Empire State Building, Schiffer of SL Green said.*
> 
> “Think of how beautiful that will be at night when the Chrysler is fully lit, to be up in the sky looking at its majestic facade,” he said.











posted JCheights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - The Noma - 50 West 30th Street*









Curbed










Tectonic


----------



## MarshallKnight

schostabur said:


> ...well, good point but i dont feel the drama there.


I understand what you mean, mostly because they're all in a row, and everything around them is so low-rise it creates sort of a "gap tooth" effect. Hopefully some mid-rise filler rises near by so it's not just a row of monoliths -- it's probably too much to hope for highrises/skyscrapers to go up any further inland in the LES given how violently opposed the neighborhood is to that kind of development. But time will tell. As is, it's a good start in terms of growing the downtown Manhattan skyline northward (and I expect it will look the most awesome when viewed with TriBeCa and FiDi in the background.)



erbse said:


> Great progress around Hudson Yards!
> 
> Will they also build a sand-/limestone facade there?


According to this keynote by Stephen Ross (which is great overview of the development for anyone not familiar)...






...there will be 3-4 stone or stone-and-glass facade buildings in the cluster: 50 HY by Norman Foster, 35 HY by David Childs, and Robert AM Stern is designing twin residential towers in the Western Yards (I believe it's the building on the south of the site, with the school abutting the High Line), which if history tells us anything will almost definitely be limestone.

Add to that the black metal paneling of 55 HY, 10 HY's stone columns, the brick residential mid-rises to the south, Heatherwick's brassy Vessel sculpture, more as-yet-unnanounced buildings and sculptures in the Western Yards, and whatever Frank Gehry comes up with for his curvy twins, there will be no shortage of interesting materials at play.

Edit: It's actually not 100% clear which of the Western Yards buildings Frank Gehry is going to be doing. It is possible he's actually doing the office tower, and Bernardo Fort-Brescia of Arquitectonica will do the curvy twins, or vice versa. Looking forward to more info on that.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens*


r_161126425_beat0079_a by Mitch Waxman, on Flickr


----------



## Fotografer




----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 111 Murray St*



























Dezeen





*New high res render:*
























































Tectonic



a little old:









@oneworldtrade


----------



## streetscapeer

*South Street Seaport District - One Seaport*























































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - Ellipse - 25 14th Street*






























Tectonic









posted JC_heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 210 Livingston St*




































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - 215 Chrystie St*




























Tectonic


----------



## Luca9A8M

*St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church* - 4 December, 2016









St Nick by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









St Nick by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*100 Barrow* - 4 December, 2016









100 Barrow by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*152 Elizabeth Street* - 4 December, 2016









152 Elizabeth Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*70 Vestry Street* - 4 December, 2016









70 Vestry Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









70 Vestry Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









70 Vestry Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Times Square - 701 Seventh Ave*

































































@hiimwang


----------



## Luca9A8M

*160 Leroy Street* - 4 December, 2016









160 Leroy Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









160 Leroy Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









160 Leroy Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









160 Leroy Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









160 Leroy Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









160 Leroy Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









160 Leroy Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









160 Leroy Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## yankeesfan1000

^ There are a handful of other sites within a block or so of that building. One on Barrow that's wrapping up, another on Barrow where permits were just filled, a new public school on Morton, a conversion of an old previously abandoned warehouse into lofts on Morton, a new rental building on Clarkson, and a about a half dozen new townhouses being built as part of a single new development also on Clarkson. 

That's likely just the beginning as well, as UPS and Fed Ex have enormous foot prints in this neighborhood. UPS has a building that is the size of four full city blocks, and Fed Ex has another 2 or 3 full city block facilities. I can't imagine they'll be able to justify the immense hard costs of keeping those facilities for much longer.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 45 Broad Street*

Supertall 1,127ft (344m)























Still waiting for higher quality renderings but for now there's a Tractor on site










posted by Brooklyn on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 24 Leonard St*

*More limestone infill*





























City Realty




*Replacing this*


----------



## streetscapeer

*West Village - 127 Leroy St*






















Prep












The immediate area has a lot of activity









City Realty


^^


yankeesfan1000 said:


> ^ *There are a handful of other sites within a block or so of that building*. One on Barrow that's wrapping up, another on Barrow where permits were just filled, a new public school on Morton, a conversion of an old previously abandoned warehouse into lofts on Morton, a new rental building on Clarkson, and a about a half dozen new townhouses being built as part of a single new development also on Clarkson.
> 
> That's likely just the beginning as well, as UPS and Fed Ex have enormous foot prints in this neighborhood. UPS has a building that is the size of four full city blocks, and Fed Ex has another 2 or 3 full city block facilities. I can't imagine they'll be able to justify the immense hard costs of keeping those facilities for much longer.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Nice find! It's just another neighborhood out of hundreds with a handful of small projects.


----------



## streetscapeer

*50 Hudson Yards*

*Supertall 985ft (300m)*




> The 58-story building will take up an entire city block and so far investment management firm BlackRock has signed on to lease 850,000 square feet at the building spread out over 15 floors. While the main entrance to the building will be located on the northwest corner of 33rd Street and Tenth Avenue, it will be accessible on all four sides. Tenants of the building will have connections to the Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards, the observation deck at 30 Hudson Yards next door, and a direct connection to the 7 train.



From Hudson Park and Blvd:


















From 10th Ave:

















www.hudsonyards.com


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards overview*











































@HudsonYards


----------



## Luca9A8M

*15 Lafayette Avenue* - 7 December, 2016









15 Lafayette Avenue by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

@HudsonYards[/QUOTE]


..Are the entire tracks gonna be covered up in the future?


----------



## MarshallKnight

BLACK DAHLIA said:


> =
> ..Are the entire tracks gonna be covered up in the future?


Hey Dahlia, yeah, there's going to be a Phase II of the development over the Western yards, scheduled to start construction in a few years when the Eastern portion is winding down:









(Complete site rendering from KPF, with placeholders for Western Yards)









(Site plan referenced in the Stephen Ross Harvard keynote a couple weeks ago)

Things we know based on that Stephen Ross keynote:

The large building on the North side is an office tower, and the remaining buildings will be residential, built around parks and public sculptures. Robert Stern is designing the twin towers in the Southeastern corner of the site, which houses a school with an entrance at grade fronting 30th Street below the High Line. Frank Gehry and Bernardo Ford-Brescia are each designing one of the two towers directly North of that -- I believe Gehry will be doing the curvy residential in the center, and Ford-Brescia will be doing the office building, but that might be backwards. 

The two remaining towers (one of which straddles the High Line) don't have architects yet. Ross also mentioned a sixth structure designed by Heatherwick, which I think may be that smallish blue thing in the Northwest quadrant of the site, although that's my speculation.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

I hope they will also expand south onto those parking lots.

And that render looks amazing!!


----------



## Tower Dude

ThatOneGuy said:


> I hope they will also expand south onto those parking lots.


I think that site to the south will be reserved for Gateway ventilation but as 55 HY shows thats a movable feast. Also Phase II of the Tunnel Box needs to be completed before this gets under way, also i think that TBMs may be launched from this side and the jersey side to expedite tunnel construction. Related needs to have some Capital to bond against so expect these towers to open for a few years before phase II of HY starts construction.


----------



## MarshallKnight

^^ Great info!

Also, to ThatOneGuy's point, there was talk for a while of those lots just to the South of HY proper (if I recall correctly, between 30th and 28th) potentially getting upzoned to allow for taller buildings than the rest of Chelsea/Meatpacking currently allow. Anyone have an update on that? I'd love to see a couple 400-600 foot developments bridging the gap between the HY supertalls and the low rise neighborhoods around the High Line.


----------



## towerpower123

streetscapeer said:


> *More limestone infill*
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> 
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> *Replacing this*


This thing is beautiful, and is moving at a snail's pace. They are trying to reuse part of the old steel skeleton.


----------



## towerpower123

streetscapeer said:


> On November 18th, Nike opened a *five-story 55,000-square-foot* space loaded with technology, from 3D-printed decorations (pictured above) to a Kinect-powered basketball court.
> 
> The recently completed building is leased entirely to Nike
> 
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> Engadget


This Nike store is so busy that it is causing a hassle for the neighbors. :lol:
http://pix11.com/2016/11/27/new-nike-store-creates-chaos-in-soho-angers-neighbors/



> SOHO, Manhattan — A new Nike store that was expected to be a big hit has instead angered SoHo residents and created a crowding issue in the popular shopping area.
> 
> The New York Post reported that the 55,000 square-foot store, which opened on Nov. 18, has been drawing large and unruly crowds that clog sidewalks and block store entrances.
> 
> A number of SoHo residents are fed up with the new neighborhood nuisance at Broadway and Spring Street.
> 
> The Post quoted longtime SoHo resident Pete Davies, who said he heard “crazy screaming” and described the scene as “a nightclub” around 11:30 a.m. on the store’s opening day.
> 
> “I was sitting in my [home] office with the windows closed when all of a sudden I heard all this crazy screaming,” Davies told the Post. “It looked like a nightclub, not a store. There were big guys like bouncers out front yelling and pushing people.”
> 
> “It was a ridiculous mess. One of the most disruptive events of this type I’ve ever seen,” Davies said.
> 
> A doorman at a nearby Broadway building told the Post crowds blocked sidewalks in the area and even building entrances across the street from their sportswear destination.


----------



## Kopacz

They should recalibrate their 3D printers then because that building looks really cheap. Pretty much nothing on the facade is mounted in a straight line. Both horizontal and vertical panels don't seem properly aligned ...


----------



## erbse

They don't need to be "properly aligned" imho.
It doesn't look cheap, but much livelier than other contemporary structures.
We're just not used to the fact anymore that there might be new buildings that look a bit more organic and not perfectly sterile. And that there even is some kind of ornament on a new building, though I think they can do much better with this.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 625 Fulton Street*

*First Renderings of Rabsky Group's Soaring Brooklyn Office Tower Designed by Albo Liberis*



> A large Downtown Brooklyn development site at 625 Fulton Street is slated to receive one of Brooklyn’s largest office buildings. The parcel, bounded by Rockwell Place, Hudson, Fulton, and Lafayette streets, formerly held a drab, seven-story office building which Forest City Ratner razed in 2013. The lot was sold to Brooklyn-based Rabsky Group for $158 million, and a recent article from the Real Deal specifies* the developer intends to build a 36-story commercial skyscraper, upwards of 700,000 square feet of leasable space. To garner a tower of that size, Rabsky is in talks with City Planning to take advantage of a plaza bonus.*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - City Point Phase 3*

*Brookyln's next tallest (692ft/210m)*















































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 520 Park Avenue*


















@m_bautista330


----------



## towerpower123

CityPoint Phase 3 will only be the tallest in Brooklyn for a few months or a year until the very tall and skinny SHOP tower is completed. 

Also, 625 Fulton Street is incredibly beautiful. Completely unbelievable that this is replacing this:








http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/brooklyn-development-site-acquired-1-million#


----------



## Luca9A8M

*300 Ashland* - 9 December, 2016









300 Asland Pl by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









300 Ashland Pl by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









300 Ashland Pl by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*213 Jay Street* - 9 December, 2016









203 Jay Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









203 Jay Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









203 Jay Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









203 Jay Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









203 Jay Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









203 Jay Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









203 Jay Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr









203 Jay Street by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*86 Fleet Place* - 9 December, 2016









86 Fleet Pl by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1 Flatbush Avenue* - 9 December, 2016









1 Flatbush by tectonic Photo, on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*220 Central Park South*

Rendering of 220 CPS and Central Park Tower from Broadway









@otie


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenwich Village - NYU expansion - 181 Mercer St*

*New York University reveals design for $1B 23-story building*



> It will cost a whopping $1 billion and host a bevy of uses, including 60 classrooms, common spaces, two cafes, practice/instruction rooms for the arts, three theaters, a giant athletic facility that’ll have four basketball courts and a six-lane lap pool, 30 to 60 faculty apartments, and a 420-bed freshman dorm....
> 
> ...The arts spaces break down into 50 practice rooms, 20 group and individual music instruction rooms, an orchestral ensemble room, and 10 multi-use practice rooms. One of the three performance spaces will be a 350-seat proscenium theater.
> 
> ...Construction is expected to begin in February and last until 2021.


----------



## towerpower123

That building is 200 feet wide and 400 feet long, double the base area of One WTC. No wonder why it is $1 Billion. It looks like a fantastic design and the current building on the site is nothing to cry about.








http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303918204577448632563524476
It replaces that 20 foot high box that is topped with tennis courts. The new building contains tons of athletic facilities as seen above.









http://nymag.com/guides/summer/2015/empty-tennis-court/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 15 East 30th St*

*756 ft*








































posted by RW on yimby


----------



## droneriot

Woah that slipped under my radar, very sweet design. Looks a bit like a simplified office tower version of 9 Dekalb aka 340 Flatbush.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - 259 Clinton St*

*Another huge tower for the growing Lower East Side skyline*












> The final piece of the puzzle fell into place this evening in an ambitious transformation of a stretch of the East River waterfront that will include more than t*wo-million square feet of mixed-use development and over 2,700 new apartments*. The last of three developers, Starrett Corp., briefed residents of a neighboring building tonight about their vision for a *62-story tower* at 259 Clinton St.
> 
> ...The building is being designed by Perkins-Eastman, an international architectural firm.
> 
> *The renderings you see here are preliminary representations of the building set to begin construction in 2018.*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - One Manhattan Square - 252 South Street*



























































New Penthouse rendering 





































ES8A9575 by Anton Repponen, on Flickr


----------



## bodegavendetta

*Random Development News*

*City's supportive housing effort gets a boost with 550 new units*
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/12/13/13937624/nyc-supportive-affordable-housing-mayor-bill-de-blasio


> The city has awarded 11 organizations contracts to provide 550 supportive apartments scattered throughout the five boroughs.
> 
> Organizations that are dedicated to addressing the issues facing New Yorkers in need were among those awarded contracts and include Urban Pathways, Unique People Services, Breaking Ground (formerly known as Common Ground Management), and A Center for Women Living with HIV.



*South Bronx waterfront due to get major infrastructure improvements*
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/12/12/13925220/south-bronx-waterfront-infrastructure-development\


> The city plans to spend $194 million to create a park, make the streets in the area more pedestrian-friendly, replace water and sewer lines, and improve high speed internet access in the surrounding areas.
> 
> Alterations will begin on Exterior Street, starting along the waterfront near the Madison Avenue Bridge. Projects include widening the sidewalks, adding bike lanes, improving the lighting, and replacing the sewer lines.
> 
> More details on the overall development, however, are not set in stone at the moment. Some estimates, including one from Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.’s office, say the development will bring 1,500 apartments to the area, but other estimates put it as high as 4,000 apartments. The Times reports that about 700 to 900 of the total units will be affordable.
> 
> The city’s Economic Development Corporation is expected to select a developer by the fall of 2017 with construction expected to get underway in 2019.



*ODA New York's Rheingold rental will have 100 affordable apartments*
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/12/14/13956832/rheingold-bushwick-oda-new-york-rental-affordable


> On Wednesday, the Rabsky Group, the developer behind the rental building at 10 Montieth Street announced that it would set aside 100 apartments to be offered as below market-rate units.
> 
> The eight-story building, which is just one of many projects in various stages of development at the Rheingold site, will span 400,000-square-feet and bring a total of 500 apartments to the neighborhood.
> 
> The number of affordable units were decided upon after the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development completed its review of 10 Montieth Street.


----------



## MarshallKnight

PublicSquare did this great video summarizing the massive boom in NYC and highlighting the new Central Park South/Billionaires Row skyline in particular.

Full version:





A version with just the renders and not all the other silly graphics:





And that doesn't even include huge projects like the Hudson Yards, One Vanderbilt (and the entire Midtown East rezoning), supertalls south of the ESB and north of 60th Street, or the whole new skylines forming in Brooklyn, Long Island City and New Jersey.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn - 251 Front Street*

*Revealed: Nine-Story Residential Building Seeking Rezoning At 251 Front Street, Vinegar Hill*




> The proposal calls for a *110,795-square-foot building with 95 apartments*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - d'Orsay - 211 West 14th Street*





























City realty


----------



## streetscapeer

MarshallKnight said:


> PublicSquare did this great video summarizing the massive boom in NYC and highlighting the new Central Park South/Billionaires Row skyline in particular.
> 
> Full version:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> " frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>


----------



## streetscapeer

*Second Ave Subway*

*Second Avenue Subway poised to open on New Year’s Eve*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Times Square - 701 Seventh Ave*






































ILNY


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 138 East 50th St*

*803ft (245m)*









Curbed


















ILNY


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown west - 1 Manhattan West*



























Credit: http://ny.curbed.com/2016/5/26/11785790/manhattan-west-renderings-brookfield-midtown-megaproject









https://www.brookfieldproperties.com/development/
















































ILNY










@_renovatio_









@bshaw_07


----------



## erbse

@701 Seventh Ave:
Too bad an old, classical building had to make way for that Marriott Hotel at Times Square.  In the future, they should rather integrate the old buildings into new complexes, or at least the facades.



















https://www.6sqft.com/times-squares...eaks-ground-will-boast-76000sf-of-food-space/



Generally speaking, many of the new skyscrapers would look much better with *setbacks* (compare Empire State Building, Chrysler, Woolworth, Rockefeller Center and other classics).

They should re-introduce a modern version of the *NY Zoning Resolution* for towers at a certain height (like starting at 200ft/60m).


----------



## streetscapeer

*Yonkers, NY - 22 Napperhan Street*

*Ground Broken For Two-Towered, 439-Unit Mixed-Use Project At 22 Napperhan Street, Yonkers*







































Curbed


----------



## Hindustani

http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/01/why-2016-will-be-the-manhattan-skylines-biggest-year-ever.html


----------



## C4creeper

Wasn't 220 Central Park South redesigned?


----------



## streetscapeer

C4creeper said:


> Wasn't 220 Central Park South redesigned?


yes, the design posted above is the old design


----------



## streetscapeer

*Preliminary Rendering of the new Lower East Side skyline*


http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2...eting-on-mega-towers-in-two-bridges-area.html


----------



## el palmesano

^^

awsome!!


----------



## Tower Dude

CHRIST ON A CRACKER THAT IS BEATIFUL!!


----------



## streetscapeer

*3WTC - Cladding progress*









Luke H. Gordon

Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art by Emil abu Milad, on Flickr

Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art by Emil abu Milad, on Flickr


----------



## Nexis

Upcoming Projects...

*This Week *

57th Street / Riverside Center 
Hudson Yards
The HighLine Corridor
Lower East Side
World Trade Center
Downtown Brooklyn 
Prospect Park
...
If my legs aren't sore...

Williamsburg 
Greenpoint
Long Island City

*---- Next Week*

Weehawken
Hoboken
Soho West - Jersey City
Newport - Jersey City
Historic Downtown Jersey City
Journal Square - Jersey City
Harrison
The Ironbound - Newark
Downtown Newark
Rahway

*---- 1st Week of January *

Upper East Side
Second Avenue Subway (all stations)
Roosevelt Island
Long Island City
Astoria
Core of Midtown
Harlem


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards*

Hudson Yards









ILNY


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens*

Long Island City Rising









svensmall


----------



## towerpower123

streetscapeer said:


> *Preliminary Rendering of the new Lower East Side skyline*
> 
> 
> http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2...eting-on-mega-towers-in-two-bridges-area.html


This is an amazing site, but the NIMBY's are shitting themselves over this.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 111 West 57th St*


















































ILNY said:


> From 6th Ave looking west


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown east - 138 East 50th St*



streetscapeer said:


> *803ft (245m)*
> 
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> Curbed
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> ILNY




*Mockup of the terra-cotta and glass facade*




























City Realty


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 15 Renwick*





















































































































More at Field Condition


----------



## pqmoore

*Resurrection of Queens' 5Pointz Now in Full Swing, See New Renderings of Common Areas*
_December 20, 2016 _


> When Queens-bound riders emerge from the 7 line’s subway tunnel, they are greeted by a rapidly diminishing view of the Manhattan skyline. Residential towers have sprung up like neatly planted hedges along the Long Island City waterfront, and as Manhattan continues to vomit high-value real estate, the towers are pushing further inland. Near the subway tunnel exit, David Wolkoff‘s G&M Holdings is constructing a massive 1.2 million square foot development on a full block site bounded by Jackson Avenue on one end and Sunnyside Railyards on the other. The complex replaces the 5Pointz warehouse whose graffiti-covered-everything was a familiar sight to riders and artists. To the dismay of many, the unofficial landmark was white-washed then demolished in 2013.






























More photos and info in the post here.


----------



## ophizer

streetscapeer said:


> *Preliminary Rendering of the new Lower East Side skyline*
> 
> 
> http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2...eting-on-mega-towers-in-two-bridges-area.html


oh boy, the nymbys will have a heart attack


----------



## Demos-cratos

J'adore  :carrot:

:dance:


----------



## Sheperd

Real estate boom in Newyork last seen in 2007.


----------



## droneriot

ophizer said:


> oh boy, the nymbys will have a heart attack


Mixing the initialism for New York with the NIMBY acronym is actually a cool idea: "New York, my back yard." I know it was probably a typo, but I like the idea.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - Ellipse - 25 14th Street*
















































posted JC_heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*30 Hudson Yards*




















posted by RW on Yimby

View From The 41st Floor @ L'Oréal / Coach Building, NYC by Steven J. Messina, on Flickr

View From The 41st Floor @ L'Oréal / Coach Building, NYC by Steven J. Messina, on Flickr

West Side Yard, NYC by Steven J. Messina, on Flickr

West Side Yard, NYC by Steven J. Messina, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*15 Hudson Yards and Culture Shed*









http://www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/TEN_TOPS/residential/15hy.jpg


































ILNY said:


> 10 Hudson Yards view will be gone soon.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 242 West 53rd St (The Roseland)*









Yimby



















by 5Bfilms on yimby









by me


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 105 West 28th St*

Lightstone lands $53M construction loan for 37-story Moxy hotel






































by JC_heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Render/progress mashups*

Tower Verre









by JC_heights (orig pic by ILNY) on Yimby




30HY


















ILNY


----------



## Architecture lover

It's amazing to see The Culture Shed making more visible progress!


----------



## geoking66

*One Vanderbilt* | Midtown East

Official website: http://onevanderbilt.com

Project facts


Address: 1 Vanderbilt Avenue


Status: Under construction


Developer: SL Green


Architect: Kohn Pederson Fox


Office: 1,700,000 s.f. (157,935 sqm)


Height: 1,401ft (427m)


Floors: 58


December 26:



goodybear said:


> Some Pics I took two days ago of the construction site. The excavation pit is already quite deep, looks like the foundations are pretty much fully U/C. Didn't realize how close this tower was going to be to the Grand Central Station and the Chrysler Building.
> 
> 
> One Vanderbilt Site I by
> Goodybear1, on Flickr
> 
> 
> One Vanderbilt Site II by
> Goodybear1, on Flickr



Rendering:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Second Ave Subway - 96th St*

*Second Ave Subway Opening*













Here are pics I took today:


*2nd Ave Subway - 96th St Station*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Second Ave Subway - 86th St*

*2nd Ave Subway - 86th St Station*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Second Ave Subway - 72nd St*

*2nd Ave Subway - 72nd St Station*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Second Ave Subway - 63rd St and Misc.*

*2nd Ave Subway - 63rd St Station (Transfer)*
























*Marketing on the subway*









































*A free and clear 2nd Ave *


----------



## geoking66

*Tishman Complex* | Long Island City

Project facts


Address: 28-07 Jackson Avenue


Status: Under construction


Developer: Tishman Speyer


Architect: Goldstein Hill & West


Residential: 1,789 units


Office: 1,450,331 s.f. (134,740 sqm)


Retail: 15,500 s.f. (1,440 sqm)


Height: 590ft, 470ft, 442ft (180m, 143m, 135m)


Floors: 53, 45, 42


December 28:



Hudson11 said:


> r_161222082_beat0086_a by Mitch Waxman, on Flickr
> 
> 
> r_161222077_beat0086_a by Mitch Waxman, on Flickr



Rendering:


----------



## geoking66

*200 Amsterdam Avenue* | Upper West Side

Project facts


Address: 200 Amsterdam Avenue


Status: Site preparation


Developer: SJP


Architect: Goldstein Hill & West


Residential: 112 units


Height: 669ft (204m)


Floors: 51


Rendering:


----------



## Hudson11

another new highrise for Coney Island.

*21-Story, 311-Unit Mixed-Use Tower Filed at 3514 Surf Avenue, Coney Island*












> Red Apple Group has filed applications for a 21-story, 311-unit mixed-use building at 3514 Surf Avenue, located between West 35th and 36th streets in the western end of Coney Island. The development would encompass 432,300 square feet and rise 185 feet to its roof. It would include 22,513 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, followed by apartments across the third through 21st floors.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Those mosaics, incredible.


----------



## geoking66

*55 Hudson Yards* | Hudson Yards

Official website: http://www.hudsonyardsoffices.com/office/55-hudson-yards

Project facts


Address: 599 W 33rd Street


Status: Under construction


Developer: Related/Oxford/Mitsui


Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox


Office: 1,300,000 s.f. (120,774 sqm)


Height: 778ft (237m)


Floors: 51


December 23 (right):



Nexis said:


>



Rendering:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 111 Leroy St*



























by JC_heights


----------



## geoking66

*9 DeKalb Avenue* | Downtown Brooklyn

Project facts


Address: 9 DeKalb Avenue


Status: Site preparation


Developer: JDS


Architect: SHoP


Residential: 500 units


Retail: 97,000 s.f. (9,012 sqm)


Height: 1,066ft (325m)


Floors: 73


Rendering:


----------



## erbse

^ What's the status of 9 DeKalb Avenue's site?

Outside of Manhattan, this is by far my favourite project. A Neo Art Deco landmark for Brooklyn, marvellous! :cheers1:


----------



## geoking66

erbse said:


> ^ What's the status of 9 DeKalb Avenue's site?
> 
> Outside of Manhattan, this is by far my favourite project. A Neo Art Deco landmark for Brooklyn, marvellous! :cheers1:


Some scaffolding around the existing historic structure, but nothing major of note.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Park Slope, Brooklyn - 613 Baltic Avenue*













































Yimby


----------



## geoking66

*606 West 57th Street* | Hell's Kitchen

Project facts


Address: 606 W 57th Street


Status: Under construction


Developer: TF Cornerstone


Architect: Arquitectonica/SLCE


Residential: 1,028 units


Retail: 37,463 s.f. (3,480 sqm)


Height: 440ft (134m)


Floors: 42

December 23:



Nexis said:


>



Rendering:


----------



## geoking66

*B12* | Prospect Heights

Official website: http://pacificparkbrooklyn.com

Project facts


Address: 615 Dean Street


Status: Proposed


Developer: Forest City


Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox


Residential: 245 units


Retail: 4,435 s.f. (412 sqm)


Height: 278ft (85m)


Floors: 26


Rendering:


----------



## geoking66

*50 Hudson Yards* | Hudson Yards

Official website: http://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/work/50-hudson-yards

Project facts


Address: 500 W 34th Street


Status: Proposed


Developer: Related


Architect: Foster + Partners


Office: 2,900,000 s.f. (269,419 sqm)


Height: 985ft (300m)


Floors: 58


Rendering:


----------



## Hudson11

^^ 50 Hudson Yards isn't undergoing site preparation yet. The buildings on site need to be demolished.


----------



## geoking66

Hudson11 said:


> ^^ 50 Hudson Yards isn't undergoing site preparation yet. The buildings on site need to be demolished.


Pasting error. Fixed.


----------



## towerpower123

geoking66 said:


> *200 Amsterdam Avenue* | Upper West Side
> 
> Project facts
> 
> 
> Address: 200 Amsterdam Avenue
> 
> 
> Status: Site preparation
> 
> 
> Developer: SJP
> 
> 
> Architect: Goldstein Hill & West
> 
> 
> Residential: 112 units
> 
> 
> Height: 669ft (204m)
> 
> 
> Floors: 51
> 
> 
> Rendering:


Are they doing site prep on this yet? At last check, about 2 weeks ago, they were still demolishing that old synagogue. It was still the same height as before.


----------



## geoking66

*The Eleventh* | Chelsea

Project facts


Address: 76 11th Avenue


Status: Under construction


Developer: HFZ


Architect: Bjarke Ingels Group


Residential: 240 units


Hotel: 137 rooms


Height: 402ft, 302ft (123m, 92m)


Floors: 35, 25


December 23:



Nexis said:


>



Rendering:


----------



## erbse

^ The Like goes to that Einstein slogan.


----------



## geoking66

erbse said:


> ^ The Like goes to that Einstein slogan.


Manhattan Mini Storange is famous for its adverts. My favorite has always been "Why leave a city that has six professional sports teams...and the Mets?"


----------



## streetscapeer

*Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn - 155 Remsen Street*

185 feet, 19 stories, 60 units


















Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Park Slope, Brooklyn - 251 First Street*
































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island Cty, Queens - 23-15 44th Drive*

Hill West Shows Off New Renderings of LIC's Future Tallest Skysraper, Court Square City View Tower




> Permits were filed in 2016, as initially reported by The Real Deal, for a 79-story, 964-foot building, but new details reveal that the building's stature has been scaled back to *66-stories* —still yielding the tallest building in Long Island City. The new renderings differ slightly from those previously released, showing that the bulkier tower, with less robust setbacks, was scrapped for a sleeker design.
> 
> As the project page demonstrates, *the building will house 800 condominiums with unparalleled 360 degree views of Manhattan and the surrounding skyline. *


----------



## geoking66

*425 Park Avenue* | Plaza District

Official website: http://www.425parkave.com

Project facts


Address: 425 Park Avenue


Status: Partial demolition


Developer: L&L


Architect: Foster + Partners


Office: 671,000 s.f. (62,338 sqm)


Height: 897ft (273m)


Floors: 41


January 3:









(@ILNY)


Rendering:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 1 Flatbush Ave*

*New Renderings of Hill West's 1 Flatbush Provide Closer Look of Industrial-Inspired Facade*
_January 4, 2017_




> will ultimately rise to 21 floors. The 160,000-square-foot, two-parcel site was acquired for $35 million in 2014 in a partnership-deal between Capstone Equities, the Carlyle Group and Slate Property Group. When finished later this year, the building will hold 183 rental apartments and valuable ground-level retail.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 200 East 59th St*

*35-Story, 67-Unit Mixed-Use Tower Rises Above Street Level*

































































City Realty


----------



## streetscapeer

*JFK Revamp*

JFK Airport will get a $10B, cutting-edge transformation



> Another one of New York City’s major transportation hubs just got the thumbs up for a massive overhaul—and this time it’s another dated airport. On Wednesday, Governor Cuomo unveiled plans to transform John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) into a new state-of-the-art facility.
> 
> *The revamp will introduce an interconnected terminal layout, centralized parking lots, increased flights, new lanes (in both directions) on the chronically congested Van Wyck Expressway, and “state-of-the-art security” that would include facial recognition technology*, reports the New York Post.
> 
> *The Air Train would also reap benefits of the redesigned airport, with service doubling and the number of cars upped from two to four per train*. Other changes are slated to include “world class amenities,” expanded taxiways, and *increased mass transit to the airport.*
> 
> JFK's transformation is projected to cost a staggering $10 billion, *surpassing LaGuardia Airport’s forthcoming $4 billion renovation*. Governor Cuomo stated that the plan to transform JFK is part of a “greater plan for reimagining our crossings and rebuilding our infrastructure in New York.”
> 
> ...
> 
> *Also being floated is a “one-seat” rail ride to JFK, meaning passengers traveling to and from Manhattan would not need to take the subway to connect to the AirTrain.*
> 
> ...
> *A timeline for the project hasn’t been revealed yet.*


----------



## storms991

Wasn't JFK only recently upgraded?


----------



## Architecture lover

I absolutely adore the finished look of Park Slope, Brooklyn - 251 First Street.


----------



## thatgreatdragon2000

storms991 said:


> Wasn't JFK only recently upgraded?


Still wasn't impressive enough.Heathrow London was still miles beyond JFK.Out of all I've been,Changi Singapore is hands down the best tho.They have a freaking butterfly garden and free cinemas.


----------



## bodegavendetta

All that money for JFK could go a lot further if invested in our subway system. Seems like a waste when the airport itself isn't that bad imo (but rather getting there is), not to mention they'll certainly go over budget. In the end this is just Cuomo trying to up his political stature to uninformed voters. Nice to see they might include a one-ride option though.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - "The Vessel"*










































*Pieces of Thomas Heatherwick's 'Vessel' Arrive at Hudson Yards*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 300 Livingston St*




























posted by rbrome at yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 250 Ashland Place*




































posted by rbrome on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

posted by rbrome on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*South Street Seaport District - One Seaport*

























































posted by rbrome at Yimby



FW4A2448 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A2417 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A2431 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## towerpower123

Finally making some vertical progress on that one! It got to the first three floors very slowly and then seemed to stall. Now where are they going to put the crane for it?


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - One Vanderbilt*



























6sqft



They're pouring concrete :cheers::cheers:


----------



## streetscapeer

*3WTC*









@ty_chee_photography


Nexis









FW4A2415 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









FW4A2408 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


IMG_1180 by Pablo Zarate, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Prospect Heights, Brooklyn - Atlantic Yards*

*461 Dean*











*550 Vanderbilt*









https://twitter.com/pacificparkbk?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author


----------



## Architecture lover

streetscapeer said:


> *Pieces of Thomas Heatherwick's 'Vessel' Arrive at Hudson Yards*


 In general: Best News. :cheers:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 425 Park Ave*


















































*Mock ups*



JSsocal said:


>




From the onsite webcam


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - One Manhattan Square - 252 South Street*































Manhattan Bridge at Sunset viewed from Brooklyn Bridge - New York City NY by mbell1975, on Flickr

Red Hook by Dave, on Flickr









Credit: One Manhattan Square


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown West - 606 West 57th St*














































posted by ILNY on Yimby


----------



## erbse

^ What a senseless, unproportioned, monstrous and disgraceful fugly block that is! :no:
Buildings NY doesn't need.


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

...It is beyond ugly:depressing.
Unfortunately,beside some incomparable jewels,this garbage is the norm right now in New York...
(OT.On a Trip to Portugal Blackdahlia is just in awe of the local architecture;currently in Porto:AMAZING 19th century production:neo classic/art deco/art nouveau.
(Reminds me of my trip to Brazil!)...but also roman,medieval,manuelin,baroque,contemporary masterpieces....a real feast for any real architecture adict!!)


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

.Delete


----------



## binhai

Street level experience looks totally fine to me. Stop overreacting.


----------



## droneriot

They're putting towers like that, the 21st century European "we try so hard to look hip and modern"-style, in almost every European city, and I never liked any of them. There's at least two such emetics in the works in Frankfurt (One Frankfurt and Omniturm), there's De Rotterdam that's popular here for a reason I cannot fathom, there's Victoria Tower in Sweden which is Swedish surströmming in architecture form, and there's pretty much the entire skyline of La Defense, it's all such nonsensical structures. 

The redeeming factor of building one of it in NYC is that the height is also the same as European "skyscrapers", so it is drowned out by the hundreds of taller towers easily.


----------



## Teslatron

droneriot said:


> The redeeming factor of building one of it in NYC is that the height is also the same as European "skyscrapers", so it is drowned out by the hundreds of taller towers easily.


This kind of style, while maybe common in Europe, is also pretty rare for NYC in general.


----------



## streetscapeer

*35 Hudson Yards*


















Credit: http://www.6sqft.com/related-launches-hudson-yards-living-website-with-new-renderings/













*Extra renderings of the base:*










































*Progress from Jan 11*









posted by RW on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

Pics from Jersey from me today


FW4A2551 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A2559 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A0546 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## Atmosphere

Holy shit dude! You should sell those first 2. Absolutely amazing! The second one is straight from a science-fiction movie. Insane!


----------



## 809anthony

tuktoyaktuk said:


> hello to everybody i have a lot of questions :
> 1. why do *you have so much buildings or things to destroy* in NYC ?
> 2. why so *much old buildings* in NYC ?
> because in a modern state in a modern rich city you *should not have old buildings*, normally *everything should be new* in NYC
> 3. and i think a city with so much is *ugly with so much constructions sites* and works...is NYC Beyruth ? no i think not.
> 4. and a *construction site is dirty*, not nice to observe,
> 5. a *clean city is a city without constructions sites.*
> 
> i will visit one time NYC when every works constructions sites will end.....
> because Noise, nuisance, dirty, dusts, scaffolds....all this is not photogénic
> Noise, nuisance, dirty, dusts, scaffolds = ugly
> but *NYC is amazing* !


This!!!!!!!! :nuts::nuts::lol::lol:


----------



## Architecture lover

Okay, now I'm sorry for re - posting yet another beauty, but I'm an architecture lover and I just can't contain myself. I wanted to say that the lower portion of the building with the wavy stone facade looks as delicious as a Waffle.


streetscapeer said:


>


----------



## VDB

Streetscaper those pictures are amazing - especially the first one


----------



## Luca9A8M

streetscapeer said:


> Pics from Jersey from me today
> 
> 
> FW4A2551 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


This photo is amazing! A perfect (or better my new ) desktop wallpaper :cheers:


----------



## Architecture lover

tuktoyaktuk said:


> hello to everybody i have a lot of questions :
> 1. why do you have so much buildings or things to destroy in NYC ?
> 2. why so much old buildings in NYC ?
> because in a modern state in a modern rich city you should not have old buildings, normally everything should be new in NYC
> 3. and i think a city with so much is ugly with so much constructions sites and works...is NYC Beyruth ? no i think not.
> 4. and a construction site is dirty, not nice to observe,
> 5. a clean city is a city without constructions sites.
> 
> i will visit one time NYC when every works constructions sites will end.....
> because Noise, nuisance, dirty, dusts, scaffolds....all this is not photogénic
> Noise, nuisance, dirty, dusts, scaffolds = ugly
> but NYC is amazing !


I can honestly get all your points and I suppose all that you mentioned was previously discussed, about the city having too many construction sites, but all in all plenty of them will be finished pretty soon, especially the slim and extra tall residential beauties that look towards Central Park. On the other hand I gotta say I love all these U/C buildings because they make the city vibrant, every minute there is something happening, and even though I get all your points I still love to keep up with the progress that's being made. I love the ever changing New York.


----------



## streetscapeer

Thanks, I woke up at 5:30AM to go catch the sunrise from there!


----------



## ThatOneGuy

55 Hudson Yards by KFP



streetscapeer said:


> *Update from me, this morning*
> 
> 
> FW4A2523 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr
> 
> 
> FW4A2704 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr
> 
> 
> FW4A2682 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr
> 
> 
> FW4A2629 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr
> 
> 
> FW4A2714 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr
> 
> 
> FW4A2636 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr
> 
> 
> FW4A2728 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr
> 
> 
> FW4A2726 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr
> 
> 
> FW4A2660 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 544 West 29th St*



























City Realty


----------



## Architecture lover

I love both the greenery that climbs the building and the gray bricks.:cheers:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*520 West 30th Street* - 15 January 2017









520 W30 by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Roseland Tower/242 West 53rd Street* - 15 January 2017









Roseland Tower - 242 W53 by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

* New Rendering Of 10-Story Mixed-Use Project Planned At 108 Chambers Street, TriBeCa*










The site today:










Source New York YIMBY (http://newyorkyimby.com/2017/01/new-rendering-of-10-story-mixed-use-project-planned-at-108-chambers-street-tribeca.html)


----------



## RandomDude01

VDB said:


> Came up on my Facebook news feed this morning
> 
> The view from the Empire State Building's observation deck on the day it opened - May 3rd, 1931


I would love to see a then vs now comparison.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 565 Broome St*























































by user Submariner on SSP


----------



## Luca9A8M

RandomDude01 said:


> I would love to see a then vs now comparison.


I tried, although it is not perfect


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - The Kent - 200 East 95th st*



























City Realty



















City Realty


----------



## RandomDude01

Luca9A8M said:


> I tried, although it is not perfect


That looks excellent. Thanks!


----------



## Luca9A8M

*One Seaport* - 15 January 2017


161 Maiden Lane by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


161 Maiden Lane by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


161 Maiden Lane by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Large mixed-use development slated for city-owned block in East Harlem*













*Area:*









http://www.politico.com/states/new-...ed-for-city-owned-block-in-east-harlem-109354



> As East Harlem prepares to undergo a sweeping rezoning that would dramatically alter its landscape, a block-long site that is home to four community gardens is slated to become a 751,000-square-foot, mixed-use development.
> 
> Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration has selected Jonathan Rose Companies, a prolific developer of rent-regulated housing, to construct 655 apartments and a host of amenities intended to create a self-sustaining community along East 111th and 112th streets, mayoral spokeswoman Melissa Grace said. The mostly city-owned site is bound by Madison and Park avenues and excludes two lots the administration was unable to acquire — a four-floor apartment building and a vacant plot of land.
> 
> In addition to apartments, the project will include a YMCA, supermarket, restaurant, job training center, preventative health care facility run by Mount Sinai, 85,000-square-foot DREAM charter school and space for the 122-year-old community organization Union Settlement, Grace said.


----------



## Tower Dude

*NEW YORK | Projects &amp; Construction*

Also this is going to be a Passive house complex and they are going to transplant the 4 community gardens that are currently on the this site. So that's pretty damn awesome.


----------



## towerpower123

It looks like it might be the tallest in Harlem. It most certainly looks awesome and has a great street presence.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 45 Park place*

New rendering of 45 Park Place currently under construction 


















Curbed


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - One Vanderbilt*






















































Curbed


----------



## streetscapeer

Thomas Koloski  on Yimby delivered another really nice rendering of NY's Billionaire Row (57th St). Everything here is U/C and it's also missing a few that are U/C right now


----------



## streetscapeer

*55 Hudson Yards*


















http://newhudsonfacades.com/projects/55-hudson-yards/




































@jamm_









@williambutler


















@teschtrent


----------



## ThatOneGuy

This has to be one of the best NY facades of the past 20 years.


----------



## streetscapeer

From Chris on SSP: 

About 78 towers over 100m (328ft) in NY are u/c towers as of Feb 2017


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 120 nassau St*



























Yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1 John Street* - 10 February 2017
































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/2/10/1-john-street-alloy)


----------



## Luca9A8M

^^
Some interiors with view














































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/2/10/1-john-street-alloy)


----------



## Luca9A8M

^^
And the terrace with the skyline 









































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/2/10/1-john-street-alloy)


----------



## Luca9A8M

*210 Livingston Street* - 8 February 2017









Untitled by tectonic Photo on Flickr









Untitled by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## binhai

Love 1 John St. Big Bauhaus with the water towers on top


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards*

Hudson Yards Rising (6) by Mike McLaughlin, on Flickr

Hudson Yards - Latest by Tony Shi, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Central Park Tower*
















































@otie




FW4A3512 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A3513 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A3516 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









@phillysuspect


----------



## streetscapeer

*Dumbo - 10 Jay Street*

*^^Right next door to 1 John Street:*


















Dumbonyc.com













































*From this:*


































CityRealty


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - Rockefeller University Expansion Over Highway*

*Rockefeller University expansion over highway*









Curbed










http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/16/n...s-its-expansion-over-a-busy-highway.html?_r=0
NYY




















Yimby


----------



## yankeesfan1000

streetscapeer said:


> *^^Right next door to 1 John Street:*....


This might be one of my favorite projects in the city, that is so gorgeous.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Koch Center for Cancer Care* (at 524 East 74th Street) - 13 February 2017


















































































The project:



















All photos by Field Condition (Source:http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/2/13/koch-center-for-cancer-care)


----------



## towerpower123

*Gramercy Square*

Cabrini Medical Center is being converted to 223 luxury condos called Gramercy Square

215 East 19th Street
225 East 19th Street
220 East 20th Street
230 East 20th Street






















































my photos

Renders via CurbedNY


























http://ny.curbed.com/2015/7/2/9943790/every-single-price-revealed-for-gramercys-cabrini-conversion


----------



## towerpower123

*121 East 22nd Street*













































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/gramercy-park/121-east-22nd-street/32702









http://newyorkyimby.com/2016/09/reveal-for-oma-designed-18-story-133-unit-mixed-use-project-at-121-east-22nd-street-gramercy.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - Waterline Square*







































































































CityRealty


----------



## towerpower123

^^^For that same project.


----------



## towerpower123

*600 West 58th Street*


----------



## towerpower123

*First cladding added to 242 West 53rd, the Roseland Ballroom Tower*


----------



## RandomDude01

these projects all look really cool. I can't wait to see what New York will look like in 2020.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*610 West 57th Street*

610 W 57th St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*41-Story, 223-Unit Mixed-Use Tower Rises To 33rd Floor At 38 West 33rd Street, Midtown South*










Source: New York YIMBY, http://newyorkyimby.com/2017/02/41-story-223-unit-mixed-use-tower-rises-to-33rd-floor-at-38-west-33rd-street-midtown-south.html


----------



## Luca9A8M

*‘Made In New York’ Manufacturing And Film Production Hub Planned At Bush Terminal, Sunset Park*

The administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio is planning to transform multiple industrial buildings at Bush Terminal, located on First Avenue between 41st and 43rd streets in Sunset Park, into a multi-building manufacturing and film production hub, called Made In New York. Renderings of the project have been revealed on Curbed NY.



















The site:










Full article by New York YIMBY: http://newyorkyimby.com/2017/02/made-in-new-york-manufacturing-and-film-production-hub-planned-at-bush-terminal-sunset-park.html


----------



## Ghostface79

*NYU Poised to Start Excavation on First Building in Expansion*
https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170214/greenwich-village/new-york-university-expansion-plans-update












> GREENWICH VILLAGE — New York University is poised to start excavation on the first building in its controversial expansion, with the delivery of two drill rigs on site at 181 Mercer St.
> 
> *Demolition began on the former Coles gym in October 2016, and construction on the new 735,000-square-foot building is expected to be complete by 2021*.
> 
> The excavation "will sound and feel very much like what above-grade demolition feels [and sounds] like," Heather Banoub, assistant director of communications at NYU, said at last week's Community Board 2 Arts and Institutions committee meeting.
> 
> The excavation will "prepare the space for the next phase, which is foundation," Banoub said, and will last through September.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*360 East 89th Street* - 16 February 2017























































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/2/16/construction-update-360-east-89th-street-shop-architects)

The project:









by New York YIMBY


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens*

Long Island City, Queens yesterday by me


----------



## the man from k-town

what Kind of Project is this? do we have a thread for this? 

http://ny.curbed.com/2017/2/6/14523938/lower-east-side-skyscraper-developers-statement


----------



## Tower Dude

One Manhattan Square has a thread and I believe 247 Cherry has one as well but I don't know the addresses for the other 3 so I don't know if they have threads.


----------



## droneriot

The tower on the right is 259 Clinton St and I started a thread for it a while ago:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1965571

For reference, One Manhattan Square thread:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1670796

And 247 Cherry St thread:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1916993


----------



## streetscapeer

*Union Square Tech Hub - 124 East 14th Street*

*New looks at Union Square’s forthcoming city-backed tech hub*




> Mayor de Blasio today announced more details for the Union Square Tech Hub, the *258,000-square-foot building that will eventually replace the old appliance store. “This new hub will be the front-door for tech in New York City,” *De Blasio said in a statement. “People searching for jobs, training or the resources to start a company will have a place to come to connect and get support.”
> 
> ...*The anchor tenant will be Civic Hall, a coworking space (currently headquartered in Flatiron) that’s described as “a collaborative work and event space advancing the use of technology for the public good.” *Some of the other partners that have already signed on for space within the new building include General Assembly, Code to Work, New York City Foundation for Computer Science Education, and Coalition for Queens, signaling that the hub will be a resource not just for the millennials that are typically seen as the backbone of the tech workforce, but for a wide array of New Yorkers.
> 
> the Union Square development is the first to bill itself as a true hub: a training center, coworking space, meeting point, and office, all in one. “No other city in the nation has anything like it,” De Blasio said in a statement. “It represents this City’s commitment to a strong and inclusive tech ecosystem.”


----------



## Chrisfoxx

It's like they build skyscrapers in NYC for fun!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - Solar Carve - 40 10th Ave*


















http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/11/permits-filed-new-look-solar-carve-40-10th-avenue-meatpacking-district.html


*Site Prep*



mrnyc said:


>


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Building Tour: 11 Beach* - 27 February 2017









































































All photos by Field Condition (Source:http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/2/27/building-tour-11-beach-bksk-architects)


----------



## streetscapeer

*Soho - 150 Wooster St*









http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/04/landmarks-approves-new-building-at-150-wooster-street.html[/QUOTE]










http://ny.curbed.com/2017/2/27/14755334/soho-wooster-street-building-construction-update


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - 3 Hudson Blvd*

*1050ft/324m*







































































ILNY said:


> Foundation work is finally visible. It should be rising soon.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nolita - 75 Kenmare St*

Sales Launch for New Nolita Condos Designed by Kikoski Architects and Lenny Kravitz


----------



## streetscapeer

*West Village - 160 Leroy St*






























































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 15 East 30th St*

*756 ft/230 m*































ILNY


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 105 West 28th St*





























https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...ure-nyc/trio-soaring-hotels-rise-chelsea/8881









JC_heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Soho - 150 Wooster St*



streetscapeer said:


> http://newyorkyimby.com/2015/04/landmarks-approves-new-building-at-150-wooster-street.html
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://ny.curbed.com/2017/2/27/14755334/soho-wooster-street-building-construction-update






The cornices at the top of this look amazing:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 111 Murray St*



























Dezeen











@Javitscenter









@Thereddstonegroup









@mmode


IMG_2985 by BW Cary, on Flickr









@212sid


----------



## insular

^^

really nice tower


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 74 Trinity Place*






































RW on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - 61 Ninth Ave*








































Above ground


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 510 West 22nd Street*

























































posted by JC Heights on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - One Vanderbilt*




































6sqft









Credit: Visual House







IMG_20170301_083905 by BJC79, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown West - 1 Manhattan West*



























Credit: http://ny.curbed.com/2016/5/26/11785790/manhattan-west-renderings-brookfield-midtown-megaproject









https://www.brookfieldproperties.com/development/

















































5Bfilms on yimby


----------



## germantower

Can anyone do updates for the Hadid building please?


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 520 West 28th Street*



germantower said:


> Can anyone do updates for the Hadid building please?

















































Tectonic









Cityrealty









5Bfilms on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 12 Warren St*

Building Tour of recently/almost completed 12 Warren St






























































































Field Condition


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

...Can't believe how gorgeous Hadid's building is!...
Such a beauty makes me...HAPPY!!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 677 Lexington Avenue*

*Plans filed for the 'One57 of assisted living facilities' in Midtown*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Murray Hill - 591 3rd Ave*

20 stories - 74 units





























Raymond on yimby


----------



## RegentHouse

streetscapeer said:


> *Plans filed for the 'One57 of assisted living facilities' in Midtown*


MFW an old fart's home looks nicer than the tower for billionaires it's compared to.



streetscapeer said:


>





streetscapeer said:


> *First Look at Chetrit's 826-unit 101 Lincoln Avenue in the South Bronx*


If the vertical and horizontal window spaces lined up respectively for each of these developments, they would be solid.


----------



## streetscapeer

^^ no reason to quote whole posts


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 99 Hudson Street*

*899ft (274m)*

































































JC_heights on yimby


----------



## RegentHouse

streetscapeer said:


> ^^ no reason to quote whole posts


It's convenient to show what I'm talking about from the renders, which make up most of the quotes, so I have every reason to quote them entirely. Maybe it's inconvenient if you have to scroll more on a smartphone, but using a smartphone for a thread which is at least two-thirds pictures shouldn't be too much.


----------



## AUTOTHRILL

RegentHouse said:


> It's convenient to show what I'm talking about from the renders, which make up most of the quotes, so I have every reason to quote them entirely. Maybe it's inconvenient if you have to scroll more on a smartphone, but using a smartphone for a thread which is at least two-thirds pictures shouldn't be too much.


it's bad forum etiquette to quote full posts.


----------



## RegentHouse

^^It's worse netiquette not to use proper capitalization, especially on a forum.

I edited out the few unnecessary images, if that's what makes you feel genuinely triggered. I don't see a difference, so my argument still applies.


----------



## Demos-cratos

J'adore ^^


----------



## erbse

@RegentHouse: It's enough to quote the project names or the URLs, as that makes clear what you're talking about. It minimizes loading times. Take more care about the conventions of this forum in the future, thanks.


----------



## droneriot

erbse said:


> Despite I don't agree with your statement that the new classical tower (677 Lexington Avenue) looks like an old fart's home, that's ridiculous. It genuinely captures the genius loci of NYC. It's nothing extraordinary, but it's a very solid and timeless design that perfectly harmonizes with its neighborhood.


He didn't say it looks like one, it is one. Read the link above the image.


----------



## streetscapeer

*South Bronx - 101 Lincoln Ave and 2401 Third Ave*

A project like this (with 6 towers and 5000+units) coming to the South Bronx was unfathomable even just 5 years ago


Yimby


----------



## erbse

Bronx on the way up! Finally! kay: 

Is there a summary of great Bronx projects?


----------



## MarshallKnight

droneriot said:


> He didn't say it looks like one, it is one. Read the link above the image.


Seriously, RegentHouse was actually praising the building. To be so defensive of neo-classical architecture that one can't recognize a compliment must be exhausting.


----------



## RegentHouse

erbse said:


> @RegentHouse: It's enough to quote the project names or the URLs, as that makes clear what you're talking about. It minimizes loading times. Take more care about the conventions of this forum in the future, thanks.


Right, so...



droneriot said:


> He didn't say it looks like one, it is one. *Read the link above the image.*


Let's say I only quoted the link, and you wouldn't immediately know what I was talking about unless you took the time to click it. Yet when I quoted the entire post with the images, confusion still ensues over my opinions on a few developments.

My apologies to everyone for not being a normie who doesn't care about the aesthetics for new development, as long as it keeps coming.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 414 West 15th Street*

*18-story, 130,000 square-foot office building*













From today









FW4A6819-Pano by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









FW4A6805 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









FW4A6809 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









FW4A6795-Pano by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









FW4A6801 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 515 West 29th St*




















From today









FW4A6768 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









FW4A6744 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









FW4A6742 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









FW4A6775 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









FW4A6748 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









FW4A6739 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*55 Hudson Yards*


















http://newhudsonfacades.com/projects/55-hudson-yards/
































































ILNY


FW4A6749 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A6752 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*10 Hudson Yards*

A new entrance for 10 Hudson Yards (and mini-plaza) that is elevated and attached to the High Line has recently opened.











FW4A6767 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









FW4A6757 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









FW4A6759 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr






Also the crown now has lighting










Tectonic









cjschelz


----------



## droneriot

streetscapeer said:


> Chelsea - 515 West 29th St


THAT'S WHERE IT IS??? Wow, in the renders it always looked like it's in the middle of nowhere (speaking in relative terms, I know there is no middle of nowhere in Manhattan), but it's right at the entrance to Hudson Yards? That's the most amazing location ever. I had no idea, all the best High Line projects really are in one spot.


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Village - 71 4th Ave*


















EV Grieve


----------



## streetscapeer

*Times Square - 701 Seventh Ave*

































































@yushi.95









@what_i_saw_in_nyc









5bfilms on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Roosevelt Island - Cornell Tech Campus*

*Cornell Tech Unveils Snøhetta-Designed Hotel and Education Center for Its Roosevelt Island Campus*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 510 West 22nd Street*



















































































Field Condition


----------



## _Hawk_

VIA 57 West













































































by Michael Muraz


----------



## Hudson11

*Future Hudson Boulevard - 55, 35, and 15 Hudson Yards rising*


20170309-_DSC2191.jpg by Bob Tullis, on Flickr

30 and 55 HY


20170309-_DSC2208.jpg by Bob Tullis, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards area*

Thomas on Yimby added a few buildings to the recent rendering:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Soho - 300 Lafayette Street*
























































RW on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Soho - 606 Broadway*

^^ Right next door:





































RW on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Murray Hill - 685 1st Ave*




































Curbed




















Tectonic


----------



## RegentHouse

streetscapeer said:


>





streetscapeer said:


> ^^ Right next door:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> RW on yimby


Is all that graffiti going too be removed before the building goes vertical? I'd sure hope so for the sake of being civilized folks. Still, the second building's modern side is another eyesore of a crime itself.



AUTOTHRILL said:


> incorrect.
> 
> 
> 
> *this*.
> 
> have consideration for other forum members next time
> 
> thanks.


I see you still uphold your high netiquette standards of failing to use the shift key, and bringing up forgettable arguments several posts later on the next page. I'd advise you to stop f*****g with me.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

streetscapeer said:


> Tectonic


Dat glass.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 200 East 59th St*
























































Tectonic


----------



## Luca9A8M

*425 Park Avenue* - 17 March 2017









425 Park by tectonic Photo on Flickr









425 Park by tectonic Photo on Flickr









425 Park by tectonic Photo on Flickr









425 Park by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*76 11th Avenue* - 16 March 2017














































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/3/16/construction-update-76-11th-avenue)

The project:


----------



## droneriot

I still really like it, even though I'll probably stay in the minority. Everything below a certain height, Bjarke seems to be an amazing designer. Dunno where his exact cut-off point is, but the 142m VIA 57 is amazing, the 185m Omniturm is like a bad joke to troll some Germans, so somewhere in between those.


----------



## Architecture lover

I kinda like the towers. Hopefully they'll use materials of great quality, and when I say materials of great quality I mean the exact opposite of VIA 57 West.


----------



## phoenixboi08

droneriot said:


> I still really like it, even though I'll probably stay in the minority. Everything below a certain height, Bjarke seems to be an amazing designer. Dunno where his exact cut-off point is, but the 142m VIA 57 is amazing, the 185m Omniturm is like a bad joke to troll some Germans, so somewhere in between those.


Honestly, I think it's that he has a bit of an obsession with deconstructivism in his designs, maybe? It just doesn't always translate, because his aesthetic is also a very hard/sharp one.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Anyone know what's going on with the two surface parking lots on 10th Ave between 18th and 19th, and then the one on the corner of 20th and 10th directly north of this site? Surprised they haven't been built on yet.


----------



## _Hawk_

The Big Bend




































http://www.oiiostudio.com/#/thebigbend/


----------



## Sevillano47

Is this a real project???


----------



## streetscapeer

No it's just a dumb concept


----------



## towerpower123

droneriot said:


> I still really like it, even though I'll probably stay in the minority. Everything below a certain height, Bjarke seems to be an amazing designer. Dunno where his exact cut-off point is, but the 142m VIA 57 is amazing, the 185m Omniturm is like a bad joke to troll some Germans, so somewhere in between those.


I think it is that his designs fail when placed in a dense urban context. VIA 57 is a very long site on "the road less traveled." 76 West 11th is a very large and tall building compared with a 10 story context. When placed next to massive skyscrapers, like the Frankfurt example or 2 WTC, he is trying to do what he can't. Just like with Frank Lloyd Wright's obsession with open prairies, Bjarke has an obsession with mountains and buildings that can be read as a simple diagram from the outside. Place Omniturm dominating a sea of 10 story buildings and it would be a masterpiece. The same with 2 WTC in a sea of 20-30 story buildings. When surrounded by huge towers, the diagrammatic part of the design falls apart. One57 suffered from the same thing.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens*









Kevin Shields










Pablo M 201


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 111 Varick St*
























































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 565 Broome St*

































































Tectonic


----------



## iiConTr0v3rSYx

A little early for April fools, don't cha think?

Edit-Post was meant for the 'Big Bend'. Sorry.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*111 Murray Street* - 19 March 2017









111 Murray Street by tectonic Photo on Flickr









111 Murray by tectonic Photo on Flickr









111 Murray by tectonic Photo on Flickr









111 Murray by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*70 Vestry Street* - 19 March 2017









70 Vestry Street by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## toxtethogrady

_Hawk_ said:


> VIA 57 West
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> by Michael Muraz


I can't help but think of Pyramid Head...


----------



## toxtethogrady

streetscapeer said:


> No it's just a dumb concept


Somebody should contact Dubai and tell them one of their skyscrapers is missing...:nuts:


----------



## Mr. Creosote88

toxtethogrady said:


> I can't help but think of Pyramid Head...


The architects must be huge Silent Hill 2 fans :lol: Can't blame them.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - 25 Kent Ave*
































































Yimby


----------



## droneriot

toxtethogrady said:


> Somebody should contact Dubai and tell them one of their skyscrapers is missing...:nuts:


Oh you're new here. That concept was proposed for Shenzhen before, not Dubai.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 19 Dutch Street*

*19 Dutch: FiDi's Next Rental Skyscraper Begins its 758-Foot Ascent*






























RW on yimby









posted by rbrome on yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

*520 West 28th Street* - 20 March 2017



























































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/3/20/construction-update-520-west-28th-street-zaha-hadid-architects)

The project:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

^^


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 1 Beekman*



























http://www.urbanmuse.us/portfolio/beekman


----------



## erbse

The Hadid project at the highline totally evokes that HR Giger feeling, known from the sets of "Alien" movies. :shifty:

And lol @The Big Bend, perfectly ridiculing that fugly 432 Park Ave stinky finger, haha!


----------



## Luca9A8M

*One Manhattan Square* - 19 March 2017









Onew Manhattan Square by tectonic Photo on Flickr









One Manhattan Square by tectonic Photo on Flickr









One Manhattan Sq by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## droneriot

What's being built behind the Zaha building?


----------



## Hudson11

cardiff said:


> New York is really booming and is great to see, but i have never understood why there is vacant land facing Manhattan when the views must be so good!!!!


Much of the East River waterfront was purposed for industry because of NYC's history as a major world port. Conversion or redevelopment into residential is a popular recent trend - it's happening from the Bronx all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - Essex Crossing - 242 Broome St*



























































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 106 West 56th St*

*Savanna files plans for “boutique” office tower on Billionaires’ Row*












> *Private equity firm Savanna Fund filed a new building permit application Tuesday to construct a 27-story office tower at 106 West 56th Street*, where it will be a neighbor to some of the city’s most expensive luxury condominium skyscrapers.
> 
> *Plans call for a 402-foot building and although the application lists a square-footage of 57,573 square feet, a spokesperson for Savanna said the company was still planning to build an approximately 90,000-square-foot tower. Several offices in the new tower will have terraces, according to the filings, and architect Perkins Eastman is designing the project.*
> 
> In a 2016 interview with Crain’s, Savanna’s Andrew Kurd described the project as “boutique” and said the tower would cater to “high-net-worth individuals, small private-equity firms and family wealth-management offices that want to have new space and proximity to the Upper West Side and Central Park.”
> 
> Savanna applied for demolition permits on the site in January 2016. The firm is developing the project in tandem with the Hong Kong-based Atom Assets. Savanna previously acquired 106 West 56th Street from America Press, a Jesuit media company.


======================
1) https://therealdeal.com/2017/03/28/...or-boutique-office-tower-on-billionaires-row/
2) http://savannafund.com/meet-savanna/firm-overview/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- 42-20 27th St*

*ODA's LIC Apartment Tower with Botanical Gardens Now on the Rise*


----------



## germantower

^^ Buildings like this are a huge indicator to what kind of neighborhood LIC is slowly turning into.


----------



## ArchineeringTalk

bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39429240 - Kushners and Chinese firm Anbang end investment talks

This was the partnership that was supposed to build the Zaha Hadid tower at 666 Fifth Avenue. I'm no expert, but I assume this doesn't bode well for the project.


----------



## WillBuild

*61 Ninth Ave*

Progressing nicely









(courtesy of 6sqft).


by me on Flickr.


by me on Flickr.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Park Slope, Brooklyn - 225 4th Avenue*




































Brownstoner


----------



## sbarn

cardiff said:


> New York is really booming and is great to see, but i have never understood why there is vacant land facing Manhattan when the views must be so good!!!!


It is crazy, but its a relic of the heavy industrial days along the East River. Those empty sites are actually a target of new City Planning rezoning:


----------



## towerpower123

Essex Crossing exceeded my expectations with the cladding, although obviously SHoP would do fantastic work!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - Park and Shore - 75 Park Lane*













































JC_heights on yimby


----------



## meteoforumitalia

streetscapeer said:


> The Zaha Hadid design from an article in today's Wall Street Journal
> 
> 1,400ft/427m


wow, it has something that I would define "arabic" at the base :nuts:

so, is this the first (or maybe one among the first) "post death" project by Hadid studio? :cheers:


----------



## Luca9A8M

meteoforumitalia said:


> so, is this the first (or maybe one among the first) "post death" project by Hadid studio? :cheers:


I'm 99% sure that this is the first, all other major Zaha projects (now under construction or proposed) had already been published when she died.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*222 East 44th Street* - 17 March 2017









222 E44 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









222 E44 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









222 E44 by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## meteoforumitalia

Luca9A8M said:


> I'm 99% sure that this is the first, all other major Zaha projects (now under construction or proposed) had already been published when she died.


so this does mean that Hadid Studio can drive her concepts forward in line with her abilities :cheers::cheers::cheers: I was waiting for this proof, as I was worried, as she was my favorite architect

ciao Luca


----------



## Luca9A8M

meteoforumitalia said:


> so this does mean that Hadid Studio can drive her concepts forward in line with her abilities :cheers::cheers::cheers: I was waiting for this proof, as I was worried, as she was my favorite architect
> 
> ciao Luca


Ciao , I'm not completely sure that the presentation of this project means this thing, in fact this project began around late 2015 (although the rendering was presented recently). For this confirmation (imho) the study should fully prepare a new project alone.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*New Tappan Zee Bridge* - 30 March 2017









New Tappan Zee Bridge by tectonic Photo on Flickr









New Tappan Zee Bridge by tectonic Photo on Flickr









New Tappan Zee Bridge by tectonic Photo on Flickr









New Tappan Zee Bridge by tectonic Photo on Flickr









New Tappan Zee Bridge by tectonic Photo on Flickr









Tappan Zee BW by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 520 Park Avenue*









NYCL



























Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - The Warehouse - 520 West 20th St*

*Morris Adjmi reveals ‘The Warehouse,’ High Line-adjacent office complex*



> ...For the project, known as “The Warehouse,” Adjmi will add a three-story, steel-framed addition to the current 65,000-square-foot structure, resulting in 100,000 square feet of office and retail space with more than 18,000 square feet of rooftop and outdoor amenity space...
> 
> ..Construction is expected to begin this spring with occupancy slated for the first quarter of 2019


----------



## Nexis

> Taken on March 30th


*Hosted on my Website*


----------



## droneriot

streetscapeer said:


> The Wheeler


What an odd clash of styles. We have a building like that in my city, and as strange as it looks on the render, it can actually work.


----------



## geoking66

I love that Waterline Square is being creative with building envelopes. It'll add a nice tapering looking from the Hudson.


----------



## streetscapeer

^^ I agree, this is a great project that seemingly came out of nowhere


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 45 Park place*

This one's now U/C

665ft/202m







































ILNY


----------



## Hudson11

streetscapeer said:


> *Downtown Brooklyn’s Macy’s will sprout creative office hub The Wheeler*


420 Albee Square aka One Willoughby Square is rising according to this article. I havent seen any updates of this future office building recently, but it will be one of Brooklyn's tallest.


----------



## streetscapeer

^^ Yeah, I caught that too, I hope someone could go check it out and take pics to confirm.


----------



## TowerVerre:)

Is there any chance that all the new tall glass towers will get their facade lit up with LED lights at night like they do it in China? That would look epic...
But anyway, New York has some awesome projects. I especially like that they start to build tall outside mid- and downtown and in former undeveloped ares like Hudson Yards. That will improve the cities overall look a lot!


----------



## streetscapeer

More pics of Waterline Square (renderings above) from Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 74 Trinity Place*






































ILNY


----------



## WillBuild

*606 West 57th*

Construction update.









(all by me on Flickr)


----------



## WillBuild

*5 Waterline Square*

The limestone base turned out very nice







(all by me on Flickr)


----------



## WillBuild

*577 Ninth Ave*

Surprisingly decent raw concrete facade on this building right behind the Port Authority Bus Terminal.


by me on Flickr


----------



## droneriot

I gotta say the cladding on 606 West 57th looks ten times better than the render.


----------



## AnOldBlackMarble

WillBuild said:


> The limestone base turned out very nice
> 
> 
> 
> (all by me on Flickr)


Dayum! That cantilever is crazy! And the stone base with the glass rising above works beautifully. This type of earthy base with modern glass rising above needs to be done more often. It's a great combination of classic looks at street level to please the pedestrian eye, and fantastic modern heights above for a beautiful skyline. It's a win win combination.


----------



## erbse

^ I agree here.
Streetlevel podium buildings should show more classical features to blend with the well-established NYC look. The upper parts can be more extravagant at times. 

I'm not a great fan of this example, though. But it's pointing in the right direction for the city.


----------



## germantower

^You are simply saying NYC should continue to build the same stuff over and over again and not develop a new kind of style and reestablish itself in the 21st century.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Jardim 527 West 27th Street* - 2 April 2017









Jardim - 527 W27 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









Jardim - 527 W27 by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## droneriot

The well-established NYC look is to have a great diversity of architectural styles from all eras.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*520 West 28th Street* - 2 April 2017









520 W28 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









520 W28 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









520 W28 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









520 W28 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









520 W28 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









520 W28 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









520 W28 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









520 W28 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









520 W28 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









520 W28 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









520 W28 by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*239 Tenth Avenue/The Getty* - 2 April 2017









The Getty by tectonic Photo on Flickr









The Getty by tectonic Photo on Flickr









The Getty by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*540 West 26th Street* - 2 April 2017









540 W26 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









540 W26 by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Hudson Yards* - 2 April 2017 (more photos in each specific thread)









Hudson Yards by tectonic Photo on Flickr









15 Hudson Yards by tectonic Photo on Flickr









15 Hudson Yards by tectonic Photo on Flickr









35 & 55 Hudson Yards by tectonic Photo on Flickr









35 Hudson Yards by tectonic Photo on Flickr









55 Hudson Yards by tectonic Photo on Flickr









55 Hudson Yards by tectonic Photo on Flickr









30 Hudson Yards by tectonic Photo on Flickr









30 Hudson Yards by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

^^ And a few more:





kznyc2k said:


>












https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t...59_1350824841702611_6052741477170151424_n.jpg










https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t...524_669028576617123_7532042567416807424_n.jpg










https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t...9176_126367494570244_258851472702177280_n.jpg










@pjjphoto










@mgraham_arch









quiggyt4









https://www.instagram.com/p/BShc1w1jKyH/?taken-by=w42st









https://www.instagram.com/p/BSgcNxnhW7J/?taken-by=_hudsonyardsnyc


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 138 East 50th St*

*803ft (245m)*









Curbed









City Realty


*Mockup of the terra-cotta and glass facade*
















































RW on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*3 FiDi Projects*

3 Financial District Projects visible: 19 Dutch St, 3 WTC, and 111 Murray St









@brandontaoka


----------



## Nexis

> Update from April 5th
> 
> 
> 
> *Manhattan*
> 
> 55 Hudson Yards
> 15 Hudson Yards
> 30 Hudson Yards
> One Manhattan West
> 515 West 36th Street
> 118 Fulton Street
> The Eleventh
> 111 Murray Street
> World Trade Center 3


...


----------



## Nexis

My Plans for the Week of April 9th - 15th

My Big Spring Update , Construction Projects , Infrastructure and Neighborhood Photography 

*Early in the Week*

*Brooklyn *
Propspect Park 
Ditmas Park 
Several BMT Brighton Line Subway Station overviews
Sheepshead Bay 
Manhattan Beach
Brighton Beach 
Coney Island 
Coney Island - Stillwell Avenue Station overview 
Bath Beach 
Verrazano Bridge 
Bay Ridge 
3 Station overviews along the BMT Fourth Avenue Line
2 Station Overviews along the BMT Canarsie Line 
Williamsburg 

*Queens*

Historic Grand Street Bridge
Industrial Maspeth
Kosciuszko Bridge , New & Old
Sunnyside
3 IRT Flushing Line Station overviews 
Flushing 
College Point
Whitestone
Whitestone Bridge
Beechhurst 
Throgs Neck Bridge
Bay Terrace 
Bayside
if im not feeling tired by then...
Forest Hills
Forest Hills Gardens
Kew Gardens
Long Island City at Night?

*Next weekend*

New Jersey

Newark Cherry Blossom Festival
Forest Hill 
Bayonne 
Bayonne Bridge 
Hoboken 


*For May...awaiting for a few things to open before I can do these trips*

Queens
Far Rockaway
New Rockaway Beach Boardwalk
Arverne By the Sea redevelopment
Rockaway Beach
Rockaway Park
Broad Channel 
JFK Airport Overview
Howard Beach
New Ferry to Manhattan

Manhattan 
Lower Manhattan , south of 14th Street
Upper West Side , North of 59th Street to Harlem River

Westchester County 
Ludlow (Yonkers)
Downtown Yonkers 
Tarrytown 
Sleepy Hollow 
Scarborough


----------



## droneriot

Nexis, the last Journal Square update seems to have been ages ago, any chance you'll be in the area during your planned trips?


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Medical Complex - 525 East 73rd St*



























City Realty










Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - 28-10 Jackson Ave*

Three tower complex on the left


http://www.wsj.com/articles/in-queens-residential-development-is-fueling-commercial-demand-1474248811


----------



## JMeier

streetscapeer said:


> ^^ I agree, this is a great project that seemingly came out of nowhere


It's been in the works and talked about for many, many years now. I don't get your "out of nowhere" comment.


----------



## streetscapeer

I'm saying... considering the large scale of this project, we didn't talk about it much on this forum (or other development forums) during the planning stages as we did for other projects. It went relatively "under the radar" here, considering the size of the project.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenpoint, Brooklyn - Greenpoint Landing*




































































































Tectonic


----------



## Nexis

droneriot said:


> Nexis, the last Journal Square update seems to have been ages ago, any chance you'll be in the area during your planned trips?


A few people have covered Journal Square in recent weeks on the New Jersey Forum..


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Greenpoint looks great! I like the windows.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 565 Broome St*

^^ Yeah, I'm really feeling it too! (I added more renderings to that post)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



























































Submariner on ssp


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 1 Beekman*




































http://www.urbanmuse.us/portfolio/beekman





















ILNY


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards District - 520 West 30th Street*



















ILNY










Tectonic










@timothyschenk


----------



## AnOldBlackMarble

germantower said:


> ^You are simply saying NYC should continue to build the same stuff over and over again and not develop a new kind of style and reestablish itself in the 21st century.


Actually you've got it backward. Building glass boxes is "building the same stuff over and over again and not developing a new kind of style." It's been done since the 60's and all these modern "boxes" are pretty much the same all over the wold. Can you identify Japanese modernism, from European, from Dubai, from Chinese, from American? Nope. It's just random geometric shapes with no identity, no particular style, because these buildings are built with function in mind only. So to make them "prettier" if that means we should add some stone and classical design around the base floors, than so be it. Better this than more bland amorphic glass boxes. I would love to see different modern styles develop in different countries, but it is not happening. Right now we only have one style, a global modernist geometric style, with no art or decor on the buildings. 

Art is what made classical buildings great. They were boxes too, stone boxes, but so heavenly embellished they no longer looked like simple boxes. Today there is no art in modernism at all, just cold steel, glass and concrete, in hard angular shapes. It's time to bring back some art and "organic" materials back into architecture. Buildings like the one above is a good compromise, unless someone can come up with something better. I'm looking forward to that.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Central Park Tower*
















































@otie








































Tectonic


----------



## Luca9A8M

*111 Murray Street* - 13 April 2017























































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/4/13/construction-update-111-murray-kpf)









111 Murray by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*270 Richards Street, Red Hook* - 11 April 2017









Red Hook by tectonic Photo on Flickr









Red Hook by tectonic Photo on Flickr









Red Hook by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 520 Park Avenue*

*520 Park Avenue, Upper East Side's Tallest Building, Reaches Pinnacle Height*































Sheep Meadow by Robert Wash, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Gramercy - 200 East 21st Street*

*New Condos Designed by BKSK Architects and Champalimaud Rise Near Gramercy Park*



> s of yesterday, the building is beginning to frame its seventh floor and will top out later this year at 20 stories, 210 feet tall.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn - Pierhouse - 90 and 130 Furman Street*


FW4A9339 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr


FW4A9340 by Kevin Leclerc, on Flickr









Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - The Noma - 50 West 30th Street*









Curbed



















5Bfilms


----------



## streetscapeer

*New Design for 11-Story, 20-Unit Residential Building at 543 Second Avenue, Kips Bay*



> A new 20-unit mixed-use building is headed for 543 Second Avenue, at the northwest corner with East 30th Street in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan, and today
> 
> The 11-story, 100-foot-tall building is being developed by Shalimar Management and will feature two retail storefronts on the ground floor, followed by one one-bedroom unit and one two-bedroom unit each on floors two through seven. On floors eight through 11, there will be one two-bedroom unit and one three-bedroom unit each. The residential entrance will be on 30th Street.
> 
> A custom glass curtain wall will feature floor-to-ceiling windows with *antique gold finish frames*. At the center of the building, along 30th Street, will be a glass-enclosed elevator.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 1225 Broadway*

476ft




























5Bfilms









seamus.conway on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad District - Madison Square Park Tower - 45 East 22nd St*

Glass is almost done


3 weeks ago












Today


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 235 Grand St*

*235 Grand Should Add to Jersey City’s Skyline By 2019*



> ...Ironstate Development will also be partnering with KRE on this project, which will rise 45 stories and feature 549 luxury rental residences. A 6,380-square foot retail space ...




















JC_heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards*









NYguy



kznyc2k said:


>











RW on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- 43-30 24th St*

*Site Cleared and Zoning Approved for 731-Foot-Tall Skyscraper Planned For LIC's Court Square*



> Within the neighborhood’s Court Square district, the commercial real estate firm of Stawski Partners is readying to build an immense 921-unit rental tower at 43-30 24th Street. The 66-story tower will be in contention for the tallest building in Queens if it finishes prior to the proposed Court Square City View Tower next door. Recently-approved permits indicate the tower will rise 731 feet, nearly 75-feet higher than boroughs’ current tallest building, One Court Square.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*70 Vestry Street* - 14 April 2017























































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/4/14/construction-update-70-vestry-robert-stern)

The project:


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

Old April 12th, 2017, 03:00 PM #8000
erbse


erbse's



Soon the watersides of NYC will all have glassy facades... I don't like that. More diversity would be welcome. Stone, brick, colourful facades, where art thou?
__________________
Agreed!..nothing you can compare with the gorgeous/amazing/dazzling/ONE WALL STREET!!...
...Will i end loving Stern designs!??...


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Tremont, Bronx*

Couple of projects from the East Tremont neighborhood of The Bronx




*4275 Park Avenue* 



> 227 apartments, 6sqft first reported. Located at 4275 Park Avenue, the 12-story building overlooks the Metro-North train tracks in Tremont.





























Source



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------





*4215 Park Avenue* 



> The 12-story, 256-unit building will sit on the corner of Webster and E. Tremont Road and offer affordable housing in half of its units.




















Bxtimes


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 180 East 88th St*

*Construction Back on Track at DDG's 180 East 88th Street*


----------



## germantower

^^ This tower is such a masterpiece of a design.


----------



## Luca9A8M

Luca9A8M said:


> *270 Richards Street, Red Hook* - 11 April 2017
> 
> The project:


A drone video of Red Hook (with view of Manhattan and Brooklyn skyline)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/33194845454/


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

Keep up the good work Luca9A8M!!
Your posts are(from far)the most interesting and relevant!


----------



## WillBuild

streetscapeer said:


>


Status update:


by me on Flickr


by me on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - Liberty Park -Greek Orthodox Church*




















*Marble on site*


DSC_4265_resize by brucemir, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Dumbo - 10 Jay Street*


















Dumbonyc.com




















Tectonic


----------



## Luca9A8M

BLACK DAHLIA said:


> Keep up the good work Luca9A8M!!
> Your posts are(from far)the most interesting and relevant!


Thanks , I like to share information/news about this amazing city.


----------



## SOG

Hello, I'm new here.As recently was approved the Midtown East rezoning, I'm posting here the plots that'll be affected.
Furthermore,I'll post some plots nearby (mainly in Lexington Ave,which are underdeveloped¨) and some ugly fake modernist towers in Park Ave and the Third;they haven't been spotted as potential sites.
Note:some buildings could have a bigger square footage due to transferable air rights .Madison avenue could become next supertall hotspot.
Address	Developer	LOT SIZE	Square footage	
01.	266 MADISON AVENUE
274 MADISON AVENUE
278 MADISON AVENUE 33,470	
759,100 
02.	284 MADISON AVENUE
290 MADISON AVENUE
292 MADISON AVENUE
7 East 40th street
13 East 40th street
15 East 40th street
22 East 41st Street 36,170	820,336 
03.	3 East 43rd Street
340 Madison Avenue
6 East 44th street
10 East 44th street
12 East 44th street
14 East 44th street 50,749	1 ,225,588 
04.	346 Madison Avenue
352 Madison Avenue
6 East 45th street
10 East 45th Street
7 East 44th Street 49,600	1 ,197,840 
05.	360 Madison Avenue
366 Madison Avenue
9 East 45th street
18 East 45th Street
34,144	824,578 
06.	250 Park AVENUE 24,969	707,871 
07.	300 Park Avenue 34,050	893,812.50 
08.	355 Lexington Avenue
363 Lexington Avenue 24,463	554,821 
09.	485 Lexington Avenue	Witkoff	46,125	1 ,113,919 
10.	111 East 48th street 41,170	933,736 
11.	541 Lexington Avenue 24,725	597,109 
12.	575 Lexington Avenue 32,625	787,894 
13.	866 3rd Avenue
154 East 53rd Street	Witkoff	30,120	727,398 
14.	914 3rd Ave
916 3rd Ave
918 3rd Ave
920 3rd Ave
922 3rd Ave
924 3rd Ave
926 3rd Ave
928 3rd Ave
159 East 55th Street
164 East 55th Street 


19,517	368,871.3 
15.	801 2nd Avenue
235 East 42nd Street 76,318	1,730,892 
16.	711 3rd Avenue
210 East 45th Street
212 East 45th Street
214 East 45th Street	SL Green	43,684	990,753 
A.	99 Park Avenue 25,675	582,309 
B.	279 MADISON AVENUE 21,825	395,993 
C.	413 MADISON AVENUE
425 MADISON AVENUE
423 MADISON AVENUE 20,339	461,289 
D.
410 MADISON AVENUE
418 MADISON AVENUE
422 MADISON AVENUE
424 MADISON AVENUE
22 EAST 49 STREET
20 EAST 49 STREET 21,630	408,807 
E.	350 PARK AVENUE 27,925	733,031 
F.	400 Park Avenue
410 Park Avenue 24,267	637,009 
G.	571 MADISON AVENUE 20,075	379,418 
H.	364 LEXINGTON AVENUE
354 LEXINGTON AVENUE 27,171	616,238 
I.	141 EAST 45 STREET
730 3 AVENUE
158 EAST 46 STREET
154 EAST 46 STREET 46,703	996,602 
J.	155 EAST 50 STREET
830 3 AVENUE 20,785	392,837 
K.	850 3 AVENUE 31,632	634,712 
L.	685 3 AVENUE 31,129	706,005.72 
M.	733 3 AVENUE 25,768	389,612.16 
N.	845 3 AVENUE 21,100	398,790


----------



## SOG

Here are buildings ("modernist ") which haven't been spotted as potential sites, nevertheless they offer great options	
979 3rd Ave 
969 3rd Ave 
909 Third Avenue 1,343,000	Emery Roth and Sons	1968	Vornado Realty Trust
900 3rd Ave Cesar Pelli, Viñoly Design Architects and Emery Roth and Sons 
90 Park Avenue	Sterling Drug Company Building Emery Roth & Sons	1964	
622 3rd Avenue	Grand Central Plaza	165.2 m 92,895 m² Emery Roth & Sons 1973	
600 Madison Avenue 
505 Park Ave 220,510 1949	
475 Park Avenue 
360 Lexington Avenue 
150 East 58th Street 543,000 1969	
110 East 59th Street 131.7 m 56,873 m² 1969	
529 5th Avenue 
555 Fifth Avenue 
579 5th Ave 
581 5th Ave 
585 5th Ave 
650 5th Ave 
724 Fifth Avenue 
720 5th Ave 


01 150 East 42nd Street	Socony Mobil Building	174.4	102,192 m² 1956	
02	666 3rd Ave 
04	750 3rd ave	SL Green Emery Roth & Sons	1958
11	655 3rd Ave 
13	747 3rd Ave 140.2 m	37,616 m² Emery Roth & Sons	1972	
15	825 3rd Ave 159.1 m Emery Roth & Sons 1969	
18	767 3rd Ave Fox & Fowle 1980	
19	757 Third Ave* Harcourt, Brace & World Building Emery Roth & Sons	1964	
20	555 Madison Avenue 
21	535 Madison Avenue 
22	485 Madison Ave 
477 Madison Avenue
40 E 52nd St 
23	488 Madison Ave 
24	430 Park Ave 
25	445 Park Avenue 
26	450 Park Avenue 119.2 Emery Roth & Sons	1972	
27	460 Park Avenue 254,185 1954	
28	575 Madison Avenue 
30	405 Park Avenue 

And here underdeveloped plots:
770 Lexington Ave 
767 Lexington Ave 
782 Lexington Ave 
722 Lexington Ave 
715-709 Lexington Ave
964 3rd Ave
157 E 57th St
149 E 57th St
151 E 57th St
153 E 57th St 
678-686 Lexington Ave 
676-681 Lexington Ave 
670 Lexington Ave 
09	667-673 Lexington Ave
141 E 55th St
155 E 55th St
159 E 55th St
146 E 56th St
150 E 56th St
160 E 56th St
166 E 56th St 
659-663 Lexington Ave 
10	136 East 55th Street
120 E 56th St 
645-641 Lexington Ave 
459-
465 Lexington Ave 
148 E 48th St, 
125 E 50th St

221 E 50th St
223 E 50th St
227 E 50th St
231 E 50th St
235 E 50th St
245 E 50th St
247 E 50th St
249 E 50th St
253 E 50th St
943-959 2nd Ave
220 E 51st St
222 E 51st St
226 E 51st St
228 E 51st St
230 E 51st St
240 E 51st St
242 E 51st St
244 E 51st St
246 E 51st St
250 E 51st St 
06	569 Lexington Ave,
145 E 50th St
135 E 50th St 
211 E 53rd St
225 E 53rd St
229 E 53rd St
231 E 53rd St
243 E 53rd St
247 E 53rd St
251 E 53rd St
251 E 53rd St
1003 2nd Ave
220 E 54th St,
226 E 54th St
232 E 54th St
240 E 54th St


----------



## SOG

And that's the image of sites with their respective number (proected site( or letter (potential site)


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - 28-10 Jackson Ave*

28-10 Jackson Ave and Long Island City


















JC_heights on yimby


----------



## Nexis

*Big Update from 4/11/17*

*Queens*

*Long Island City*



QE7 (29-26 Northern Blvd)
27-17 42nd Road 
The Hayden (43-25 Hunter Street)
Watermark Court Square (27-19 44th Drive)
 Tishman LIC Complex
5Pointz (22-44 Jackson Ave) 
Eagle Loft (43-22 Queens St)

*Brooklyn *



*Sheepshead Bay*

 1501 Voorhies Avenue

*Fort Hamilton*



*Manhattan*





*Infrastructure *

*NYC Subway*

IRT Eastern Parkway @ Grand Army Plaza
BMT Brighton Line at Cortelyou Road
BMT Brighton Line @ Newkirk Plaza
BMT Brighton Line @ Sheepshead Bay
BMT West End Line at 18th Avenue
BMT Fourth Avenue Line at Bay Ridge Avenue
 IRT/BMT @ Queensboro Plaza

*Long Island Railroad*

Forest Hills

* Verrazano Narrows Bridge *


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 111 Murray St*



























Dezeen



















Tectonic









ILNY


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 50 West Street*

*Interior work at 50 West St continues -looks to be almost wrapping up*










kznyc2k






















































ILNY


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 99 Hudson Boulevard*

*899ft (274m)*





























User Kenfromjersey









Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn -- 416-420 Kent Ave*













































Credit: http://www.dezeen.com/2016/04/22/42...lliamsburg-brooklyn-waterfront-new-york-city/





















Tectonic


----------



## SOG

Hi guys, It's a shame Midtown East rezoning doesn't affect some Park Ave boxes as is just for buildings under 1 million sqft ¡ :hammer: 
Some of them are 245,270,277,299 and 345 Park Ave .


----------



## Luca9A8M

*160 Leroy Street* - 18 April 2017



























































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/4/18/construction-update-160-leroy-herzog-demeuron)

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - "The Vessel"*









































*Construction On The Giant Hudson Yards 'Vessel' Has Begun*


----------



## Hudson11

*Outstanding Projects in Midtown (Left to Right)*


Mesmerizing Structures of Manhattan by Luke Stryker, on Flickr

*606 West 57th Street*











*220 Central Park South*










*242 West 53rd* (Roseland Ballroom Tower)


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- 24-16 Queens Plaza South*

*Greystone Development's Curvy LIC Rental Tower Begins Construction*



> Greystone Development has begun construction on a *23-story, 117-unit rental* tower in booming Long Island City. The 105,000-square-foot venture will be the firm’s first in Queens and is sited at the foot of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge at 24-16 Queens Plaza South. Greystone acquired the property for $23 million last year according to the Real Deal.
> 
> Greystone tapped the global architecture firm of Woods Bagot to mold the design. A preliminary rendering shows that the *exterior of the existing 5-story building will be salvaged and a graceful modern addition will rise above. Horizontal spandrel areas will grow into balconies and morph from floor to floor — resulting in a dynamic undulating form *a la Studio Gang’s Aqua Tower in Chicago.


----------



## tuktoyaktuk

hello to everybody i have a question:
why is the spire of the Empire State Building not included in its height ?
thanks for the answer 

1. One World Trade Center	1,776 (541)	*and why is the spire of the one world trade center included ?*

2. 432 Park Avenue	1,396 (426)	

3. Empire State Building	1,250 (381)
this should be THE REAL HEIGHT : 
*1,454 feet (443.2 m)*


----------



## MarshallKnight

tuktoyaktuk said:


> hello to everybody i have a question:
> why is the spire of the Empire State Building not included in its height ?
> thanks for the answer
> 
> 1. One World Trade Center 1,776 (541) *and why is the spire of the one world trade center included ?*
> 
> 2. 432 Park Avenue 1,396 (426)
> 
> 3. Empire State Building 1,250 (381)
> this should be THE REAL HEIGHT :
> *1,454 feet (443.2 m)*


This forum generally adheres to the standards set by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Their preferred (and the most widely-cited) height measurement is Height to Architectural Top:



> ...*the architectural top of the building*, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment.5


The _spire_ of the Empire State Building (ie, the ornate art deco top that extends to the 102nd floor observation deck) ends at 1250 ft. The broadcast tower that reaches 1454 feet was added much later, is purely functional and not part of the architectural design.

By contrast, even though the spire of One World Trade Center is gradually being equipped with antenna, it was always a part of the architectural design of the tower. It has an "architectural purpose" in addition to the functional one, as it were.

Of course, this criteria is fairly arbitrary. Not everyone uses the CTBUH's criteria, which is why it's generally a good idea to specify "height to roof," "height to tip," etc. when talking building heights, instead of getting embroiled in unwinnable arguments.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 390 Madison Ave*

*Converting this:*













*Into this:* 













































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Harlem - 1399 Park Ave*




























City Realty


----------



## gdipasqu

*threaad ?*



streetscapeer said:


> *Construction On The Giant Hudson Yards 'Vessel' Has Begun*


Hello, There is already a thread created for this project ? I can't find it ... it's someone can help me. That should be great ^^


----------



## droneriot

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=139582476#post139582476


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 1050 Sixth Ave*

*Construction Rises Above Street Level on 24-Story, 62-Unit Mixed-Use Project at 1050 Sixth Avenue, Midtown*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn -- Domino Park*

*Domino redevelopment’s massive waterfront park will open in summer 2018*




> The massive new public park coming to the Williamsburg waterfront as part of the overall Domino redevelopment project will open in the summer of 2018, developer Two Trees Management announced on Thursday.
> 
> *Designed by James Corner Field Operations, the same firm that was the lead on the High Line, Domino Park, as the waterfront park will be called, will stretch a quarter of a mile and bring with it a new waterfront esplanade and six acres of parkland.*
> 
> Much like the High Line weaves through the high-rise now taking shape in West Chelsea, Domino Park will weave its way through 11-acre Domino megaproject and incorporate many of the historic elements of the sugar factory that once operated out of this site.
> 
> *The highlight of the park perhaps is a 450-foot-long elevated walkway that will be called the Artifact Walk.* *The approximately five-block long walkway will run along the footprint of the warehouse that stored the sugar (that also housed Kara Walker’s acclaimed exhibit). The Artifact Walk was inspired by the series of catwalks that connected the buildings on the Domino site when it was still a sugar factory. Going one step further, James Corner Field has decided to incorporate large pieces of machinery from the sugar with two 80-foot tall cranes being placed at the northern end of this walkway.*
> 
> That’s not the only place James Corner Field decided to preserve portions of the historic factory. T*hroughout the six-acre park, visitors will find artifacts from the old factory like 585 linear feet of crane tracks, 36-feet tall cylindrical tanks that collected syrup during the refining process, and 21 columns from the sugar warehouse.*
> 
> In addition, the waterfront park *will feature sports fields, lawns and gardens with seating, and a children’s play area*, not to mention the extension of River Street (which currently ends at Grand Street) all the way to South 5th Street, near the Williamsburg Bridge.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

I love how they keep the cranes^^


----------



## droneriot

Just realised the 416-420 Kent Ave and Domino Sugar Refinery projects are pretty much right next to each other. That's a little skyline by itself being built.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*200 East 21st Street* - 19 April 2017









200 E21 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









200 E21 by tectonic Photo on Flickr

I did not find any rendering of the project... :dunno:


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

WOW!!!!!..Domino is such a MAGNIFICENT project!


----------



## streetscapeer

Luca9A8M said:


> *200 East 21st Street* - 19 April 2017
> 
> 
> I did not find any rendering of the project... :dunno:




It's the same as this one I posted last week  

(another nice project that came out of nowhere and wasn't really being tracked here.. we're so spoiled) 



streetscapeer said:


>


----------



## Luca9A8M

^^
Oh, thank you very much!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 200 Amsterdam Avenue*

*668ft/55fl*













*Demo is done and excavation has started*









chused on yimby


----------



## towerpower123

^^^That sure took a long time, almost a year!


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Delancey & Essex Street Garage* - 21 April 2017









































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/4/21/construction-update-delancey-essex-street-garage)


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 152 East 87th St*




























Vertical_Gotham on yimby


----------



## erbse

Parking garages facing the street suck so badly!

What a waste of super valuable land in expensive NYC! :no:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*610 West 57th Street* - 9 April 2017


610 W 57th St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


610 W 57th St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## germantower

del


----------



## WillBuild

*Bayonne bridge replacement*

Not sure whether infra projects belong in this thread. But these are pretty impressive projects.



The Bayonne bridge deck is replaced with one that allows larger ships. The new roadway is open. The old one is being demolished rapidly. You need big balls to operate that crane.







(all photos except the first are mine, from last week, on Flickr)


----------



## WillBuild

*New Goethals Bridge*

The Goethals bridge replacement is also moving ahead quickly.









All but the first photo are mine, from last week, on Flickr.

If you wonder where I got these, I highly recommend the Fresh Kills park tour, run infrequently by classic harbor line with aiany and the fresh kills park alliance.

The Port Authority also has live cams of this project.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hempstead, Long Island - Nassau Coliseum*

*Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island - Renovation Complete*


*Old Stadium:*









Source


*Rendering:*














> The New York offices of SHoP Architects and Gensler have teamed up to bring the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island back to life. As part of a $165 million renovation, SHoP worked on the facade aspect of the design while Gensler configured the interior...
> 
> Comprising 4,700 brushed aluminum fins, the facade gently undulates upon a horizontal axis as it wraps around the Coliseum. This is achieved by altering the fins’ angled vertices incrementally. According to a press release, the material references Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis—the first non-stop solo transatlantic flight which took off nearby...
> 
> New seating has also been installed within the 416,000-square-foot space. In addition to this, a new VIP Club and Blue Moon Beer Garden have also been installed as event amenity spaces.



*Renovation Complete:*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards*

From New Jersey this past weekend by me:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Tower Verre*



























WSJ
























































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamburg, Brooklyn - Domino Sugar Project - 260 Kent Ave*

*Second building in Domino Sugar megaproject to break ground next month; new renderings*



> Two Trees Management will break ground next month on *260 Kent Avenue* at the corner of Grand Street and Kent Avenue, the second building to rise at the Domino Sugar Williamsburg megaproject site. *Designed by COOKFOX Architects, the* *462,000 square-foot, 42-story mixed-use tower *on the site of the former sugar manufacturing facility will create “a prominent visual corridor that leads to the East River waterfront,” according to a press release.
> 
> The new building will offer *330 rental apartments, more than 20 percent of which will be affordable to low-income residents*. The building’s *22-story commercial portion will include 150,000 square feet of office space; 13,000 square feet of retail will be located in the building podium.*
> 
> ...The new building’s distinctive façade design–inspired by the molecular pattern and forms of sugar crystals–is intended to connect it with the history of the site.
> 
> ...*When complete, the mixed-use five-building campus will offer about 2,800 apartments and about 500,000 square feet of commercial space.*



*Placeholder in the whole scheme:*





















*Design:*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Kosciuszko Bridge*

*First Span of Kosciuszko Bridge to Open Thursday*



The old span will be demolished this summer and a new western span will be built within 2-3 yrs in its place














https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPk3FjTFxh01



https://twitter.com/MarcinZurawicz














https://twitter.com/NBCNewYork


----------



## streetscapeer

*St. George, Staten Island - New York Wheel*

*New York Wheel*















































https://twitter.com/TheNewYorkWheel


----------



## Hudson11

*K Bridge Opening Light Show*


----------



## LeCom

On Wednesday I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the building.

Images from my article.

Photos and videos by me, rendering by CetraRuddy.











The site in 1931









Credit: Percy Loomis Sperr / New York Public Library


Robert Gladstone, CEO of Madison Equities











The developer and broker team











Ceremony highlights







Full version


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown West - 1 Manhattan West*

*995ft/303m*



























Credit: http://ny.curbed.com/2016/5/26/11785790/manhattan-west-renderings-brookfield-midtown-megaproject









https://www.brookfieldproperties.com/development/




























Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 111 West 57th St*
















































*111 West 57th Street Comes Into View: Supertall Emerges on Central Park Skyline*


----------



## ThatOneGuy

It already looks tiny, it's gonna look so thin.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Times Square - 701 Seventh Ave*











































































5bfilms on yimby









@nyc_explorers


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Medical Complex - 525 East 73rd St*


















City Realty



Pics by me from yesterday:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Rockefeller University Expansion Over Highway*

*Rockefeller University expansion over highway*









Curbed










http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/16/n...s-its-expansion-over-a-busy-highway.html?_r=0
NYY












Pics by me from yesterday


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - City Point Phase 3 - 7 Dekalb Ave*

*

Brookyln's future 2nd tallest (692ft/210m)*




















Tectonic


From Friday


















by me


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 300 Livingston St*




















From Friday by me


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 210 Livingston St*



























5BFilms


From Friday by me


----------



## LeCom




----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - Essex Crossing - 115 Delancey St*







































rbrome on yimby


----------



## LeCom




----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - 287 East Houston Street*



























City Realty


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - Waterline Square*













> *The Waterline Club. Connecting the three buildings of Waterline Square is a comprehensive amenity club for residents* designed by Rockwell Group, presenting an unprecedented lifestyle program that pushes the boundaries of possibility. An indoor tennis court, 25-meter lap pool with adjacent children’s pool and spa pool, full court basketball, squash court, indoor soccer field, rock climbing wall, expansive fitness center, children’s room, game room, music and recording studio, and art studio...



The "*Social Hub*" at the Waterline Club


----------



## ThatOneGuy

^^ Gorgeous!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 117 Livingston St*


















Tectonic 









rbrome on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - 61 Ninth Ave*



























































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hell's Kitchen - 505 West 43rd St*



streetscapeer said:


> *Two 16-story buildings connected by an expansive interior courtyard*
> 
> *Older low-res Renderings:*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *New Teaser Renderings:*



*One more rendering of this:*




















*Started:*


----------



## Fotografer

Any news about this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_World_Trade_Center#Original_building_.281970.E2.80.932002.29 ?:dunno:


----------



## Hudson11

*One Seaport + 151 Maiden Lane*




















Manhattan Skyline // New York City by //Sebastian, on Flickr


----------



## hugh

ThatOneGuy said:


> ^^ Gorgeous!


Yes, panache.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 76 11th Ave*










































































JC_heights on Yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

*412 West 15 Street* - 9 May 2017
































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/5/9/construction-update-412-w-15)

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards*

*Hudson Yards’s expansive shopping center and restaurants get new renderings*



> Following the announcement earlier today that *celebrity chef José Andrés will partner with Ferran and Albert Adrià to open a Spanish food hall at Hudson Yards*, developers Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group have released several new renderings for the food spaces in the overall megaproject.
> 
> The developers announced Tuesday that towards the end of 2018, visitors to Hudson Yards will be able to choose between *25 different restaurants* that are set to open at the west side development.
> 
> Some of the celebrity chefs opening restaurants at Hudson Yards include Thomas Keller, David Chang, Michael Lomonaco, and Costas Spiliadis. Most of these restaurants will be located at the seven-story retail building at megaproject, known simply as Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards.
> 
> That building has made tremendous progress in recent months, and will be anchored by Neiman Marcus when it opens. This one-million-square-foot project has been designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn -- 416-420 Kent Ave*




































Credit: http://www.dezeen.com/2016/04/22/42...lliamsburg-brooklyn-waterfront-new-york-city/



*Cladding started*









Waymond on Yimby


















Tectonic


----------



## binhai

Wow that's dope.


----------



## streetscapeer

*15 Hudson Yards*









http://www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/TEN_TOPS/residential/15hy.jpg












































































JC_heights on Yimby


----------



## towerpower123

They now have their financing completed with a $1.25 Billion construction loan! This should surely speed up the project. :cheers:


streetscapeer said:


> JC_heights on Yimby


----------



## droneriot

Seems like the Bjarke tower is the tallest in the neighbourhood by a margin.


----------



## iiConTr0v3rSYx

Wow, the Vessel view from that restaurant will be superb!


----------



## tuktoyaktuk

fabulous projects in NYC ....better than in London and much more better than in Paris and other cities in europe
Europe is old fashioned in contemporary architecture and will stay "retarded" in modern architecture.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Columbia University Manhattanville Campus* - 10 May 2017













































































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/5/10/construction-update-columbia-university-manhattanville)

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - The Fitzroy - 514 West 24th Street*



























































*Mock tiles*






























Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards*

A few progress pics



















JC_heights on Yimby









@kyleglas.ow










Joe Josephs


----------



## MarshallKnight

Reposting from the Penn Station Redevelopment thread:

This was a curious line from a NY Post article about the plans for 15 Penn...



> Vornado, Related Cos. and Skanska will also close by next month on the purchase of the Farley post office, where they are already *pitching a 750,000-square-foot office tower topper* over the new Moynihan Train Hall.


I knew there was going to be somewhere upwards of 500K square feet of office space, but I thought it was all going to be within the confines of the post office building. Has anyone else heard rumor or confirmation of a possible tower addition?


----------



## streetscapeer

^^that's really interesting. But I wonder where a tower would go? They wouldn't put it over the huge skylights. Maybe it would go over the western annex closer to 9th Ave?




















https://www.6sqft.com/work-to-begin-this-spring-on-penn-station-moynihan-train-hall-complex/


----------



## yankeesfan1000

streetscapeer said:


> ^^that's really interesting. But I wonder where a tower would go? They wouldn't put it over the huge skylights. Maybe it would go over the western annex closer to 9th Ave?...


Yup, it would go on the western annex, on 9th Ave, right across the street from Brookfield's Manhattan West. 

The shoddiness of the area hurts the value of the 8,000,000 square feet of space Vornado own in the area, shown below. Vornado also apparently has a "war room" to try and clean this neighborhood up and increase the value of their properties, and subsequently charge higher rents. 

My only issue is why only 750,000 square feet? 1 Penn Plaza is a couple blocks away and is 2.5MM, no reason it shouldn't be double that given its proximity to Penn/Hudson Yards. 









https://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/inside-vornados-penn-plaza-war-room/


----------



## WillBuild

yankeesfan1000 said:


> My only issue is why only 750,000 square feet? 1 Penn Plaza is a couple blocks away and is 2.5MM, no reason it shouldn't be double that given its proximity to Penn/Hudson Yards.


I assumed that the answer was air rights. But apparently Farley is sitting on 1.5M of them.


----------



## gdipasqu

streetscapeer said:


> *Mock tiles*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tectonic


This is the Fitzroy ?:nuts: Amazing speed .... Oo


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 242 West 53rd St (The Roseland)*









Yimby




































RW on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Building Permits Hit Record High in First Few Months of 2017*



> New York City saw a record number of new residential building permits issued in the first quarter of 2017, hitting the highest level in a decade, according to an analysis released today by the New York Building Congress.
> 
> In the first three months of the year, the New York City Department of Buildings greenlighted construction permits for 6,343 apartments—nearly triple the 2,158 units approved at the beginning of last year. *The last couple of months even beat the beginning of 2015, when developers rushed to file plans ahead of the expiration of the 421a tax break and the city issued permits for 6,183 units.*
> 
> The construction trade group reports that this has been the best first quarter in construction since 2007, when a development boom paved the way for the city issuing 7,264 permits.
> 
> .....For the first quarter, Brooklyn led the pack with 2,097 permitted units, or roughly a third of the citywide total. Manhattan came in second with 1,486 units, followed by Queens with 1,434, the Bronx with 1,124, and Staten Island with 202 units approved for construction.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 130 Williams St*

*Lightstone Group seeks EB-5 funds for $700M FiDi condo project
Architect David Adjaye tapped to design 228-unit tower*













> David Lichtenstein’s Lightstone Group is seeking EB-5 funds for its 228-unit Financial District condominium tower, which will be designed by noted architect David Adjaye and is expected to be valued at $701 million.
> 
> *The developer recently launched a teaser site for the 800-foot building at 130 William Street, which it is calling the Wall Street Tower. *
> 
> On Lightstone’s EB-5 website, the company is seeking $100 million, or 18 percent of the project’s total cost, from investors, and is marketing the project to investors in China and Vietnam.
> 
> Representatives for the company did not immediately return calls for comment.
> 
> In March, Lightstone secured a $305 million construction loan for the 59-story tower from Mack Credit Real Estate Strategies, and plans to put $112.5 million of its own cash and land equity into the project, according to its EB-5 website.
> 
> The company bought the site at 130 William Street for $60 million in 2014, and paid another $15 million the following year to buy additional air rights.
> 
> On a Vietnamese-language blog Lightstone identifies the British-Ghanaian architect Adjaye as the designer.
> 
> “What made the Wall Street Tower truly special was that it was the design. We have the world-famous architect David Adjaye, who designed this building. *The building is over 800 feet tall, with more than 60 floors. The building has panoramic views over the entire city. You can see the port of New York, along with bridges, the Statue of Liberty.”*
> 
> Adjaye is best known for designing the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
> 
> In New York, he designed a 124-unit, affordable housing building at 155th Street in Sugar Hill for the Broadway Housing Communities and the Studio Museum in Harlem.
> 
> The marketing materials for Lightstone’s tower boast a rooftop observatory for residents and two floors of amenities including a wine cellar, indoor pool and spa, fitness center, lounge, movie theater and children’s playroom.
> 
> The teaser site indicates pricing will start at roughly $630,000 for a studio and $4.7 million for a four-bedroom.
> 
> The developer is still waiting for approval on the condo-offering plan it filed with the New York State Attorney General’s office in December. Construction is expected to be completed in November 2019


----------



## iiConTr0v3rSYx

That compliments Gehry well. :cheers:

1 WTC will look less dominant from Brooklyn unfortunately.


----------



## droneriot

Are there closer images of the outside? Are the windows like that on the whole building or just certain floors? Are there high resolution renders? From those teasers I'm very interested to see more. This could become a highlight of the area if it's as good as I'm imagining.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*15 East 30th Street* - 8 May 2017

15 East 30th by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

15 East 30th by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1205 Broadway* - 8 May 2017


1205 Broadway (Virgin Hotel) by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


1205 Broadway (Virgin Hotel) by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


1205 Broadway (Virgin Hotel) by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


1205 Broadway (Virgin Hotel) by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## JohnDee

wowee, NYC is really buzzing. Most projects are quite spectacular. The mall is meh, but everything else is superb!


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Fitzroy, 514 West 24th Street* - 12 May 2017














































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/5/12/construction-update-the-fitzroy-roman-and-williams)

The project:


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Luca9A8M said:


> *1205 Broadway* - 8 May 2017...
> 
> 1205 Broadway (Virgin Hotel) by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


I hate to quote pictures on the same page, but this sums up the city right now. Two unrelated projects, cranes up, a block apart from one another.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Newark, New Jersey - One Theatre Square*





























apophenic on yimby









http://onetheatersquare.com/webcam/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Billionaire's Row*


















benjibobster


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenpoint, Brooklyn - The Greenpoint - 21 India Street*


























































Curbed



















Waymond on yimby


On the Beach by deepaqua, on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*138 East 50th Street* - 8 May 2017


138 East 50th Street by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


138 East 50th Street by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*30 & 50 Hudson Yards* - 8 May 2017


50 Hudson Yards by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


50 Hudson Yards by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The projects:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*3 Hudson Boulevard* - 8 May 2017


3 Hudson Boulevard by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


3 Hudson Boulevard by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

3 Hudson Boulevard by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Lindley* - 23 May 2017














































The view:




























All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/5/23/construction-update-the-lindley)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*425 Park Avenue* - 16 May 2017









425 Park by tectonic Photo on Flickr









425 Park by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 1 Flatbush Ave*


















Source










City Realty


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 111 Murray St*



























Dezeen











IMG_2418 by Clay Hensley, on Flickr









the726 on yimby









City_Streets on yimby









@dantvusa


----------



## Luca9A8M

*285 West 110th Street* - 25 May 2017


















































































All photos by Field Condition (Source:http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/5/25/construction-update-285-west-110th-street-circa)

The project:


----------



## towerpower123

That building is absolutely beautiful, like it was taken from the finest city in Europe!!!


----------



## Troopchina

Right next to Central Park, the whole area is about to boom soon.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - One Vanderbilt*




































6sqft









Credit: Visual House



Matt Breitel












tomrattigan












markjacob


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - Culture Shed*






















https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/24/...ives-75-million-to-shed-arts-center.html?_r=0

*Michael Bloomberg Gives $75 Million to Shed Arts Center*


By ROBIN POGREBIN
MAY 24, 2017



































Bloomberg Philanthropies





















































John Hill


----------



## Atmosphere

^^ Wait...It can't really move... or can it? I was thinking the 'wheels' are just part of the architecture. Holy shit that's insane if it can move!


----------



## AbidM

Lovely skeletal stuff.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Atmosphere said:


> ^^ Wait...It can't really move... or can it? I was thinking the 'wheels' are just part of the architecture. Holy shit that's insane if it can move!


It moves. 

Thank you Mayor Bloomberg for donating money to get this done!


----------



## phoenixboi08

Atmosphere said:


> ^^ Wait...It can't really move... or can it? I was thinking the 'wheels' are just part of the architecture. Holy shit that's insane if it can move!


Yes. 

I believe some of the panels can open, vertically, to render it an "open air" pavilion, as well.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*242 Broome Street* - 27 May 2017









242 Broome Street by tectonic Photo on Flickr









242 Broome Street by tectonic Photo on Flickr









242 Broome by tectonic Photo on Flickr









242 Broome by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*111 Murray Street* - 27 May 2017









111 Murray by tectonic Photo on Flickr









111 Murray by tectonic Photo on Flickr









111 Murray by tectonic Photo on Flickr









111 Murray by tectonic Photo on Flickr









111 Murray by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## droneriot

My god. Another building that looks a hundred times better in real than in the render. Really, REALLY great facade.

-edit- Another post came in between. I'm referring to 242 Broome Street.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*565 Broome Street* - 27 May 2017









242 Broome by tectonic Photo on Flickr









565 Broome by tectonic Photo on Flickr









565 Broome by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*151 Maiden Lane* - 27 May 2017









151 Maiden Lane by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*One Seaport* - 27 May 2017









One Seaport by tectonic Photo on Flickr









One Seaport by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*One Manhattan Square* - 27 May 2017









One Manhattan Square by tectonic Photo on Flickr









One Manhattan Square by tectonic Photo on Flickr









One Manhattan Square by tectonic Photo on Flickr









One Manhattan Square by tectonic Photo on Flickr









One Manhattan Square by tectonic Photo on Flickr









One Manhattan Square by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*115 Delancey Street* - 27 May 2017









115 Delancey by tectonic Photo on Flickr









115 Delancey by tectonic Photo on Flickr









115 Delancey3 by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 99 Hudson Street*

*899ft (274m)*















































Gentrivacation on yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

^^
99 Hudson Street will be a great addition to the Jersey City skyline


----------



## _Hawk_

*520 Park Avenue*



























varlamov


----------



## _Hawk_

*220 Central Park South*


















varlamov


----------



## streetscapeer

You're gonna wanna full screen this 

217449774


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - The Dime - 209 Havemeyer Street*

*First Renderings of Mixed-Use Tower to Soar From Brooklyn's Williamsburg Bridge Gateway*




> One of Williamsburg’s most prominent sites is slated to get a *23-story mixed-use tower* that will bring a mix of *retail, office and residential space* to a bustling area at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge. The sizable lot is located at 209 Havemeyer Street, between South 5th and 6th streets, and is *anchored by the Neoclassical-styled Dime Savings Bank building which will be preserved and rehabilitated*, per renderings and details published by the developers.
> 
> According to the developers’ websites, the *340,000-gross-square-foot venture will be known as the “the Dime” and incorporate the 109-year-old historic bank building in its podium. In total, there will be 40,000 net square feet of ground floor retail, 100,000 rentable square feet of Class A office space, 178 rental apartments*..


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Milstein Center* - 30 May 2017




































































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/5/30/construction-update-the-milstein-center-barnard-college-som)

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad District - 262 Fifth Ave*



Ghostface79 said:


> *Skinny supertall tower by Meganom unveiled for New York*
> https://www.dezeen.com/2017/05/31/skinny-supertall-tower-russian-firm-meganom-unveiled-new-york-architecture-residential-usa/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Moscow-based studio Meganom has been tapped to design its first US project – a slender, 305-metre residential skyscraper planned for Midtown Manhattan.
> 
> The supertall tower, called 262 Fifth Avenue, is slated to rise in the Nomad district near Madison Square Park. The skyscraper will ascend to 1,001 feet (305 metres) and will be "unlike anything else built in New York", according to the team.
> 
> "A progressive example of forward-thinking and contemporary design, it will include several 'firsts' in terms of its design and environmental sustainability features," said the team.
> 
> The slim skyscraper by Meganom will occupy a parcel that spans from 260 to 264 Fifth Avenue. Two vacant structures are being demolished to make way for the tower, while a historic, 12-storey limestone building will be integrated into the skyscraper's base.
> 
> The project will be Meganom's first in America. Founded in 1998, the Moscow-based architecture and urban design firm was cofounded by Yury Grigoyan and lya Kuleshov.
> 
> The firm's recent commissions include an extension to the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the renovation of the Kremlin Museum and the creation of a new masterplan for Gorky Park – all located in Moscow.
> 
> "Meganom is virtually unknown in the West, yet have tackled some of the biggest and most complex projects in Russia," said the team.
> 
> For the Manhattan project, the studio has conceived a narrow tower wrapped in aluminium and glass.
> 
> The eastern facade will feature oversized and perforated porthole windows. On the north and south elevations, floor-to-ceiling windows will offer residents expansive views of the city.
> 
> The tower will be topped with a rectilinear crown that will serve as a viewing area. "At its summit, a soaring metal frame will create a striking arched observation deck atop the skyscraper," said the architects.
> 
> The tower's form is influenced by its structural system. A mechanical core will run up the west side of the tower, as opposed to the centre, which will enable column-free living spaces.
> 
> "The form of the skyscraper is inspired by a unique structural system that separates the building's functioning core from its living spaces, creating expansive, unobstructed, column-free and customisable full-floor residences – an inventive design solution unprecedented in a New York high-rise," said the team.
> 
> Demolition work recently got underway on the site. New York-based firm SLCE is serving as architect of record, and WSP is providing infrastructure and engineering services.
Click to expand...


----------



## streetscapeer

*Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn - Panorama - 25-30 Columbia Heights*

*Brooklyn’s Jehovah’s Witnesses Watchtower complex gets renderings for its future as Panorama*




> The five buildings will be transformed into swanky offices and retail
> 
> Panaroma, as this new space will be known, will be spread out over the five buildings here that were previously occupied by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. This includes three brick and timber buildings that were built in the late 19th century, and the two main buildings built in the 1920s.
> 
> This revamped campus will offer 635,000 square feet of interconnected office space, with most of it featuring 11-foot-tall ceilings. The public will have access to 35,000 square feet of retail and outdoor areas including terraces (and space for arts and culture)....


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - 25 Kent Ave*























































Tectonic


----------



## pqmoore

*New Midtown Hotel Dubbed "The Draper" Begins Construction*
_May 31, 2017_


> NYC & Company reports that New York City is expected to have an inventory of 137,000 hotel rooms by the end of 2019, up 24,000 from this May. Midtown's Garment District has been leading the way in terms of hotel development, with dozens of inns opening over the last decade. Now, another hotel has begun construction in the area at 4 West 37th Street, near the corner of Fifth Avenue.












More info on the project HERE.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Greenpoint* - 31 May 2017









The Greenpoint by tectonic Photo on Flickr









The Greenpoint by tectonic Photo on Flickr









The Greenpoint by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*325 Kent Avenue* - 31 May 2017









325 Kent by tectonic Photo on Flickr









Kent Avenue, Brooklyn by tectonic Photo on Flickr









Domino by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project for 325 Kent Avenue:










and for the surrounding area:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*37 Blue Slip* - 1 June 2017
































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/6/1/construction-update-greenpoint-landing-handel-architects)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*7 Bell Slip* - 1 June 2017









































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/6/1/construction-update-greenpoint-landing-handel-architects)


----------



## Luca9A8M

*5 Blue Slip and 33 Eagle Street* - 1 June 2017
































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/6/1/construction-update-greenpoint-landing-handel-architects)


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Greenpoint (21 India Street)* - 22 June 2017









The greenpoint by tectonic Photo on Flickr









The greenpoint by tectonic Photo on Flickr









The greenpoint by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Hudson11

*Reveal for 110 East 16th Street, Morris Adjmi-Designed Condo Tower Coming to Union Square*












> [...]
> 
> The site is imminently going to begin its ULURP approval process, applying for a 74-711 special permit. When complete, the building will span approximately 100,000 square feet, with 3,000 square feet used for retail and community facility space, and the remainder to be split between 50 condominiums.
> 
> [...]
> 
> The project will also include a restoration of 111 East 15th Street, which is a landmark.
> 
> Construction is currently anticipated to begin in the second half of 2018, with completion anticipated for the end of 2020.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 281 5th Ave*

*705ft/214m*






























RW on yimby



















5Bfilms


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 111 West 57th St*














































BRANDON NAGLE































RW on Yimby











https://www.instagram.com/p/BVz4oyDBaYH/?taken-by=propertymarketsgroup










https://www.flickr.com/photos/dannydaly











@jdsdevelopmentgroup


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Gotham East 126th Residential* - 28 June 2017









































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/6/28/construction-update-gotham-east-126th-residential-bjarke-ingels-group)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*22-44 Jackson Avenue* - 22 June 2017









22-44 Jackson Ave (5 Pointz) by tectonic Photo on Flickr









22-44 Jackson Ave (5 Pointz) by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*42-20 27th Street* - 22 June 2017








42-20 27th Street by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*29-26 Northern Boulevard* - 22 June 2017









29-26 Northern Blvd by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*27-17 42nd Road* - 22 June 2017









27-17 42nd Road by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*43-22 Queens Street* - 22 June 2017









43-22 Queens St by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Tishman LIC* - 22 June 2017









Tishman LIC by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 49 Chambers St*

*Inside the Beaux-Arts Emigrant Savings Bank amid its condo conversion*
















































*Ongoing Renovation*


----------



## droneriot

>


Good pic for all the "all classic buildings are destroyed for glass boxes nowadays"-people.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

^ Good god that is gorgeousssss.


----------



## dexter2

droneriot said:


> Good pic for all the "all classic buildings are destroyed for glass boxes nowadays"-people.


Funny that you posted picture from area that was extremely destroyed as well... But for highways.


----------



## Nexis

> From the last 3 weeks
> 
> *Downtown Brooklyn *
> 
> 
> 
> *Midtown Manhattan*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Lower Manhattan*
> 
> 
> 
> *Hudson Yards*
> 
> 
> 
> Penn Station at Rush Hour
> 
> 
> 
> *Midtown Manhattan Projects*
> 
> 15 Hudson Yards
> 55 Hudson Yards
> 30 Hudson Yards
> 35 Hudson Yards
> 509 West 38th Street
> 520 West 30th Street
> 461 West 34th Street
> 
> *Lower Manhattan Projects*
> 
> 80 South Street
> 111 Murray Street
> World Trade Center 3
> One Manhattan Square
> 118 Fulton Street


---


----------



## Manitopiaaa

dexter2 said:


> Funny that you posted picture from area that was extremely destroyed as well... But for highways.


Yeah, that area used to be far more beautiful:


----------



## Luca9A8M

Luca9A8M said:


> *43-22 Queens Street*


More photos:


43-22 Queens St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


43-22 Queens St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


43-22 Queens St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


43-22 Queens St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


43-22 Queens St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


43-22 Queens St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


43-22 Queens St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


----------



## Hudson11

*54-story SOM skyscraper coming to West 57th Street*

the next towering addition to a cavalcade of other tall developments. This will be at 16 West 57th Street. 

*A Holdout Delays a Developer’s Latest High-Rise Dream*



> After decades spent buying one small parcel after another across from his masterwork, the swooping office tower at 9 West 57th Street, the developer Sheldon Solow is finally ready to build.
> 
> Mr. Solow, a billionaire who turns 89 this month and is now in a hurry, hired Skidmore Owings & Merrill to design *a sleek 54-story hotel and condominium tower *to take its place on what has become known as Billionaires’ Row.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 235 Grand St*


















JC_heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - Park and Shore - 75 Park Lane*



























JC_heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 99 Hudson Street*

*899ft (274m)*






































Tectonic


----------



## Hudson11

total schmucks! :bash:

*Cottonwood planning a 40-story condo tower on Fifth Avenue*



> [...]
> The project is the second in a luxury lifestyle brand Cottonwood has less than subtly dubbed “Echelon,” which includes a 733-unit project already underway in Boston.
> 
> The New York development, slated for 316 Fifth Avenue, *would replace the 113-year-old Kaskel & Kaskel Building* at the corner of 32nd Street. Plans call for what will be a slim, 535-foot tower that will hold just 59,240 square feet of space. Retail space is scheduled for the ground floor and two units on the higher floors will be two-level apartments. Amenities include terrace space, a gym and a reading room.
> [...]


in danger:


----------



## Luca9A8M

^^
hno: :bash: hno:


----------



## Luca9A8M

Luca9A8M said:


> *27-17 42nd Road*


More photos:


27- 17 42nd Rd by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


27- 17 42nd Rd by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


----------



## Hudson11

the "preservationists" must be more concerned trying to preserve their views. *179* years old! Yet the landmark commission thinks its not worthy of individual landmark status. 

*14-Story, 20-Unit Mixed-Use Building Planned at 212 West 93rd Street, Upper West Side*



> Developer Ornstein Leyton Company and Congregation Shaare Zedek have filed applications for a 14-story, 20-unit mixed-use building at 212 West 93rd Street, located on the Upper West Side. The project would encompass 65,373 square feet and rise 169 feet above street level.
> [...]
> *The existing three-story structure will be demolished, with demolition permits filed in November 2016.*


----------



## Luca9A8M

Luca9A8M said:


> *Tishman LIC*


More photos:


28-02 Jackson Ave (Tishman LIC Towers) by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


28-02 Jackson Ave (Tishman LIC Towers) by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


28-02 Jackson Ave (Tishman LIC Towers) by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


Long Island City by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


28-02 Jackson Ave (Tishman LIC Towers) by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


Long Island City by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*160 Leroy Street* - 7 July 2017








































































































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/7/7/160-leroy-herzog-demeuron)

The project:


----------



## RegentHouse

Hudson11 said:


> total schmucks! :bash:
> 
> *Cottonwood planning a 40-story condo tower on Fifth Avenue*


A whole chunk of the Fifth Avenue side of that block needs to be redeveloped, specifically 306, 308, and 310 Fifth Avenue. Also maybe 312, and even 314 Fifth Avenue and the aforementioned if any proposal is superior. 2 West 32nd Street is also a shitter. However, being that only the corner and frankly best building is being redeveloped into what will likely be a modernist toothpick tower, it's an absolute attrocity! Where's Anthony Malkin with complaints obstructing his Empire State Building views when you need him?



Hudson11 said:


> the "preservationists" must be more concerned trying to preserve their views. *179* years old! Yet the landmark commission thinks its not worthy of individual landmark status.
> 
> *14-Story, 20-Unit Mixed-Use Building Planned at 212 West 93rd Street, Upper West Side*


The congregation is 179 years old, founded in the Lower East Side. If Jews proposed it in its current location at the time, they would have been tarred and feathered. The current temple dates to 1923. Still, I suppose it's historic on its own right, and fail to see how the facade can't be incorporated, especially if another temple is part of the development.


----------



## Hudson11

RegentHouse said:


> The congregation is 179 years old, founded in the Lower East Side. If Jews proposed it in its current location at the time, they would have been tarred and feathered. The current temple dates to 1923. Still, I suppose it's historic on its own right, and fail to see how the facade can't be incorporated, especially if another temple is part of the development.


I stand corrected. I still think it's a nice facade and that the landmark commission made a blatant mistake. The synagogue might have challenged a ruling in favor of landmarking anyway because they want something out of the development partnership, and it will be easier to redevelop without designation.


----------



## binhai

160 Leroy's gotta be one of my favorite buildings built anywhere. Just incredible.


----------



## schostabur

busty leroy..i like its backside :naughty:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*70 Vestry Street* - 4 July 2017









70 Vestry by tectonic Photo on Flickr









70 Vestry by tectonic Photo on Flickr









70 Vestry by tectonic Photo on Flickr









70 Vestry by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*90 Christopher Columbus Drive* - 4 July 2017









90 Columbus by tectonic Photo on Flickr









90 Columbus by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*91 Leonard Street* - 4 July 2017









91 Leonard by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*160 Morgan Street* - 4 July 2017









160 Morgan by tectonic Photo on Flickr









160 Morgan by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

Luca9A8M said:


> *29-26 Northern Boulevard*


More photos:


29 -22 Northern Blv by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


29 -22 Northern Blv by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*565 Broome SoHo* - 4 July 2017









565 Broome by tectonic Photo on Flickr









565 Broome by tectonic Photo on Flickr









565 Broome by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Hudson11

I don't mean to backseat moderate but I've seen a lot of Jersey City updates here and we do have a compilation thread for Jersey City and the New Jersey Hudson waterfront, started by Nexis. Jersey City has enough projects by itself, so it helps to cut down on the clutter for this thread. 

*NEW JERSEY GOLD COAST | Projects & Construction *


----------



## droneriot

Funny you talk about clutter while I'm the one wishing this would be the biggest thread in the subforum with updates every ten minutes.  Makes me happy every time streetscapeer, Luca9A8M and others post, because it's my most read thread on skyscrapercity lately, the more updates the better!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn -- 416-420 Kent Ave*




































Credit: http://www.dezeen.com/2016/04/22/42...lliamsburg-brooklyn-waterfront-new-york-city/



















rbrome


















5Bfilms


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 1 Beekman*




































http://www.urbanmuse.us/portfolio/beekman





























rbrombe on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 138 East 50th St*

*803ft (245m)*









Curbed









City Realty


*Mockup of the terra-cotta and glass facade*






























RW on Yimby









@brooklynveezy


----------



## WillBuild

*275 4th Ave, Brooklyn*


by me, on Flickr

Earlier render via the Times:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*281 Fifth Avenue* - 9 July 2017


281 5th Ave by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


281 5th Ave by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*100 Norfolk* - 11 July 2017























































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/7/11/construction-update-100-norfolk-oda)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*One Vanderbilt* - 9 July 2017


1 Vanderbilt by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


1 Vanderbilt by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


1 Vanderbilt by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Hudson11

I hope the Terracotta on 1 Vanderbilt is more noticeable than in the renderings.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*242 West 53rd Street* - 12 July 2017









































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/7/12/construction-update-242-west-53rd-street-cetraruddy)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*15 East 30th Street* - 9 July 2017


15 East 30th St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


15 East 30th St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1205 Broadway* - 9 July 2017


1205 Broadway (Virgin Hotel) by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


1205 Broadway (Virgin Hotel) by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Astoria, Queens - Hallets Point*















































Stan31 on SSP


----------



## hateman

Surprisingly good design for an out of the way neighborhood like Halletts Point. It looks like the baseline for quality has improved significantly in the last 10 years in NYC.


----------



## Hudson11

*50-Foot Dome Moved Into Place on Roof of Jarmulowsky Bank Building*



> On Saturday, crews hoisted a giant dome and positioned it atop the 12-story building, which has been undergoing a painstaking restoration for several years. Until 1990, a grand 50-foot tall tempietto was the most distinguishing characteristic of the tower at 54 Canal St./9 Orchard St. A previous owner had removed the dome, but now it’s been re-fabricated and moved into position on the roof.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Flatiron District - 110 East 16th Street*

*Morris Adjmi's 110 East 16th Street Up for LPC Design Review; New Renderings of the Tiered Tower*


----------



## streetscapeer

*West Village - 540 Hudson St*

*Old West Village gas station could sprout this Morris Adjmi-designed building*


----------



## Brko

^^


----------



## erbse

^ Fabulous brick design! Perfectly integrating in the classical neighborhood and still setting its own distinct accent. Lovely. More of that! kay:

NYC is top notch as ever.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*281 Fifth Avenue* - 16 July 2017









281 5th by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## droneriot

540 Hudson Street looks promising. The renders are old school Babylon 5 CGI quality, I think it's gonna be one that'll turn out a lot better than any advance visualisations.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 105 West 28th St*





















105 West 28th St by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Vessel* - 16 July 2017









Vessel by tectonic Photo on Flickr









Vessel by tectonic Photo on Flickr









Vessel by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*555Ten* - 25 July 2017



























































































The view:














































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/7/25/tour-555-ten-extell)


----------



## Ghostface79

143 Fulton Street


----------



## streetscapeer

*Laguardia Airport Redevelopment*



































































*From Twitter:* 



























Credit: LaGuardia Central


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 242 West 53rd St (The Roseland)*









Yimby


----------



## Hudson11

*Williamsburg | 115 Broadway | 4 fl | Commercial*

a mini-flatiron in Brooklyn. 

Reveal for 115 Broadway, Williamsburg Commercial Development


----------



## JohnDee

So will that be the biggest screen then in TS? Looks ridiculously massive.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*846 Sixth Avenue* - 9 July 2017

864 6th Ave by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

864 6th Ave by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

864 6th Ave by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Love the facade!^^


----------



## Troopchina

I don't. Looks outdated already. hno:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Park Slope, Brooklyn - 251 First Street*































































http://www.archdaily.com/876530/251-1st-street-oda-new-york


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 1 Beekman*





































http://www.urbanmuse.us/portfolio/beekman













rbrome on yimby









waymond_womano on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 25 Park Row*

and right next door to the above ^^




























rbrome on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - One Vanderbilt*




































6sqft









Credit: Visual House



*officially above street level*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - 5-40 44th Drive and 4-99 44th Drive*

*City unveils plan for 1,000 rentals, manufacturing space on Long Island City waterfront*













> ...The task the city presented in their call was this: Design a mixed-use project with *1,000 apartments and at least 300,000 square feet of commercial office or light manufacturing space*. TF Cornerstone’s proposal loops in a laundry list of uses, and will include *100,000 square feet of manufacturing space, 400,000 square feet of office space, 19,000 square feet of retail, an 80,000-square-foot public elementary school, and a one-acre waterfront park that will adjoin with an existing public pier.*
> 
> The development will also consist of *two towers that taper as they reach towards 650 and 500 feet.* The 1,000 apartments will be split between studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. Twenty-five percent of the apartments will be set aside as affordable housing. The residential amenities and layouts, for the most part, are still being hashed out....


----------



## Luca9A8M

*19 Dutch Street* - 22 July 2017









19 Dutch Street by tectonic Photo on Flickr









19 Dutch Street by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Hudson11

*TF Cornerstone Anable Basin*

:banana::banana:

great news. I never expected something so tall there.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Billionaire's Row*

Billionaire's Row: 520 Park Ave, 53 W 53rd St (Verre), 111 West 57th St (Steinway), Central Park Tower









@jrisorto


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 1225 Broadway*

476ft






























seamus.conway on yimby


----------



## jotrespo

*when will the virgin hotel finish construction?*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - One Manhattan Square - 252 South Street*
















































Tectonic









@fouetography









@bklyn_block


----------



## Luca9A8M

*199 Jay Street* - 18 July 2017









199 Jay Street by tectonic Photo on Flickr









199 Jay Street by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*115 Delancey Street* - 18 July 2017









115 Delancey by tectonic Photo on Flickr









115 Delancey by tectonic Photo on Flickr









115 Delancey by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

Progress on a few of the very tallest of current U/C supertalls

made by Thoma_Koloski on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 77 Greenwich St*







































Demo in progress









pas camel on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Times Square*

*Time Square to Debut Robotic LED Billboard Later this Month*



> ...According to a press release from the display’s maker, Radius Displays, “The sign will create a dramatic 3-D video experience unlike anything else in Times Square, or indeed the world” The client has spent more than four years designing, testing and fabricating the 2,600-square-foot display. Each LED module will move independently at up to 2 feet per second and the result is an infinitely adaptive and changing surface that will be faced with more than 1.5 million individual pixels...
> 
> ...the sign will go live on August 8.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Supertall Progress*

Progress on all supertalls built or U/C

made by Thoma_Koloski on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Mott Haven, The Bronx - 2550 Third Avenue*

*Tres Puentes: Mott Haven's Sizeable Affordable Development Comes Together*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - Waterline Square*






























from friday by me


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 45 Park Place*





















45 Park Place by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr
ILNY


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards District - 509 West 38th Street*























509 W 38th St by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



509 W 38th St by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Waterline Square* - 8 August 2017

























































































































































































































The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*251 First Street* - 8 August 2017









251 First by tectonic Photo on Flickr









251 First by tectonic Photo on Flickr









251 First by tectonic Photo on Flickr









251 First by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Hudson11

*520 West 41st Street | 220m | 723ft | 57 fl | Mixed Use*

*DOB Filing* 

*Larry Silverstein downsizes condo plans on Far West Side*



> Silverstein Properties appears to have scrapped plans for a 1,000-foot condominium-and-retail tower on the Far West Side.
> 
> The firm, led by Larry Silverstein, has filed a permit application for a 723-foot building at 520 West 41st Street, part of a block-wide development site between 10th and 11th avenues. The building will house 499 units across 547,718 square feet of residential space, with another 63,000 square feet of commercial space, the filing said.
> [...]
> Initial plans called for a 1.8 million-square-foot tower with the address 514 11th Avenue. The tower was to house 1,400 luxury apartments with 300,000 square feet of retail space. In 2015, Silverstein struck a deal with the city to reserve 30 percent of units as affordable. But at one point later that year, the developer put the entire site on the market.
> [...]


old renderings for the site


----------



## JohnDee

That a huge downsize and not a good sign for the market. I would wait until next cycle. This is a waste of land.


----------



## WillBuild

JohnDee said:


> That a huge downsize and not a good sign for the market. I would wait until next cycle. This is a waste of land.


It does not state that it will occupy the entire plot.

I quite liked the second design of two sets of twinned towers. If this is half of that, it would be :banana: with me.

Much better than that single huge box which was never a serious design.

For all the invective directed at Silverstein in this forum, I always found Silver towers well above the mean for such condo projects. The other nearby boxes like Sky, Atelier, Ohm, 555Ten and 3MW are all much less refined.


----------



## JohnDee

WillBuild said:


> It does not state that it will occupy the entire plot.
> 
> I quite liked the second design of two sets of twinned towers. If this is half of that, it would be :banana: with me.
> 
> Much better than that single huge box which was never a serious design.
> 
> For all the invective directed at Silverstein in this forum, I always found Silver towers well above the mean for such condo projects. The other nearby boxes like Sky, Atelier, Ohm, 555Ten and 3MW are all much less refined.


It was 1.8 million originally, now it's 600K aprox, so that second tower if it comes would be pretty large still. The fact that he's going small though is a sign of weakness in demand. Hopefully Larry will have a better design than the usual silver glass box but I doubt it. Personally I would have preferred the super tall over short residential twins.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 125 Greenwich Street*










Those 2 renders were also updated.


























http://www.bizzipartners.com/125-greenwich





















JC_heights on yimby


----------



## JohnDee

That's a high quality tower. Good to see more curvy towers rather than the usual hard edged buildings. Something different. The concrete strip going up the facade I could do without, though.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 100 Vandam St*

*Hudson Square factory will sprout this 25-story tower*


----------



## yankeesfan1000

JohnDee said:


> It was 1.8 million originally, now it's 600K aprox, so that second tower if it comes would be pretty large still. The fact that he's going small though is a sign of weakness in demand. Hopefully Larry will have a better design than the usual silver glass box but I doubt it. Personally I would have preferred the super tall over short residential twins.


First tower its 600k sf, second tower is 1.2mm sf. Final product will still be 1.8mm sf. Problem isn't weakness in demand, it's just a lot of residential units coming on line right now. 

Per BB : 

"Rents fell last month for Manhattan apartments of all sizes, the first across-the-board price decline in at least four years, as a construction boom brought more buildings to market and allowed some tenants to leave for bigger or newer units."


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 565 Broome St*











































































JC_heights on Yimby









Submariner on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 815 Fifth Ave*




































Waymon_Womano on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 281 5th Ave*

*705ft/214m*































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 1865 Broadway*



























Tectonic


----------



## lexi090

*plan to change the face of East Midtown*

Pols announced a deal on a rezoning plan, which has been years in the making, and was approved unanimously by the City Council’s Land Use Committee.
The blueprint, which covers 78 blocks in the heart of Manhattan, is expected to lead to the construction of 16 new buildings over the next two decades, bigger and taller than what is currently allowed.









read more news here http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...ing-16-new-taller-buildings-article-1.3363773


----------



## hateman

What a missed opportunity, sandwiched between 15 CPW and a nice old art deco building, they put something that looks like an office building.


----------



## perheps

New York City... New York City.... Big Apple .... Wall Street 
How many of construction whole buildings in New York City now?
I just have told ... 128 construction in moments 
Park Central Tower 472 metre 99 floors ... only 30 metre taller than Willis Tower


----------



## streetscapeer

*Murray Hill - 225 East 39th Street*







































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*South Street Seaport District - One Seaport and 151 Maiden Lane*















































One Seaport Residences by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



One Seaport Residences by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



One Seaport Residences by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



One Seaport Residences by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr









Tectonic






*151 Maiden Lane*











151 Maiden Lane by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



151 Maiden Lane by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



151 Maiden Lane by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## WillBuild

*Fantasy World replacement*

Design went up for the replacement of the old Fantasy World on 7th Ave South.


----------



## bodegavendetta

I'd rather have Fantasy World than that, tbh.


----------



## WillBuild

bodegavendetta said:


> I'd rather have Fantasy World than that, tbh.


:lol: Yes, one of the last of a generation.

It's a reasonable filler. At least the west 11 street side. I suppose that they didn't want to upset the LPC, assuming that they have had to get approval. Reminds me of the nearly finished building a bit farther south on the corner with west 10th. Neither will win an award.

Still, could have been much worse. See that postmodern monstrosity with the round turret on the left of the photo.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - Natural History Museum Expansion*

*American Museum of Natural History files plans for five-story expansion
*



> *It’s official: the American Museum of Natural History’s $340 million, Studio Gang-led expansion is moving forward. * The Museum filed plans with the Department of Buildings yesterday, Real Estate Weekly first reported.
> 
> With that, work will now get underway on the *245,000-square-foot new wing known as the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation.* This expansion will take place on the western side of the existing museum, and stand five-stories tall when complete.
> 
> Some of the standout elements in this new building will be the Butterfly Vivarium, the Invisible Worlds Theater (an immersive way to experience things that aren’t visible to the naked eye), the Interpretive Wall (for exhibits and data visualization), a new insectarium, and several new classrooms.
> 
> 
> ... *construction on the building is set to be complete by 2020*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 1010 Park Ave*


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Milstein Center* - 15 August 2017


















































































The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Tower Verre - 53 West 53rd St*



























WSJ










Tectonic



















by me









NYCD


----------



## Josedc

How much would a 350 square foot apartment go for in NYC?


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Columbia University Manhattanville Campus* - 17 August 2017


























































































































































The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

Josedc said:


> How much would a 350 square foot apartment go for in NYC?


It really depends on the specific area. In my neighborhood, Washington Heights (in far northern Manhattan), a studio apartment that size would be maybe $1,200-1,600 per month


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Central Park Tower*





































@otie









Credit: http://skyscrapercenter.cn/building/central-park-tower/14269









@thenewyork.life









@flynyon









@megla


----------



## streetscapeer

*Penn Station Revamp*

*Penn Station's Moynihan Train Hall begins construction*



> The conversion of the James A. Farley Post Office building, across from Penn Station, into the new Moynihan Train Hall, is officially underway, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday afternoon.
> 
> Demolition work at the post office building got underway in September 2016, but the site has now been prepped for the *new train hall which will measure 255,000 square feet, come with a 92-foot-tall skylight, and have nine platforms and 17 tracks serviced by eleven escalators and seven elevators*...
> 
> ....The vibrant retail he’s referring to will be part of *700,000 square feet of commercial, retail, and dining venues* inside the transformed Farley building. Once complete, the new Moynihan Train Hall will provide a direct connection to the Eight Avenue Subway, and *for the first time ever, a new entrance to the overall Penn-Farley complex on Ninth Avenue.*
> 
> ...*Construction on the new train hall is set to wrap by 2020.*








































































*Some New Renderings*



*From 9th Ave*


----------



## Ghostface79

*See First Renderings of New Ritz-Carlton Hotel Coming to NoMad, Construction Planned for Next Year*
https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/future-nyc/see-first-renderings-new-ritz-carlton-hotel-coming-nomad-construction-planned-next-year/13022






























> Building permits filed in January 2016 have yet to be fully approved, but call for a 40-floor, 580-foot tall tower designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects. The permits say there would be 164 units, several eating/drinking establishments, a club lounge on the 29th floor and a rooftop bar on the 32nd.
> ...
> The first published renderings show the building will rise as a simple slab with a setback plaza at the base. Rows of planters will sit below full-height glass windows and there will be several accessible outdoor spaces throughout the tower. Construction is scheduled to begin in the Q2 2018 and is estimated to be complete in Q1 2021.


----------



## geoking66

*American Copper Buildings* | Murray Hill

Official website: http://americancopper.nyc

Project facts


Address: 626 1st Avenue


Status: Complete


Developer: JDS


Architect: SHoP


Residential: 761 units


Retail: 4,100 s.f. (381 sqm)


Height: 540ft, 470ft (165m, 143m)


Floors: 49, 41


August 16:


20170816_080823 by josh s jackson, on Flickr


----------



## geoking66

*390 Madison Avenue* | Midtown

Official website: http://www.390madison.com

Project facts


Address: 390 Madison Avenue


Status: Under construction


Developer: L&L


Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox


Office: 850,000 s.f. (78,968 sqm)


Height: 373ft (114m)


Floors: 32


August 16 (taken by me):











Rendering:


----------



## geoking66

*The Greenpoint* | Greenpoint

Official website: https://thegreenpoint.nyc

Project facts


Address: 21 India Street


Status: Topped out


Developer: Mack/UDP


Architect: Ismael Leyva


Residential: 463 units


Retail: 8,678 s.f. (806 sqm)


Height: 392ft (119m)


Floors: 39


August 12:


r_170813091_beat0048_a by Mitch Waxman, on Flickr


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Construction photo of the train hall


----------



## geoking66

*520 Park Avenue* | Lenox Hill

Official website: http://www.520parkavenue.com

Project facts


Address: 520 Park Avenue


Status: Topped out


Developer: Zeckendorf


Architect: Robert AM Stern


Residential: 33 units


Height: 781ft (238m)


Floors: 54


August 14:


A Day in the Life at Central Park by Thea Prum, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 215 Schermerhorn Street*













































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 512 West 22nd St*





























































































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*NYC Metro Area - Tappan Zee Bridge*



Hudson11 said:


>


..



>


----------



## streetscapeer

*Port Morris, The Bronx - 101 Lincoln Avenue and 2401 Third Avenue*



> *The 1,300-apartment project will be the borough’s largest private development ever*
> 
> Somerset Partners and the Chetrit Group will *start construction on their seven-building South Bronx development within a month*. The news comes as a small aside in a New York Times piece about a boxing gym in the South Bronx, one of several businesses in the area incubated by developer Keith Rubenstein of Somerset Partners in the lead up to the development.


----------



## geoking66

*One Manhattan Square* | Two Bridges

Official website: http://onemanhattansquare.com

Project facts


Address: 252 South Street


Status: Under construction


Developer: Extell


Architect: Adamson


Residential: 815 units


Retail: 23,167 s.f. (2,152 sqm)


Height: 823ft (250m)


Floors: 80


August 17:


Manhattan Bridge by Jimmy Wu, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - "The Vessel"*


























































cerdsp




























Michael Lee












https://www.instagram.com/p/BXTEhF1F5jk/?taken-by=cbre_aip









@melanie_d_photography









@franken_schotter










Thomas_Koloski @ yimby


----------



## Ghostface79

*The Culture Shed*










https://www.6sqft.com/watch-the-hudson-yards-8-million-pound-arts-center-the-shed-glide-effortlessly/


----------



## geoking66

*300 Lafayette Street* | SoHo

Project facts


Address: 300 Lafayette Street


Status: Under construction


Developer: Related


Architect: COOKFOX


Office: 53,000 s.f. (4,924 sqm)


Retail: 30,000 s.f. (2,787 sqm)


Height: 145ft (44m)


Floors: 7


August 19 (taken by me):











Rendering:


----------



## droneriot

I hope the H.R. Giger estate receives royalties for the Culture Shed design.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Moynihan Station Video*


----------



## geoking66

*30, 35, 55 Hudson Yards* | Midtown West

Official website: http://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com

Project facts


Address: 30, 35, 55 Hudson Yards


Status: Under construction


Developer: Related/Oxford


Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox/SOM


Residential: 217 units


Office: 3,869,852 s.f. (359,521 sqm)


Hotel: 175 rooms


Height: 1,268ft; 1,009ft; 778ft (386m, 308m, 237m)


Floors: 73, 72, 51


August 20:


NYC by NY浮塵, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown West - 1 Manhattan West*

*995ft/303m*




































https://www.brookfieldproperties.com/development/







































Tectonic 


















by me


----------



## streetscapeer

*55 Hudson Yards*


















http://newhudsonfacades.com/projects/55-hudson-yards/





































@hagenscutt


















Tectonic









by me


20170809-_IGP9406 by Bill Benzon, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 76 11th Ave*
























































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenpoint, Brooklyn - Greenpoint Landing*


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

...Amazing updates Streetscaper!...
I like that you mix renderings with photos;yours with others..
Great job!..I know it needs an endless love and dedication to do that daily!


----------



## ThatOneGuy

That residential will be beautiful! I love the black grid framed windows!


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Cornell Tech* - 22 August 2017







































































































































































































The project:


----------



## schostabur

looks like one of those 90s `anything goes` ensembles in berlin...why not oke:


----------



## Josedc

cool university


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Are there any plans for those old hospital ruin at the end of the island? They should stabilize it and clear the ground level so that people can walk through it.

Of course, the best plans would be a complete restoration into a functional building again.


----------



## JohnDee

Like the lower rise buildings, not a fan of the tower.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Dumbo - 10 Jay Street*


















Dumbonyc.com



















Tectonic




































http://www.brownstoner.com/developm...mbo-historic-district-arbuckle-10-jay-street/


----------



## Luca9A8M

*70 Vestry Street* - 6 August 2017

70 Vestry St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

70 Vestry St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

70 Vestry St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr+

The project:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

10 Jay


----------



## Weissenberg

^^ Both 10 Jay St and 70 Vestry St are gorgoeus. Not to mention all the other incredible projects.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*415 Red Hook Lane* - 24 August 2017














































The view:




























The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 138 East 50th St*

*803ft (245m)*









Curbed









City Realty


*Mockup of the terra-cotta and glass facade*






































Tectonic









http://www.***********.com


----------



## WillBuild

*111 Leroy Street*

This project is now above ground. It was too dark to take good photos.










It was toned down a bit last year, compared to earlier plans. Even though the general outline was presented last year, I think this render hadn't been shown here before. Right next door, 127 Leroy street is beginning to see activity too.



pqmoore said:


> *First Look at BKSK's New West Village Condo, 127 Leroy Street*
> December 7, 2016
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [more photos in post]


And both are just a stone's throw from topped out Herzon & de Meuron's 160 Leroy Street on the waterfront. Busy neighborhood.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - "The Spiral" - 66 Hudson Blvd*

*Pfizer set to move into The Spiral on far West Side*



> Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has chosen Tishman Speyer’s dramatic new office skyscraper The Spiral for its new headquarters...
> 
> ...Pfizer has definitively made up its mind on the planned Hudson Yards-area cloudbuster, where it will take about 800,000 square feet, sources familiar with the situation said late Thursday.
> 
> The 65-story, 2.85-million rentable square-foot Spiral is designed by Danish starchitect Bjarke Ingels. To rise west of 10th Avenue at 509 W. 34th St., the $3.2 billion, *1005-foot-tall tower* takes its name from stepped, tree-filled terraces on all four sides that curl upwards around its façade like a necklace.















































@profilenyc


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Medical Complex - 525 East 73rd St*


















City Realty










Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn - 153 Remsen Street*

185 feet, 19 stories, 60 units




































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 25 Park Row*





































rbrome on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 125 Greenwich Street*




































http://www.bizzipartners.com/125-greenwich











@bcjacobsonmsp


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 9 Dekalb Ave*

*1066 ft (324m)*


























































rbrome on yimby









Tectonic


----------



## hateman

Vinoly again rehashes the 70s and 80s for 125 Greenwich. That was a lousy era for the city and architecture.

Very reminiscent of 1515 Broadway:


----------



## Hudson11

*Long Island City Aug 2017*

photos by Mitch Waxman


r_170825100_beat0051_a by Mitch Waxman, on Flickr


r_170825169_beat0051_a by Mitch Waxman, on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*19 Dutch* - 24 August 2017









19 Dutch & One Seaport by tectonic Photo on Flickr









1 WTC by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Kew Gardens Hills Library* - 28 August 2017


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 25 Park Row*



streetscapeer said:


>


A clearer rendering has surfaced for this project


----------



## RegentHouse

hateman said:


> Vinoly again rehashes the 70s and 80s for 125 Greenwich. That was a lousy era for the city and architecture.
> 
> Very reminiscent of 1515 Broadway:


It could be worse. It could be a stretched 1960s box...-oh wait.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - 3 Hudson Blvd*

*1050ft/324m*



*Construction Finally Begins on 3 Hudson Boulevard, See New Rendering of FXFOWLE-Designed Supertall*



> *The 63-floor, 1.8 million-square-foot tower will soar -more than 1,000 feet tall *from a full block site bounded by Eleventh Avenue and Hudson Boulevard, across from the Javits Center and 55 Hudson Yards. FXFOWLE are the architects and renderings were first released in 2007 calling for a LEED Platinum-certified office/condo tower topped with sky gardens. A pivoting and tapering design was conceived and the torque’s angle is to capture a more optimal solar exposure.
> Building permits were filed in 2014 for the building’s first 15 floors including its 7-story podium. Those high-ceilinged floors at the base will have 48,000-square-foot floor plates that can readily accommodate trading floor space, showroom space or studio space depending on the direction of the tenant. Per the building’s official website, above will be more typically-sized office floorplates averaging just north of 30K s/f per floor. Then there will be the more exclusive “executive floors” from levels 48 to 63 that will be more boutique in nature and have access to a health club, swimming pool and entertainment space. *Topping it all off will be the “sky club” that will have event spaces, dining rooms and bars, meeting rooms and terraces protected by glass windscreens.* Noticeably absent from the website is any mention of the residential condominiums which were initially envisioned...
> 
> ..*The building’s foundation was mostly finished during MTA’s construction of the 7 line extension meaning superstructure could begin relatively soon. According to FXFOWLE the tower is to be finished in 2021*.


----------



## JohnDee

Does anyone know why 55 HY turned out so short? Did they not use the full air rights or something. Seems strange as all the other talls on similar plots are supertalls.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 1225 Broadway*

476ft





























1205 Broadway (Virgin Hotel) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*565 Broome SoHo* - 29 August 2017























































The project:


----------



## towerpower123

565 Broome cladding is gorgeous and I can't wait to see the glass on the bridges between the two halves! It is about time that 125 Greenwich and 3 Hudson (The Girasole) are actually being built. Also, I thought 19 Dutch was a new project for a moment except it is 118 Fulton Street...


----------



## Park John

NY is always a great city and I wish I could come here many more times.


----------



## JohnDee

The Trump SoHo is still a great tower.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*122 Community Center* - 30 August 2017























































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/8/30/construction-update-122-community-arts-center)

The project:


----------



## Hudson11

JohnDee said:


> Does anyone know why 55 HY turned out so short? Did they not use the full air rights or something. Seems strange as all the other talls on similar plots are supertalls.


Around the time of The Recession a supertall tower called the World Product Center was proposed there. Around 2012 or so it was revived as One Hudson Yards with a similar, shorter design. Related acquired the site and it became 55 Hudson Yards.


----------



## JohnDee

Hudson11 said:


> Around the time of The Recession a supertall tower called the World Product Center was proposed there. Around 2012 or so it was revived as One Hudson Yards with a similar, shorter design. Related acquired the site and it became 55 Hudson Yards.


I'm wondering why Related went with a short tower. Did they use all the develop able space or not with 55 HY? As I said, it's odd that all around there are larger supertalls. This is the baby of the area.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*FDNY Rescue Company 2 Training Facility* - 31 August 2017























































The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 620 Fulton Street*




































@tectonicphoto


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 7 West 21st Street*



























City Realty










@tectonicphoto


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - Citicorp Center - Market Bulding*














































@tectonicphoto


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - One Vanderbilt*




































6sqft









Credit: Visual House


*Mock up*









@One_Vanderbilt



*Two cranes on site and steel above street level*

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYbf_TFDAkF/










https://www.instagram.com/p/BYbgGj2jhm3/









https://www.instagram.com/p/BYePnB1ns0c/?taken-by=arazoo_hq










1 Vanderbilt by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


1 Vanderbilt by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 15 East 30th St*

*756 ft/230 m*



















































15 East 30th by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## JohnDee

NoMAD has really become the prime luxury location. Funny how it used to be so tacky and down market. Quite a fast turnaround for that place. 

Nice tower too.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*325 Kent* - 1 September 2017

















































































































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/9/1/tour-325-kent-shop-architects)

The project:


----------



## binhai

Whoa. Now that's a work of art.


----------



## WillBuild

BarbaricManchurian said:


> Whoa. Now that's a work of art.


And it's only the first of a bunch of buildings. Kudos to SHoP for always delivering something exciting.


----------



## WillBuild

Hudson11 said:


> Around the time of The Recession a supertall tower called the World Product Center was proposed there. Around 2012 or so it was revived as One Hudson Yards with a similar, shorter design. Related acquired the site and it became 55 Hudson Yards.


Yeah. That was a lovely design, too.

I was really sad when it got canned. What are the odds that the replacement would turn out even more exciting. :banana:

Still, wouldn't mind if this would rise next door one day.


----------



## geoking66

*126 Madison Avenue* | NoMad

Project facts


Address: 126 Madison Avenue (15 E 30th Street)


Status: Under construction


Developer: Fosun


Architect: Handel


Residential: 180 units


Retail: 7,500 s.f. (697 sqm)


Height: 756ft (230m)


Floors: 51


August 27:


15 East 30th by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


Rendering:


----------



## streetscapeer

geoking66 said:


> *126 Madison Avenue* | NoMad


I just posted this yesterday, but great with the project facts. Glad to see this picking up steam after lagging for months :cheers:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad District - 30 East 31st St*

*479ft*















































City Realty


----------



## droneriot

I had no idea that one was so far along already. Looking forward to seeing how the crisscrossing will turn out in real.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - Waterline Square*







































@bizziasophia





_MG_4472.jpg by Joe Darmiento, on Flickr








_MG_4473.jpg by Joe Darmiento, on Flickr








_MG_4459-Pano.jpg by Joe Darmiento, on Flickr


----------



## geoking66

streetscapeer said:


> I just posted this yesterday, but great with the project facts. Glad to see this picking up steam after lagging for months :cheers:


Agh, I must have missed it. I did an in-thread search and the most recent result was from last year.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards District - 461 West 34th St*














461 West 34th St by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



461 West 34th St by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Noho - 363 Lafayette St*






















































http://www.boweryboogie.com/2017/08...velopment-jones-diner-site-reaches-3-stories/


----------



## geoking66

*The JACX* | Long Island City

Project facts


Address: 28-07 Jackson Avenue


Status: Under construction


Developer: Tishman Speyer


Architect: MdeAS


Office: 800,000 s.f. (74,322 sqm)


Retail: 43,000 s.f. (3,994 sqm)


Height: 396ft, 396ft (121m)


Floors: 27, 27


September 3 (taken by me):











Rendering:


----------



## geoking66

*Central Park Tower* | Midtown

Project facts


Address: 217 W 57th Street


Status: Under construction


Developer: Extell


Architect: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill


Residential: 179 units


Height: 1,550ft (472m)


Floors: 95


September 4 (taken by me):











Rendering:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 1050 Sixth Ave*

* 24-Story, 62-Unit Mixed-Use Project at 1050 Sixth Avenue, Midtown*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 425 Park Ave*

*860ft/262m*







































































ILNY said:


> Here is an update, construction is moving very slowly.
> 
> 
> 425 Park Avenue. by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 425 Park Avenue. by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr




















@tomdurante


----------



## streetscapeer

*NYC Metro Area - Tappan Zee Bridge*



Hudson11 said:


>



Morning traffic into Rockland County on the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. by governorandrewcuomo, on Flickr


Morning traffic into Rockland County on the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. by governorandrewcuomo, on Flickr


Morning traffic into Rockland County on the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. by governorandrewcuomo, on Flickr


Governor Cuomo Announces First Span of of Mario M. Cuomo Bridge Open to Traffic by governorandrewcuomo, on Flickr


Governor Cuomo Announces First Span of of Mario M. Cuomo Bridge Open to Traffic by governorandrewcuomo, on Flickr


Governor Cuomo Announces First Span of of Mario M. Cuomo Bridge Open to Traffic by governorandrewcuomo, on Flickr


----------



## hateman

The Tappan Zee turned out far better than expected. It actually looks graceful.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 250 West 81st St*

*209ft/18floors*



























chused on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Tower Verre - 53 West 53rd St*





















*New Renderings:*









https://twitter.com/PARADISE_DC/status/905483424500207618/photo/1









@53W53



*Progress:*









@53w53



Tower Verre (53W53) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



Tower Verre (53W53) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



Tower Verre (53W53) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



Tower Verre (53W53) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



30 Rock Sunset 9 by C.M. Keiner, on Flickr


















5Bfilms on yimby










@ian.a.bentley


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 152 East 87th St*





























City Realty


----------



## Josedc

Are there any parks being built in NYC, right now?


----------



## Dmerdude

streetscapeer said:


>


So good! :cheers:


----------



## Tommy Boy

Are that any Construction or Projects in Central Park Area. Love that Park. The best City Park in the World.


----------



## JohnDee

Josedc said:


> Are there any parks being built in NYC, right now?


Governors island is building a park.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*203 Jay Street* - 8 September 2017


















































































The view:




























All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/9/8/tour-203-jay-street-woods-bagot)


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - 370 West 125th Street*

*First Rendering of Chunky Mixed-Used Building Coming to 125th Street in Harlem*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Park Slope, Brooklyn - 609 Fourth Ave*

*Revealed: Issac & Stern's 73-Unit Rental at 609 Fourth Avenue Gets Redesigned*


----------



## streetscapeer

*West Village - 90 Morton St*



























City Realty


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - 150 North 12th Street*



















Tectonic


----------



## hateman

They eliminated the one standout quality of 90 Morton: the arched masonry surrounding the windows on the top floor and replaced it with an odious black carbuncle. It looks like a conversion from the 1990s. Too bad.


----------



## Weissenberg

streetscapeer said:


> https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4340/36311853243_04ed05a25e_b.jpg
> Tectonic


My first reaction was "nice renovation" and then it hit me... it's a completely new structure?!


----------



## bodegavendetta

Josedc said:


> Are there any parks being built in NYC, right now?


The big ones in the works are Pier 3 and 5 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Freshkills Park, East River Greenway, Domino Sugar Plant park, Van Cortlandt Park renovation, Bushwick Inlet Park, and possibly Pier 55 and Pier 40.


----------



## nylkoorB

Josedc said:


> Are there any parks being built in NYC, right now?


Staten Island North Shore Waterfront has a Park being built. I'm not sure the timeframe on it though and I feel like it may be a while.


----------



## streetscapeer

bodegavendetta said:


> The big ones in the works are Pier 3 and 5 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Freshkills Park, East River Greenway, Domino Sugar Plant park, Van Cortlandt Park renovation, Bushwick Inlet Park, and possibly Pier 55 and Pier 40.


Also, Hunter's Point in LIC (with manmade hills) and Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island


----------



## towerpower123

bodegavendetta said:


> The big ones in the works are Pier 3 and 5 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Freshkills Park, East River Greenway, Domino Sugar Plant park, Van Cortlandt Park renovation, Bushwick Inlet Park, and possibly Pier 55 and Pier 40.


Barry Diller and Douglas Durst are at war with each other over the Pier 55 floating park, and that does not seem to be letting up soon. Meanwhile, Pier 40 is being held off for a while because it is currently a parking lot that funds the Hudson River Park Trust. Also, the 3500 steel piers that support it are decaying and need to be replaced before major construction can begin. However, the enormous St. John's Terminal warehouse has just been bought for $700 Million for redevelopment and they might buy 200,000 square feet of air rights from Pier 40, which would give them $100 Million to start construction. 
http://nypost.com/2017/09/06/3-block-long-st-johns-terminal-complex-sells-for-700m/
https://ny.curbed.com/2017/9/7/16266266/st-johns-terminal-west-village-sale
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/15/nyregion/100-million-deal-to-save-pier-40-in-manhattan-is-approved.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 321 Warren St*

*165ft, 18floors*











*Site Prep*









West Hudson on wirednewyork


----------



## streetscapeer

*Bushwick, Brooklyn - Bushwick II - 123 Melrose St*






































































































6sqft


----------



## streetscapeer

*Bushwick, Brooklyn - 10 Montieth st*

















































































































6sqft


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - 196 Orchard Street*

*Lower East Side condo rising next to Katz's Deli tops out*


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Williamsburg, Brooklyn - 545 Broadway*

*First Renderings of 545 Broadway, East Williamsburg's Future Tallest Building + Reimagined Banking Hall*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - "The Vessel"*


















































@timothyschenck










https://www.instagram.com/p/BYOxhiTDUCr/?taken-by=cranelifephotography









https://www.instagram.com/p/BYglbJqD9M4/?taken-by=hardcoreshutterbug









@tomcon02









https://www.instagram.com/p/BYrgnGqgRdY/?taken-by=jayo3737









@hagenscutt









@tomcon02


















@tomcon02


----------



## JohnDee

streetscapeer said:


> 6sqft


Bushwick seems to be developing nicely. Still needs to gentrify more though. Need to make the neighborhood more like this and less ghetto.


----------



## JohnDee

When I first heard about the new "effel tower" monument that the developers were trumpeting, I envisioned a massive avant garde sculpture with spiral staircases on which you could walk up and down. I wasn't too far off. Kudos to me, it was a good guess.


----------



## streetscapeer

Hi John, can you please edit your post so that you don't quote so many pictures


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Cornell Tech* - 13 September 2017


----------



## Luca9A8M

Part II



































































































































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/9/13/tour-cornell-tech)


----------



## Luca9A8M

Part III

















































































































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/9/13/tour-cornell-tech)


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 180 East 88th St*
















































Tectonic


----------



## Luca9A8M

*152 East 87th Street* - 11 September 2017









152 East 87 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









152 East 87 by tectonic Photo on Flickr









152 East 87 by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## RegentHouse

streetscapeer said:


> *First Renderings of 545 Broadway, East Williamsburg's Future Tallest Building + Reimagined Banking Hall*


Awful, but appropriate for Williamsburg's crappy hipster tastes. We should build and plan for the future when all the hipsters piss off to somewhere more ironic. Let them stick to their freight container apartments.



streetscapeer said:


>


Too bad the corner building wasn't included in the redevelopment for something more solid and oriented to Third Avenue. Also, the inconsistent windows spoil what could have been a great building. The same with 321 Warren Street in Jersey City.


----------



## joeyoe121

Aren't you a delightful individual :lol:


----------



## tuktoyaktuk

i am always impressed by all the NYC skyscrapers constructions sites .......because a third (35%) of NYC offices skyscrapers are empty ???? i dont understand how they can build so much towers ......are they headquarters ? but NYC has no industry and no one factory !


----------



## streetscapeer

tuktoyaktuk said:


> i am always impressed by all the NYC skyscrapers constructions sites .......because a third (35%) of NYC offices skyscrapers are empty ???? i dont understand how they can build so much towers ......are they headquarters ? but NYC has no industry and no one factory !


I don't know where you got your number from but this below is from an official report from the _Office of the New York State Comptroller _ from Feb, 2017



> In 2016, there were 550 million square feet of office space in New York City. The City’s three main business districts (Midtown, Midtown South, and Downtown Manhattan) together contain 450 million square feet of office space, representing more than one quarter of all the office space in the nation’s business districts.
> 
> 
>  The amount of office space in Manhattan’s business districts is three times larger than in Chicago (which is ranked second nationally) and twice as large as in London (which is ranked second internationally).
> 
> 
>  Class A office space has increased by45 million square feet since 2000, and now comprises nearly two-thirds of all office space in New York City.
> 
> 
> * Strong demand for office space lowered the vacancy rate in Manhattan from 12.8 percent at the end of the recession to 9.7 percent in 2015. The vacancy rate edged up to 10.1 percent in 2016, as new space came on the market at a faster rate than it could be absorbed.*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 565 Broome St*



















































































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 269 West 87th St - The Chamberlain*













































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 125 Greenwich Street*




































http://www.bizzipartners.com/125-greenwich




















rbrome on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 74 Trinity Place*






































rbrome on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City’s Harborside boardwalk to get $75M makeover and new food hall*



> The firm’s *$75 million plan* will piggyback on next month’s opening of a *new New York Waterway ferry station* there and transform the waterfront promenade in front of their *4.3 million-square-foot *Harborside office complex into a “one-of-a-kind cultural district” that will include a beer garden, European-style *food hall known as The Marketplace*, and the Harborside Atrium, an interconnected series of pedestrian routes and lobbies throughout the buildings that will also serve as cultural event space.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Shed* - 18 September 2017














































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/9/18/construction-update-the-shed)


----------



## Hudson11

*Hudson Yards Phase I*









@camilleschaer on instagram


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - 41-21 28th Street*



> According to permits filed with the DOB, plans call for a 16-story mixed used building with 120,000+ square feet of residential space for 166 units and 675 square feet of commercial space.











http://liccourtsquare.com/2017/09/19/full-reveal-41-21-28th-street/


----------



## Hudson11

*Downtown Brooklyn | 11 Hoyt Street | 202m | 664ft | 51 fl*

this news seems to have flown under the radar: we finally have a height figure for Tishman Speyer's Brooklyn Macy's Development. +1 skyscraper for BK! 

*Macy’s Downtown Brooklyn parking garage may be replaced by a 51-story tower*



> Steve Powers’s “Love Letter to Brooklyn” is gone, and the Downtown Brooklyn parking garage it adorned is too. As if no one saw this coming, the site bound by Fulton, Hoyt, and Livingston streets and Elm Place is being prepared for its new life as home to a 51-story residential building, courtesy of Tishman Speyer. Brownstoner first spotted the filings with the Department of Buildings.
> Plans filed last week by architect Hill West indicate that, if approved, the tower will stand 664 feet—taller than The Hub, the borough’s current tallest building, but shorter than the planned supertall at 9 Dekalb—and include 476 condos. The building will also have about 100,000 square feet of retail space.
> [...]


photos of the site from Brownstoner:










what used to occupy the site:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - Turkish Consulate - 821 First Avenue*

*Erdoğan takes first step to build new Turkish House in New York*




> *President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Turkish House, which is located in Manhattan, right across from the United Nations Headquarters, as part of his visit to the U.S within the framework of the U..N General Assembly.*
> 
> The old building, which had been long used by Turkey as a building for consular affairs and permanent representation, was pulled down to construct a new one. *The new planned Turkish House is expected to be a 32-story building that symbolizes Turkey's growing power in the world.*
> 
> President Erdoğan said ahead of his visit to the U.N. General Assembly, "The new 32-floor building will be worthy of Turkey's honor as it is in the downtown and constructed right across from the U.N. Headquarters."
> 
> The new Turkish House is expected to overshadow the U.N. building, the U.N. Plaza and the building of the U. S.'s U.N. permanent representation that is 171 meters high (561 feet). The new Turkish House is expected to be finished in 2021. It is planned to be a building that features Turkish culture, history and multiplicity with Turkish architecture motives. It will also be a green-friendly building with "LEED Silver" certificate.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 112 West 25th Street*

*432ft(131m) / 39floors*


















JC_heights on Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 105 West 28th St - Moxy Hotel*

*410ft (124m)/ 35floors*














































JC_heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Astoria, Queens - Hallets Point*










































































https://commercialobserver.com/2017/09/checking-in-with-halletts-point-in-astoria-queens/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - 25 Kent Ave*























































5Bfilms on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*200 East 21st Street Tops Out & Debuts New Rendering*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 560 West 24th Street*









@tectonicphoto


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Schomburg Center* - 22 September 2017













































































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/9/22/construction-update-the-schomburg-center-marble-fairbanks)


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - Park and Shore - 75 Park Lane*



























JC_heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 99 Hudson Street*

*899ft (274m)*
























































JC_heights on yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1 Beekman Street* - 1 October 2017

1 Beekman St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1050 Sixth Avenue* - 30 September 2017









1050 6th by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Bryant* - 30 September 2017









The Bryant by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## crazyevildude

Luca9A8M said:


> *1050 Sixth Avenue* - 30 September 2017
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 1050 6th by tectonic Photo on Flickr
> 
> The project:


I like how in the renders they've made it's neighbours look completly bland, it means it's doesn't look anywhere near as out of place and generally crap as it's going to in reality.

On the other hand the Bryant is turning out super.


----------



## JohnDee

crazyevildude said:


> I like how in the renders they've made it's neighbours look completly bland, it means it's doesn't look anywhere near as out of place and generally crap as it's going to in reality.
> 
> On the other hand the Bryant is turning out super.


This is what developers do. They TRUMP up their project.


----------



## streetscapeer

I honestly think it doesn't look that bad.. quite decent and contextual actually


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 7 West 57th St*

*First Rendering of Solow's Billionaires' Row Condo at 7 West 57th Street*


----------



## Fotografer

Pier 55 Hudson River is abandoned!












> But construction wasn't able to start, due to problems with the permit, and the delays caused by the ongoing legal disputes led to costs ballooning up from $35 million to $250 million.





> There was enormous public support, everyone was behind it, except there was an unelected group of people who, from a commercial real-estate perspective, had their own gripes. They held the project hostage, slowing it down through repeated legal cases that the project was winning each time, but which were grinding things down."





> Because of the huge escalating costs and the fact it would have been a continuing controversy over the next three years I decided it was no longer viable for us to proceed..



https://www.dezeen.com/2017/09/14/thomas-heatherwick-saddened-pier-55-park-new-york-treasure-island-scrapped/

Stupid lobbyst hno:!
Great project, it's a shame


----------



## JohnDee

streetscapeer said:


> *First Rendering of Solow's Billionaires' Row Condo at 7 West 57th Street*


This tower sucks. However, it's not as bad as what he is doing across the street if you like old classical buildings. It's awful to see even more of old midtowns limestone neoclassical structures razed. NY, wake up. Guys like him and others have no problem destroying your heritage.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financing Secured For 27-Story Condo Tower At 537 Greenwich Street, Hudson Square*




> ...Permits for the site were filed last year, and its scope will be quite substantial. The zoning area of 228,000 square feet will cover 27 floors and 170 condominiums, which will average over 1,200 square feet apiece...


----------



## JuanPaulo

The location of One Manhattan Square (252 South Street - 252 South Street) is odd amidst lowrises.


----------



## JohnDee

JuanPaulo said:


> The location of One Manhattan Square (252 South Street - 252 South Street) is odd amidst lowrises.


The surrounding tower blocks are butt ugly anyway and should be redeveloped. No problem whatsoever as it takes the eye away from Moses' awful legacy. Unlike 57th street, where dirtbag Solow and friends tear down beautiful old structures for banal glass boxes as if it were nothing. They have no compunction about destroying the heritage of the city. Now that's what I call odd. Or maybe its just greed.


----------



## Luca9A8M

Fotografer said:


> Pier 55 Hudson River is abandoned!


What a shame... the project was very nice hno:


----------



## JohnDee

streetscapeer said:


> *Financing Secured For 27-Story Condo Tower At 537 Greenwich Street, Hudson Square*





This looks nice neo-industrial design. The area is shaping up to be a location that is very stylish and in demand.


----------



## streetscapeer

*35 Hudson Yards*

*1039ft/316m*


















Credit: http://www.6sqft.com/related-launches-hudson-yards-living-website-with-new-renderings/





























@montanatonyc


Michael Lee














































Tectonic









@captiv_8


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - "The Vessel"*


















































@s_ebihara_nyc









@ivana_kovacevic_corcoran









@makandmia

Michael Lee



































































Thomas_Koloski on Yimby


----------



## BLACK DAHLIA

streetscapeer said:


> I honestly think it doesn't look that bad.. quite decent and contextual actually
> 
> ...
> 
> ..How to ruin a project with five balconies...hno:


----------



## streetscapeer

*South Street Seaport District - One Seaport Street Seaport District - One Seaport*



































































by me









Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 111 Murray St*



























Dezeen









@jerometraveller









5Bfilms on yimby



kznyc2k said:


>


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn -- 416-420 Kent Ave*




































Credit: http://www.dezeen.com/2016/04/22/42...lliamsburg-brooklyn-waterfront-new-york-city/





















by me


















5Bfilms on yimby


----------



## RegentHouse

Tower Dude said:


> Oy!
> 
> https://ny.curbed.com/2017/10/17/16488464/nyc-supertall-rezoning-mas-accidental-skyline


What the hell is an "accidental skyline?" While I do agree a lot more oversight against truly atrocious buildings is warranted, these people should move to Brasilia and tell us how great it is if they want an "intentional skyline."


----------



## peteyrocks

*MAS is outta control !!!!*



RegentHouse said:


> What the hell is an "accidental skyline?" While I do agree a lot more oversight against truly atrocious buildings is warranted, these people should move to Brasilia and tell us how great it is if they want an "intentional skyline."




The Municipal Arts Society are a bunch of out of touch Neanderthals. Even though I don't mean this...BOY WOULD I LIKE TO TELL THEM THIS....I'm glad Madison Square Garden was built tearing down the Old Penn Station...Grand Central Station should have NEVER been preserved !!!! If I was Mayor of NYC...I would support and help approve the first 5,000 foot supertall to be build in the city encouraging more structures to be designed along that scope...." I WANT TO LIVE INA CITY...THAT NEVER SLEEPS...THAT'S WHY i'M A NUMBER ONE..... TOP OF THE HEEP... THESE LITTLE BLUES ARE MELTING AWAY... I WANT TO BE A PART OF IT....NEW YORK...NEW YORK !!!!!" GET THE MESSAGE MAS ....GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU NIMBYS !!!!!!!!! SAID WITH PRIDE !!!!!!!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 111 West 57th St*


















































































by me


















5Bfilms on yimby









@ksayegh_photography


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - One Vanderbilt*




































6sqft









Credit: Visual House

















































by me










https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ4nZkhAUW3/?taken-by=thiggins513


----------



## peteyrocks

peteyrocks said:


> The Municipal Arts Society are a bunch of out of touch Neanderthals. Even though I don't mean this...BOY WOULD I LIKE TO TELL THEM THIS....I'm glad Madison Square Garden was built tearing down the Old Penn Station...Grand Central Station should have NEVER been preserved !!!! If I was Mayor of NYC...I would support and help approve the first 5,000 foot supertall to be build in the city encouraging more structures to be designed along that scope...." I WANT TO LIVE INA CITY...THAT NEVER SLEEPS...THAT'S WHY i'M A NUMBER ONE..... TOP OF THE HEEP... THESE LITTLE BLUES ARE MELTING AWAY... I WANT TO BE A PART OF IT....NEW YORK...NEW YORK !!!!!" GET THE MESSAGE MAS ....GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU NIMBYS !!!!!!!!! SAID WITH PRIDE !!!!!!!


Of course …yes it was a tragedy that the old Penn Station was torn down and it was a positive thing that Grand Central Station was preserved but don’t you think it’s a bit much that some people are going bananas over too many supertalls being built. Look at the jobs that are being created…Major organizations like Time Warner and other companies are grabbing at the chance to move into projects like Hudson Yards and look at how incredible the area around the World Trade Center looks after reconstruction. Downtown Brooklyn is becoming a major hub in NYC. We are competing with other cities for the right to bring in Amazon which already has announced that they are moving their back offices into Manhattan West which could create the potential to create 2,000 jobs. Preservation has it’s place but it should never impede in the potential for progress and job growth and the Not In My Backyard People (NIMBY’s) have for too long exploited their special interests which in the long run do not benefit the opportunity for growth and expansion. It’s time that a competing voice against their opinion be heard.


----------



## AbidM

The quality of the photos in the last few posts have been good so far, keep up the good work.


----------



## JohnDee

peteyrocks said:


> The Municipal Arts Society are a bunch of out of touch Neanderthals. Even though I don't mean this...BOY WOULD I LIKE TO TELL THEM THIS....I'm glad Madison Square Garden was built tearing down the Old Penn Station...Grand Central Station should have NEVER been preserved !!!! If I was Mayor of NYC...I would support and help approve the first 5,000 foot supertall to be build in the city encouraging more structures to be designed along that scope...." I WANT TO LIVE INA CITY...THAT NEVER SLEEPS...THAT'S WHY i'M A NUMBER ONE..... TOP OF THE HEEP... THESE LITTLE BLUES ARE MELTING AWAY... I WANT TO BE A PART OF IT....NEW YORK...NEW YORK !!!!!" GET THE MESSAGE MAS ....GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU NIMBYS !!!!!!!!! SAID WITH PRIDE !!!!!!!


They would laugh you out the door, and for good reason. Suggesting that is a fantastic joke in this day and age, lol.


----------



## JohnDee

peteyrocks said:


> Of course …yes it was a tragedy that the old Penn Station was torn down and it was a positive thing that Grand Central Station was preserved but don’t you think it’s a bit much that some people are going bananas over too many supertalls being built. Look at the jobs that are being created…Major organizations like Time Warner and other companies are grabbing at the chance to move into projects like Hudson Yards and look at how incredible the area around the World Trade Center looks after reconstruction. Downtown Brooklyn is becoming a major hub in NYC. We are competing with other cities for the right to bring in Amazon which already has announced that they are moving their back offices into Manhattan West which could create the potential to create 2,000 jobs. Preservation has it’s place but it should never impede in the potential for progress and job growth and the Not In My Backyard People (NIMBY’s) have for too long exploited their special interests which in the long run do not benefit the opportunity for growth and expansion. It’s time that a competing voice against their opinion be heard.


Ugh, you need a balance. Or else end up like Hong Kong, or somewhere else that knocked down neRly all old buildings.


----------



## Luca9A8M

18 October 2017














































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/10/18/construction-update-one-manhattan-square)


----------



## Luca9A8M

*118 Fulton Street* - 1 October 2017


118 Fulton St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


118 Fulton St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


118 Fulton St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


118 Fulton St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Hudson11

*COMPLETED: 50 Clinton Street | Lower East Side - 7 floors, 37 units*

this turned out nicely. 

rendering:










*50 Clinton Street Nears Finish Line with Handful of Unsold Condos *


----------



## Hudson11

*LICH Cobble Hill | River Park Brooklyn - Tower 2 | 134m | 440ft*

*First look at Cobble Hill’s 400-foot tower at LICH redevelopment River Park*

The other two new towers depicted in the rendering are 1 and 3 River Park; each rising 15 floors. 










rendering from the website, cropped:


----------



## Hudson11

*Long Island City | Hunter's Point South Phase 2*

*Hunters Point South development moves forward after years of delays*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 250 West 81st St*

*209ft/18floors*



























NYTimes










chused on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 77 Greenwich St*

40-story and 500-foot tall residential building

















































Excavation Underway


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 45 Broad Street*

*84 floors - 1,127ft/344m*
































*Excavation Starting*










@mariavnewyork



























rbrome on yimby


----------



## droneriot

Luca9A8M said:


>


What's the highrise?

-edit to prevent puzzled responses: The highrise under construction one block east of the tower that looks like it's in military camouflage.


----------



## Luca9A8M

^^
I'm pretty sure it's 80 Essex Street/115 Delancey Street


----------



## streetscapeer

That's correct


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 565 Broome St*











































































5Bfilms on yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

*565 Broome Street* - 25 October 2017









































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/10/25/construction-update-565-broome-soho-renzo-piano)

The project:


----------



## JohnDee

If they put some of those big ass screens up all over the city and not just in TS, perhaps it would look like Tokyo someday. We can only hope.


----------



## LCIII

Gross. Thank God that wont happen.


----------



## AnOldBlackMarble

streetscapeer said:


> *After Cuomo intervenes, Pier 55's floating park is back on*
> 
> 
> 
> Cuomo has forced all the warring sides—Diller, the City Club, and Douglas Durst (outed as the benefactor of the City Club)—to come to a consensus, so that the park, designed by Thomas Heatherwick, can move forward. The City Club of New York will no longer be lobbing any more lawsuits against the project.
Click to expand...

So the brother of a serial killer was behind killing this project. :nuts: What a sick family of lunatics. :bash:


----------



## k%

that park is epic, hope it to happen :cheers:


----------



## TowerVerre:)

JohnDee said:


> If they put some of those big ass screens up all over the city and not just in TS, perhaps it would look like Tokyo someday. We can only hope.


That would be awesome, also they should do some LED lighting on all the new skyscrapers with glass facade similar to how they do it in China.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Wonderful news! This park will be an icon of NYC. Heatherwick is one of my favourite architects.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Crown Building - 730 Fifth Ave*

*Bulgari Unveils New Gold-Studded Facade at the Crown Building*



> When luxury jeweler Bulgari signed a 15-year lease in the Crown Building (730 Fifth Avenue) near the end of 2015, the transaction set a new city record with rents of approximately $5,500 per square foot. The magnificent building on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street has been described as one of the most desirable retail locations in the city. Peter Marino revamped the space with marble doorways, a white Lasa marble mosaic on the floor, and an intricate gold façade inspired by a Bulgari bracelet from the 1930s. Luminaries such as Jill Biden, Misty Copeland, Mario Testino, Ruby Rose, and Bella Hadid were on hand to celebrate the recent reopening.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenwich Village - 809 Broadway*

*ODA's BIlliards Factory Conversion + Addition Finally on the Rise; Plans Now Call For Office Space*



> The stalled 15-story condominium project at 809 Broadway is finally rising and nearly topped out. It's the same project that caused bad blood between its developer Ariel Rom and adjacent building owner Ben Shaoul (known luxury developer) and resulted in the latter getting served with a breach of agreement lawsuit for allegedly impeding work on construction. Nearly a year later and the project has changed significantly. *While there will still be a residential component, it will now include just two apartments (originally ten) on the top levels and floors 2-12 will hold office space. *It looks like Rom is taking a cue from Mayor de Blasio's plan to transform Union Square to the city's next tech hub.
> 
> 809 Broadway is a conversion and addition to a long-standing five-story building that was owned by and served as the headquarters of Blatt Billiards since 1972. Rom, acting as part of 809 Broadway Holding LLC, bought the building for $24M in 2013.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenwich Village - 14 Fifth Ave*

*Reveal For Robert A.M. Stern-Designed Tower Planned For 14 Fifth Avenue*



> ...*Plans show the tower would rise 367 feet and 27 floors to its rooftop parapet, which in this iteration, is crowned by substantial ornamentation*. At first glance the design may appear uncharacteristically tall, especially for Greenwich Village, but in reality, One Fifth Avenue directly across the street stands 340′ to its rooftop...
> 
> ...Nevertheless, YIMBY has heard that *Madison Realty Capital is on the verge of construction, and that the LPC hearing should be relatively soon*...
> 
> ..The total residential floor area in the current version is 89,812 square feet, and there will be 36 condominiums in all...
> 
> ...*The exterior will feature limestone from head to toe, and the historically-inspired accents ensure the building meshes with the predominantly pre-war surrounds almost seamlessly*. With Robert A.M. Stern’s penchant for classical design, and recent projects like 220 Central Park South and 30 Park Place going above and beyond to enhance both streetscape and skyline, the LPC will hopefully be relatively satisfied with the plans upon submission.


----------



## PsyLock

I don't dislike Stern but that top looks like a mausoleum


----------



## schostabur

and still the petty windows...i told him to stop it :slap:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*10 Montieth Street* - 27 October 2017




































































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/10/27/construction-update-10-montieth-oda)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Carroll House* - 27 October 2017









 Carroll House, Williamsburg Brooklyn by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - City Point Phase 3 - 138 Willoughby Street*

*Brookyln's future 2nd tallest (720ft/219m)*









































Tectonic


----------



## hoogbouwe

*Broadway 606 | 6 fl*



streetscapeer said:


>


Update 10/18

20171018_174902 by Lowre Jurilj, on Flickr


20171018_143144 by Lowre Jurilj, on Flickr


----------



## binhai

Now that's trippy.


----------



## meetthestreet

streetscapeer said:


> *Reveal For Robert A.M. Stern-Designed Tower Planned For 14 Fifth Avenue*
> 
> Looks gorgeous. Re: the top "mausoleum", this eye-catching detail is seen in other great NYC buildings; I think there is one in the Financial District that has a similar top. Plus, it keeps this building from being in the flat-top club.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*15 Lafayette Avenue* - 28 October 2017









15 Lafayette by tectonic Photo on Flickr









15 Lafayette by tectonic Photo on Flickr









15 Lafayette by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Dock 72* - 28 October 2017









Dock 72 by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - Sony Building - 550 Madison Ave*

*Snøhetta tapped as lead architect for $300M Sony Building restoration*



> Now, with those plans long abandoned, Olayan America and Chelsfield revealed plans on Monday for a *$300 million renovation of the tower, modernizing the lower levels of the building with high-quality amenities and a sprawling 21,000-square-foot public garden*. With *Snøhetta as lead architect*, the renovation will be the first major project in East Midtown since its revitalization plan was approved earlier this year...
> 
> ...According to Olayan America, the plans will enhance Philip Johnson’s 1980s postmodern design and will feature all-encompassing amenities, world-class retail and restaurants. While the iconic top of 550 Madison Avenue will remain a fixture of the Manhattan skyline, its base will transform into a more inviting street front with state-of-the-art systems. According to Snøhetta, their design approach “stitches the life of the building back into the street.”...
> 
> ...The building’s stone facade will be partially replaced at eye level with an *undulating glass curtain wall. This updated facade aims to highlight the multi-story arched entry while also complementing the building’s existing steel structure.*
> 
> Notably, the renovation includes *nearly doubling the current public space by converting it into an outdoor garden with water features and trees. The neighboring annex building will be removed, allowing the park to expand, becoming the largest outdoor garden within a 5-minute walking radius of the building. More than 40,000 square feet of amenities are also planned for the building.*...
> 
> *The renovation of 550 Madison is expected to be completed sometime in 2019.*


----------



## JohnDee

I don't really care for that.. the original is quite unique.


----------



## streetscapeer

*50 Hudson Yards*



























https://www.wsj.com/articles/banks-...yards-1504558800?tesla=y&mg=prod/accounts-wsj












[/url]3 Hudson Boulevard by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



3 Hudson Boulevard by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



3 Hudson Boulevard by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## ThatOneGuy

I'm interested to see the cladding on this. Looks like the columns will have a nice marble finish.

But omg, the Sony Building.  Why do they have to disfigure this postmodern icon like that? How is it not heritage protected? hno:


----------



## JohnDee

ThatOneGuy said:


> I'm interested to see the cladding on this. Looks like the columns will have a nice marble finish.
> 
> But omg, the Sony Building.  Why do they have to disfigure this postmodern icon like that? How is it not heritage protected? hno:


Because NYC developers... look what they do to old gems like the Bancroft building, Drake, etc


----------



## towerpower123

streetscapeer said:


> *After Cuomo intervenes, Pier 55's floating park is back on*


This project is like the annoying little kid that keeps flicking the light switch. On again. Off again. On again. Off again. And now on again. Now actually build this masterpiece!!!


----------



## JohnDee

developers and their fueds...


----------



## ThatOneGuy

One of the details I love is how it goes into the old pilings!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - Waterline Square*























































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...ng-2-waterline-sq-new-collegiate-school/14246










@paulgomango


















JC_heights on yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

*115 Delancey Street* - 28 October 2017









115 Delancey by tectonic Photo on Flickr









115 Delancey by tectonic Photo on Flickr









115 Delancey by tectonic Photo on Flickr









115 Delancey by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## binhai

*NEW YORK | Projects &amp; Construction*

Essex Crossing will make among the biggest impact on NYC’s streetscape of all projects..replacing empty lots in a prime location with bustling, incredible urban buildings. Almost all gaps in Manhattan are getting closed these days.


----------



## RegentHouse

ThatOneGuy said:


> I'm interested to see the cladding on this. Looks like the columns will have a nice marble finish.
> 
> But omg, the Sony Building.  Why do they have to disfigure this postmodern icon like that? How is it not heritage protected? hno:


It's not old enough. Still, preservationists should coerce changes to the proposal. The glass opening while cut level to the arch, destroys the facade's articulation effect created at lowers level in relation to the three vertical windows on both sides, and exposing the steel structure is completely against postmodern architecture principles here. Also the vertical windows down to street level changed to an overhang and resulting horizontal effect makes it more generic than inviting. The building is supposed to have a monumental and fortress-like form, which is part of the reason it's loved and loathed. It's consistent with the corporate image of AT&T when they were supposed to move into the building, before antitrust was retarded enough to force what was a natural monopoly to break up.



BarbaricManchurian said:


> Essex Crossing will make among the biggest impact on NYC’s streetscape of all projects..replacing empty lots in a prime location with bustling, incredible urban buildings. Almost all gaps in Manhattan are getting closed these days.


I find the execution with shifty and irregular arrangements of windows to be absolutely hideous. It's a shame because it would otherwise be solid redevelopment, too.


----------



## JohnDee

RegentHouse said:


> It's not old enough. Still, preservationists should coerce changes to the proposal. The glass opening while cut level to the arch, destroys the facade's articulation effect created at lowers level in relation to the three vertical windows on both sides, and exposing the steel structure is completely against postmodern architecture principles here. Also the vertical windows down to street level changed to an overhang and resulting horizontal effect makes it more generic than inviting. The building is supposed to have a monumental and fortress-like form, which is part of the reason it's loved and loathed. It's consistent with the corporate image of AT&T when they were supposed to move into the building, before antitrust was retarded enough to force what was a natural monopoly to break up.
> 
> 
> 
> I find the execution with shifty and irregular arrangements of windows to be absolutely hideous. It's a shame because it would otherwise be solid redevelopment, too.


That's exactly what i thought when I first saw it. It reduces the monumental power of the entire base of the tower. I think by reducing the bold and imposing arch's impact with the glass facade covering really ruins the entire effect.


----------



## hugh

The Pier 55 floating park irritates in much the same way the proposed London Garden Bridge irritated. A piece of frippery - a redundant folly. If I want flora and verdancy, I'll take the park.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 91 Leonard St*












*From July 31st*









http://tribecacitizen.com/2017/07/31/seen-heard-tipsy-shanghai-has-closed/


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Village - 80 East 10th St*
























































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...kes-shape-east-village039s-old-book-row/14324


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 99 Hudson Street*

*899ft (274m)*















































@rolsol









WSJ









@jerseydigs


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards Update*









@sayitaintfro









@notamiller









@roguestar6









@aa.ron_zc









@sayitaintfro









@trvphoto


DSC03756 by Lewin Bormann, on Flickr









@gmp3


----------



## Luca9A8M

*300 Lafayette Street* - 3 November 2017









300 Lafayette by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*606 Broadway* - 3 November 2017









606 Bway by tectonic Photo on Flickr









606 Bway by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*43-22 Queens Street* - 28 November 2017









by Andrew Campbell Nelson









by Andrew Campbell Nelson









by Andrew Campbell Nelson

Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2017/11/rockroses-54-story-eagle-electric-redevelopment-at-43-22-queens-street-nears-completion-long-island-city.html

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Renderings Revealed For Cort Theater Expansion At 138 West 48th Street, Times Square* - 28 November 2017

The building was designed by Thomas W. Lamb, first opening its doors back in 1912. The proposal includes restoring the façade of the pre-war structure. Along with a new coat of paint near the color of the original design, the project would remove the current signage and refurbish the marquee to near-original specifications.



















The new annex does not replicate any of the classical styles, and will have a more modernized touch. Kostow Greenwood Architects will be responsible for the design.



















Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2017/11/renderings-revealed-for-cort-theater-expansion-at-138-west-48th-street-times-square.html


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Greenwich Lane* - 28 November 2017













































































































The view: :cheers: :cheers:














































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/11/28/building-tour-the-greenwich-lane)


----------



## _Hawk_

*The Getty* 501 West 24th Street

www.gettybymarino.com

Architecture: Peter Marino Architect
Developed: Victor Group

The Getty is a residential development at 239 10th Ave along the Highline, in New York City. The design of the 12 story building is by Architect Peter Marino, and it's being developed by Victor Group. The facade is a minimalist shifted grid system constructed with blackened metal panels. Each unit's interiors boast unique hand selected marble slab fireplaces and bathrooms, each master bathroom stone selection is represented below.

 

 


https://www.behance.net/gallery/52792319/The-Getty


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 111 West 57th St*

Love these shots of the new superscraper rising:








































http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/11/29/construction-update-111-w-57-shop-architects


----------



## Tellvis

^^
Absolutely love this skyscraper. Visiting New Youk in the summer and can't wait to see all these amazing projects.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1 Beekman Street* - 26 November 2017


1 Beekman St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*25 Park Row* - 26 November 2017


25 Park Row by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*180 East 88th Street* - 29 November 2017









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

* 147-151 East 86th Street* - 29 November 2017









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Demolition Permits Filed To Make Way For ODA-Designed Tower At 75 Nassau Street, Financial District* - 30 November 2017

The last time YIMBY reported on plans for 75-83 Nassau Street was back in June of 2015, when we featured a fresh set of renderings for the 40-story tower, which is being designed by ODA New York. Building applications were filed a few months before that, in March of 2015, but the site’s old structural occupants remain extant. Now, as of last week, demolition permits have finally been issued, indicating developer Lexin Capital is about to begin work.

No formal completion date has been announced, but with demolition only just beginning, a three year estimate until opening day would not be unreasonable.

Today:










Project:



















Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2017/11/demolition-permits-filed-to-make-way-for-oda-designed-tower-at-75-nassau-street-financial-district.html


----------



## germantower

^^ The density of lower Manhattan is just getting really insane.


----------



## Hudson11

It's been insane for over a hundred years, evidenced by the two 100+ year old towers in that bottom rendering.


----------



## germantower

^^ I know what you mean, but the recent additions just mnake that fabric that is already dense even crazier. That is what I have meant.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*152 Elizabeth* - 30 November 2017
































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/11/30/construction-update-152-elizabeth-tadao-ando)

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Melrose, The Bronx - La Central*

*Construction Kicks Off at La Central in the South Bronx*



> ... the 6-building complex will bring 992 apartments, 30,000 square feet of community space, and 45,000 square feet of retail space gathered around communal spaces. Additionally, the plan will host a rooftop telescope for the Bronx High School of Science, a BronxNet television station, and the South Bronx’s first YMCA.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hell's Kitchen - 351 West 38th Street*

20-story, 353-key hotel, 145,406 square feet, 201 feet to its rooftop


















@davidjk5


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1010 Park Avenue* - 30 November 2017









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## erbse

^ Simple but effective neoclassicism! If more plain facades would be structured like that there were many more timeless buildings around.  Almost no eyesores anymore...


----------



## Luca9A8M

^^
The original project was this horror: uke:


----------



## streetscapeer

Here it is U/C at the bottom of this picture (a few weeks old):


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - "The Spiral" - 66 Hudson Blvd*

*1,005ft/306m*






















































@profilenyc





509 West 34th Street (The Spiral) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



509 West 34th Street (The Spiral) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Liberty Island - New Statue of Liberty Museum*



































































*Delivery: 2019*








































































http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/11/a_new_museum_for_lady_libertys_old_flame_di_ionno.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*50 Hudson Yards*



























https://www.wsj.com/articles/banks-...yards-1504558800?tesla=y&mg=prod/accounts-wsj







3 Hudson Boulevard by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



3 Hudson Boulevard by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



3 Hudson Boulevard by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Fresh Renderings, $150 Million Construction Loan For Redevelopment Of The Dime In Williamsburg, Brooklyn* - 1 December 2017

The redevelopment of the Dime Savings Bank in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, will result in one of the neighborhood’s tallest buildings, and today YIMBY has fresh renderings for the project, designed by Fogarty Finger Architects. Yesterday, The Real Deal reported that Charney Construction & Development and Tavros Capital Partners have acquired a $150 million loan to fund construction and renovation work on the historic bank and new 22-story tower. The developers purchased the site in March of 2016 for $80 million.
































































Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2017/12/fresh-renderings-150-million-construction-loan-for-redevelopment-of-the-dime-in-williamsburg-brooklyn.html


----------



## Zack Fair

Maybe it's just me, but I hope the Spiral gets a redesign, it looks hideous.


----------



## towerpower123

That Dime Savings Bank tower looks like the New Berlin Style and I hope that continues with the beauty of the detail seen in that style!
The same firm did these.




































http://archleague.org/2016/10/fogarty-finger/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 200 Amsterdam Avenue*

*668ft/55fl*






















Chused on yimby


----------



## lezgotolondon

streetscapeer said:


> *1,005ft/306m*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> @profilenyc
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 509 West 34th Street (The Spiral) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> 509 West 34th Street (The Spiral) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



Stunning.


NYC has top quality projects just please stop building toothpick skyscrapers on Central Park:lol:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Central Park Tower*





































Credit: http://skyscrapercenter.cn/building/central-park-tower/14269












@nyc.tagged









@pictures_of_newyork









@nyonair









@karakonkie










@Gigi.nyc









https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb77ql9Faia/?taken-by=lloydtakephoto










@joeyvisuals


MANHATTAN. NEW YORK CITY. by ALBERTO CERVANTES, on Flickr









Thomas_Koloski on yimby


----------



## AbidM

Bloody beautiful stuff. ^


----------



## Luca9A8M

*550 Vanderbilt* - 4 December 2017






















































































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/12/04/building-tour-550-vanderbilt-cookfox)


----------



## Luca9A8M

^^
Part II









































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/12/04/building-tour-550-vanderbilt-cookfox)


----------



## hateman

That is a very well designed building. So many interesting details, spaces, views, etc.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - The Jacx -- 28-01 Queens Plaza South*












































































Tectonic


----------



## hateman

Can someone do an update on the project at 550 W. 29th street?










It's another industrial jewel from Cary Tamarkin.


----------



## streetscapeer

Snow falling at the base on 1WTC









@soul_rebelde


----------



## Luca9A8M

*42-20 27th Street* - 4 December 2017









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

hateman said:


> Can someone do an update on the project at 550 W. 29th street?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's another industrial jewel from Cary Tamarkin.


These photos date back to September:


----------



## msquaredb

It is so hard to appreciate the height of towers like Central Park of Steinway until they break through the Manhattan canopy.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards District - Hudson Commons - 441 Ninth Ave*

*New Renderings + Video of KPF's Reinvention of Hudson Yards-Area Office Block*




> In early November, Cove Property Group and equity partner, Baupost Group unveiled plans to redevelop their 8-story office block at 441 Ninth Avenue. The grey and gloomy structure, long tenanted by Emblem Health, will get *17 additional floors* and will be rebranded as Hudson Commons. *Come 2019, the venture will finish its transformation into a sparkling 26-floor Class A property totaling 700,000-square-feet in area.*...
> 
> ...*Hudson Commons will provide 80% more vision glass in the podium, have 14 private terraces* and a full suite of amenities...



















































































































































------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------





*They did a really nice job on the video, I must say:*

228865842


----------



## Luca9A8M

*70 Vestry Street* - 5 December 2017
































































The view:


















































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/12/5/construction-tour-70-vestry-robert-stern)

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*35 Hudson Yards*

*1039ft/316m*


















Credit: http://www.6sqft.com/related-launches-hudson-yards-living-website-with-new-renderings/





























iamthestig on yimby









JCheights on yimby









@hagenscutt









@hagenscutt









@newhudsonfacades









@hagenscutt









@hagenscutt


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Manhattan West Complex*

*995ft/303m*




























https://www.brookfieldproperties.com/development/














*New Renderings*

























































*View from Empire/Moynihan Station*












*Roof Terrace of 5 Manhattan West*










http://www.manhattanwestnyc.com/gallery/





-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------





*Highly recommend watching this video below: *

It goes through the sweeping changes occurring from 8th Ave to 10th ave. The amount of development and investment is insane with just this project and Empire/Moynihan Station... without even showcasing the largest development in the country next door, Hudson Yards.

http://www.manhattanwestnyc.com/media/img/page/MW-transit....mp4



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------












rbrome on yimby













> Amazon's future view from 5 Manhattan West in Midtown. Landlord, Brookfield Properties is reaping the rewards from a top-to-bottom $350M renovation of the 16-floor building shaped by REX Architecture. The 1.7 MSF structure, once nicknamed "the elephant's foot" and "the anvil," has been softened by a sawtoothed glass facade and an outdoor "breezeway" with views of the #HighLine . Amazon is slated to bring 2,000 high-paying sales, finance, marketing and IT jobs to the building with a 360,000-SF lease on the 6th and 7th floors. Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon, will open a 60,000-SF ground floor market.











@cityrealty


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 200 Amsterdam Avenue*

*New Renderings* 

































https://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/new-uws-tower-wont-answer-any-architectural-prayers/


----------



## Luca9A8M

Luca9A8M said:


> *42-20 27th Street* - 4 December 2017
> 
> The project:


More photos:









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*570 Broome Street* - 6 December 2017





































The view























































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/12/6/construction-tour-570-broome)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Thomas Heatherwick’s Vessel Tops Out In Hudson Yards* - 6 December 2017 :banana: :cheers:

While topping-out ceremonies are usually reserved for buildings, today, Related Companies is installing the final piece for The Vessel, designed by Thomas Heatherwick, which will become the defining public art statement atop the redevelopment of the Hudson Railyards. The sculpture is already practically complete, and stands 150 feet to its parapet.

The structure includes 154 staircases, which will yield 2,500 steps. Luckily, for those unable to make the full trek, there will also be an elevator offering access to the top.









photo by Iamthestig









photo by rbrome









photo by rbrome









photo by rbrome

Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2017/12/thomas-heatherwicks-vessel-tops-out-in-hudson-yards.html

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - "The Vessel"*

^^










Tectonic



















Curbed


----------



## streetscapeer

Switched out most of the above pictures to showcase the topping out ceremony on "The Vessel"


----------



## streetscapeer

*Mott Haven, The Bronx - 20 Bruckner Boulevard*

*In the Bronx, the erstwhile History Channel building gets a modern office makeover*













> ...Since February, this former ice factory has been in the midst of a conversion and restoration so it can be *marketed as an office space to tech companies*. Curbed recently had a chance to tour the *five-story building*, which is located right next to the entrance of the Third Avenue Bridge.
> 
> The project is being developed MADD Equities, led by Jorge Madruga, along with one of the owners of the property, Drew Katz. It’s part of an onslaught of new development taking place in the South Bronx. In August, the Chetrit Group and Somserset Partners broke ground on their seven-building complex at 101 Lincoln Avenue and 2401 Third Avenue, on the Harlem River waterfront—it’s the borough’s largest private development ever...


----------



## Luca9A8M

Luca9A8M said:


> *Thomas Heatherwick’s Vessel Tops Out In Hudson Yards* - 6 December 2017 :banana: :cheers:


More photos by tectonic:









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Impressive engineering!!^^



>


It's like a modern interpretation of Chand Baori


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - Turkish Consulate - 821 First Avenue*

*35 Floors/563ft(172m)*




















JC_heights on yimby


----------



## sbarn

ThatOneGuy said:


> Impressive engineering!!^^
> 
> 
> 
> It's like a modern interpretation of Chand Baori


I was going to post a picture of the same stepwell!! Totally agree...


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - Thames Street Pedestrianization*



> We love pedestrian streets and one short stretch of Thames Street in the Financial District will be closed to cars and reimagined. Spanning a block from Broadway to Trinity Place, the pedestrianized street will have new lighting, security bollards, and granite pavement installed. The ground floors of Trinity Centre will receive new retail and polished storefronts…





























@cityrealty


----------



## streetscapeer

*35 Hudson Yards*

*1039ft/316m*







































https://www.instagram.com/p/BcX2ayZnk7l/?taken-by=akyfor



























@hagenscutt


----------



## iamtheSTIG

Taken by me the other night:

*'Gotham'*

Gotham by IzaaK Sabo, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

Excellent capture Stig!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards*


Manhattan, from above by Terry Moran Photography, on Flickr

OTOÑO DORADO. GOLDEN AUTUMN. NEW YORK CITY. by ALBERTO CERVANTES, on Flickr









https://twitter.com/_hudsonyardsnyc









http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/12/drone-photos-of-new-york-city.html










Thomas_Koloski on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 88 Reagent Street*



> With construction at 333 Grand Street set to wrap in the early spring, the biggest developer behind the Liberty Harbor project has already gained approvals for a new tower set to rise at the intersection of Jersey Avenue and Regent Street.
> 
> Last month, representatives from Liberty Harbor met with the Van Vorst Park Association to present their modified plans for property they own at 88 Regent Street. The Planning Board then signed off on the changes at their November 17th meeting, which fully conform to the area’s existing zoning.
> 
> *Designed by Hoboken-based Marchetto Higgins Stieve, the 32-story development will consist of 392 rental apartments, 9,110 sq. ft. of ground floor retail, and over 5,000 sq. ft. of office space*...
> 
> *Construction should start in mid-2018 and is anticipated to take about 30 months to build out.*"












https://jerseydigs.com/88-regent-street-jersey-city-breaking-ground-next-year/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island Cty, Queens - Court Square City View Tower - 23-15 44th Drive*

*Queens new tallest gearing up:*



> ...*66-stories* —still yielding the tallest building in Long Island City *(762ft/232m)*. The new renderings differ slightly from those previously released, showing that the bulkier tower, with less robust setbacks, was scrapped for a sleeker design.
> 
> As the project page demonstrates, *the building will house 808 condominiums with unparalleled 360 degree views of Manhattan and the surrounding skyline. *































Arbre_vert on yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Long-Awaited Waterline Square Towers Top Out On The Upper West Side* - 12 December 2017









by Andrew Campbell Nelson









by Andrew Campbell Nelson









by Andrew Campbell Nelson









by Andrew Campbell Nelson

The project:










Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2017/12/long-awaited-waterline-square-towers-tops-out-on-the-upper-west-side.html


----------



## Luca9A8M

^^
More photos :cheers: :cheers:








































































































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/12/12/construction-tour-waterline-square)


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 138 East 50th St*

*803ft (245m)*









Curbed









City Realty





























JC_heights on yimby





























photos by me


----------



## Luca9A8M

Part II








































































































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/12/12/construction-tour-waterline-square)


----------



## streetscapeer

So many incredible shots, but especially this one below:



Luca9A8M said:


> ^^


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 1 Park Row*

*First Look at Another Mixed-Use Building Coming to the Old Site of J&R Music*



> Here’s *a sneak peek at a planned retail and residential building set for the prow-like corner of Park Row and Ann Street *in the Financial District. Addressed as 1 Park Row, the new building is to contain 3 floors of retail and *an unknown number of residential floors above. Building permits were filed for the commercial podium last month* by Guardian Realty with Fogarty Finger Architects as the applicants of record. Fogarty Finger is also handling the conversion of several floors of the adjacent Park Row Building at 15 Park Row.
> The spiffy images are part of a retail marketing brochure from the leasing brokerage Winick Realty. *The future triangular-shaped building will have 13,590 square feet of retail space across four levels* and is located across from a recently opened Zara. As we previously noted, 1 Park Row is part of a 350-foot-long string of retail offerings that includes the Park Row Building and a 50-story condo under construction at 25 Park Row. Previously, the lower floors of these buildings were occupied by J&R Music and Computer World, who reportedly retain a stake in the multi-building overhaul.























*Current Site:*


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Luca9A8M said:


> *Long-Awaited Waterline Square Towers Top Out On The Upper West Side* - 12 December 2017


These are turning out quite nice! Some understated gems in NY.


I like the sloped rooftop characteristic that little cluster seems to be getting.:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad District - 30 East 31st St*

*479ft*

















































Field Condition


----------



## iamtheSTIG

*Hudson Yards*


Taken by me:


The Hudson Yards, New York by IzaaK Sabo, on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*281 5th Avenue* - 11 December 2017









by tectonic Photo

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 281 5th Ave*

^^













































City_Streets on yimby









@margaux.mery

Two weeks ago:








Live Webcam









@mattpugs


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 130 Williams St*

*Renderings revealed for Adjaye Associates’ first Manhattan tower*




> ...a batch of official renderings for the project has been unveiled, offering a glimpse at what the* nearly 800-foot (243m) building* might look like.
> 
> And it won’t be a skinny, glass-covered tower, either: Per a release, Adjaye was inspired by the site’s location, on what is allegedly one of the oldest streets in Manhattan. “Understanding that rich history, I was inspired to craft a building that *turns away from the commercial feel of glass and that instead celebrates New York’s heritage of masonry architecture with a distinctive presence in Manhattan’s skyline,*” Adjaye said in a statement.
> 
> With that in mind, the *building’s exterior will be made of concrete, with large arched windows, bronze detailing, and double-height loggias on the building’s upper floors *(these, naturally, will be the pricier penthouse apartments). Though it’s not shown in the renderings, *Adjaye will also design a new public plaza for the project*, adding a bit of landscaping to an otherwise slightly dismal block...
> 
> The building will have a whopping *244 condos*, ...” Sales are expected to launch sometime next year, with *move-ins anticipated for 2020*...
> 
> ...*Adjaye Associates is the design architect for the project, and is also behind its interiors; Hill West is the architect of record. Construction on the 66-story tower is still in its earliest phases.*




































































rbrome on yimby


----------



## hateman

It looks like it'll be a dark and malignant presence on the skyline.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Wow, Adjaye :drool:


----------



## germantower

I am not sure what to think of that towers design.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*105 West 28th Street* - 14 December 2017









by 5Bfilms on yimbyforums









by 5Bfilms on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*TWA Hotel At JFK Airport’s Famed Eero Saarinen Terminal Tops Out* - 15 December 2017

Yesterday, construction topped-out on the TWA Hotel, which flanks the famous TWA Flight Center designed by Eero Saarinen at JFK Airport. This news comes almost exactly a year after the groundbreaking ceremony, held with Governor Andrew Cuomo on December 15th, 2016. The hotel creates 50,000 square feet of meeting and event space, as well as eight restaurants and six bars. 10,000 square feet of observation space will be made available to the public.









image by Max Touhey









image by Max Touhey









image by Max Touhey

The project:



















Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2017/12/twa-hotel-at-jfk-airports-famed-eero-saarinen-terminal-tops-out.html


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Lindley* - 15 December 2017









































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2017/12/15/construction-tour-the-lindley)

The project:


----------



## Hudson11

Some may disagree, but I think it's a beautiful sight to see tower cranes so close to the ESB. No views should be an anachronism in a thriving city. 


The Empire State Building and midtown Manhattan at dusk. by Arturo Pardavila III, on Flickr


----------



## Hudson11

*Coney Island Developments*

*Coney Island's Comeback to Include More than 2,000 New Apartments*

*Ocean Dreams (3514 Surf Avenue)* - 440 units










*Surf Vets Place (2002 Surf Avenue)* - 343+ units










*1709-1905 Surf Avenue* - 1000 units










*532 Neptune Avenue* - 572 units


----------



## yankeesfan1000

If anyone is out taking pictures near the highland the Solar Carve is a story up. 









https://inhabitat.com/studio-gangs-...l-of-a-building-in-nycs-meatpacking-district/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 1865 Broadway*





























@agnessw79









5Bfilms on yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

*515 West 36th Street* - 28 December 2017


513-521 West 36th St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


513-521 West 36th St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


513-521 West 36th St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*24th Second Avenue* - January 2018



















Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/01/24-2nd-avenue-nears-completion-in-east-village-manhattan.html

The project:


----------



## Ghostface79

yankeesfan1000 said:


> If anyone is out taking pictures near the highland the Solar Carve is a story up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://inhabitat.com/studio-gangs-...l-of-a-building-in-nycs-meatpacking-district/


https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/future-nyc/jeanne-gang039s-solar-carve-tower-finally-out-ground-see-new-renderings-open-piazza-amp-sky-garden/15163


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - The Wheeler - 422 Fulton Street*
































































241302070

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...ng-above-downtown-brooklyn039s-macy039s/15161


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hunts Point, The Bronx - The Peninsula - 1221 Spofford Ave*

*The Peninsula: New Renderings and Details on the Bronx's $300M Redevelopment of the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center*



> one notorious juvenile facility in the Bronx has closed and it will be replaced by a comprehensive development that will usher in *740 units of affordable housing* and a myriad of community offerings. Situated in the South Bronx’s Hunts Point neighborhood, the Spofford Juvenile Center was built in 1957 and fans across a 5-acre site behind a monastery and the office conversion of the American Bank Note building. Infamous for its poor conditions, the center was closed by the Bloomberg administration in 2011 after years of appeals made by neighborhood activists and local politicians...
> 
> ...the *$300 million project* will be composed of five buildings that will be built during three phases. The plan is expected to wrap up in 2024 and will be composed of 740 units of affordable housing available to a wide range of households, from students to seniors to families. The units will be complemented by *52,000 square feet of open/recreational space*, *49,000 square feet of light industrial space, 48,000 square feet of community facility space, and 21,000 square feet of ground-floor retail/commercial space*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - 99 Hudson Street*

*899ft (274m)*








































View from Hyatt House Rooftop Lounge by Wally Gobetz, on Flickr


Jersey City 2 by Brian Aronson, on Flickr


Jersey City 1 by Brian Aronson, on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

* Construction Update, New Renderings For 150 Rivington Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan* - 8 January 2018























































Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/01/construction-update-new-renderings-for-150-rivington-street-lower-east-side-manhattan.html


----------



## RegentHouse

The Spofford Juvenile Detention Center redevelopment has nice materials, but why the cheap and nasty irregular windows and shifted grid. It's affordable housing, but will age badly, just like all the post-war Eurotrash social housing, with redevelopments usually being even worse. Something like the aforementioned solid Coney Island developments would have been better.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - Columbia University Manhattanville Campus -*

*Foundations in at DS+R's Columbia Business School Buildings in Manhattanville Campus*


----------



## germantower

WELL

https://archpaper.com/2018/01/demolition-underway-att-building-lobby/


----------



## Hudson11

The LPC is a joke.


----------



## germantower

Hudson11 said:


> The LPC is a joke.


I fully agree, this demolition makes me furious.


----------



## Hudson11

*Chelsea | 555 West 22nd Street | 22 floors | 141 units*

*555 West 22nd Street: Robert A.M. Stern on Tap to Design Another Waterfront Condo for Related*


----------



## Ghostface79

^^Not too far from it, along the high line..

*Thomas Heatherwick Designs Bubble-Wrapped Condos to Saddle Up Next to the High Line*

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/future-nyc/thomas-heatherwick-designs-bubble-wrapped-condos-saddle-up-next-high-line/15223


----------



## ThatOneGuy

^^ If this turns out anything like his Zeitz Museum it will look beautiful!




germantower said:


> WELL
> 
> https://archpaper.com/2018/01/demolition-underway-att-building-lobby/


You'd think after all this time people would learn not to repeat the mistakes of history. That you should preserve important pieces of architectural history, instead of mindless demolition and alteration. What a disgrace.


----------



## Architecture lover

I agree, this building seems to be one of the more remarkable representatives of the postmodern movement, from the very beginning of this lobby drama I couldn't precisely understand what is going on and more importantly why? Even some of the biggest futurist and high tech architecture designers like Norman Foster (with other words) said that this is basically nonsense.

Thomas Heatherwick never fails to impress me, his designs are so diverse and always so creative. The spherical glass against the square pillars gives a very pleasant imposing and symmetrical vibe.


----------



## germantower

What I don´t understand is, why did the LPC make such a fuzz about every small detail in regard to redevelop the base of the Citigroup Tower, while they totally give this towers whole lobby free for demolition. It really makes zero sense, but corruption could explain it.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 76 11th Ave*















































Tectonic


----------



## gdipasqu

streetscapeer said:


> *Foundations in at DS+R's Columbia Business School Buildings in Manhattanville Campus*


There is an specific thread for this huge project please ?


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Construction Update, New Rendering For 587 Main Street, New Rochelle* - 10 January 2018




























Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/01/construction-update-new-rendering-for-587-main-street-new-rochelle.html


----------



## Luca9A8M

* Morris Adjmi-Designed Residential Tower Coming To 550 Clinton Avenue In Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill* - 10 January 2018

The Downtown Brooklyn residential boom has ranked among the most impressive growth spurts any neighborhood has seen in the history of the Five Boroughs, and now, plans have been submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission at the periphery of the boom, in Clinton Hill. There, at 550 Clinton Avenue, Morris Adjmi Architects is designing a new 29-story residential tower, which went before the LPC for review yesterday.

According to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, the LPC sent the proposal back to the drawing boards, but only requested a few minor tweaks to the submitted design. Li Salzman Architects, which specializes in preservation, also collaborated on the building.














































Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/01/morris-adjmi-designed-residential-tower-coming-to-550-clinton-avenue-in-brooklyns-clinton-hill.html


----------



## gdipasqu

Ghostface79 said:


> ^^Not too far from it, along the high line..
> 
> *Thomas Heatherwick Designs Bubble-Wrapped Condos to Saddle Up Next to the High Line*
> 
> https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/future-nyc/thomas-heatherwick-designs-bubble-wrapped-condos-saddle-up-next-high-line/15223


I don't find thread for this project... it's already approuved ?


----------



## hateman

For Heatherwick that's a pretty sensible design for the High Line. Unlike Ingels's typical shtick, Heatherwick's looks industrial and playful.


----------



## Ghostface79

gdipasqu said:


> I don't find thread for this project... it's already approuved ?


Seems like there is indeed a thread for it. Needs to be updated.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1797895


----------



## Luca9A8M

*280 Cadman Plaza West* - 10 January 2018









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*10 Jay Street* - 10 January 2018









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Brooklyn Point* - 10 January 2018









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Macy's at 422 Fulton Street* - 10 January 2018









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*25 Park Row* - 10 January 2018









by rbrome on yimbyforums









by rbrome on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Milstein Center* - 12 January 2017



























































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/1/12/construction-update-the-milstein-center)

The project:


----------



## hateman

The uglification of Morningside Heights continues.


----------



## germantower

Could this forecast a huge wave of gentrification in the Bronx?

https://www.6sqft.com/the-south-bronx-gets-a-new-creative-office-hub-at-union-crossing/


----------



## schostabur

that heatherwick bubble thing looks kinda 80s. funny idea but conservative implementation...b lieve me, verry true...3/10 :nuts:


----------



## droneriot

It's gonna be an odd cluster with the Bjarke twins.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1150 Sixth Avenue: Midtown Hotel Designed by Ismael Leyva Gets New Design*

The 100-year-old Pan American Magazine Building at 1150 Avenue of Americas is now a distant memory, and to take its place will be a 41-floor, 5-star hotel developed by Fortuna Realty Group. Led by Morris Moinian (brother of prolific developer Joseph Moinian), Fortuna purchased the Midtown development site in 2011 for $39 million, and only began the work of demolishing the 8-story loft building last year.

The new design:










The old one:










Source: CityRealty https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/future-nyc/1150-sixth-avenue-midtown-hotel-designed-ismael-leyva-gets-new-design/15291


----------



## erbse

^ Oh noes! That earlier postmodern-classical one was so much better and more special! 
Now it's just another bland, repetetive glass stalk like you see anywhere else.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Robert A.M. Stern Architects’ Design For 555 West 22nd Street Revealed In West Chelsea* - 15 January 2018

A new rendering has been revealed for 555 West 22nd Street, owned by Related Companies, confirming YIMBY’s last report on its future as a residential building. The West Chelsea lot is currently occupied by low-rise commercial and residential structures as well as a U-Haul lot, however demolition permits were filed in February of last year. Related acquired these properties and adjacent air rights for a total of $234 million.



















Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/01/robert-a-m-stern-architects-design-for-555-west-22nd-street-revealed-in-west-chelsea.html


----------



## Luca9A8M

*250 West 81st Street* - 14 January 2018









by chused on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*281 5th Avenue* - 14 January 2018









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## WillBuild

*21 East 12th street progress*

Cladding is going up on Selldorf's University Place tower.








I still strongly resent how they broke up the street wall for this tower. In one of the nicest historic districts of the city of all places.


----------



## WillBuild

*34 East 13th Street*

Morris Adjmi's neighboring building is wrapping up facade work, too.





Very nice addition to the neighborhood.

I made a mistake on the name. It is now being marketed as 116 University Place.


----------



## WillBuild

A smaller project on the corner of 17th street & 7th Ave.

By ARC Architecture + Design Studio. Simply referred to as 7th Ave on their site.





Taller was probably not an option. Thumbs up for the design from me.

This corner used to hold two three story and one single story building (google street view).


----------



## PsyLock

Luca9A8M said:


> *1150 Sixth Avenue: Midtown Hotel Designed by Ismael Leyva Gets New Design*
> 
> The 100-year-old Pan American Magazine Building at 1150 Avenue of Americas is now a distant memory, and to take its place will be a 41-floor, 5-star hotel developed by Fortuna Realty Group. Led by Morris Moinian (brother of prolific developer Joseph Moinian), Fortuna purchased the Midtown development site in 2011 for $39 million, and only began the work of demolishing the 8-story loft building last year.
> 
> The new design:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The old one:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Source: CityRealty https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/future-nyc/1150-sixth-avenue-midtown-hotel-designed-ismael-leyva-gets-new-design/15291


Thank God for the redesign


----------



## erbse

^ No way. It turned from pleasant to bland.


----------



## Shanghainese

Erbse, your ideological lamentation gets on my nerves. Why are you making a war of architectural styles? Let different styles coexist in peace. You constantly complain because you think everything at any time, to have to rate. There are many projects with traditional elements. But it is good, if the heavy is loosened, through transparent glass facades. Especially in New York there is a high quality in this regard. Accept diversity and differences. And finally. If you do not like the projects, build a building yourself.


I personally like both designs from 1150 Sixth Avenue but the new, modern one I like a bit better because it looks fresher and more dynamic. I like the tall glass front on the sidewalk and the jagged structure in the façade above it.

You can build the old design somewhere else. Just because it's not built now does not mean it's never built. The design is in the drawers and can also serve as inspiration. You do not always have to get everything immediately what you want.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*New Rendering For Pacific Park’s Full Build-Out Depicts Neighborhood’s Tallest Skyscraper* - 16 January 2018

Yesterday, major news was announced regarding Mary Anne Gilmartin’s departure from Forest City Ratner, as she joined forces with Robert Lapidus and David Levinson to form L&L MAG, a new venture that will draw on the talents of all three executives and a host of other talent. The firm also launched its new website, which features a fresh rendering of the full build-out of the Pacific Park mega-project, surrounding Barclay’s Center in Downtown Brooklyn, which has undergone substantive changes to its final appearance, including the addition of what could become one of the neighborhood’s tallest towers.










Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/01/new-rendering-for-pacific-parks-full-build-out-depicts-neighborhoods-tallest-skyscraper.html


----------



## erbse

@Shanghainese: If you're annoyed, put me on your ignore list, I don't mind.

I'm not vowing for classical styles only, but for better architecture. In that case, the earlier design is clearly a stand-alone and more refined, better proportioned one, one that says "New York". While the other says, I don't know, it actually doesn't state anything. It's almost featureless. I accept when people like that, but I won't leave it uncommented just because you think I shouldn't voice my opinion on it. That doesn't even make sense on a discussion forum.


----------



## schostabur

i think the old fassade was cheap. the new design has a clear intention. but from distance these towers disappear, dont support the cityscape.


----------



## droneriot

The old one looks like the Park Lane hotel, crummy lazy architecture. The new one is the same though. Both seem to be intentionally designed as filler.


----------



## erbse

Well, they actually are filler designs. Now the question is, which one would fit the character and cityscape of NYC better. Stone facades usually suit the city better imho.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn - 15 and 50 Bridge Park Drive*

*ODA's Pair of 30- & 16-Story Towers Begin to Rise in Brooklyn Bridge Park*







































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - The Noma - 50 West 30th Street*









Curbed










rbrome on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn - 146 Pierrepont Street*





























JC_heights on yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Hunters Point South Park Phase Two* - 15 January 2018









































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/1/18/construction-update-hunters-point-south-park)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*80 East 10th Street* - 9 January 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*127 Leroy Street* - 9 January 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*455 West 19th Street* - 9 January 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*809 Broadway* - 9 January 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Mott Haven, The Bronx - 414 and 445 Gerard Ave*

*Massive 400-unit Mott Haven rental will bring pet spa, co-working to South Bronx
*


> The developer, *Treetop Management*, has altered the plans slightly. At the time of the announcement last March, the developer proposed two 12-story buildings spread out over four sites. Plans filed by the developer on Tuesday revealed that one of the buildings, at *445 Gerard Avenue, will be 14 stories tall; the other, at 414 Gerard Avenue, will stand 11 stories*.
> 
> Treetop unveiled more details about the two buildings on Thursday, including unit breakdowns and amenities for the project. Per the developer, 445 Gerard will have *298 apartments*, with the majority being one-bedrooms ranging from 556 to 816 square feet. The building will also be home to a 20,000-square-foot “fresh food market.”
> 
> At 414 Gerard, there will be just *116 apartments*—one-bedrooms will again make up the bulk of the units—along with 4,200 square foot of retail, though what use that will take has yet to be determined.
> 
> ...
> 
> There will also be a plethora of high-end amenities, including two roof decks, two fitness centers, a yoga room, a pet spa, co-working spaces, and “creative production and entertainment facilities” that include a dance studio. Bond New York will be marketing the two buildings.
> 
> *Work on the shorter of the two buildings is expected to wrap within the next two years, while work on the taller tower could take up to three years*.


----------



## germantower

^^ i think south bronx will become relatily decadent in a decade and places like harlem and East harlem etc. will become as gentrified and hip as the highline area is now.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*67 Livingston Street* - 18 January 2018














































The view:




























All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/1/18/construction-tour-67-livingston)


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - 187 Kent Ave*

*Williamsburg will get another new luxury rental on Kent Avenue*



> A pair of low-rise warehouses were demolished to make way for seven-story luxury rental that’s *now under construction *at the corner of Kent Avenue and North 3rd Street, just a few blocks north of the Williamsburg megaproject at the Domino sugar refinery site.
> 
> The project at *187 Kent Avenue will have a total of 96 apartments*, retail on the ground floor and basement level...
> 
> ...*Construction on the project is expected to wrap in the spring of 2019.*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 510 West 22nd Street*












































































Tectonic


----------



## binhai

That's hot.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 515 West 18th Street*















































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Port Morris, The Bronx - Union Crossing - 825 East 141st Street*

*Meet Union Crossing, the Pioneering Creative Office Enclave Coming to the Bronx*




> Move over Bushwick, Sunset Park and Long Island City, the city’s next creative office hub is blossoming in the Bronx—specifically the neighborhoods of Mott Haven, Port Morris, and Hunts Point. *One pioneering venture coming to the area by mid-2018 is Union Crossing at 825 East 141st Street*. The office development will bring to market *more than 275,000 square feet of office and studio space with retail on the ground floor*.
> 
> The creative enclave is being developed through a partnership between *Madison Realty Capital, The Altmark Group, The Bluestone Group, and Galil Management.* The team acquired the site in 2016 for $44 million (Bronx Times) from the New York-based Union Standard Equipment Company. The 8-story building is bound by the Bruckner Expressway and Amtrak’s Hell’s Gate Line, which *Metro-North will utilize when it adds four new Bronx stops to its New Haven line over the next few years, including one in Hunt’s Point - just north of Union Crossing*. Additionally, the *6 train’s East 143rd Street-St. Mary’s Street station is two blocks away and Willow Avenue’s burgeoning art and manufacturing corridor is nearby.*
> 
> ....
> 
> For the building's next chapter, the d*evelopers enlisted the international firm of Woods Bagot to upgrade the infrastructure* which is to include new MEP systems, passenger elevators, and windows. *Flexible and expansive floor plates with ceilings of more than 20 feet are ideal for offices, maker studios and commissaries and upper floor will lend onto sweeping views of the city and its waterways*.The retail spaces will be accessible from both the street and the lobby. There will also be a loading dock off Bruckner Boulevard and an oversized freight elevator servicing all floors...
> 
> ...*Close to the site, Silvercup Studios opened a new film studio in 2016*


----------



## Luca9A8M

*50 Bridge Park Drive* - 19 January 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Solar Carve, 40 10th Avenue* - 19 January 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Hudson11

2018 will be a good year for the high line. The eleventh, related's project, the solar carve...


----------



## TowerVerre:)

The high line is and will be even more in the future like an open air museum for modern architecture. The area around the high line really is one of my favourite examples for good city planning.


----------



## Manitopiaaa

WillBuild said:


> Cladding is going up on Selldorf's University Place tower.


UGLY!


----------



## germantower

^^ I like the garden ontop of the podium, it gives this corner a refreshing look and break the monotone street wall corners that exist all across the city.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 45 Park Place*

*43 floors, 665ft/202m*

























































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 125 Greenwich Street*

*912ft/278m*




































































Tectonic









@mchlanglo793


----------



## streetscapeer

*Flatiron District - 121 East 22nd Street*







































@hagenscutt









@hagenscutt









@hagenscutt









@hagenscutt









@hagenscutt









@teschtrent


----------



## Luca9A8M

*25 Kent Avenue* - 14 January 2018























































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/1/22/construction-update-25-kent)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

* Red Terra Cotta Exterior Revealed After 312-322 Canal Street’s Major Design Update, Tribeca* - 22 January 2018

An updated design has been submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for 312-322 Canal Street, in the West Tribeca Historic District. The site is currently occupied by a two-story retail space, owned by the developer, Trans World Equities. An initial design proposal was submitted in 2011 by Paul A. Castrucci Architect, but was denied by the LPC after being deemed too bland for the area.

The updated design is still pending approval.




























The site today:










The original design:










Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/01/red-terra-cotta-exterior-revealed-after-312-322-canal-streets-major-design-update-tribeca.html


----------



## Joshua27

Amazing!! I love New York. I think that New York has better new architecture than London. My favorite city in the world


----------



## erbse

Luca9A8M said:


> 312-322 Canal Street’s Major Design Update, Tribeca
> 
> The original design:
> 
> http://d2kcmk0r62r1qk.cloudfront.ne..._equities_312-322_canal_street_exterior_2.jpg
> 
> https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/01/re...anal-streets-major-design-update-tribeca.html


The original design scheme seemed more appropriate and qualitative to me.
What happened?


----------



## Birmingham

I agree - unfortunately though London has their hands tied behind their back a little more with heritage sites and listings of buildings plus viewing corridors. 

Still both are amazing and the two best cities in the world. 

Love seeing developments in both.

Thanks for the updates


----------



## Luca9A8M

erbse said:


> The original design scheme seemed more appropriate and qualitative to me.
> What happened?


It was denied by the Landmarks Preservation Commission


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - Park and Shore - 75 Park Lane*




































JC_heights on yimby


----------



## Atmosphere

streetscapeer said:


> Tectonic


----------



## germantower

Luca9A8M said:


> It was denied by the Landmarks Preservation Commission


So they do care about such a minor building in a remote corner of the city but allow the desturction of the At&T building lobby at the same time. Makes sense.


----------



## droneriot

Luca9A8M said:


> It was denied by the Landmarks Preservation Commission


Make your surfaces smooth so your tone of red becomes even more obnoxious. No permission without the most obnoxious red!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 130 Williams St*

*800ft/244m*






































rbrome on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 108 Chambers St*




























rbrome on ymby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 100 Franklin St*














































rbrome on yimby


----------



## erbse

Will 130 Williams Street get a pure concrete facade?

I find many interesting aspects about this tower, but I fear concrete facade panels will make this thing a horrible commieblock-like turd.


----------



## hateman

David Adjaye has already blighted a block in Harlem with this:









130 William is going to be concrete:

"The tinted and textured concrete we designed is completely custom and incredibly sensorial, and the closer you get to it, the more those material details emerge. The interplay between the rough textures of the concrete and the precise and more delicate bronze detailing enhances that depth."

Adjaye also has said that the Met Breuer is the building he admires most in NYC. Another twisted disciple of Brutalism.


----------



## RegentHouse

Birmingham said:


> I agree - unfortunately though London has their hands tied behind their back a little more with heritage sites and listings of buildings plus viewing corridors.


London's heritage protection is just as useless when you turn away from beautiful buildings, and are forced to look at a monstrosity. The blatant disconnect between historic preservation and architectural review with consideration to new buildings is appalling.



Luca9A8M said:


> It was denied by the Landmarks Preservation Commission


Yet all the other Tribeca stuff on this page was approved?! I like both proposals, which would help revitalize this beat-up stretch. While the original proposal didn't have as nice an execution of material, at least it had symmetry, unlike the aforementioned shit.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens*

*10-Year Transformation of Long Island City, Queens *



*2007:*









Adapted from: Untitled by Chris Parker, on Flickr



*June, 2017:*









Adapted from: Untitled by Michael Croft, on Flickr


----------



## wakka12

Birmingham said:


> I agree - unfortunately though London has their hands tied behind their back a little more with heritage sites and listings of buildings plus viewing corridors.
> 
> Still both are amazing and the two best cities in the world.
> 
> Love seeing developments in both.
> 
> Thanks for the updates


Heritage sites are a hurdle that often to lead to higher quality of modern architecture imo. That terra cottage building and tribeca buildings are both contemporary and look amazing in between the rows of historical buildings. Some of the ugliest architecture in the world has appeared in places with clean slates and no historical context to work with, russia china planned cities etc.- Extreme example I know but still.


----------



## Luca9A8M

Luca9A8M said:


> *Solar Carve, 40 10th Avenue* - 19 January 2018
> 
> The project:


More photos by Field Condition (http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/1/23/construction-update-40-tenth-avenue-studio-gang)


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Brooklyn Point* - 20 January 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Eleventh (76 11th Avenue)* - 13 January 2018























































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/1/25/construction-update-76-eleventh-big)

The project:


----------



## Hudson11

Ingels should stick with this scale. This and the Pyramid are great additions to the skyline. I'm worried about the potential supertall office tower he's designing just south of the Empire State Building. We've seen how he handles office skyscrapers in NYC. 



> In October, the developer filed plans with the DOB for a 34-story *[551']*, 301,167-square-foot office tower on the site, which sits between Fifth and Sixth avenues.
> 
> But those plans, sources say, were merely filed to keep the approval process rolling with DOB. *Sources said HFZ’s true plan is to build a tower double that size.*


----------



## droneriot

Successful artists (I count architects among them) live in the worst of echo chambers, and Bjarke I think is only aware of the praise he received for 2WTC by echo-chamber-approved critics and I think no one actually ever told him that it's terrible. 

It's the same with the late Zaha Hadid or Frank Gehry, no one ever has the guts to tell them "not all your ideas are good, only the good ones are good", there seems to be a legion of suck-up zombies to tell them "oh yeah that's another great one" for every brainfart they have. 

Bjarke (like the other two I mentioned) I hold in high esteem as a very talented man with magnificent ideas, he just needs to realise that his magnificent ideas are the only ones people actually want to see, and that his bad ideas - of which he's had plenty - shouldn't actually be seen by anyone, let alone be built. He needs to learn the concept of quality-controlling his own work instead of trying to sell every thought that ever pops in his head. People want to see his sparks of genius, not the nonsense that fills the time between sparks. 

It's something particularly to be kept in mind when he designs any future supertalls. Don't try to push an outrageous and ridiculous but ultimately terrible design, come up with a truly _great_ design.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 269 West 87th St - The Chamberlain St - The Chamberlain*
























































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...-facade-rises-new-upper-west-side-condo/15461


----------



## wakka12

streetscapeer said:


> https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...-facade-rises-new-upper-west-side-condo/15461


I wish more modern buildings had interesting little details like this..so much nicer to look at than glass.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*572 11th Avenue* - 13 January 2018














































All photos by Field Condition(Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/1/25/construction-update-572-11th-avenue)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1010 Park Avenue* - 19 January 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

Two months ago:









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*122 Community Arts Center* - 20 January 2018



























































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/1/26/construction-update-122-community-arts-center)


----------



## Hudson11

*NYC Metro Area | Long Island Sound Tunnel*

thread (if by unlikely chance this goes anywhere): http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=144735433

__________________________________________________________________

*Westchester tunnel across Long Island Sound takes next step*



> New York officials appear to have zeroed in on Westchester for a potential tunnel across the Long Island Sound and are now turning to the private sector to gauge interest.
> 
> Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration issued a formal request Friday to the construction industry and private-equity investors, urging them to express interest in building a tunnel from Long Island.
> 
> [...]
> 
> The new "Request For Expressions of Interest" from the state Department of Transportation specifically targets contractors and private investors that have experience in major infrastructure projects.
> 
> In order to submit, a contractor must have led a bridge or tunnel project of at least $1 billion in size, while equity investors would need experience with individual projects exceeding $500 million.
> 
> Contractors and investors that don't meet those requirements would be able to put together a broader partnership, similar to the consortium of companies involved in building the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge connecting Westchester and Rockland.
> 
> Those who are interested are asked to submit ideas and how they would build and, perhaps more importantly, pay for a tunnel. The deadline to submit ideas is April 2.













_________________________________________________________________________________


*Westchester to Long Island tunnel would cost up to $55 billion, study shows*



> When Cuomo had originally proposed the study in 2016, he signaled three potential landing spots for the crossing: Westchester, Connecticut or the Bronx.
> 
> The Bronx, however, dropped out of the plans at some point, with the WSP study focusing specifically on Westchester and Connecticut.
> [...]
> 
> A single tunnel tube with two lanes each way between Oyster Bay and Rye or Port Chester, for example, would carry an estimated $31.5 billion price tag, according to WSP.
> 
> A dual-tube tunnel with three lanes each way would reach $55.4 billion, while a bridge-tunnel hybrid would come in at $43.5 billion.
> 
> A bridge, meanwhile, would be significantly less expensive -- about $8 billion, according to the estimate -- but isn't technically viable, the study found.
> 
> A bridge from Kings Park to Rye or Port Chester would cost an estimated $17.5 billion, with a bridge-tunnel hybrid coming in at $27 billion. That alignment, however, would have significantly less daily demand among motorists, according to WSP.
> [...]
> To Connecticut, a bridge-tunnel hybrid to Bridgeport comes in at an estimated $22.7 billion. To New Haven, the cost would rise to $32 billion.
> [...]
> At least five years would be needed for scoping and environmental reviews and approvals if Cuomo decides to move forward. After that, at least 1 1/2 years would be needed for the design phase.
> 
> From there, a crossing could open approximately eight years after the start of construction, according to the study.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1865 Broadway* - 27 January 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - The Jacx -- 28-01 Queens Plaza South - The Jacx -- 28-01 Queens Plaza South*

































































JC_heights on yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Greenpoint Landing* - 15 January 2018



























































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/1/29/construction-update-greenpoint-landing)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*40 East End Avenue* - 26 January 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Noho - 363 Lafayette St*







































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...-designed-office-building-underway-noho/15504









rbrome on yimby


----------



## Hudson11

*Why The Beacon Atop 1 WTC's Spire Has Not Recently Been Lit*

kind of important, considering this is the component which ultimately gave the CTBUH justification to rule the mast a spire rather than an antenna.

*Franklin engineers light up the Freedom Tower in New York*



> [...]
> 
> Carpe Diem Technologies has parts of the beacon that shines light from the skyscaper back on their bench for repairs.
> 
> [...]
> Now, *pieces of the beacon are being returned to Berg’s shop so the company can figure out a way to stop lightning strikes from causing damage to the lights. Berg said the building is struck a few times during every storm because the building’s enormous height naturally attracts lightning.* The average lightning strike on the tower contains about 50 million volts, Berg said. *After lightning hits a rod on the spire of One World Trade Center, the voltage is greatly reduced, but does not completely dissipate.* “If you’re near it, you’re still going to get thousands of volts,” he said. Using a Van de Graaff generator, basically a mini-lightning simulator, Berg can shock his prototype to test it. He showed how he added a device to one of the lights that stops electricity from spreading through the LED. “Think about it like high-pressure steam,” he said. “We basically added a relief valve.” *With the new changes, he said, the excess electricity will be contained before it’s able to damage the LED.* Hopefully, this will mean the lights can go years without another repair of this nature, he said. *As they climb up to collect and take down the petals for repair, workers must wear special suits* to protect them from microwaves emitted from the tower’s antennae on the tower, Berg said.
> 
> [...]
> The petals will then be shipped to Carpe Diem for repairs. The company is currently evaluating the scope of project.











Raisch Studios


----------



## erbse

What a mess is this? Bjarke Ingels, dear...! :no:









https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Screen-Shot-2016-08-05-at-8.28.16-PM.png


Happy to see The Chamberlain turning out so nicely though.
Simple but solid and harmonious designs like 363 Lafayette 
also help to calm down the hectic and disharmonious look some more recent NYC buildings create. kay:

And obviously the (our?) public outrage made a much more pleasant and harmonious design possible
at 1010 Park Avenue. I mean, remember this piece of junk there?










How disrespectful can "architects" possibly be? icard:


----------



## binhai

The lowrise at greenpoint landing is simply brilliant. Amazing contextual but modern design.


----------



## hateman

Greenpoint Landing really did succeed in translating the brick/grid window Brooklyn aesthetic in a modern way, much better than most of what's being built in the outer boroughs.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 425 Park Ave*

*860ft/262m*





































































*Core and steel is on the rise.*




























http://www.425parkave.com



















oppix56









ILNY


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - 99 Morningside Avenue*

*Aufgang's Terraced Harlem Condo Reaches Full Height*


----------



## Luca9A8M

*390 Madison Avenue* - 27 January 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

* Exclusive Reveal For The Rockefeller Group’s 46-Story 30 East 29th Street, Designed By CetraRuddy In NoMad*

On Friday, YIMBY reported on the first DOB filings for a new tower at 30-36 East 29th Street, on the edge of Midtown South and NoMad. The Rockefeller Group is responsible for the site’s development, and today, we have the exclusive reveal of renderings for the future condominium building, which will feature an extremely striking design by CetraRuddy and a rooftop substantially above what’s indicated in the permits.





































Source: New York YIMBY, https://www.newyorkyimby.com/2018/02/exclusive-reveal-for-the-rockefeller-groups-46-story-30-east-29th-street-designed-by-cetraruddy-in-nomad.html


----------



## minsamol

^^^^^^^^
Beautiful!


----------



## hateman

Very interesting neo-deco design, but it lacks the elegance of art deco. It's better than the usual junk though.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*21 East 12th Street* - 24 January 2018























































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/2/8/construction-update-21-e-12-selldorf-architects)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1865 Broadway* - 27 January 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Sloan Kettering Expansion* - 26 January 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## AUTOTHRILL

Luca9A8M said:


> The project:


NYC has had a shocker with this one, hasn't it?


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 111 West 57th St*

















































Tectonic






















































by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr



















@jdsdevelopmentalgroup









@sophia0802









@photo_alc









@yishen_h


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 25 Park Row*

*702ft/213m*

































IMG_3331 by scottbarnholt, on Flickr

IMG_3333 by scottbarnholt, on Flickr


----------



## el palmesano

streetscapeer said:


> *702ft/213m*


BAD PROJECT!!


they would have respected the other buildings, mostly because the one of the right is very important in the history of new york


somthing like that:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*280 Cadman Plaza West* - 9 February 2017









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - City Point Phase 3 - 138 Willoughby Street*

*Brookyln's future 2nd tallest (720ft/219m)*

























































Tectonic


----------



## germantower

^^ I thought this was still a pit, and there you go, 2 floors above street level already. I feel like this will rise very quickly.


----------



## Manitopiaaa

el palmesano said:


> BAD PROJECT!!
> 
> 
> they would have respected the other buildings, mostly because the one of the right is very important in the history of new york
> 
> 
> somthing like that:


New York needs this tower. Not because it's beautiful (it's quite average) but because it helps to hide the vomit-inducing Beekman Hotel & Residences.


----------



## Birmingham

New York - You Win - Amazing


----------



## el palmesano

Manitopiaaa said:


> New York needs this tower. Not because it's beautiful (it's quite average) but because it helps to hide the vomit-inducing Beekman Hotel & Residences.


yes, I agree, but they could do just a little bit better, it was not so complicated!!


----------



## germantower

I like 23 Park Row, it has amazong detailing that reminds you of the glorious art deco era. I am pretty sure it will be one hell of an addition once its done.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - One Vanderbilt*

*427m | 1401ft*




































6sqft









Credit: Visual House












https://www.instagram.com/p/Be_FGhdl1rg/?taken-by=seacruzny









City_Streets on yimby


















https://www.instagram.com/p/Be-vFLah_oX/?taken-by=boubah360


----------



## droneriot

99 Hudson Street in Jersey City is already getting huge, check out this post from two days ago from the local forums:



Oron Zchut said:


> 2/3


----------



## erbse

^ 99 Hudson Tower renders for comparison:



















Full size: http://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/99Hudson-tower_portrait-HR_resize.jpg


----------



## droneriot

I never thought much of the renders, but the cladding is actually turning out really great in real life. Now I think it's one of the best projects going on in the NYC metro area.


----------



## hateman

99 Hudson demonstrates how renders usually make glass look better than it turns out in real life, while masonry looks worse than it turns out.


----------



## droneriot

I think the glass may turn out like in the render. It's just always rendered with the ideal lighting, which obviously doesn't happen every day in a Northern climate.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - 41-05 29th-street*

*First Glance at a Flatiron-Like Condo Coming to Long Island City*



> Market slowdown be damned, Long Island City continues to pump out new projects faster than pretty much any neighborhood in the country. Now with the rental market more than saturated, especially with Tishman’s 1,800-unit Jackson Park development coming online, several developers have turned their sights towards building condos. The latest to surface comes in the Queens Plaza area where *SB Development Group and Heritage Real Estate Partners are hashing out plans to build a 100,000-square-foot condo*...
> 
> Construction permits have not been filed but in December, the developers submitted plans to demolish the humble 2-story building on-site that once held Dena’s Coffee Shop. According to The Real Deal, the developers picked up the land and air-rights assemblage in late November for $15.5 million. They’ve enlisted the local architects at Fogarty Finger whose portfolio of LIC projects include The Lanes, The Jackson, Baker House, and Five27.


----------



## Hudson11

With most of the skyscrapers out of the way (though not the tallest!), smaller highrises are beginning to fill in the rest of the area of Court Square.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - 208 Delancey Street*

*Contemporary Design Revealed For 208 Delancey Street, Lower East Side*



> ...
> 
> ODA Architecture, with Shiming Tam serving as architect of record.
> 
> ...The 119-foot tall structure will yield 80,380 square feet of space, with 58,950 square feet dedicated to residential use, and 8,350 square feet dedicated to an ambulatory diagnostic facility on the ground floor. 69 apartments will be created, averaging 854 square feet apiece, likely condominiums.


----------



## Oasis-Bangkok

*Hudson yards >> The Vessel *

RC001-286-C01-R01-LINE7-CLOSED-05 (2) by Topher Nichols, on Flickr


----------



## erbse

^ That's a render!? What's the current status of the Vessel?


----------



## Luca9A8M

*30 and 50 Bridge Park Drive* - 13 February 2018









































































All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/2/13/construction-update-30-and-50-bridge-park-drive-oda)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

erbse said:


> ^ That's a render!? What's the current status of the Vessel?


This photo dates back to 3 february.... personally I don't see much progress since the structure topped out in december 2017.









by nycexplorer4fun on instagram


----------



## Luca9A8M

*New Renderings For 74-Story 80 Flatbush, In Downtown Brooklyn* - 13 February























































Source: New York YIMBY, https://www.newyorkyimby.com/2018/02/new-renderings-revealed-for-two-towered-80-flatbush-in-downtown-brooklyn.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - Essex Crossing - 115 Delancey St*



























Field Condition


----------



## Luca9A8M

*15 East 30th Street* - 12 February 2018









by Oppix56 on yimbyforums









by Oppix56 on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*80 East 10th Street Tops Out, Nearly 60 Percent Sold* - 15 February 2018










The project:



















Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/02/eighty-east-tenth-street-tops-out-nearly-60-percent-sold.html


----------



## Luca9A8M

*30 East 31st Street* - 14 February 2018









by City_Streets on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - Lenox Terrace*

*New Renderings of Lenox Terrace Expansion in Harlem*




> *According to Crain's, a $1 billion-plus expansion from Olnick is in the works to bring five new towers with 1,642 additional apartments to Lenox Terrace, 493 of which will be classified as affordable housing. Along with residential units, the proposal will also bring 40,000 square feet of retail, 15,000 square feet of community facility space, and around 200 parking spaces. *
> 
> The proposal would require city approval and Olnick is planning to start the process by the end of the year. *Construction would consist of two phases with the first phase to be completed by 2022 and the second by 2027*. Perks to make the plan appealing to the 4,000 current residents – many of whom vehemently oppose the rezoning – include renovations to existing units, and building new park space and amenities like a gym, yoga studios, a children's playroom, roof decks, and possibly more.


----------



## josh85

Source: Huh Magazine
http://www.huhmagazine.co.uk/9706/a-render-of-manhattans-future-skyline


----------



## Luca9A8M

*19 Dutch Street Nears Completion As Exterior Work Wraps, Financial District* - 16 February 2018




























The project:










Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/02/19-dutch-street-nears-completion-as-exterior-work-wraps-in-the-financial-district.html


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Chamberlain at 269 West 87th Street* - 3 February 2018




























All photos by Field Condition (Source: http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/2/16/construction-update-269-w-87-fxcollaborative)

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*281 5th Avenue* - 13 February 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Virgin Hotel* - 13 February 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Manitopiaaa

This New York boom is just incredible. I was looking at the numbers and its mindblogging how much has changed in 10 years.

By 2021, New York will have _at least_ *16* supertalls complete. *13 *of them were completed in the past 10 years.

By 2021, New York will have _at least_ *25* buildings over 900 feet. *19 *of them were completed in the past 10 years.

By 2021, New York will have _at least_ *39* buildings over 800 feet. *26 *of them were completed in the past 10 years.

By 2021, New York will have _at least_ *54* buildings over 750 feet. *34 *of them were completed in the past 10 years.

Of the Top 50 tallest buildings in New York in 2021, 33 of them (66%) were completed in the past 10 years.

The 2010s will be seen as New York's Golden Age, and we've still got 2 years left of projects to start up.


----------



## RegentHouse

Manitopiaaa said:


> New York needs this tower. Not because it's beautiful (it's quite average) but because it helps to hide the vomit-inducing Beekman Hotel & Residences.


I like The Beekman Hotel & Residences. It coordinates well with the historic Temple Court Building is sits atop, and is like a high-tech interpretation.

What is truly vomit-inducing is 33 Beekman, Pace University's dormitory tower down the street. From both an architectural and planning standpoint, the windows on the sides make it look like a jail, and the tower's setback from the street corner with a plaza does nothing but exasperate said flaw and the side of a neighboring building, which otherwise shouldn't be seen. Frankly, Pace has plenty of room to expand by renovating and expanding its main campus block full of modernist dead space, instead of buying scattered real estate.



el palmesano said:


> yes, I agree, but they could do just a little bit better, it was not so complicated!!


Maybe a reason exists, like upper floor Park Row Building tenets not wanting their windows covered?



germantower said:


> I like 23 Park Row, it has amazong detailing that reminds you of the glorious art deco era. I am pretty sure it will be one hell of an addition once its done.


Along with One Beekman and 1 Park Row, 23 Park Row will be one of the best new ensembles of towers in the city, while respecting (and enhancing) the existing Park Row Building. I can even say these are some of my favorite developments at the moment.


----------



## josh85

As an aside, New York desperately needs to get rid of all of the scaffolding in the city. 

The city would look so much better. *There are currently 280 miles of scaffolding in front of 7,752 buildings. Some have been up for 18 years!*

There's a bill out now to try and curb it, but I'm not sure if it has any traction.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/opinion/new-york-a-city-encased-in-scaffolding.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City - Park and Shore - 75 Park Lane*





























@fotosforthefuture


----------



## Luca9A8M

*115 Delancey Street* - 19 February 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*194 Broome Street* - 19 February 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*242 Broome Street* - 19 February 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*100 Norfolk Street* - 19 February 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Viñoly’s Jetsons-Esque Skyscraper At 249 East 62nd Street Revealed, Upper East Side* - 20 February 2018

Rafael Viñoly has become one of the more prominent designers of Manhattan’s residential real estate in recent years, and today, YIMBY has the first rendering for the architect’s latest skyscraper, at 249 East 62nd Street on the Upper East Side. While the tower will technically comprise only 32 floors, it will stand 510 feet to its rooftop, taking advantage of a Jetsons-esque podium to boost its upper levels high into the neighborhood skyline.










Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/02/vinolys-jetsons-esque-skyscraper-at-249-east-62nd-street-revealed-upper-east-side.html


----------



## josh85

I wish we could ban Vinoly from New York. London probably wishes the same.


----------



## Manitopiaaa

Every time I think I've seen the ugliest Vinoly tower, he comes out with new renders for a new project.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Spyscape - 928 8th Avenue*

*David Adjaye's Spyscape museum of espionage opens in New York*




> British architect David Adjaye has completed work on New York's museum of spying, which invites its first visitors to become undercover agents this weekend.
> 
> *Opening today, the interactive Spyscape museum occupies a renovated 60,000-square-foot (5,574-square-metre) building on West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan, just two blocks away from MoMA.*
> 
> Inside, weathering steel drums are installed to house themed exhibition focused on surveillance, hacking, deception and intelligence operations. A mix of smoked glass, bespoke fibre cement, grey acoustic paneling, mirror-polished steel and dim lighting were chosen for surrounding spaces to create a dark and mysterious atmosphere....
> 
> ...*A cafe, a book shop with over 1,000 rare and first-edition spy books, and a gift shop filled with spy gadgets and smart technology are among the other facilities in the museum. There are also multiple event spaces that can host private parties for more than 600 guests*.


----------



## AbidM

Why isn't there a spyscape museum in London or the UK? C'mon David!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 45 Broad Street*

*84 floors - 1,127ft/344m*
































*Rebar sticking out*









JC_heights on yimby


----------



## WillBuild

*Midtown East rezoning’s first major project is 70-story HQ for JPMorgan Chase*



> The first major project to be developed under the new Midtown East rezoning plan is here: Mayor Bill de Blasio and JPMorgan Chase head Jamie Dimon announced today that the company will demolish its old headquarters at 270 Park Avenue, and construct a new, 2.5 million-square-foot building in its place.


This is 270 Park Ave:








.

I'm actually conflicted. Plenty of buildings in Midtown East deserve to be replaced, but this SOM designed black monolith is one of the nicer modernist slabs.


----------



## RegentHouse

Luca9A8M said:


> *100 Norfolk Street*
> 
> The project:


I could understand if this building was cantilevering over something of historic merit like a church, but ruining redevelopment opportunities of what appears to be nondescript low-rise crap it cantilevers over is a such a careless planning decision, I can't work my head around how it was approved. Even all the blight like graffiti and big signs are kept in the rendering! Not something I would want to live next to, and with the prices likely asked.



josh85 said:


> I wish we could ban Vinoly from New York. London probably wishes the same.





Manitopiaaa said:


> Every time I think I've seen the ugliest Vinoly tower, he comes out with new renders for a new project.


I don't think the proposal is inherently bad, but it just doesn't work to have a chunk of blank airspace on a tower in the UES, where ever square foot matters to be sold at a premium.


----------



## josh85

*Midtown East rezoning’s first major project is 70-story HQ for JPMorgan Chase*




> I'm actually conflicted. Plenty of buildings in Midtown East deserve to be replaced, but this SOM designed black monolith is one of the nicer modernist slabs.


I agree, although the one across the street is essentially the same building. Hopefully we'll get some great architecture out of this, and not just another box.


----------



## germantower

I have very mixed feelings about this new JP HQ. On one hand I was constantly adressing to replace some of those "ugly boxes" but now that this might come true, I feel like a portion of NYs identity might get lost, since these kind of towers are virtually a part of the NY vibe. I wouldnt mind to loose 666 5th e.g. but some of these black Seagram like boxes surely have their aesthatics, IMO. So I guess a nalance between preserving and redevelopjng is important. 

Hopefully this midtown east rezoning will lead to a lot of LPC protection for the older buildings there, and force and put pressure for developers to go insanely tall. Imagine Park Avenue redeveloped into a huge vibrant stretch of up to 15 supertalls, with the infrastructure renovated, new businesses and retail added.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*25 Park Row* - 20 February 2018









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1 Beekman Street* - 20 February 2018









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## germantower

Rising quickly there, and a big thanks for the constant up dates Luca.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*420 Kent Avenue* - 17 February 2018

















































































































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/2/21/construction-update-420-kent-avenue

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 270 Park Ave*



WillBuild said:


> *Midtown East rezoning’s first major project is 70-story HQ for JPMorgan Chase*



Placeholder:


New Super tall Proposal: 270 Park Avenue


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - Waterline Square*




































@larchmontlifestyle
























































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 74 Trinity Place*































68 Trinity Place by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



68 Trinity Place by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 125 Greenwich Street*

*912ft/278m*































125 Greenwitch St by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



125 Greenwitch St by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



125 Greenwitch St by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*200 East 21st Street* - 21 February 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## towerpower123

germantower said:


> I have very mixed feelings about this new JP HQ. On one hand I was constantly adressing to replace some of those "ugly boxes" but now that this might come true, I feel like a portion of NYs identity might get lost, since these kind of towers are virtually a part of the NY vibe. I wouldnt mind to loose 666 5th e.g. but some of these black Seagram like boxes surely have their aesthatics, IMO. So I guess a nalance between preserving and redevelopjng is important.
> 
> Hopefully this midtown east rezoning will lead to a lot of LPC protection for the older buildings there, and force and put pressure for developers to go insanely tall. Imagine Park Avenue redeveloped into a huge vibrant stretch of up to 15 supertalls, with the infrastructure renovated, new businesses and retail added.


Hopefully the project will do something like 425 Park Avenue, using part of the enormous structure and adding on top of it, as a type of Adaptive Reuse


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 1 Beekman*



Luca9A8M said:


> The project:




1 Beekman St by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



1 Beekman St by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



1 Beekman St by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## Luca9A8M

*121 East 22nd Street* - 21 February 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

That is some severe warping in the glass at 420 Kent.


----------



## streetscapeer

*50 Hudson Yards*

*300m | 985ft | 58 fl*




























https://www.wsj.com/articles/banks-...yards-1504558800?tesla=y&mg=prod/accounts-wsj



*Mock-ups*



























@hagenscutt











by hagenscutt on Instagram









by hagenscutt on Instagram









by hagenscutt on Instagram


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 45 Park Place*

*43 floors, 665ft/202m*







































ILNY


45 Park Place by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



45 Park Place by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



45 Park Place by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## erbse

Could someone please take the walk to marvellous Neo Art Deco edifice *THE FITZROY* at Highline Park to take some fresh photos? The gorgeous unique green terracotta facade is now visible at large. Many thanks in advance! kay:


----------



## Architecture lover

streetscapeer said:


> *300m | 985ft | 58 fl*
> 
> 
> *Mock-ups*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> @hagenscutt


These make me happy, quality materials and clean lines. H-Yards is turning into the new heart of New York indeed.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Supertalls*

*6 months of Supertall progress* 

made by Thomas Koloski on Yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

*21 East 12th Street* - 14 February 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*76 11th Avenue* - 26 February 2018









by Oppix56 on yimbyforums









by Oppix56 on yimbyforums









by Oppix56 on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Prospect Heights, Brooklyn - Olmstead - 564 Saint John's Place*


















Tectonic


----------



## AbidM

Shanghainese said:


> Erbse, New York does not need a monument. That's the only reason why this city is so vital. One should abolish the monument protection worldwide. It is a planned economic policy construct that hinders the development of a city. It needs free markets for everything that has to do with building and architecture. Every state intervention is communist and resembles the model of a Soviet Union. The US can not become a Soviet Union and certainly not New York. You are calling for a National Monument Preservation that eliminates the freedom of the individual, as represented by Thomas Jefferson. That's not okay with you. You should learn more about the difference between freedom and bondage.
> 
> 
> In general, you fall here negative with your apparent-objective ideas, what is a right and what a false architecture. With this behavior, you deny that people are individuals and value things individually, meaning subjectively. You act as if your taste is almighty and you have problems accepting diversity and individuality. At least you constantly stand against everything that does not correspond to the likeness of your taste. Learn to accept something. It does not need a monument protection, nor does it need a world that consists entirely of your taste. It is good that there are many approaches and that not everyone likes it, but there is a property right that allows different tastes to find their built expression. Perhaps you like imperial cities that will not change for a thousand years. I find something so boring and think it's good if they are partially demolished, so that new approaches get space. But all in accordance with the principles of the free market economy and capitalism. That is why a national monument protection or an architectural law is forbidden as it would have pleased the emperor.


This post is wrong on so many levels, I don't know where to start, it's THAT bad. hno:


----------



## AbidM

germantower said:


> ^^ Yet Nimbys already fight for 270 Park Avenue.


Lovely argument you have there! SARC/


----------



## streetscapeer

*35 Hudson Yards*

*1039ft/316m*












































35 Hudson Yards (Equinox Tower) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



35 Hudson Yards (Equinox Tower) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



35 Hudson Yards (Equinox Tower) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



35 Hudson Yards (Equinox Tower) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



35 Hudson Yards (Equinox Tower) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



35 Hudson Yards (Equinox Tower) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



35 Hudson Yards (Equinox Tower) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



35 Hudson Yards (Equinox Tower) by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr











@Hagencutt









@Hagencutt


----------



## erbse

Shanghainese said:


> Erbse, New York does not need a monument. That's the only reason why this city is so vital. One should abolish the monument protection worldwide. It is a planned economic policy construct that hinders the development of a city. (...)


All you've said there is wrong on any thinkable level. I'm a vergent liberal-libertarian myself, but for every system there needs to be rules. You wouldn't be here without any, pal. And valuable art needs and deserves protection, as mankind deserves protection of its creations! Everything else is hostile to mankind and its development as a whole. Every development needs meaning after all. What would your world without any monuments mean after all? Would you even tear down Empire State and Chrysler Building, Statue of Liberty? I'm sure these grounds could be developed to be "more efficient", but you know, there's more to life than crude efficiency! Guess you're still very young and searching for meaning yourself though.

We all know where the ignorance and denial of history and culture has led us in the 20th century: destruction, war, poverty; the establishment of low income ghettos and brutal anti-human places after WW2, huge waste of resources, etc. This also is a matter of the sustainable use of resources.

People finally need to learn their lessons from history! Without our history, there's no bright future. And without monuments of human development, without roots, there's no base to grow altogether, no common ground. No places of beauty and human connection to mankind's nature. In Shainghainese's or Suburbanist's world, we're all doomed to become soulless zombies without purpose and sense. I can't even grasp how anyone on Earth can long for such a dystopic world, or maybe they're just trolling us. :|

Or maybe just a trial in author writing:


droneriot said:


> I always love Shanghainese's posts, on the same level I love reading David Icke. I see a lot of talent for writing really interesting bizarre alternate reality fiction there.


----------



## Amrafel

The word you guys need is "balance". 

Of course, over-protection is dangerous for the cities, as we can see in Prague, Paris or any other cities which lost their vitality and are affordable only for the super-rich or becoming a tourist Disneylands with an illusion of the urban life. We should realise, that even these cities were built to gain their beauty because the old housing stock was completely demolished to make way for bigger and more profitable buildings - that's the case of Paris with its medieval core before Haussmann, Prague where an entire baroque city or jewish ghetto was demolished and replaced by 19th century housing and also countless other cities across the globe. That gave these cities boost which made them the important centers for their countries or even larger regions. 

On the other hand, we should look carefully at the values we might endanger by the destruction of the older housing stock - as the mentioned case of Chrysler Building or ESB - these are likely the best skyscrapers which were ever built (or among them) in terms of architecture, so anything else, even if it would be more profitable, would be nonsense. However, not all the buildings usually protected are as important and it should be considered case by case what could be replaced and by what. It should not be about ideology which is is good only for those who don't understand. 

So it's all about finding balance between necessity for the future and inspiration from the past as well as good city is about balance between private and public interests. However, there is nothing like ideal city, ideal architecture or ideal urban policy. There is only neverending pursue for finding the ideal even despite it will never be achieved. And that requires flexibility what means that sometimes old must be replaced by something new.


----------



## erbse

What is often overlooked in modern heritage protection is the meaning of built ensembles. A case by case way to look at it creates stuttered locations. Imagine they'd replace houses one by one in Prague's old town. Hell no! There's other places in Prague where they can be deconstructivist or whatever. Who cares about this shit, really. 

Amsterdam also is a very protected city at its core, yet super vital. Same with Paris imho and most of London. Vienna, Copenhagen, Barcelona, etc. You name it.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - The Dime - 209 Havemeyer Street*





















































































https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/03/lp...ns-for-209-havemeyer-street-williamsburg.html


----------



## droneriot

When you first posted the renders a while ago and I saw the Domino Sugar Refinery development in them I was already wondering: What's the actual progress on that one? Haven't seen any news in ages.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Brooklyn Bridge Park at Pier 6* - 6 March 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

droneriot said:


> When you first posted the renders a while ago and I saw the Domino Sugar Refinery development in them I was already wondering: What's the actual progress on that one? Haven't seen any news in ages.


Williamsburg construction update: The Domino Sugar Refinery site, 21 February 2018


----------



## germantower

Can anyone from NYCC up date 125 greenwich please?


----------



## Luca9A8M

* 277 Fifth Avenue* - 7 March 2018









































































The view:




























Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/3/7/construction-tour-277-fifth-avenue-rafael-vinoly


----------



## Luca9A8M

277 Fifth Avenue - Part II


















































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/3/7/construction-tour-277-fifth-avenue-rafael-vinoly

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Brooklyn Methodist Hospital* - 6 March 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## wakka12

For a second I thought they demolished that cute little classical building and gave me a heart attack

That black steel skyscraper is gorgeous.


----------



## wakka12

Amrafel said:


> The word you guys need is "balance".
> 
> Of course, over-protection is dangerous for the cities, as we can see in Prague, Paris or any other cities which lost their vitality and are affordable only for the super-rich or becoming a tourist Disneylands with an illusion of the urban life. We should realise, that even these cities were built to gain their beauty because the old housing stock was completely demolished to make way for bigger and more profitable buildings - that's the case of Paris with its medieval core before Haussmann, Prague where an entire baroque city or jewish ghetto was demolished and replaced by 19th century housing and also countless other cities across the globe. That gave these cities boost which made them the important centers for their countries or even larger regions.
> 
> On the other hand, we should look carefully at the values we might endanger by the destruction of the older housing stock - as the mentioned case of Chrysler Building or ESB - these are likely the best skyscrapers which were ever built (or among them) in terms of architecture, so anything else, even if it would be more profitable, would be nonsense. However, not all the buildings usually protected are as important and it should be considered case by case what could be replaced and by what. It should not be about ideology which is is good only for those who don't understand.
> 
> So it's all about finding balance between necessity for the future and inspiration from the past as well as good city is about balance between private and public interests. However, there is nothing like ideal city, ideal architecture or ideal urban policy. There is only neverending pursue for finding the ideal even despite it will never be achieved. And that requires flexibility what means that sometimes old must be replaced by something new.


I agree that balance needs to be struck. That does not mean tearing down old buildings of far higher quality to be replaced by bland poorly considered glass boxes as the developer can't be assed to hire a good architect.Which is usually what happens. Buildings should only be demolished if the replacement is of better quality. Modernisation for the sake of it, for more efficient office space, at the demise of heritage, is a horrible way to plan a city.And imo old buildings of merit should simply never be demolished. Cities can continue to expand, ugly surburban areas can become new CBD's and densified instead of replacing large parts of the traditional CBd area's historic buildings. Once historic buildings are demolished they are gone forever.

And as for preservation causing a city to stagnate. I don't know if thats true. I certainly agree that paris and prague are less culturally significant nowawdays and are for the most part becoming museum theme parks. But they are exceptions, Many cities with extremely high rates of preservation are very dynamic and innovative cities, my own city Dublin preserves everything and I mean everything, but its experiencing the biggest boom in architectural industry probably in its history. It is improving by demolishing ugly 1960's buildings and buildings outside the historic core thoug. Copenhagen , Barcelona, amsterdam, Madrid, all are exciting and interesting cities, changing and developing without sacrificing much if any of their architectural heritage.

And you are totally right that those cities developed and improved by demolishing . but this is an exceptional era where buildings are mass produced and poorly considered with little architectural or craft merit. Therefore very often our cities are not improving at all over their historic past. But mostly I agree with you, good points.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 139 East 56th Street*

*Developers Break Ground on "Sunrise at East 56th," Upscale Senior Living in Midtown Manhattan*



> ...*the 151-unit residence* will cater to the affluent sector of the city’s growing senior population, expected to comprise more than 20% of all city residents by 2040...
> 
> ...Texas-based developer Hines, who is also developing 53W53 nearby, and real-estate investment trust Welltower Inc. are spearheading the project. The *130,000-SF venture* is located at 139 East 56th Street at the northeast corner of Lexington Avenue...
> 
> ...*The building is expected to open in early 2020 and begin pre-leasing in 2019*. Recently, the team launched a registration site and prices are said to vary by residence, apartment size, and types of services needed. A similar community, named Inspir Manhattan is under construction in Yorkville at Second Avenue and East 93rd Street. That building will stand 23-stories, accommodate 255 residents and offer a farm-to-table restaurant, a 16th-floor “sky park,” a swimming pool, fitness center, and a library.




















@hines


----------



## Luca9A8M

*299 Livingston Street* - 6 March 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 111 Varick St*
























































JC_heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenwich Village - NYU expansion - 181 Mercer St*













































tectonic









JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - The Forge - 44-28 Purves St*

*The Forge, Gets Its Turbine + Copper-Toned Skin*


----------



## Luca9A8M

*210 Bowery* - 6 March 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*150 Wooster Street* - 9 March 2018


















































































Source: Field Condition , http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/3/9/construction-update-150-wooster


----------



## droneriot

That's the first time I see a New York building that looks exactly like it could be in my home town (Oldenburg, Germany), with that exact design. Minus the comb at the top (but I could picture that here) it has a very familiar look.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 111 Leroy St*



















JC_heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - The Warehouse - 520 West 20th Street*







































































































City Realty


----------



## Luca9A8M

*266 Schermerhorn Street* - 13 March 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*15 Lafayette Avenue* - 13 March 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Residential Expansion Revealed For Landmarked 135 Montague Street, Brooklyn Heights* - 13 March 2018

YIMBY has the first look at renderings of a vertical expansion proposed for 135 Montague Street, designed by Marin Architects, which will go before the Landmarks Preservation Commission for review later today.

Located in the heart of Brooklyn Heights, a neighborhood protected almost entirely by the 1965 Landmarks Preservation Law, 135 Montague was originally completed in 1920 with a limestone, columned façade that exudes Neoclassical sentiments of the era. As a protected structure, Marin Architects will preserve the original façade of the structure on the Montague Street-facing boundary.

The project:



















Today:










Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/03/residential-expansion-revealed-for-landmarked-135-montague-street-brooklyn-heights.html


----------



## wakka12

Wow just looking at the last ten pages and theres an amazing list of recent proposals
New york is the best and is fiercely maintaining that position for the foreseeable


----------



## erbse

The *Interactive Map Service of the National Register of Historic Places* (NRHP) is a powerful tool
for everyone who's in love with the heritage of NYC and the whole United States:

*https://www.nps.gov/maps/full.html?mapId=7ad17cc9-b808-4ff8-a2f9-a99909164466*


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## towerpower123

Luca9A8M said:


> *15 Lafayette Avenue* - 13 March 2018
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> by Tectonic on yimbyforums
> 
> The project:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They chopped the balconies and green walls that would have made this building a little bit unique! :bash::bash::bash:


----------



## Troopchina

Luca9A8M said:


> The project:


hno:hno:


----------



## erbse

Fugly, useless hipster "architecture". Keep that off NYC, thanks!


----------



## schostabur

nice one :rock:


----------



## erbse

*220 Central Park South | 290m | 950ft | 66 fl | T/O *

Thread: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1350355&page=66

Renders:

















https://streeteasy.com/building/220-central-park-south-new_york

Update:









_DSC0321 by James Ayala, on Flickr










_DSC0359 by James Ayala, on Flickr


----------



## Hudson11

*THERE HAS BEEN AN UPDATE FOR 5 WTC - THIS IS NOT A DRILL.*

years ago there were murmurs that Wanda Group was working on plans for a supertall in NYC. Turns out, it was for 5 WTC. They hired KPF to design a proposal, one which seems unlikely to be realized. 

*Zombified Plans Revealed for Supertall 5 World Trade Center*



> Besides the height, which would put the pinnacle around 1,050 feet, the hotel lobby would include a seven-story atrium, making for a fairly dramatic base. Additionally, there would be a major retail component in the form of a department store.
> 
> The tower’s total area would measure over 1.4 million square feet, with 240 rooms over 350,000 square feet of hotel space, 200,000 square feet of retail for the department store, and about 850,000 square feet for condominiums.
> 
> [...]
> 
> While Wanda Group’s plans are unlikely to be realized due to the Chinese government’s crackdown on overseas real estate, the re-conception by Kohn Pedersen Fox is certainly a sign that the site is actively being considered for development, and is a major improvement over what had previously been anticipated to rise.
> 
> No official word on the site’s progress has been released in years, and any tentative completion date for whatever does result remains under wraps.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*565 Broome* - 11 March 2018


















































































Source: Field Condition ,http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/3/20/construction-update-565-broome-renzo-piano

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*One Willoughby Square* - 20 March 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*146 East 126th Street* - 20 March 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1 Beekman Street* - 19/20 March 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by 5Bfilms on yimbyforums









by 5Bfilms on yimbyforums









by 5Bfilms on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*25 Park Row* - 20 March 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Shanghainese

Erbse,

This is not hipster architecture. Who defines what a hipster architecture is? You? You seem to have something against hipsters. I find it regrettable to have something in an aggressive world against the people who make it worth living and are peaceful. I think there are other groups where you should take a stand. It expresses your doctrinaire attitude that you subjugate the things you do not like with subcultural terms that you do not like. Dubious behavior. The building itself does not have to be bad in reality and since tastes are subjective, the architect also has a right to his taste and the right to express one's taste through the realization of property rights. In addition, it suits New York very well that there is a variety. New York must never become a right-wing populist and, in the spirit of the AfD, only build the same thing in unison. Then it lost its freedom. So, no right-wing populist architectural laws for New York modeled after communist China and Xi Jinping. Freedom is not only that of the differently thinking but also of the other taste.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Shanghainese said:


> Erbse,
> 
> This is not hipster architecture. Who defines what a hipster architecture is? You? You seem to have something against hipsters. I find it regrettable to have something in an aggressive world against the people who make it worth living and are peaceful. I think there are other groups where you should take a stand. It expresses your doctrinaire attitude that you subjugate the things you do not like with subcultural terms that you do not like. Dubious behavior. The building itself does not have to be bad in reality and since tastes are subjective, the architect also has a right to his taste and the right to express one's taste through the realization of property rights. In addition, it suits New York very well that there is a variety. New York must never become a right-wing populist and, in the spirit of the AfD, only build the same thing in unison. Then it lost its freedom. So, no right-wing populist architectural laws for New York modeled after communist China and Xi Jinping. Freedom is not only that of the differently thinking but also of the other taste.


Just block him. He's a troll. It's made my SSC experience much more enjoyable since blocking him.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Boerum Hill, Brooklyn - 24 4th Ave*

*Renderings Revealed For ODA-Designed Boerum Hill Condominiums At 24 4th Avenue*



> ...Designed by ODA Architecture, the 12-story, mixed-use building will contain 72 residences, ground floor retail, a community facility...
> 
> In total, the new building will comprise almost 95,000 square feet, with a total of 87,245 square feet of residential area. The ground floor commercial will measure 7,034 square feet, and the community facility will comprise 480 square feet.


----------



## germantower

According to SSP and yimby, activity on 520 5th avenue has occured, new permits are issued, renderring is on the site. The tower went from 71 to 76 floors, so we might have another supertall in the making.


----------



## wakka12

Luca9A8M said:


> *266 Schermerhorn Street* - 13 March 2018
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> by Tectonic on yimbyforums
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> by Tectonic on yimbyforums
> 
> The project:


I must say I find this project incredibly fascinating and unique. I think it turns contemporary status quo on its head and buildings like this are incredibly important in setting precedent for other modern architects to think outside the (square, glass) box!
I think it oozes character and really reminds me of early modernist tokyo before ww2.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*40 10th Avenue* - 11 March 2018
































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/3/22/construction-update-40-10th-avenue-studio-gang

The project:


----------



## droneriot

I really like Bjarke's Harlem building so far. He definitely has talent for buildings under 150m.


----------



## germantower

^^ You dont like the spiral?


----------



## Luca9A8M

*250 West 81st Street* - 23 March 2018









by chused on yimbyforums









by chused on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*76 Eleventh Avenue* - 17 March 2018



























































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/3/23/construction-update-the-eleventh-bjarke-ingels-group

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- 47-11 Austell Place*

*Introducing Austell Place: More Trendy Offices Coming to Long Island City*



> This next commercial venture, called Austell Place, is taking shape at *47-11 Austell within Long Island City’s industrial section *between Sunnyside Yards and Dutch Kills (the waterway, not the sub-neighborhood)...
> 
> *The project's scope entails the reinvention of a 1916 printing plant into roughly 170,000 square feet of gleaming new offices and amenities.*
> 
> Architecture Plus Information (A+I) is handling the design of the lobby lounge, whose renderings show rounded mushroom-cap columns are reflected into curved ramps, lighting, a reception desk and seating. Also planned at ground level is a wet bar, communal work areas, backyard outdoor space, bike room and showers Perfect for the hyperactive millennial.


----------



## germantower

^^ LIC will become Queenss version of the highline neighborhood.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*10 Huron Street* - 23 March 2018

Day3_144 by Todd Freestone, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Memorial Sloan-Kettering Tower* - 23 March 2018

Day3_195 by Todd Freestone, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

> Long Island City, Queens -- 47-11 Austell Place


Love these types of projects


----------



## streetscapeer

ThatOneGuy said:


> Love these types of projects


Indeed! :cheers:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Edgemere, Queens - Former Peninsula Hospital site*

*Massive 2,200-Unit Redevelopment Revealed For Former Peninsula Hospital In Queens, 17 Buildings*



> ...If approvals are granted, work is expected to begin on the first phase of the project next year. Peninsula Rockaway Limited Partnership is listed as the developer, while Aufgang Architects is behind the design...


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*Construction Update: One Beekman*
*MARCH 07, 2018* | FIELD CONDITION

*Architect:* Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners; *Developer:* Urban Muse; *Program:* Residential, Commercial, Retail; *Location:* City Hall Park District, New York, NY; *Completion:* 2019.
































































pqmoore said:


> *One Beekman: Richard Rogers' First NYC Apartment Tower Now on the Rise*
> _May 23, 2017_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> More info on the project & detailed renderings HERE.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Jeanne Gang’s High Line ‘Solar Carve’ tower tops out, see new renderings*


----------



## Luca9A8M

*425 Park Avenue* - 11 April 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- 11-12 44th Drive*

*Renderings Revealed For 11-12 44th Drive*



> 49 residential units will be created













*Current Site*


----------



## elliot42

germantower said:


> The LGA renovation is much needed and the renders look great, i totally like the design. I also like this Dock72 building and what is going on at the Navy Yards. That aerial render shows how much NY is expanding its businesses outside of Manhattan and how much more dimensional and also bigger the city starts to look like, which will just increase with a number of small skylines and clusters getting build around the rivers. Sort of mini CBDs scattered throughout the city. I hope the street car system will happen for Brooklyn, the could extent it to LIC.


--Agreed, but LaGuardia desperately needs subway service. Here is my concept:


----------



## Hudson11

*10 West 57th Street - New Building Permit prefiled*

another skyscraper for "Billionaires' Row" (Hopefully not a glassy black box)

http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/J...id=2&passjobnumber=121188179&passdocnumber=01

Developer: Solow Management
Architect: SOM
672'/205m highest occupied space
52 stories
80 units 

it'll go somewhere along here:









Photo by Christopher Bride/PropertyShark, via Curbed NY


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 225 West 28th Street*

*New Renderings of HAP Eight Show Sculptural Facades Designed by DXA Studio*



> The buildings will have 112 rentals and 87 condos


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - Pier 55*

*Back from the Dead: Construction Restarts on Thomas Heathewick's Pier 55*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 127 Leroy St*




























https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...ap-bksk039s-west-village-condo-tops-out/17056


----------



## AnOldBlackMarble

streetscapeer said:


> *Back from the Dead: Construction Restarts on Thomas Heathewick's Pier 55*


:applause:


----------



## hugh

I'm hardly more a fan of this than Heatherwick's cancelled London Garden Bridge. It may be an attention grabber - but it's just zeitgeist gimmicky.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 76 11th Ave*























































































5Bflims on yimby










@bjarkeingels


----------



## Luca9A8M

*100 Franklin Street* - 12 April 2018














































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/4/19/construction-update-100-franklin-ddg

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*3514 Surf Avenue* - 21 April 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

Luca9A8M said:


> *40 East End Avenue* - 14 April 2018
> 
> The project:


One more photo, 18 April 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 200 Amsterdam Ave*

*668ft(203m)/55 floors*



























https://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/new-uws-tower-wont-answer-any-architectural-prayers/





























chused on yimby


----------



## CB31

:cheers::applause::applause::applause::applause:

*New York City to ban cars in Central Park: ‘They didn't design it for cars in 1857, and it's not meant for cars today. Parks are for people.’*












> Reducing pedestrian fatalities is a priority for Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration
> 
> New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is banning cars from entering Central Park this summer, and opting to return the roadways in the 800 acre park to pedestrians and cyclists.
> 
> Mr de Blasio announced his decision Friday as a part of the city’s efforts to cut down on traffic accidents and air pollution in the park, which is America’s most-visited urban park.
> 
> “This was not the purpose of this park, to be built for automobiles. Literally, it was built before there were automobiles,” Mr de Blasio told reporters. “It was built for people.”


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 125 Greenwich St*

*912ft/278m*





































Tectonic


















Baronson on yimby









@mchlanglo793


----------



## ThatOneGuy

hugh said:


> I'm hardly more a fan of this than Heatherwick's cancelled London Garden Bridge. It may be an attention grabber - but it's just zeitgeist gimmicky.


It will be a world-class icon


----------



## AnOldBlackMarble

hugh said:


> I'm hardly more a fan of this than Heatherwick's cancelled London Garden Bridge. It may be an attention grabber - but it's just zeitgeist gimmicky.


It is not a gimmick when it is useful to thousands of people. Is central park a "gimmick"? The statue of liberty is a "gimmik", if that's the way you want to think, but a park is never a gimmik. :cheers:


----------



## WillBuild

streetscapeer said:


> *Back from the Dead: Construction Restarts on Thomas Heathewick's Pier 55*


Such a boondoggle.

Between Hudson River Park, the Highline and the new rooftop at Pier 56 all within a block that is the last location in the city that needed another park.

If it were payed for in full by private grants it would be somewhat acceptable, if still a tonedeaf choice.

But now that Cuomo is assigning state money, there are so many parts of the city more in need of better parks.


----------



## hateman

It'd be better to put state money into building up oyster reefs and barrier islands. A super storm in 100 years will wreak havoc on the shoreline.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 77 Greenwich St*

*503ft*

























































pascamel on yimby


----------



## erbse

^ At least they're keeping an old facade here, instead of tearing it down.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*207 West 79th Street* - 23 April 2018























































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/4/23/construction-update-207-w-79

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*76 Eleventh Avenue* - 20 April 2018









































































Source: Field Condition http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/4/24/construction-update-the-eleventh-big

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*515 West 36th Street* - 24 April 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*441 Ninth Avenue* - 24 April 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*YIMBY Tours 325 Kent Avenue As Domino Park’s Public Opening Set For June 10th* - 26 April 2018













































































































Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/04/yimby-tours-325-kent-avenue-as-domino-parks-public-opening-set-for-june-10th.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - Pier 26*

*New looks at Pier 26’s eco-friendly makeover, commencing this summer*



> ...On the western end, *the pier will have a tiered, wetland tidal pool area* that will be used for educational purposes. Once complete, this area will be open for students to visit (during low tide) and learn about climate change, the habitat, and salinity, among other things.
> 
> A large portion of the pier will also have wooden decking—on the western end t*his deck will rise as high as 15 feet and overlook the wetlands, and offer up lovely NYC views.* For the deck, the trust plans to use Kebony wood, a highly sustainable type of wood.
> 
> The central portion of *the pier will have two junior soccer fields*, which Madelyn Wils, the president and CEO of the Hudson River Park Trust, said will cater to the growing need for outdoor playing areas for kids in the neighborhood.
> 
> ...
> 
> *Construction on the marine portion of the pier is expected to commence this summer, and that will be followed by work on the rest of the pier either this fall or winter. Work on Pier 26 is expected to wrap in the fall of 2020.*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Melrose, The Bronx (South Bronx) - La Central*

*La Central, The Bronx's Catalytic Master Plan Begins Construction on Phase II*




> onstruction has now begun on phase two of The Bronx’s new 1.2 million-square-foot mixed-use development, La Central. This installment to the *site’s intended total of 992 mixed-income affordable apartment*s will host 496 units across two buildings located at 556 and 600 Bergen Avenue in Melrose...
> 
> ...*Along with retail space on the ground floor, this phase of the development will include a new 50,000-square-foot YMCA, a BronxNet TV Studio, and a public rooftop garden by GrowNYC*– each of which will be made available to the Melrose community...
> 
> ... Construction on the first phase, a 9-story, 161-unit building (Building D), has been underway since last June, with an expected completion date of July 2019....
> 
> ...*The second phase is expected to wrap up in 2020, and construction on the five-building development’s final two installments is anticipated to commence within the next two years. At 1.2 million square feet, La Central is one of the largest mixed-use income projects currently in development in New York,*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Penn Station Revamp - Moynihan Train Hall*





























































































@c.lilianmarlen









@c.lilianmarlen









@c.lilianmarlen









@xsnewyorkcity









NYGUY on ssp









@lightsensitivity


----------



## Luca9A8M

*515 West 38th Street* - 24 April 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Hudson11

*Cobble Hill | River Park Brooklyn (LICH Redevelopment) | One River Park | 78m/256ft | 19 floors*










[url="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/realestate/terraces-to-look-at-and-linger-on.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Frealestate&action=click&contentCollection=realestate&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront]*Terraces to Look At and Linger On*[/url]


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*Construction Update: Columbia University Manhattanville Campus*
*APRIL 27, 2018* | FIELD CONDITION

*Architects:* Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Davis Brody Bond LLP (Science Center and Center for the Arts), RPBW with Dattner Architects (Academic Conference Center), Diller Scofidio + Renfro with FXCollaborative and AARRIS ATEPA Architects (Business School), SOM (Master Plan); *Landscape Architect:* James Corner Field Operations; *Program:* Education; *Location:* Manhattanville, New York, NY; *Completion:* 2017 (Science Center and Center for the Arts), 2018 (Academic Conference Center), 2021 (Business School).



















*University Forum and Academic Conference Center*



































*Columbia Business School*














































*University Forum and Academic Conference Center*



>


*Columbia Business School*



>


----------



## Shanghainese

Guys, why are you arguing about the project "Pier 55" about how to use the tax money "better"? There is no "better", All rating is subjective and will remain subjective for all eternity. Carl Menger - Subjective Value Theory. If a private person uses his money, that's his business. When the state spends money, the fight starts. Therefore: Reduce public spending everywhere. Starting with the salaries for politicians to everything. So that the private sector again determines, where the development goes and not the officialdom. The project "Pier 55" I think is super cool. It does not matter where it will be in New York. It will be a win for the city. Personally, I also think that the place is well chosen. Chelsea, near the Hudson Yards, near Highline Park. Perfect environment. This area becomes the new hotspot of New York next to Williamsburg. As far as funding is concerned, as I said. Do not take exception to Pier 55's government spending on the grounds that the state should have spent the money differently. If you criticize the state issue, criticizes all government spending. Also for the military. And read Murray Newton Rothbard.


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## Luca9A8M

*YIMBY Tours Waterline Square As Completion Nears, Upper West Side* - 1 May 2018























































The project:



















Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/05/yimby-tours-waterline-square-as-completion-nears-upper-west-side.html


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## msquaredb

That new Columbia Business School is just like the new addition to their medical center. I wish they wouldn't duplicate that building as it takes away from how unique the medical center it.


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## DiogoBaptista

*Construction Update: Essex Crossing*
*MAY 01, 2018* | FIELD CONDITION


*Developers:* Delancey Street Associates (Taconic Investment Partners LLC, L+M Development Partners, BFC Partners, Goldman Sachs); *Location:* Essex Crossing, Lower East Side, New York, NY; *Completion:* 2018










*242 Broome Street*




























*115 Delancey Street*














































*180 Broome Street*










*175 Delancey Street*


















































































*145 Clinton Street*


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## towerpower123

There are at least 40 incredibly detailed projects with great facades in a row in these most recent posts! I hope the trend continues with high quality facade materials to complement the rather unique modern architecture


----------



## Atmosphere

Totally agree, the brickwork in all those project is amazing! I'm jealous actually, as The Netherlands also uses brick a lot too, but such quality as here in New York is rarely to be seen nowadays.


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## RegentHouse

towerpower123 said:


> There are at least 40 incredibly detailed projects with great facades in a row in these most recent posts! I hope the trend continues with high quality facade materials to complement the rather unique modern architecture





Atmosphere said:


> Totally agree, the brickwork in all those project is amazing! I'm jealous actually, as The Netherlands also uses brick a lot too, but such quality as here in New York is rarely to be seen nowadays.


The brickwork is great, but the modern execution is atrocious. After finally seeing high quality brickwork after over fifty years of low quality brickwork even in luxury residential towers, and we get buildings uglier than public housing tower blocks.


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## Architecture lover

Congrats! You are a shitlord indeed.

PS: The world will never be as classical as a cupcake, so just try and deal with it. :*


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## wakka12

Which projects are you referring to? I didnt see any exceptional looking brick work on the last page, london is building some really quite nice brick buildings now though.


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## JohnDee

Looking good, besides that last one which is god awful!


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## JohnDee

Architecture lover said:


> Congrats! You are a shitlord indeed.
> 
> PS: The world will never be as classical as a cupcake, so just try and deal with it. :*


Just look at that last project, it's awful. Don't tell me that you approve of it. :bash:


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## wakka12

JohnDee said:


> Just look at that last project, it's awful. Don't tell me that you approve of it. :bash:


It looks like a completely average building to me I dont see anything very wrong with it, and it fits in nicely with the kind of industrial brick area around it. Ive seen many many much worse buildings


----------



## Luca9A8M

More photos about *Waterline Square*, 2 May 2018



























































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/5/2/construction-tour-waterline-square


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## Luca9A8M

^^
Part II


















































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/5/2/construction-tour-waterline-square









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*280 Cadman Plaza West* - 1 May 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*74 Trinity Place* - 1 May 2018









by JC_Heights on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Architecture lover

This is cute. :cheer:


Luca9A8M said:


> ^^
> Part II


----------



## wakka12

74 trinity place is stunning!


----------



## koolkid

^^Until you see what it replaced. hno:


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## wakka12

koolkid said:


> ^^Until you see what it replaced. hno:


Haha thanks for ruining my day :lol:
I do not understand how that was not a protected monument. absolutely unbelievable


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## RegentHouse

^^It's owned by Trinity Church across the street, so it's already tax exempt and any ad valorem tax exemptions from historic designation wouldn't mean anything to its investment. The church is savvy with its real estate holdings, but demolishing its headquarters was distasteful.


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## Luca9A8M

*Oskar at 572 Eleventh Avenue* - 1 May 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1865 Broadway* - 1 May 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*YIMBY Visits 277 Fifth Avenue As Façade Nears Completion*, 4 May 2018



















The view:





































Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/05/yimby-visits-277-fifth-avenue-as-facade-nears-completion.html

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

^^
*30 East 31st Street* from 277 Fifth Avenue









by Andrew Campbell Nelson on New York YIMBY

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Brooklyn Point* - 20/23 April 2018































































































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/5/4/construction-tour-brooklyn-point

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

no, its not.. maybe in the future


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## JohnDee

wakka12 said:


> The ground floor bit with the Prvda sign is just so cheap and horrible and looks like a prefab attached to the tower


All these expert critics.. hno: NY isn't a punching bag for your personal life issues. I doubt Dublin has anything near as exciting.


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## streetscapeer

*Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn - 15 and 50 Bridge Park Drive*






































Tectonic


----------



## wakka12

JohnDee said:


> All these expert critics.. hno: NY isn't a punching bag for your personal life issues. I doubt Dublin has anything near as exciting.


Nope youre right it doesnt. Does that mean the building is free from criticism from people from cities with less exciting architecture?
You seem to be taking criticism of NY very personally, I would criticise the building for same reasons if it were built in dublin


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## droneriot

JohnDee said:


> All these expert critics.. hno: NY isn't a punching bag for your personal life issues. I doubt Dublin has anything near as exciting.


Applying your own logic to yourself, you are not allowed to criticise wakka12 if you are not from Dublin. Dublin isn't a punching bag for your personal life issues.


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## Luca9A8M

*Brooklyn Point* - 2 May 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*123 Linden Boulevard* - 2 May 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*30 East 31st Street* - 10 May 2018





































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/5/10/construction-update-30-e-31

The project:


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## josh85

wakka12 said:


> Nope youre right it doesnt. Does that mean the building is free from criticism from people from cities with less exciting architecture?
> You seem to be taking criticism of NY very personally, I would criticise the building for same reasons if it were built in dublin


Your posts are always welcome and are routinely insightful.

And on this matter, I happen to agree with you!


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## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 456 Greenwich St*



> ...a new *eight-story, 96-room hotel planned* for 456 Greenwich Street promises to set new standards for the neighborhood, if not New York. The *96,000-square-foot property* will run the length of Desbrosses Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets, a location that will offer guests gorgeous Hudson River views. A partnership between Barone Management, Caspi Development Corp., and Mactaggart Family & Partners broke ground at the end of 2017, and *construction is now in progress. Opening is estimated for 2020*...





























https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...eca-hotel-underway-456-greenwich-street/17442


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## Seanrhine

JohnDee said:


> All these expert critics.. hno: NY isn't a punching bag for your personal life issues. I doubt Dublin has anything near as exciting.




Why do you feel attacked ? Mind your own business and stop bashing other cities


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## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 74 Trinity Place*
















































the 726 on yimby









JC_heights on yimby


----------



## germantower

^^ This project is a tragedy. What it is going to replace was very nice, but the tower that is rising now is also very nice.


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## germantower

JohnDee said:


> All these expert critics.. hno: NY isn't a punching bag for your personal life issues. I doubt Dublin has anything near as exciting.


I dont really understand why people tend to assume personal issues are the reason people criticise projects or cities whatever. Sometimes one just doesnt like something, you cant find everything nice. I am more interested why someone doesnt like a project than to punch back in a personal way.


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## wakka12

Thats a very nice elegant replacement but sad to see such an incredibly high quality historical building demolished for no real reason


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## Luca9A8M

Luca9A8M said:


> *280 Cadman Plaza West* - 1 May 2018
> 
> The project:


More photos by Tectonic









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums


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## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - The Brooklyn Grove - 10 Nevins St*




















From 2 months ago:









Tectonic


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## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 1 Beekman*





















*New Renderings*








































josh85 on yimby









JC_heights on yimby









Cityrealty








rbrome


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## Luca9A8M

*One Willoughby Square* - 12 May 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


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## JohnFlint1985

germantower said:


> ^^ This project is a tragedy. What it is going to replace was very nice, but the tower that is rising now is also very nice.


exactly. it was true art deco hno:


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## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 45 Park Place*

*43 floors, 665ft/202m*







































ILNY


45 Park Place by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



45 Park Place by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr



45 Park Place by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


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## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 45 Broad St*

*84 floors - 1,127ft/344m*




































45 Broad St by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr










YIMBY


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## wakka12

Such a lovely skyscraper, future new york icon in the making


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## droneriot

You know the real thing will be a lot better. The renders all have that fakey Babylon 5 shine that won't be there in reality.


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## Luca9A8M

*130 William Street* - 5 May 2018


130 William Street by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*74 Trinity Place* - 5 May 2018


68 Trinity Place by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


68 Trinity Place by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*Tappan Zee Bridge* - 8 May 2018









by The New NY Bridge Project









by The New NY Bridge Project









by The New NY Bridge Project









by The New NY Bridge Project


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*Construction Tour: 420 Kent Avenue
*
*MAY 14, 2018* | FIELD CONDITION

*Architect:* ODA New York; *Developer:* Spitzer Enterprises; *Program:* Residential; *Location:* Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY; *Completion:* 2018.













































































































































































































































>


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## Munwon

Luca9A8M said:


> *130 William Street* - 5 May 2018
> 
> 
> 130 William Street by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr
> 
> The project:


I'm really not sold on this one... hno:


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## obses

This facade would look nice if this building will be a low rise, but in a skyscraper.... :nuts:


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## Luca9A8M

*Brooklyn Point* - 15 May 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


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## Michalhal

Best city in the world. Can I ask you guys to implement more information about projects like square meters (office), units number (residential). Thanks ;-)


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## AbidM

420 Kent Avenue - it's got that Rotterdam look!


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## Luca9A8M

*40 Tenth Avenue* - 16 May 2018































































































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/5/16/construction-tour-40-tenth-avenue

The project:


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## streetscapeer

*Harlem - 10 Lenox Avenue*



























https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...-27-condos-church-coming-central-harlem/15868


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## Luca9A8M

*42-20 27th Street* - 17 May 2018























































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/5/17/construction-update-42-20-27th-street-oda

The project:


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## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 25 Park Row*

*702ft/213m*










































Credit: AB 9 










yankeesfan1000 on ssp


mrnyc on ssp









Andrew Nelson Campbell on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Tower Verre*





















https://www.instagram.com/p/BjBCcG_lxM0/?taken-by=nicholasgpotts









https://ny.curbed.com/2018/5/17/17361580/nyc-affordable-housing-requirements-income-limits 










@marky_marc13









@eduardohoehr









Thomas_Koloski on Yimby


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## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards and Beyond*

Hudson Yards, Central Park Tower and 53 West 53rd St (Tower Verre)









Guillaume BERTHON - AéroSpot66


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## Luca9A8M

*76 11th Avenue* - 21 May 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*45 Park Place* - 21 May 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*74 Trinity Place* - 21 May 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*40 10th Avenue* - 21 May 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Harlem - 1691 Madison Ave*

*City Planning Commission Approves Mixed-Use Development with Community Gardens in East Harlem*




































http://www.rosecompanies.com/projects/sendero-verde/


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## germantower

^^ I feel like this is the beginning of big changes to that and adjacent neighborhoods.


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## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - The Jacx -- 28-01 Queens Plaza South*











































































































































Field Condition


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## RegentHouse

streetscapeer said:


> *City Planning Commission Approves Mixed-Use Development with Community Gardens in East Harlem*


Like Essex Crossing and Pier 6, another development which could have been beautiful with the materials utilized, but is f**ked up by irregular windows and other scattered randomness in complete defiance against all Vitruvian principles of good architecture.


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## Luca9A8M

*Demolition Wraps For Tree-Topped Skyscraper At 75 Nassau Street In The Financial District*









by rbrome on newyorkyimby

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*281 5th Avenue* - 24 May 2018









by Oppix56 on yimbyforums









by Oppix56 on yimbyforums









by Oppix56 on yimbyforums









by Oppix56 on yimbyforums









by Oppix56 on yimbyforums









by Oppix56 on yimbyforums

The project:


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## Shanghainese

RegentHouse

Maybe you have no sense for spatial harmonies and ordering aesthetics? The projects are great, especially the East Harlem project. New York should be demolished in many places and rebuilt in style. New York looks poor, dirty, old and unattractive in many parts of the city. I mean actually Manhattan of which I am disappointed. New York needs broader walkways, more green on the sidewalks, more playful green areas in the construction projects, a new lifestyle of modernity and green. Asphalt, dirt and rancid facades are as unsexy as the rude and jostling traffic of the masses. New York needs light, futuristic, modern, green projects for young people and no repetition of the last 50 years. New York should become like the modern Shanghai.

For New York, I wish it would be like Xintiandi in Shanghai. That would be just the right lifestyle for a cosmopolitan city like New York. The Americans are tired of having to shop next to the exhaust fumes. The people want small neighborhoods with pedestrian areas where you can stroll comfortably with stylish restaurants and cafes and green.

Young Americans only deserve the best projects, and because it looks nice and stylish, I think there are really great projects in New York that Shanghai can look on with envy. I do not think it's good to complain about that. East Harlem is just what's missing. Look at the wide walkway with the trees. Looks great. Look at the grandiose green oasis that breaks the block, it looks fantastic. And it's urban because there are shops. What do you want more? It is great !


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## schostabur

drrty, old an poor IS attractive...stupid kid!


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## droneriot

Pssst, RegentHouse and Shanghainese on the same page, don't interrupt.


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## Luca9A8M

*185 Bowery* - 25 May 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


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## hugh

Shanghainese said:


> RegentHouse
> 
> New York should be demolished in many places and rebuilt in style. New York looks poor, dirty, old and unattractive in many parts of the city. I mean actually Manhattan of which I am disappointed. New York needs broader walkways, more green on the sidewalks, more playful green areas in the construction projects, a new lifestyle of modernity and green. Asphalt, dirt and rancid facades are as unsexy as the rude and jostling traffic of the masses. New York needs light, futuristic, modern, green projects for young people and no repetition of the last 50 years. New York should become like the modern Shanghai.


There might be a bit of the _arriviste_ here, lacking the concept of patina, or layering.


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## JohnDee

Shanghainese said:


> RegentHouse
> 
> Maybe you have no sense for spatial harmonies and ordering aesthetics? The projects are great, especially the East Harlem project. New York should be demolished in many places and rebuilt in style. New York looks poor, dirty, old and unattractive in many parts of the city. I mean actually Manhattan of which I am disappointed. New York needs broader walkways, more green on the sidewalks, more playful green areas in the construction projects, a new lifestyle of modernity and green. Asphalt, dirt and rancid facades are as unsexy as the rude and jostling traffic of the masses. New York needs light, futuristic, modern, green projects for young people and no repetition of the last 50 years. New York should become like the modern Shanghai.
> 
> For New York, I wish it would be like Xintiandi in Shanghai. That would be just the right lifestyle for a cosmopolitan city like New York. The Americans are tired of having to shop next to the exhaust fumes. The people want small neighborhoods with pedestrian areas where you can stroll comfortably with stylish restaurants and cafes and green.
> 
> Young Americans only deserve the best projects, and because it looks nice and stylish, I think there are really great projects in New York that Shanghai can look on with envy. I do not think it's good to complain about that. East Harlem is just what's missing. Look at the wide walkway with the trees. Looks great. Look at the grandiose green oasis that breaks the block, it looks fantastic. And it's urban because there are shops. What do you want more? It is great !


Ouch. This is the kind of scathing critique that Ny'ers should listen to and then... they should model their city on modern Shanghai and everything will be good in the world!


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## Luca9A8M

*1134 Fulton Street* - 29 May 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*50 West 30th Street* - 26 May 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


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## RegentHouse

hugh said:


> There might be a bit of the _arriviste_ here, lacking the concept of patina, or layering.





JohnDee said:


> Ouch. This is the kind of scathing critique that Ny'ers should listen to and then... they should model their city on modern Shanghai and everything will be good in the world!


I was specifically talking about architecture, yet he's talking about urban design, mainly public space. Frankly I would agree with him, but ironically his example of Xintiandi, Shanghai appears to be a historically preserved pre-war area, and never mind the fact Shanghai is also a smog pit, which would have been irrelevant anyway if he didn't bring up "exhaust fumes."


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## Luca9A8M

*101 West 78th Street renovation* - 31 May 2018


















































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/5/31/construction-update-101-w-78


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## Luca9A8M

*Art Deco-Inspired 30 East 29th Street Gets Ready To Rise In NoMad* - 1 June 2018









by JC Heights

The project:



















Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/06/art-deco-inspired-30-east-29th-street-gets-ready-to-rise-in-nomad.html


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## Shanghainese

Schostabur. Impressive how wise you are. By insulting, you think you can refute books and writings with arguments. Who is stupid? Because you have a problem with the concept of tolerance and can not accept another opinion, is the other stupid? Are you God or something in the way that you think you can raise yourself? It's funny that people like you contradict each other in an act of human action. You use language to communicate but your communication prevents communication. There are people who say that some people live in an echo bubble. I'm just wondering how many times you hear yourself. Is this species necessary to respond to you? Or was it too friendly?

Apart from that, learn something about economics. Every bet, you do not know much about it. It is possible that you would then drift off into the area of the subjective value theory of Carl Menger and then think again about whether one treats people like this.

By the way, the last projects presented here were great again. But I stay with my opinion about New York which I have already expressed.


----------



## JohnDee

Shanghainese said:


> Schostabur. Impressive how wise you are. By insulting, you think you can refute books and writings with arguments. Who is stupid? Because you have a problem with the concept of tolerance and can not accept another opinion, is the other stupid? Are you God or something in the way that you think you can raise yourself? It's funny that people like you contradict each other in an act of human action. You use language to communicate but your communication prevents communication. There are people who say that some people live in an echo bubble. I'm just wondering how many times you hear yourself. Is this species necessary to respond to you? Or was it too friendly?
> 
> Apart from that, learn something about economics. Every bet, you do not know much about it. It is possible that you would then drift off into the area of the subjective value theory of Carl Menger and then think again about whether one treats people like this.
> 
> By the way, the last projects presented here were great again. But I stay with my opinion about New York which I have already expressed.


Your arrogant tone and coming into a NY thread and trashing the city is probably a major factor in the lack of nice responses you are getting. Also your name and the fact that you are here to stir up a city-v-city fight in a NY thread won't garner you any support from most people. I can't believe you expect people not to call you out on your awful ignorance regarding the city. NO, you don't demolish and entire section of the city because its not pretty enough. This is not Sim City, or China = its a democracy and property rights exist too.. sorry to burst your fantasy. Also drop the economics preaching, very few care about that in a skyscraper forum and its not helping your argument. I don't want NY to resemble modern Shanghai at all. No thanks. You can keep XinTianDi, Ny has its own historic areas. Cars are not ruining the lives of the "youth" that you say can't enjoy their lives here without contrived sterileized environments like XTD.


----------



## binhai

Can we ban all of these idiots?


----------



## Middle-Island

Just bury them with tons of projects. It should be so easy.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Apple Store Fifth Avenue* - 4 June 2018



























































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/6/4/construction-update-apple-fifth-avenue

The project:


----------



## RegentHouse

Luca9A8M said:


> *Art Deco-Inspired 30 East 29th Street Gets Ready To Rise In NoMad* - 1 June 2018


Of all the buildings in the ensemble of some lovely low-rises which this superior tower will replace, the brown piece of shit at 28 East 29th Street should be included in the redevelopment. It's an eyesore, doomed sandwiched between old and new beauties, with no architectural nor historic value (public records indicate it was constructed in 1970), and protruding blank wall exposed by the tower's setback.









https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/30-East-29th-Street-via-Google-Maps-777x452.jpg


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## Luca9A8M

*85 Jay Street* - 5 June 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*280 Cadman Plaza West* - 5 June 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Dmerdude

Shanghainese said:


> RegentHouse
> 
> ...New York should become like the modern Shanghai.
> ...



:lol:


----------



## Hudson11

Luca9A8M said:


> *85 Jay Street* - 5 June 2018


this is not what is being built. This is a concept by Handel Architects. Morris Adjmi is the design architect.


----------



## Luca9A8M

^^
Oh, thankfully.... imho this project wasn't very nice.

I'll correct the post kay:


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## Shanghainese

Dmerdude.

The Hudson Yards are already a tendency in the direction that New York wants to be more like Shanghai. You behave as if it were about the political system. I do not think you've been to Shanghai before. Modern Shanghai tops New York. Not everything is modern in Shanghai, but more and more is being modernized or even being rebuilt. The Hudson Yards are what comes closest to this development in New York. My girlfriend also says that she likes Shanghai better than New York. She was in both cities. And others feel that way too. Maybe you have to be a right-wing populist to basically think that an American city is triumphing over all the cities on this planet. But I do not think that America is still so free and classically liberal to set modern impulses. America is becoming a form of kleptocracy, if it is not already. Regulated capitalism in America allows nothing but frustration and anger. Accordingly, there are only great projects for rich people and old, not very renovated houses for the others. The fact that things are not much better in China should not be enough for a real American. It should be better in America. So much claim thinking should exist. My proposal to veto Trump and bring the libertarian party up. Then it works with the style again. Even poor people should not be prevented from having opportunities to realize great projects.


----------



## droneriot

I'll take it under consideration. As a member of the ruling humanoid reptilian class I do have the power to veto Trump, turn a minor splinter party into a major political force and enable the poor to build modern skyscrapers, but I just have a lot of other projects on my table right now.


----------



## germantower

I am so happy about all the projects in DoBro, Williamsburg and on Kent Avenue/Williamsburg. It adds the the urbanity and I totally endorse every small project along the rivers. NYC has for too long neglected its potential at the river banks. Its about time that uts finally changing. Next shoud be a full redevelopment of the Gowanus and Queens creek.


----------



## hugh

Shanghainese said:


> Dmerdude.
> 
> The Hudson Yards are already a tendency in the direction that New York wants to be more like Shanghai. You behave as if it were about the political system. I do not think you've been to Shanghai before. Modern Shanghai tops New York. Not everything is modern in Shanghai, but more and more is being modernized or even being rebuilt. The Hudson Yards are what comes closest to this development in New York. My girlfriend also says that she likes Shanghai better than New York. She was in both cities. And others feel that way too. Maybe you have to be a right-wing populist to basically think that an American city is triumphing over all the cities on this planet. But I do not think that America is still so free and classically liberal to set modern impulses. America is becoming a form of kleptocracy, if it is not already. Regulated capitalism in America allows nothing but frustration and anger. Accordingly, there are only great projects for rich people and old, not very renovated houses for the others. The fact that things are not much better in China should not be enough for a real American. It should be better in America. So much claim thinking should exist. My proposal to veto Trump and bring the libertarian party up. Then it works with the style again. Even poor people should not be prevented from having opportunities to realize great projects.


Perhaps it's time for you to wrap this up. Shanghai is a great city - but New York, in spite of its flaws, is ... well, New York. The resurgence of Shanghai is relatively recent, some might argue it's a bit early to be wagging the sagacious finger. In addition, this happens to be the New York thread.


----------



## JohnDee

Luca9A8M said:


> ^^
> Oh, thankfully.... imho this project wasn't very nice.
> 
> I'll correct the post kay:


It's pretty messy looking, that's for sure.


----------



## droneriot

Buildings like that look fine in real life. Most of the highrises I see look like that and with designs like that you gotta see the real thing in 3D for it to work, doesn't work in pictures and definitely not in renders.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*10 Jay Street* - 5 June 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Quay Tower Tops Out, Façade Installation Underway, Brooklyn Bridge Park*, 5 June 2018









by Tectonic









by Tectonic

The project:










Source: New York YIMBY https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/06/quay-tower-tops-out-facade-installation-underway-brooklyn-bridge-park.html


----------



## hateman

Hudson11 said:


> this is not what is being built. This is a concept by Handel Architects. Morris Adjmi is the design architect.



Are there any renderings of Adjmi's design? Undoubtedly they'll come up with something better than a Safdie reject design.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*5Pointz, 22-44 Jackson Avenue* - 12 June 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*7 West 57th Street* - 14 June 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*JACX, Gotham Center 1-3* - 12 June 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1 Beekman Street Tops Out Above City Hall Park*, 15 June 2018









photo by Michael Young









photo by Jakob Dahlin

The project:










Source: New York YIMBY, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/06/1-beekman-street-tops-out-above-city-hall-park.html


----------



## Luca9A8M

*15-50 Bridge Park Drive* - 15 June 2018




































































































The project:



















Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/6/15/construction-update-50-bridge-park-drive-oda


----------



## meetthestreet

Luca9A8M said:


> *1 Beekman Street Tops Out Above City Hall Park*, 15 June 2018
> 
> No windows on the lower floors that are facing the turrets of The Beekman Hotel. Is that going to be blank wall? I don't understand why since the gorgeous hotel is, I assume, landmarked and not ever going to be topped with new floors. It did get its new addition, but it's behind it. Wouldn't a view out of an apartment at the beautiful turrets be a marketing advantage? Or are the solid walls necessary from a construction/strength/safety perspective?


----------



## germantower

^^ Maybe the blank wall is part of the core that is situated at the back of the building?!


----------



## PsyLock

Nice to see quality projects in the outer boroughs!


----------



## odurandina

There's a hill in Fairlawn/ Hawthorne/ Goffle Brook Park....

Anyway, there's a driveway on Goffle Hill Rd (i believe it is), with a view of the whole smash of Manhattan.

The view is TOTALLY beyond belief! The home is pretty ordinary. 

But they might have the best view of NYC that possibly exists!

Need to put a good camera in that driveway on a clear FALL day and take pics!


Photographers; you won't get anything good during hazy warm months..... 

But come the first crisp day in the Fall, you'll shytte yourselves. 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/F...2e9978c8bf5d71!8m2!3d40.9403762!4d-74.1318096


----------



## Luca9A8M

*250 West 81st Street* - 14 June 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*11 Hoyt Street* - 18 June 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*One Willoughby Square* - 18 June 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## AAPMBerlin

Luca9A8M said:


> (...)


Be carefull with german cars!! :nuts: :nuts:


----------



## germantower

^^ Why that?


----------



## AAPMBerlin

germantower said:


> ^^ Why that?


25% duty on german cars by POTUS...:nuts::nuts:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*266 Schermerhorn Street* - 19 June 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*211 Schermerhorn Street* - 19 June 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Village - 119 2nd Ave*

*Renderings revealed for Morris Adjmi’s proposed luxury condo on East Village gas explosion site*



> ...The plan will be reviewed by Community Board 3’s Landmarks Committee next Monday. (A paper meeting notice was taped to the fence surrounding the property on Monday, according to EV Grieve). Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, the renderings depict a single 21-apartment, six-story, grey brick luxury building to encompass both lots, with a detailed cornice and ground floor retail...
> 
> ...The developer bought the properties for $9.15 million in June of last year. The fate of the third plot – the first to be purchased, by Ezra Wibowo for $6 million in 2016 – remains to be determined.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 425 Park Ave*

*860ft/262m*















































































Oppix56 on yimby




















425ParkAve










ILNY


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - Domino Sugar Factory Development - 260 Kent Ave*





































Tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - St John's Terminal*

*See Skyline Renderings of the Ambitious St. John's Terminal Redevelopment*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City, New Jersey - 99 Hudson St*

*899ft (274m)*














































Tectonic


----------



## droneriot

Saw something cool in the local forums just now:



Hudson11 said:


> *See Skyline Renderings of the Ambitious St. John's Terminal Redevelopment*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ____
> 
> 
> likely outdated diagram:


----------



## joeyoe121

That is awesome, there is a similar proposal in The Hague.....Dutch and American skyscrapers and towers are always so beautiful


----------



## Luca9A8M

*180 East 88 Street* - 25 June 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*147-151 East 86th Street* - 25 June 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Wayden21

I was afraid that New York would get too many blue towers and loose its identity, I am glad to see these new developments. NY will definitely never look like these soulless chinese cities. And will also definitely keep the best skyline in the world for at least these next 30/40 years.


----------



## Architecture lover

Holy hell. Why. 

It looks like one of those fascist buildings that tried to mimic read(vulgarize) ancient South European marvels from Rome, and failed miserably.

It might be good for your new political climate, when you look upon your very white (sort of orange) president.



streetscapeer said:


> That's the old rendering, this is the new one:
> 
> 
> *800ft/244m*


----------



## droneriot

Can you link to a specific example of a fascist building that it looks like or did you just want to throw out some buzzword?


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Probably referring to this, which is a beautiful piece of Italian Rationalism. But it's ridiculous to smear an entire architectural style because of who commissioned it. Arches don't make you fascist.


----------



## droneriot

Cross-posting another one from Hudson11 since I had never even heard of it before. Hudson Yards area getting even more massive.



Hudson11 said:


> *New Details For 62-Story Multi-Tower Block 675 Redevelopment, Hudson Yards*





Hudson11 said:


> *West Chelsea development with 1,200 apartments is close to approval*
> 
> Developers Douglaston Development and Lalezarian Properties want to bring a total of 1,200 apartments to 601 West 29th Street and 606 West 30th Street, respectively. In order to do that, these sites need to be zoned residential, and in order to build at the scale the developers want, they’re trying to purchase unused air rights from Chelsea Piers through the Special Hudson River Park District. For the project to move forward, it now needs the approval of the full City Council.
> 
> As plans stand right now, Douglaston has brought on FX Collaborative (formerly FXFOWLE) to design a 62-story building at 601 West 29th Street with 990 apartments. Lalezarian has contracted Ismael Levya Architects to design a 37-story building with approximately 220 apartments. Of the 1,200 or so units, about 300 will be affordable, and 247 of these will be located in Douglaston’s building. Both towers are located between Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues.
> 
> In addition to the apartments, both sites will have also have retail and parking. The larger of the two buildings will also have space for an FDNY-EMS station. Funds from the air rights sale will allow the Hudson River Park Trust to carry out renovations on the Chelsea Waterside Play Area, among other parts of the park.
> 
> In February this year, CityRealty reported that the developers had commenced preliminary demolition work at the site. The full City Council is expected to vote next week to seal the fate of this massive West Chelsea project.





Hudson11 said:


> https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...uth-hudson-yards-see-historic-maps-site/15786


----------



## droneriot

And another one on a hopefully soon-coming neighbour for One Manhattan Square.



Hudson11 said:


> *Curbed: Third developer reveals huge tower on Lower East Side waterfront*
> 
> [...]
> This particular building, developed by Starrett Corporation, will be a 62-story, 724-foot-tall structure located at 259 Clinton Street, adjacent to L&M and CIM’s forthcoming two-tower development. (It’s also only a few blocks from Extell’s One Manhattan Square and JDS’s proposed building on Cherry Street.) The parcel of land is adjacent to Lands End I, an affordable housing complex located at 257 Clinton Street, which was purchased by L&M in 2015 and later rebranded as 275 South Street.
> Preliminary plans call for Starrett’s building to have 732 apartments, with about 183 of those deemed affordable (under the Mayor’s mandatory inclusionary housing program). Perkins Eastman, which also created the renders, is responsible for the design of the building, which will also have ground-floor retail, a terrace and garden for residents, and “landscaping” on the South Street side of the building.
> [...]
> 
> rendering: http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2...lans-62-story-building-at-259-clinton-st.html





Hudson11 said:


> *New Rendering Revealed for The Lower East Side’s Next Skyscraper at 259 Clinton Street*
> 
> 259 Clinton Street has grown, with the latest review showing plans to rise 730 feet and create 765 units, with 191 sold as permanently affordable, of which 100 units will be for low-income senior housing. 3,200 square feet of public space will be created.


----------



## Luca9A8M

ThatOneGuy said:


> Probably referring to this, which is a beautiful piece of Italian Rationalism. But it's ridiculous to smear an entire architectural style because of who commissioned it. Arches don't make you fascist.


I agree, the _Colosseo Quadrato_ is one of the best (if not the best) building in the EUR.


----------



## Architecture lover

droneriot said:


> Can you link to a specific example of a fascist building that it looks like or did you just want to throw out some buzzword?



Oh come on, please don't say you haven't heard about Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana - the most famed fascist building in Italy (if not globaly).
And since I know you've probably heard about it and you're just playing it smart, as if I shall post a link from it so that you can say they look nothing alike, here's my other reply - it's quite obvious they look like each other, except the one in New York has more floors. 

The same repetitive arch used in these proportions stripped from precise details looks a lot like fascist to me. Honestly it's rather unfortunate what they've (fascist) done with South European aesthetics, they've vulgarized everything they could've think of. Filming movies at the Parthenon, stealing ancient marbles, taking their inspiration from the Colosseum (which doesn't really have the brightest history itself), last but not least using the swastika, which is basically incorporated in every singe early Christian Basilica floor mosaic down here in the south.

I've been thinking for a while, what shall South European nations do with it all. Shall we just rip the mosaics off just because someone North decided to vulgarize our symbols in some of the most terrifying crimes against humanity?

^ What's my point and my conclusion on all of that? How is it related to this building in NY? Just like our ancient symbols will forever stay linked to 'That' country and her crimes (which occasionally uses her banks to put nations in economic crisis, ironically in the south), whenever a person sees a building that looks like it took the inspiration from fascist times, he/she could definitely point at it. 

Just like I did.


----------



## Architecture lover

PS: To those who classify that as It. Rationalism, don't act blind, whenever I visit a church in the South and see the Swastika I can't just wipe my thoughts and not think of the crimes that symbol was used in covering the first few decades of XX century.


----------



## wakka12

Well..I think you are overthinking this maybe. Its most likely this random tower in new york doesnt have any connections to fascism. Arches came about during classical times for structural reasons because the arched shape allowed their limited materials brick and stone to act very powerfully under compression, so I dont think facsists should have monopoly on the innocent arch which Im fond of!


----------



## streetscapeer

*LaGuardia Airport Rail Connection*

Not ideal, but it's something

*New renderings and a 2022 deadline for Cuomo’s AirTrain to LaGuardia*



> Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday signed legislation that jumpstarts the construction of the AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport by letting the state use eminent domain to secure land for the project. Passed by the state legislature last week, the bill permits the state to acquire parcels of land already owned by the City or MTA between Willets Point and the airport, allowing the train to run along Grand Central Parkway. LGA is the only major airport on the East Coast without a rail connection, with 86 percent of travelers using cars to access it.
> 
> ...
> 
> Construction on the AirTrain is expected to start in 2020 and wrap up in 2022. The AirTrain falls under an $8 billion redevelopment plan of LaGuardia, as well as Cuomo’s broader plan to upgrade the area’s other airports. Consistently ranked as the worst airport in the country, LaGuardia will be getting state-of-the-art amenities in addition to the added access to public transit.


----------



## Architecture lover

wakka12 said:


> Well..I think you are overthinking this maybe. Its most likely this random tower in new york doesnt have any connections to fascism. Arches came about during classical times for structural reasons because the arched shape allowed their limited materials brick and stone to act very powerfully under compression, so I dont think facsists should have monopoly on the innocent arch which Im fond of!


Yes but the building looks nothing like the classic Colosseum or any other Roman aqua-duct for that matter. It looks like the palazzo, and we should never forget what thy palazzo stands for and how it claimed possession of one country over other nations cultural integrity.

When you'll have the classical arch originating in Ireland and later on being used in the terrible ideology, of another country, on the same continent, then you'll understand. Especially if you're in a crisis, then you'll overthink everything, something to which you guys seem to be very close to (crisis). Our very own northern palls in debts.

I agree tho, on the part where you said one should never even try to hold a monopoly on that style, build yourself a time machine and go back to the 40's to tell them not to do that. Put an accent on them not stealing marbles too, tel them that even if one stole them he/she won't change the fact that they've been carved by the hands of Greek artist. Not sure if you'll survive tho. 

To get back on topic, the building in New York looks nothing like Classical to me, nor does that 'tough' 40's wannabe in Rome. Classical is something that I am very fond of, the US itself is very rich with it. This thing in New York, or that thing in Rome, have nothing incommon with Classical.


----------



## droneriot

Okay, you misuse the thread for modern Italian/Greek neo-fascist/neo-nazi Lega Nord/Golden Dawn propaganda ("Germany uses banks to put South European countries in crisis"), somehow justifying it with the crimes of original fascism/nazism and linking it to this thread with a bizarre far-fetched comparison between two buildings that bear little resemblence aside from using arching windows. That's one uniquely bizarre nonsensical attempt at thread derailment. And it's funny that it's concerning a building that with it's outlandish mishmash of sprayed-styrofoam-looking walls, the pagoda of angled walls, cartoonish use of arches and 60s sci-fi viewscreens as top windows looks like it was designed for the original _Star Trek_ series. 

I like the building for its completely outlandish design that looks like people half a century ago imagined alien cultures and it's quite daring to build something completely removed from existing real-world designs. Maybe adventures in contradictory political trolling would have had some merit with the original design but with the final design it loses what little relevance it may have had.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*425 Park Avenue* - 25 June 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1059 Third Avenue* - 25 June 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Architecture lover

droneriot said:


> bizarre far-fetched comparison between two buildings that bear little resemblence aside from using arching windows. That's one uniquely bizarre nonsensical attempt at thread derailment.


Bizarre is the word I'd use to describe how an architectural style that didn't even originate in the North got used in something...truly miserable. We're not burning our history books just because someone doesn't want us to remember what happened.

As for the building scroll up, you'll see some of the members fairly active in the Fascist Architecture thread noticing the similarity too.

If you find it bizarre that people find the skyscraper in NY similar with the prime examples of fascist architecture, get used to the bizarreness, because I am sure, we won't be the last ones to notice. Why does it bother you so much if I compare it to fascist architecture anyway? You say little resemblance aside from the round arch - that's basically all that we can see in most of the building, a round arch stripped completely from all the detailing trying to look imposing and tough in a fake way, like the ideal itself.


----------



## droneriot

In the 1980s heavy metal band Twisted Sister released a song about a band member's throat operation, called "Under the Blade", and Tipper Gore of the PMRC, wife of Al Gore, said it was about "sadomasochism and bondage", and at a hearing singer Dee Snider basically told her that, well, people looking hard enough for sadomasochism and bondage can find that in almost anything. 

If you're deliberately trying to find similarities to fascist architecture, I'm sure one can find that in a lot of things. It's just ludicrous to do so in a building that is clearly designed to be futuristic, and looks exactly so.


----------



## Architecture lover

droneriot said:


> In the 1980s heavy metal band Twisted Sister released a song about a band member's throat operation, called "Under the Blade", and Tipper Gore of the PMRC, wife of Al Gore, said it was about "sadomasochism and bondage", and at a hearing singer Dee Snider basically told her that, well, people looking hard enough for sadomasochism and bondage can find that in almost anything.
> 
> If you're deliberately trying to find similarities to fascist architecture, I'm sure one can find that in a lot of things. It's just ludicrous to do so in a building that is clearly designed to be futuristic, and looks exactly so.


Yes, you pretty much said it yourself a person can see for whatever he searches for, if you see futurism in the building that's great for you! I myself cannot compare it to 1WTC - a prime example of Neo-Futurism, but I can definitely find the similarities with the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana.

The discussion is getting out of course with musical debuts all the way from the 80's, just accept it as a Neo-Fascist building, or simply Fascist Revival. After all, we won't be the first to notice.


----------



## droneriot

I willingly accept that you make things up based on absolutely nothing and deny reality only for the sake of trolling. See, rest easy, I accept the facts now.


----------



## Architecture lover

I willingly accept that you can't see the fascist aspects about the building's aesthetics, cannot provide one single serious argument about why is it futurist therefore calling me a troll.


----------



## hateman

Wall Street is the perfect place for a fascist tower. They've been trying to bring fascism to the US since FDR:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Plot


----------



## Hudson11

*MOVING AWAY FROM THAT...*

another of Manhattan's prolific art deco skyscrapers is set for a residential conversion. 

*The McGraw-Hill Building’s top half to receive resi conversion*



> Deco Tower Associates has proposed a major redevelopment of the 35-story, 662,000-square-foot tower at 330 West 42nd Street, which sits just above part of the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Plans call for a conversion of floors 16 through 34 from office space to Art Deco-style luxury rental apartments, according to an offering memorandum obtained by TRD.
> 
> The firm plans to secure approval for the proposed adaptive reuse by this fall and receive Department of Buildings approval by fall 2019. The conversion would begin by January 2020, the documents from Newmark Knight Frank show.
> [...]











wiki commons


----------



## germantower

I feel like the more of these old office buildings gets a conversion to residential, the more need there will be to add more office space, which is already a scarce in midtown. So with every conversion the chances rise for new office supertalls.

I also hope that the McGraw conversion might be a hint towards a redevelopment of the whole are, which could mean getting rid of the horrendous current PABT.


----------



## yankeesfan1000

germantower;149878871...I also hope that the McGraw conversion might be a hint towards a redevelopment of the whole are said:


> That's happening. The PA is set to pick a winning design soon, but regardless, we'll get some more towers in the neighborhood as the PA owns some lots in the direct vicinity of the current PABT and they're looking to sell/lease the land to help finance the new PABT.


----------



## JohnDee

germantower said:


> I feel like the more of these old office buildings gets a conversion to residential, the more need there will be to add more office space, which is already a scarce in midtown. So with every conversion the chances rise for new office supertalls.
> 
> I also hope that the McGraw conversion might be a hint towards a redevelopment of the whole are, which could mean getting rid of the horrendous current PABT.


Agree, the bus station is a dump. raze it quickly.


----------



## schostabur

ThatOneGuy said:


> Probably referring to this, which is a beautiful piece of Italian Rationalism. But it's ridiculous to smear an entire architectural style because of who commissioned it. Arches don't make you fascist.
> 
> but fascists made architecture in a stupid, rational way....booooring!


----------



## Architecture lover

schostabur said:


> but fascists made architecture in a stupid, rational way....booooring!


The point was to strip away all the details, to make the buildings appear tough and emotionless, to reflect the society of artificially tough people that they were willing to create. 

I am fine with them doing whatever they want with their societies and buildings as long as they use their genuine Nordic (wooden) architecture in such hard cookie attempts of buildings. Leave alone the marble pillars and stadiums and amphitheaters of the south, they are meant to stand for different believes, ideals, and societies.

I also can't figure it out why it bothers some of the members when I call the building Fascist Revival. If I notice similarities I have the right to call it for what it is, and from where it obviously borrowed the inspiration. 

The building is not Classical because it brakes most of Classical architecture's fundamental paradigms. As simple as that.


----------



## schostabur

howsoever...they wanted to overcome bourgeois culture, but the result was pitiful in every way.


----------



## germantower

yankeesfan1000 said:


> That's happening. The PA is set to pick a winning design soon, but regardless, we'll get some more towers in the neighborhood as the PA owns some lots in the direct vicinity of the current PABT and they're looking to sell/lease the land to help finance the new PABT.


Do you know if those ramps going into and out of the PABT will go?


----------



## JohnDee

streetscapeer said:


> Not ideal, but it's something


The seamless transfer, and the dedicated LIRR service makes it better than the JFK version. Not bad, although a one-seat-ride would have been better obviously. They should have just routed the LIRR into the airport on a loop line, that would have been the correct thing to do. Of course, they never do the correct thing.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 106 West 56th St*

*Boutique 27-floor Office Tower - Under Construction *


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 50 West 66th St*

*775ft/236m*















































Oppix56 o yimby


----------



## germantower

Nice thag this one is going on despite the nimby backlash that it had. That is one of the towers i am most excited about in the city right now. This one is totally not about height with its 800 feet but totally about giving this area of the skyline a distinctive mark, and so will 200 amsterdam avenue. They should add more 800 feet towers here and further north.


----------



## Shanghainese

"Arches don't make you fascist."

That's right. Bows do not make you fascist. Fascism is a collectivist mentality that in turn denies that humans are individuals and born with innate rights. Fascism is the misguided idea that man belongs to the state and that the state has to stand god-like above man. The ideas represented by the state are then imposed by force on each individual, so that all have to submit, adapt and add.

Important, also origin and religion does not make anyone a terrorist.


----------



## germantower

^^ I wish we could leave political theory out of this CONSTRUCTION thread.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The NOMA (50 West 30th Street)* - 28 June 2018





































The view:























































The interior:



















Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/6/28/tour-the-noma


----------



## droneriot

What a "daily grind" job it must be to be an architect designing the boring filler in a city of spectacular landmark towers.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*21 East 12th Street* - 29 June 2018





































The view:














































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/6/28/tour-the-noma

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*116 University Place* - 2 July 2018




























Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/6/28/tour-the-noma

The project:


----------



## Weissenberg

Is it me or the tower at 21 E 12th St feels like a massive waste of the plot space-wise?


----------



## JohnDee

droneriot said:


> What a "daily grind" job it must be to be an architect designing the boring filler in a city of spectacular landmark towers.


Nah, they are happy to be fortunate enough to design a tower in NY, any tower.


----------



## Architecture lover

germantower said:


> ^^ I wish we could leave political theory out of this CONSTRUCTION thread.


Erase the events from the first half of the 20th century of our memories and we'll stop. I promise. 
This way whenever I go to New York next and a friend asks me, where did that took the inspiration from? I'll have to explain.


----------



## germantower

^^ Shanghainese post had zero to do with explaining the bow as element in architecture but all about defining what fascism is. His post had zero to do with architecture. Hence I feel like it doesnt belong here, that and also the constant rants that Manhattan should copy Shanghai.


----------



## droneriot

JohnDee said:


> Nah, they are happy to be fortunate enough to design a tower in NY, any tower.


I figure it depends on the age of the architects. For the young ones it's amazing to have a NY tower in the portfolio, for the old ones it's "no one ever hires me for the interesting projects..."


----------



## droneriot

A facade preservation cross-posted exclusively for erbse's delight:



Hudson11 said:


> *Years in the Making, This Through-Block Residential & Hotel Project May Finally Be Coming to Chelsea*
> 
> Zoning documents show the block-through project, which utilizes the 24th Street parcels, will feature a 13-story (170 ft) residential tower fronting 23rd Street and a 39-story (466 ft) hotel fronting 24th Street. The church facade will be integrated into the residential portion and Stonehill & Taylor West are serving as the architects.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Koch Center for Cancer Care* - 5 July 2018
































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/7/5/construction-update-koch-center-for-cancer-care

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*11 Hoyt Street* - 4 July 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*266 Schermerhorn Street* - 4 July 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*211 Schermerhorn Street* - 4 July 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*50 Bridge Park Drive* - 4 July 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*810 Fulton Street* - 4 July 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*The Wheeler* - 4 July 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## ThatOneGuy

> The NOMA (50 West 30th Street)


Love the way this one turned out, with the grey brick and black horizontal windows.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*76 11th Avenue* - 7 July 2018









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - Company - 335 Madison Ave*

*SHoP Architects reveal ‘vertical tech campus’ at 335 Madison*



> ...But he ultimately decided to forego the demo and undertake *a $150 million renovation by SHoP Architects* that *more than doubles the square footage of Grand Central Tech and creates a new lobby and retail/amenity spaces for tenants.* Renderings for the new “vertical tech campus” *known as Company* have now been revealed by Arch Daily....
> 
> ...*On floors three through seven, between 150 and 200 startup tenants will operate. Each year, 20 new tenants will be selected from thousands of applicants. Not only do they receive free rent* and access to many resources, but GCT does not take an equity stake, unlike many incubators. “Established global brands” will reside on the higher floors, but they must agree to collaborate with the startups...
> 
> ...*The renovated spaces are expected to roll out in phases, with the first new offices opening next month. The terrace will open in October, the lobby and bars in January, and the retail and remaining amenity spaces in late 2019.* The rest of of 335 Madison will continue operating as a traditional commercial rental.


----------



## germantower

Do you guys think that due to the outlet and the wheel, it could be possible that Fort George becomes something along the lines of a smaller DoBro like CBD in lets say 10 to 15 years time?


----------



## Luca9A8M

*15 and 50 Bridge Park Drive* - 16 July 2018






















































































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/7/16/construction-tour-15-and-50-bridge-park-drive


----------



## Hudson11

*World Trade Center*

some quick street level cellphone shots of 3 WTC this morning.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nolita - 75 Kenmare St*





































City Realty


----------



## germantower

Hudson11 said:


> some quick street level cellphone shots of 3 WTC this morning.


I thought they planned a street between 3 and the transportation hub?!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hoboken, New Jersey - Hoboken Yard*














































































http://www.hobokenterminalandrailyard.com/


----------



## ThatOneGuy

^^ Love seeing old rail yards covered up with usable buildings/walkable platforms!



germantower said:


> I thought they planned a street between 3 and the transportation hub?!


It's better pedestrianized anyway. No cars or signage cluttering up a narrow space.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - Pier 55*







































































































https://www.6sqft.com/photos-pier-55s-undulating-support-structure-takes-shape-on-the-hudson-river/









@traceewritze


----------



## Luca9A8M

*211 Schermerhorn Street* - 18 July 2018




























Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/7/17/construction-update-211-schermerhorn

The project:


----------



## royal rose1

germantower said:


> ^^ I wish this area could get the FAR rules completly undone and that lower Manhattans skyline could then move northwards quickly. A dream would be a skyline that goes drom the WTC connected all the way north to the Hudson Yards.


You better be kidding if you're talking about destroying historic districts for skyscrapers. That's not even manhattan, it's brooklyn. I'm as pro development as it gets, and I'd never want low-rise manhattan destroyed.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*277 Mott Street* - 18 July 2018




























Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/7/18/construction-update-277-mott-street

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Tower Verre - 53 West 53rd St*









5BFilms on yimby









@mchlanglo793









@jakobdahlin









10th CAB New York City July 2018 Flight by Fort Drum & 10th Mountain Division (LI)


----------



## germantower

royal rose1 said:


> You better be kidding if you're talking about destroying historic districts for skyscrapers. That's not even manhattan, it's brooklyn. I'm as pro development as it gets, and I'd never want low-rise manhattan destroyed.


Maybe I was refering to post number 9674, which is just above the Brooklyn pictures post. This and my post were added at the same time.


----------



## Tom_Green

streetscapeer said:


>


That is really awesome and i would really love to visit it, but who pays for such projects, where you don`t get any money in return?


----------



## Luca9A8M

*280 Cadman Plaza* - 19 July 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- 42-50 24th Street*

*70-Story Mixed-Use Skyscraper Proposed for Long Island City*



> ....Set to join the ranks of these high-flyers is a *mixed-use proposal by Dynamic-Hakim and Property Markets Group (PMG) for 42-50 24th Street*....
> 
> ...A rendering and details posted to Dynamic Worldwide Group show a sleek *70-story tower* composed of three interlocking components. A square masonry base grounds the building which then transitions to sweeping glass tower with front-and-center views of Midtown Manhattan. Another rendering uncovered last year by the blog Queensbeans shows the tower from the south, over the Court Square elevated station. *Perkins Eastman Architects is listed as the architect and the page says the building will encompass a whopping one million square feet.*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens Transformation*

Long Island City, Queens Transformation


*2006*









Tectonic



*2018*









Tectonic


----------



## pqmoore

*Crossed-Braced Commercial Topper May Be Coming to Queens Plaza*

*Crossed-Braced Commercial Topper May Be Coming to Queens Plaza*


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Tom_Green said:


> That is really awesome and i would really love to visit it, but who pays for such projects, where you don`t get any money in return?


Who pays for any of NY's parks? Any money spent on improving the cityscape is worth it, especially with an architectural icon.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenwich Village - 809 Broadway*



> a 15-story mixed-use tower rising in Greenwich Village, Manhattan


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 60 Charlton St*

*Reveal For 60 Charlton Street’s Vertical Office Addition As Permits Approved*



> Permits have been approved for the enlargement of 60 Charlton Street, which *will yield a 12-story retail and office building* in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manhattan. The building was formerly known as 163 Varick Street. Kenneth Aschendorf of APF Properties is responsible for the development, after purchasing the lot for $65 million in July 2017.
> 
> *The 191-foot tall structure will yield 97,700 square feet within. Retail will be positioned in the ground floor and cellar, with offices occupying the remaining floors. Terraces will be created on the ninth, eleventh, and twelfth floors.*
> 
> HOK is responsible for the architecture. The design will incorporate much of the existing six stories of masonry façade, but strip the interior down to the framework and renovate all mechanics. The curtain wall addition on top will add five extra floors.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 511-525 West 18th Street*

*Foundation Work Underway For Thomas Heatherwick-Designed 511-525 West 18th Street*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 11 Hoyt Street*

51 stories / 664ft(202m)

480-unit mixed-use development
































Sloper said:


> Mock ups:





























https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...anne-gang039s-first-nyc-skyscraper-rise/20081


----------



## streetscapeer

*South Street Seaport - The Tin Building*

*South Street Seaport’s Tin Building relocation begins*



> The New York Post reports, by way of a site visit, that the Tin Building is now *being “painstakingly” dismantled by Seaport overlord the Howard Hughes Corporation in order to move it about 33 feet east of its original location.* When the relocation is complete,* the building will play home to a seafood-themed market helmed by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten*, a play on its past as home to the Fulton Fish Market until 2005...
> 
> ...*It will also move the building slightly away from FDR Drive allowing for a less obstructed view of the structure and a more appealing public plaza at its entrance.
> 
> The relocation of the building will be coupled with a renovation by SHoP Architects that will help restore some of its historic characteristics* lost in a 1995 fire; it was further damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012...
> 
> *The updated Tin Building is set to open in 2020*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- 21-30 44th Drive*

*Sales Launch at Corte, Argentinian-Inspired Condos Coming to Long Island City
*


----------



## wakka12

That looks so good, I wonder what detailing makes that look so much more elegant than most glazed buildings


----------



## Luca9A8M

*11 Hoyt Street* - 1 August 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*425 Park Avenue* - 2 August 2018


















































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/8/2/construction-tour-425-park-avenue


----------



## Luca9A8M

^^
Part II









































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/8/2/construction-tour-425-park-avenue

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*15 East 30th Street* - 2 August 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1205 Broadway* - 2 August 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## AbidM

425 Park Avenue is cleeeeeeean!


----------



## PsyLock

So many quality projects going up!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Noho - 363 Lafayette St*




































Tectonic


----------



## droneriot

It's crooked.


----------



## pqmoore

*151 East 86th Street*

*Ceruzzi-Kuafu Top Out The Muse at 86th and Lexington*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenpoint, Brooklyn - Greenpoint Landing*

More public space opening up on the shores of NY.

*Waterfront Park Opens at Greenpoint Landing*



> One of the key concessions made by developers eager to erect high-rise condominium towers along the North Brooklyn waterfront has been the inclusion of public green space along the water. This week, one such space at the northern end of Greenpoint opened up for use.
> 
> At the top end of the neighborhood, at the very end of Franklin Street, at Commercial, two rental buildings and one 30-story tower stand nearly complete. Apparently, leasing will begin at the end of the summer.


----------



## geoking66

*6205 8th Avenue* | Sunset Park

Project facts


Address: 6205 8th Avenue


Status: Proposed


Developer: New Empire


Architect: DXA


Floors: 18, 18, 18


Renderings:


----------



## Architecture lover

Noho - 363 Lafayette St - it's giving us a lesson.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 75 West Broadway*

*Foundation Work Starts For 75 West Broadway In Tribeca*



> Along West Broadway between Warren Street and Murray Street, a new 55,000 square foot residential project is underway at 61 Warren Street, now known as 75 West Broadway. Excavation on the northern end of the site is complete, and now foundation walls are beginning to form. The 10-story, 120-foot tall project is located in the heart of Tribeca, developed by Cape Advisors and Forum Absolute Capital Partners, and is being designed by BKSK Architects.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 187 Franklin St*
















































Field Condition


----------



## Architecture lover

^ Otherworldly, astonishing, amazing, astounding, surprising, bewildering, stunning, staggering, spectacular, magnificent, wonderful, awe-inspiring, stupendous, incredible.


----------



## Neric007

^^
Astonishing design ! But I agree the sheets of metal sadly somewhat ruin the building.


----------



## Architecture lover

ADAMASTOR01 said:


> Also,i love to stir up controversy with AL...


You sure do, even as the pedantic ignorant from the Balkans (that I am, at the end of the day what's a Byzantium's pig without its ignorance), I still love you, Platonic sort of ways ofcourse. :wave:
We disagree on so much, but we sure seem to share the love for Tamara de Lempicka. Cheers to her masterful mind I say, art and its power to unite the unlikeliest of teams.


----------



## Hudson11

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn | 207 S. 3rd Street | 5 floors | 10 units*

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...egin-leasing-207-north-3rd-williamsburg/21101


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 30 Eat 29th Street*

*600ft*
































*Foundation Started*









JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

DiogoBaptista said:


>


Really an amazing development, better than the renderings.


----------



## germantower

^^ That picture shows why the MSG plot is THE perfect spot for a very tall or in other words megatall building! The skyline could also need some tall standalone towers to create peaks and the ESB shouldnt mind some close by friends.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nolita - 75 Kenmare Street*


----------



## Middle-Island

ADAMASTOR01 said:


> ...
> ..Maybe if they remove these ugly sheets of metal....


Totally. Looks as if like gray construction netting got left behind. Would be much better without it. Pretty astonishing design nonetheless.


----------



## Manitopiaaa

I just checked Skyscraper Center and *New York now has 100 skyscrapers* completed, or U/C!!!*: http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/com...ison=on&output[]=list&dataSubmit=Show+Results

*buildings over 200m/667ft

Here's how that compares with other cities:
Shenzhen: 114
Dubai: 113
New York: 100
Hong Kong: 67
Shanghai: 64
Chongqing: 55
Jakarta: 48
Kuala Lumpur: 46
Guangzhou: 43
Wuhan: 38
Nanjing: 34
Chicago: 33
Nanning: 31
Tianjin: 30
Toronto: 27
Tokyo: 27
Chengdu: 26
Dalian: 25
Bangkok: 24
Changsha: 23
Melbourne: 23
Moscow: 22
Seoul: 21
Beijing: 18
Sydney: 12
London: 10
Istanbul: 9
Taipei: 6
Frankfurt: 5
Manila: 4 (is this accurate? I thought Manila would be at 40+)
Paris: 2 hno:
Milan: 2


----------



## Munwon

Manitopiaaa said:


> I just checked Skyscraper Center and *New York now has 100 skyscrapers* completed, or U/C!!!*: http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/com...ison=on&output[]=list&dataSubmit=Show+Results
> 
> *buildings over 200m/667ft
> 
> Here's how that compares with other cities:
> Shenzhen: 114
> Dubai: 113
> New York: 100
> Hong Kong: 67
> Shanghai: 64
> Chongqing: 55
> Jakarta: 48
> Kuala Lumpur: 46
> Guangzhou: 43
> Wuhan: 38
> Nanjing: 34
> Chicago: 33
> Nanning: 31
> Tianjin: 30
> Toronto: 27
> Tokyo: 27
> Chengdu: 26
> Dalian: 25
> Bangkok: 24
> Changsha: 23
> Melbourne: 23
> Moscow: 22
> Seoul: 21
> Beijing: 18
> Sydney: 12
> London: 10
> Istanbul: 9
> Taipei: 6
> Frankfurt: 5
> Manila: 4 (is this accurate? I thought Manila would be at 40+)
> Paris: 2 hno:
> Milan: 2


Very interesting! Like I suspected Melbourne is really booming and so is Chongqing being so high on the list. Yes, they only count the city of Manila but the whole Manila would be over 30 for sure.


----------



## autonauta

Manila is at +40, just select Philippines and you will see the list, which includes every +200 building in Greater Manila (Makati, Quezon City, etc).


----------



## Hudson11

*Greenpoint Landing | 2 Blue Slip | 122m/400ft (roof) | 39 floors | 421 units*











r_180816121_beat0069_a by Mitch Waxman, on Flickr

Greenpoint Landing master plan :


----------



## ADAMASTOR01

https://75kenmare.com/
Oh mon Dieu!..J'ADORE!!
And Lenny Kravitz designs are as creative as (was?)his music and the delicious and so original way he dresses!! wow!...WOWWWWWW!!!!
https://75kenmare.com/kravitz-design/
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/...-interior-designer-for-a-nolita-building.html


----------



## MichiganExpress

autonauta said:


> Manila is at +40, just select Philippines and you will see the list, which includes every +200 building in Greater Manila (Makati, Quezon City, etc).


I reckon by the look of that list, Madrid is the one with 4 +200 not Manila. Could be a mistake.


----------



## Manitopiaaa

MichiganExpress said:


> I reckon by the look of that list, Madrid is the one with 4 +200 not Manila. Could be a mistake.


Autonata is right:

'Metro Manila' is at 42, broken up as follows: http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/com...ison=on&output[]=list&dataSubmit=Show+Results
Makati: 20
Mandaluyong: 10
Manila: 3 (not 4)
Pasig: 5
Quezon City: 1
Taguig City: 3

So it barely cracks the Top 10. Soon a city will need 50 buildings over 200m to crack the Top 10. Insane!


----------



## Manitopiaaa

Here was New York's path to 100 skyscrapers by decade:
January 1, 1900: *0*
January 1, 1910: *1* (+1, Metropolitan Life Tower)
January 1, 1920: *2* (+1, Woolworth Building)
January 1, 1930: *2* (+0, No skyscrapers in the Roaring Twenties)
January 1, 1940: *10* (+8, including the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center - all built 1930-1933)
January 1, 1950: *10* (+0, No skyscrapers built in the 1940s)
January 1, 1960: *10* (+0, No skyscrapers built in the 1950s)
January 1, 1970: *16* (+6, After 27 years of stasis, construction begins again. Notable adds include the Union Carbide Building, Metlife, and the General Motors Building)
January 1, 1980: *27* (+11, NYC experiences a massive boom cycle in the early 1970s, which leads to 2 new supertalls - 1/2 WTC + Solow and Citigroup Center among others.)
January 1, 1990: *35* (+8, Growth continues with the Trump Tower, AXA Center, and 3 WTC among others)
January 1, 2000: *41* (+6, Growth continues its decline. Nothing of note added)
January 1, 2010: *50* (+11/-2, New York loses both World Trade Centers in the 9/11 attacks, adds Time Warner, New York Times, and Bank of America)
January 1, 2020: *87* (+37, New York will add more skyscrapers from 2010-2020 than it has from 1900-1990)
January 1, 2023: *100+*, based on what's U/C currently

So New York's skyscraper count hit 50 in 2010, and will hit 100 by 2023. A doubling in 13 years!


----------



## germantower

^^ I wonder where that count would be, if the zoning laws were less strict!?


----------



## ADAMASTOR01

........what happened to that guy,Erbse...?(he is not yet with the other adults who contribute for SSP or Yimby)
...Erbse was very interesting...
Three things i like about Toddlerscrapercity:
germantower rational comments
AL mind and personality
Luca9A8M posts!
(no answer needed as i don't give a damn!...


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 180 East 88th Street*

























































https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/08/dd...topping-out-nears-on-the-upper-east-side.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 25 Park Row*

*702ft/213m*































































rbrome on yimby










baronson on yimby











@mchlanglo793


----------



## Architecture lover

In love with New York's architectural diversity.


----------



## Atmosphere

Yeah the last pic is amazing!


----------



## Munwon

Manitopiaaa said:


> Autonata is right:
> 
> 'Metro Manila' is at 42, broken up as follows: http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/com...ison=on&output[]=list&dataSubmit=Show+Results
> Makati: 20
> Mandaluyong: 10
> Manila: 3 (not 4)
> Pasig: 5
> Quezon City: 1
> Taguig City: 3
> 
> So it barely cracks the Top 10. Soon a city will need 50 buildings over 200m to crack the Top 10. Insane!


Not to get off topic but its surprising to see Hong Kong's fall from the top. I bet in a few years Hong Kong won't be the top 10. hno:


----------



## ADAMASTOR01

Architecture lover said:


> In love with New York's architectural diversity.


NY is a hodgepodge of styles that are not really unified with a strong urbanism;many area are to die for but in its globality NY is not as lovely as Paris,Vienna,Florence or st Petersburg...
Same thing for Los Angeles;when i say that LA is beautiful i have actually Pasadena in mind,(where i work) or Palos Verdes,(where i live).
A strong historic center is missing in most of American cities and preservation was not a concern before the tearing down of Pennsylvania Station!
What makes many European cities so unique is the overall unity of style in the historic center(Baixa Pombalina in AMAZING Lisboa is a good exemple!)
Washington is gorgeous with all of the cities inspired by the Classical Ideal in Ancient Greece!
Antebellum architecture is the Architecture of the Gods fallen on Earth and Charleston probably their Mount Olympus!
Yes....CHARLESTON IS IMO THE IDEAL CITY ON EARTH...("Vedere Charleston e poi morire"...si dice adesso!...arrivederci Napoli!!!  )


----------



## Architecture lover

It probably has to do a lot with the exotic aspect, to you Europe appears almost exotic with its elegance, to me the US appeared exotic with its skyscrapers and businesses clusters prominent even in the smaller towns, and overall the whole progress and modernity that I admire you for, you really can't get that in Europe, I appreciated every second of my time with your lovely people. Also the way you covered European styles with revivals is astonishing, my most favorite are the Romanesque Revivals that you have (the usually famed Richardsonian), and they are secular in nature, but their real influence is mostly detectable in university campuses. In Europe the originals are mostly religious so you don't really get to spend a lot of time around them as a commoner. 
I adore D.C. my ultimate favorite, every single building and style, not only Classical, but a generous concentration of Brutalist architecture in that city, the care they have for their buildings leaves them untouched and shiny as if they excavated the marble yesterday (referring to Classical building), or have cast the smooth concrete a week ago (referring to Brutalist buildings).

As you say the East Coast is overflown with nothing but pristine towns and cities, such like Charleston. If I am not wrong, I remember reading years ago, I believe a renowned newspaper named Charleston as a number one best place to live, you're definitely not far from the truth.


----------



## Architecture lover

Also since you mention Pasadena you reminded me of the Rose Bowl! I love how American people build their stadiums, it is indeed very reminiscent to Ancient Greece!


----------



## Luca9A8M

*821 First Avenue* - 26 August 2018









by tectonic Photo









by tectonic Photo

The project:


----------



## droneriot

Cross-posting Hudson11 again, midrises planned for Governors Island...



Hudson11 said:


> admittedly not a thread I thought would ever have to be made, but here it is.
> 
> *City launches effort to rezone Governors Island*
> 
> The rezoning aims to spur 4.5 million square feet of mixed-use development on the southern portion of the island. Officials hope it will attract some combination of tech and life-science firms, education institutions, dormitories and a convention center and hotel.
> [...]
> The city took full control of the island in 2010 on the premise that the Trust for Governors Island would fund its own operating and maintenance costs. With that in mind, after completing a 43-acre park in 2016, the city is now turning to a pair of development sites carved out on the southern portion of the island. Revenue from that would be used for the new park's year-to-year costs.
> The parcels are zoned for residential development, which is prohibited on the entire island by covenants with an exception for student housing. To address that contradiction, the rezoning would encourage relatively low-rise commercial properties with large floor plates, similar to the loft-style buildings popular in Midtown South and a few projects rising on the Brooklyn waterfront. Dorm or hotel buildings, on the other hand, would be allowed to rise to a height of around 300 feet.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*40 Tenth Avenue* - 28 August 2018


















































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/8/28/construction-update-40-tenth-avenue

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- Court City Square Tower -- 23-15 44th Drive*

762ft/232m -- Queens's New Tallest




























JC_heights on yimby


----------



## binhai

Wow, they’re gonna build on Governors? Not sure how I feel about that, it’s a world-class urban oasis as-is. I guess I won’t strongly oppose it and will accept the inevitable, but thought it was a public gift in perpetuity.


----------



## binhai

ADAMASTOR01 said:


> NY is a hodgepodge of styles that are not really unified with a strong urbanism;many area are to die for but in its globality NY is not as lovely as Paris,Vienna,Florence or st Petersburg...
> Same thing for Los Angeles;when i say that LA is beautiful i have actually Pasadena in mind,(where i work) or Palos Verdes,(where i live).
> A strong historic center is missing in most of American cities and preservation was not a concern before the tearing down of Pennsylvania Station!
> What makes many European cities so unique is the overall unity of style in the historic center(Baixa Pombalina in AMAZING Lisboa is a good exemple!)
> Washington is gorgeous with all of the cities inspired by the Classical Ideal in Ancient Greece!
> Antebellum architecture is the Architecture of the Gods fallen on Earth and Charleston probably their Mount Olympus!
> Yes....CHARLESTON IS IMO THE IDEAL CITY ON EARTH...("Vedere Charleston e poi morire"...si dice adesso!...arrivederci Napoli!!!  )




Hmm, previously banned user? We’ll fix that shortly.


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## droneriot

They sure love cheap architecture in Downtown Brooklyn...



Hudson11 said:


> *See Renderings of 40-Floor Mixed-Use Tower Planned for Downtown Brooklyn*
> 
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## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - Pier 55*



































































































https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/08/th...o-rise-above-the-hudson-river-in-chelsea.html


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## GandyNewWorld

Very cool, just seeing this.


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## Luca9A8M

*Queens Plaza Park* - 29 August 2018









by Tectonic









by Tectonic

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*One Willoughby Square* - 1 September 2018









by Tectonic









by Tectonic

The project:


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## Hudson11

I've been doing a little research on the side to reactivate this thread in the NYC section. Feel free to stop on by. I've also added a link to it in my signature. 

*Historic pre WW2 Building styles planned*


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## Luca9A8M

*50 West 66th Street* - 26 August 2018


50 West 66th St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


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## AnOldBlackMarble

streetscapeer said:


>


I kind of like this tower. it's ugly, but in an interesting sort of way. It's unique. There's something really medieval about it.


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## tenderforever

You nuts? That's one of the most beautiful towers going up in the country right now. A wonderful change of pace from the garbage set back glass tower podium point towers going up right now in Manhattan.


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## droneriot

They take "street art" literally in Chinatown:









_source: dpa (via n-tv.de)_


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## Luca9A8M

*10 Montieth Street* - 4 September 2018






















































































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/9/4/tour-the-rheingold-10-montieth


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## Luca9A8M

^^
Part II






















































































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/9/4/tour-the-rheingold-10-montieth


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## Luca9A8M

*25 Park Row* - 6 September 2018























































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/9/6/construction-update-25-park-row

The project:


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## Architecture lover

Ugh, this terracotta thing is getting quite dull. More glass please! And more eccentric please, it's New York we are talking about, a cultural hub of the West. It deserves everything fresh, cutting edge, setting new standards, all new.


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## wakka12

Luca9A8M said:


> *25 Park Row* - 6 September 2018
> 
> 
> 
> The project:
> 
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This shot of new york is just stunning! Hard to believe such an amazing place exists


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## streetscapeer

*Penn Station Revamp - Moynihan Train Hall*
























































































https://www.6sqft.com/photos-get-an-up-close-look-at-moynihan-train-halls-massive-new-skylights/

*PHOTOS: Get an up-close look at Moynihan Train Hall’s massive new skylights*


SEPTEMBER 6, 2018 
BY DANA SCHULZ


























































































governorandrewcuomo


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## DiogoBaptista

*Construction Update: 503 W 24 - The Getty and Lehmann Maupin Gallery*
*SEPTEMBER 10, 2018* | FIELD CONDITION

*Architect:* Peter Marino Architects; *Developers:* Victor Group and Michael Shvo; *Program:* Residential Condo, Gallery; *Location:* Chelsea, New York, NY; *Completion:* 2018.


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## royal rose1

Architecture lover said:


> Ugh, this terracotta thing is getting quite dull. More glass please! And more eccentric please, it's New York we are talking about, a cultural hub of the West. It deserves everything fresh, cutting edge, setting new standards, all new.


 I hate this comment so much, and it's so deeply ironic. Terra cotta is the most gorgeous, classic new york material, and no other city does it. 

Glass isn't eccentric, it's dull, characterless, and homogenizes cities to a degree that makes them indisceranable from one another. I hope you were being ironic, because I've never hated a comment I read on this site more. Masonry and non-glass exteriors provide far more beauty and excitement, and are millions of times more eccentric than boring glass.


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## Architecture lover

What's actually boring is living in the past. 

I've had more than enough from it, I understand why Germans up vote your post, because really they never know anything different than living in the past. However, one thing I'll never understand is - Americans becoming like Europeans. And I hope it's only an illusion I'm having about your society that seems to be obsessing with the past as of recent years. The type of Americans I adore are the people that usher bravely into Industrialism, forward thinking into the future, bringing constructional progress and innovating skyscrapers, if it wasn't for the US, this site called skyscrapercity wouldn't have exited at first place.

So to most of my beloved Americans, please never change, you know a lot better than living in the past, leave that to the dummies in here, constructing buildings out of Gypsum Cardboard in Dresden, looking classical from the front side, having plain backyards, I once saw and aerial photo of Dresden, what a dreadful mess, it looked like theme park with only the front facades classical, like a movie set, urbanism at its absolute worst. 

I believe your society can still heal from the disease of glorifying the past, I mean you have tons of things to glorify from the past honestly, so I partly understand, but never for the sake of stopping emerging styles. I hope new industrial changes, such like electric car revolutions, will fuel innovation in your society encouraging architects to seek new, fresh styles to stand as a proof for the new generations - like they always did. Currently, I am working on a project about the NYSE, and from learning about the history of the building and seeing photos of brokers, accouters and other financial workers pictured on Wall Street in 1903, in front of the main building, it surely evokes a feeling of greatness. It was all fueled by an American society that thenagain was so different from the European. I admire all of that, but there are people now, that are having new ideas and dreams, just like the people from that period had, but these new people, they live now to fulfill their dreams and ideas in actuality. 

I don't hate your post. Hate is such a strong word, so careful with it. It's just that, the last thing I want to be remembered for is only glorifying the past. Sounds like a disgusting Lana Del Rey scenario that can quickly turn into nationalism. Trust me, I've seen it with real life events, and it's the last thing you need. So again, I don't hate your post, nor am I hoping your being ironic, I just accept the fact that we are different.


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## SEVERED!

....Rebel without a cause.....


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## hateman

Modernism created urbanism at its worst, look at Jeanneret's radiant city and all of its failed offspring. Small scale, granular urbanism, the kind made famous by Jacobs in NYC, and the kind Dresden attempts to create, is what people want. Devotion to the past is the problem with Modernism and its devotion to failed 20th century ideas. The only people still pushing those ideas are people still catching up or those on their way out. NYC is still at the vanguard of what the future looks like, and other countries that are vigorously moving toward the future take notice.

Edit: One major caveat: NYC and America have fallen behind in terms of public infrastructure. In this extremely important way America has ceded the future to other countries. The future does not belong to gas dependent trucks carrying single passengers on hugely expensive roadway infrastructure connecting isolated homes in isolated communities. This only exists because of artificial political and economic forces.


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## Architecture lover

SEVERED! said:


> ....Rebel without a cause.....


Londinium you do know me too well (ehh sort of), but I'd say I'm a rebel with a cause - super sleek, megatalls for New York, brave and fresh. 
As for those attempting the "sinful Modernism, but gorgeous calcium sulfate cardboard buildings in Dresden" - discussion, count me out initially, we had that so many times thru out the years over here, it always ended the same, those who like historic continue doing so, and you have your Stern buildings all over the forums to satisfy you appetites, I'm fine with it. My appetites aren't satisfied yet, they will be, once we see a megatall. New York was born for a sleek Megatall, its whole existence was focused on reaching new heights and more importantly developing new styles.


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## wakka12

I think these discussions often use extreme examples, whats occurring in dresden is a unique situation and imo not any sign of any more significant trend, its a once off situation, and old style skyscrapers in new york are rather rare as well, most architecture firms in USA, Germany and pretty much the whole world are focused on developing and progressing architectural culture, even if they don't succeed at that, its still what most firms no matter how big or small aim to


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## Architecture lover

How do you mean extreme? By the extend of not comparable or? To me both Dresden's and Stern's buildings are quite comparable, from so many aspects, you can just start with the materials and the rest just follows, but I don't mind them really, for as long as I could see what I want to see. 
You might not see the trend, but my futuristic longing eye definitely sees it, especially when it cannot spot a megatall in a world class city like New York already. Sigh, the H Yards area was perfect for it, they even gave them the height rights which appear to be so difficult to get.


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## droneriot

Some people seem to forget, but:

1. Megatall buildings are a new thing and only three currently exist on the entire planet.
2. Many supertalls in NYC are a new thing, and a decade ago you could count them on one hand. In fact many supertalls in a city are generally a new thing, a decade ago Shenzhen had 2-3 and Dubai not too many more.

Just to clarify for the many people on this forum who seem to believe NYC is somehow lagging far behind.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*108 Chambers Street* - 15 September 2018









by rbrome on yimbyforums

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*70 Vestry Street* - 15 September 2018









by rbrome on yimbyforums









by rbrome on yimbyforums

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*1 Great Jones Alley* - 17 September 2018























































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/9/17/1-great-jones-alley-bksk-architects

The project:


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## germantower

70 Vestry turned out perfect. Its a timeless masterpiece.


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## gravesVpelli

^^Totally agree. It is refreshing to see a smaller building that harks back to classical attire with rustication, pilasters, limestone edging and 'antique' steel window frames, not to mention the perfect proportions of restrained bulk and setbacks. It stands out since very few new builds take on this past style without resorting to pastiche - and Stern can come off with modern stuff as seen in Philadelphia - altogether a modern masterpiece amidst so many glass shafts.


----------



## germantower

^^ I used to dislike Stern and consider him a wannabe neo art deco architect. But as 220 CPS and this finish i really start to feel his genius, also 520 Park Avenue is one great example of how to design right. Especially the interiors.


----------



## Weissenberg

70 Vestry looks gorgeous, but I didn't expect anything less from Stern. Also, 1 Great Jones Alley looks like prime 1960-1970s modernism, a style that's very underpresented in New York. I quite like it.


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## droneriot

germantower said:


> 70 Vestry turned out perfect. Its a timeless masterpiece.


I think there are 400 buildings like that in every city on Earth, it's one of the most copy-and-paste designs I've ever seen.


----------



## Hudson11

*Downtown Brooklyn | 80 Flatbush Avenue | New and Improved?*

the height and FAR reduction seems incredibly superficial to me... appeasement to a T. so much for this being a "transition block"

*Brooklyn’s 80 Flatbush gets crucial City Council committee approval*



> The developers agreed to reduce the floor area ratio (FAR) from 18—which would have made it one of the city’s most dense projects—to 15.75; they also agreed to shave some height from the two skyscrapers that will dominate the development. A proposed 986-foot supertall will now stand 840 feet, and the second tower will shrink from 560 to 510 feet.


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## Architecture lover

droneriot said:


> I think there are 400 buildings like that in every city on Earth,


Yes, especially in Moscow.


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## RegentHouse

80 Flatbush Avenue looks amazing, but the low-rise portion is hideous like 300 Ashland across the street. Apparently it's space for a suspicious school which receives taxpayer funding!


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## PsyLock

RegentHouse said:


> 80 Flatbush Avenue looks amazing, but the low-rise portion is hideous like 300 Ashland across the street. Apparently it's space for a suspicious school which receives taxpayer funding!


I don't understand the podium... or most of the buildings in DoBro.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - High Line Nine - 507 West 27th St*

*The “High Line Nine” Art Gallery Space Opens To The Public*


----------



## Josedc

:applause:


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## Luca9A8M

*Greenpoint Landing* - 16 Settembre 2018


















































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/9/21/construction-update-greenpoint-landing-handel-architects


----------



## Luca9A8M

Part II









































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/9/21/construction-update-greenpoint-landing-handel-architects

The project:


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## RegentHouse

I absolutely love the Greenpoint towers. The architecture has the right balance of modern and classical. :cheers:


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## Hudson11

I hope they build the pedestrian bridge to Queens from the early renderings.


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## Hudson11

*Downtown Brooklyn | 11 Hoyt Street | 188m | 620ft | 52 fl | U/C*

finally some more renderings as sales launch for this tower. The height is kind of up in the air, it was originally 664ft, making it a skyscraper, but the architect's website has it listed as 620ft and the latest DOB permits put the highest occupied level at 591ft. Interior renderings at the link. 

*Studio Gang’s Downtown Brooklyn condo near Macy’s launches sales*


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## Luca9A8M

*45 Broad Street* - 16 September 2018


45 Broad St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


45 Broad St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


45 Broad St by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*77 Greenwich Street* - 16 September 2018


42 Trinity Place by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*Gotham East 126th Residential* - 22 September 2018














































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/9/24/construction-update-gotham-east-126th-residential

The project:


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## wakka12

How come they didn't demolish or at least reclad the lower floors podium bit?


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## RegentHouse

DOBRINKA said:


> ..FXFOWLE always gift us with clean designs and high end materials!


The tower is magnificent, but the low-rise school facade is too chaotic for my liking, and could use some work. Case in point in relation to the adjacent landmarked Dickey House:








https://ds3.cityrealty.com/img/9ef19fbc7144b8846132e18f28eeb2c174a4e087+736++0+60


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## Luca9A8M

*The JACX* - 15 September 2018









































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/9/25/construction-update-the-jacx










The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*511-525 West 18th Street* - 21 September 2018









by JB_Slope on yimbyforums

The project:


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## Hudson11

*Brooklyn | Pacific Park Update*

*Pacific Park’s next phase of development makes progress*



> Developer Greenland Forest City Partners announced a partnership with TF Cornerstone and the Brodsky Organization, to develop some of the sites at the megaproject.
> 
> As part of the agreement, Greenland Forest City Partners will sell 615 (parcel B12) and 595 (parcel B13) Dean Streets to TF Cornerstone; and 664 Pacific Street (parcel B15) to Brodsky. The sales are expected to close by the end of this year. Together, the three sites will see the creation of three rental buildings, one new school, and public open space.
> 
> Greenland Forest City Partners also announced that it’s now ready to move forward with work at the B4 site, next to the Barclays Center.


*18 Sixth Avenue - B4 | 511ft*










*664 Pacific Street - B15 - 272ft*


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## Architecture lover

Someone has to say it - The JACX is fuсking fabulous.


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## Hudson11

*Long Island City | Hunters Point South Phase 2 Update*

probable heights for the final towers have been submitted to the FAA. Gotham Development + Riseboro are developing. Handel was the architect of record. 

Parcel F: 559 ft https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/searchAction.jsp?action=displayOECase&oeCaseID=382452332&row=99

Parcel G: 336 ft https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/searchAction.jsp?action=displayOECase&oeCaseID=382452335&row=2










TF Cornerstone is developing the other, larger half of the project, and has already filed plans with the DOB. SLCE was the AoR. 

52-03 Center Boulevard: 587 ft
52-41 Center Boulevard: 475 ft.


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## droneriot

For those who don't know, it's right next to the project in post #9882 on top of this page. It'll make an impressive new skyline.


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## droneriot

Holy hugeness!



Hudson11 said:


> *AvalonBay's East Harlem Project to Bring Affordable Housing to New Heights*
> 
> As currently proposed, the project will accommodate a 130,000-square-foot school building for the School of Cooperative Technical Education (“Co-op Tech”) and will relocate the school from its block. The current Co-op Tech school building will be replaced by a 9-story school building for the Heritage High School and Park East High School, which will be relocated from elsewhere in East Harlem. Lastly, an approximate one-million-square-foot residential tower will rise at the corner of Second and East 96th Street and is expected to house between 1,100 and 1,200 units, rising to 760-feet tall.


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## Luca9A8M

*130 William Street* - 16 September 2018


130 William Street by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


130 William Street by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*68 Trinity Place* - 16 September 2018


68 Trinity Place by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr


68 Trinity Place by NyConstructionPhoto, su Flickr

The project:


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## sebass123

Hi how are you all? i have a question, what do you think about De Blasio's administration? cause i don't see any big projects he's doing or had done. On the contrary i see that the governor Cuomo is doing pretty well about infrastructure and big projects for all of new york state and NYC. I would like to see your opinions. thanks


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## Luca9A8M

*11 Hoyt Street* - 27 September 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


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## erbse

Architecture lover said:


> What's actually boring is living in the past.
> 
> I've had more than enough from it, I understand why Germans up vote your post, because really they never know anything different than living in the past. However, one thing I'll never understand is - Americans becoming like Europeans.





> *And I hope it's only an illusion I'm having*


You said it all with one sentence here (bold). :|

And indeed mostly many modernist architects live in a dead-end past of failed utopias. While New Urbanists actually attempt to take things from the past that worked much better and combine them with new ideas. Which works best in every field, be it business, tech or architecture.



Architecture lover said:


> New York was born for a sleek Megatall, its whole existence was focused on reaching new heights and more importantly developing new styles.


Which is totally fine. NYC, go for it! And still, there's some universal truth in architecture beauty that you'll find in any era and it has to do with human nature. Look at Burj Khalifa, it still has many classical features like the setbacks.


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## Architecture lover

We've had this conversation, people got tired from it, we're not even entertaining anymore.


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## erbse

And yet you keep drooling Pavlov'esque to it aren't you 

It's fun from time to time and I enjoy it more than the usual one-liners celebrating every POS.


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## Architecture lover

I enjoy it sometimes, but I bet the rest of our readers are hoping for a ban. :cheer:
Anyways, on a serious note, I also prefer elaborate longer posts and images, and I love Classical, well, start from every style we've ever had: Classical in antiquity and then as times moved forward, Christian: Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, Perpendicular, the Medieval Age was followed by Enlightenment and the Renaissance: imagine the massive diversity of revivals it gave us. All the way to industrial 20th century with Art Nouveau and the so famed Art Deco, ushering into Streamline Moderne as the final step to clean lines - modern of the middle decade. And the story goes on after the Mid Century, with Postmodernism and its tempting 80's branch of glossy Futurism that tickled the architectural imagination, inspiring the (what I call) Calatravian 90's Neo Futurism, because he was a pioneer with his Lisbon train station project. I classify all that as part of the postmodern movement since the form isn't following function anymore, because it now so obviously follows fiction. The story goes on! And I am still an architecture lover.
Keen on Revivals only if I they're genuine. 


I feel like we've never had a grown up discussion before, that's a pity.


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## erbse

We never had a discussion to agree much on, that's the point rather. 
Anyway, I think in the end we are closer than we might think we are, same with many other people you seemingly argue with.

For me it's just repetetive in a sense that I'm on this forum since 2006 and have seen so many arguments. You can't change much about people's opinions, and what I'm interested in is just one thing: showing and discussing how it can be done differently than the majority of today's bored CAD engineers do (they barely are architects/artists/building masters).

A user like Suburbanist is a whole different story, as that person obviously lives in some imaginative dystopia no one in hell ever wants to join. :devil:


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## TNAT

I like the cover up of domino park.


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## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 1865 Broadway*



Luca9A8M said:


> *1865 Broadway* - 10 October 2018
> 
> The project:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Source: New York Yimby, https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/10/1865-broadways-brutalist-inspired-facade-reaches-its-rooftop-on-the-upper-west-side-of-manhattan.html




Another view of this one:









@davehill00


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## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 74 Trinity Place*











































































https://www.instagram.com/p/Bomca9RDwKs/


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## germantower

^^ This one is a mind**** situation, cause on the one hand, the former building was a very nice old building, on the other hand, this new tower is a handsome modernist tower. I cant make my mind up yet.


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## Luca9A8M

*130 William Street* - 11 October 2018














































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/10/11/construction-update-130-william

The project:


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## ThatOneGuy

That facade is turning out really nice.


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## Luca9A8M

*40 Bleecker Street* - 11 October 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*123 Linden Boulevard* - 11 October 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*76 Trinity Place* - 12 October 2018
































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/10/12/construction-update-76-trinity-place

The project:


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## ushahid

guys im posting here for the first time. ive been following this thread for quite sometime. beautiful projects coming out of NYC like always. just a little request if u guys don't mind, can u guys please post height and floors with the projects updates like we do it in Toronto thread. many don't know much about these project so it will be great to post some info. thanks!

https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=371494&page=119
https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=371494&page=118


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## Luca9A8M

*25 Park Row* - 13 October 2018









by the726 on yimbyforums









by the726 on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*76 Eleventh Avenue (The XI)* - 15 October 2018









































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/10/15/construction-update-the-xi-bjarke-ingels-group


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## Luca9A8M

^^
Part II


















































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/10/15/construction-update-the-xi-bjarke-ingels-group

The project:


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## Luca9A8M

*50 Bridge Park Drive* - 17 October 2018













































































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/10/17/construction-tour-quay-tower-oda

The project:


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## AnOldBlackMarble

ushahid said:


> guys im posting here for the first time. ive been following this thread for quite sometime. beautiful projects coming out of NYC like always. just a little request if u guys don't mind, can u guys please post height and floors with the projects updates like we do it in Toronto thread. many don't know much about these project so it will be great to post some info. thanks!
> 
> https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=371494&page=119
> https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=371494&page=118


Or a link to the project thread. In fact I think that should be mandatory. :cheers:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Liberty Island - New Statue of Liberty Museum*



































































*Delivery: 2019*






























































































































https://www.6sqft.com/photos-see-how-the-statue-of-libertys-new-museum-is-shaping-up/


----------



## ThatOneGuy

^^ Nice use of copper and red granite, just like the statue.


----------



## Hudson11

*Long Island City Updates*

easy to lose track of smaller projects like these amidst the boom. 

*24-16 Queens Plaza South | ~300ft | 22 floors | T/O*










http://liccourtsquare.com/2018/10/19/partial-reveal-24-16-queens-plaza-south/










*41-20 28th Street | 192ft | 18 floors | T/O*











r_180906252_beat0074_a by Mitch Waxman, on Flickr


*43-12 Hunter Street - The Triangle | 228ft | 18 floors | U/C*










http://liccourtsquare.com/2018/10/18/construction-rises-half-way-at-43-12-hunter-street/










*One Queens Plaza | 212ft | 20 floors | T/O*










https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...-tops-out-construction-long-island-city/16207


----------



## Luca9A8M

*280 Cadman Plaza West* - 19 October 2018









by Tectonic on yimbyforums









by Tectonic on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*Pier 35* - 19 October 2018
































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/10/19/construction-update-pier-35

The project:


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## hateman

Such a contrast between Adjmi and ODA. ODA tries too hard. Adjmi nails the Brooklyn aesthetic.


----------



## Luca9A8M

*15 East 30th Street* - 4 December 2018























































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/12/4/construction-update-15-e-30

The project:


----------



## Hudson11

*Midtown East / UN | Turkish Consulate | 171m | 561ft | 35 fl | U/C*


PB4_2486 by Rockjedi, on Flickr

renderings:


----------



## Hudson11

*Harlem Development Rundown - more at the link*

*14 New Harlem Developments on the Horizon*

*Victoria Theater Redevelopment | 104m/340ft | 28 floors | 191 units *



















*The Frederick | 15 floors | 75 affordable units*



















*11 Hancock | 11 floors | 69 condos*



















*99 Morningside | 11 floors | 22 units*



















*315 W 121st Street | 8 floors | 6 units*










*4 West 128th Street | 6 floors | 20 units*










*181 W 126th Street | 9 floors | 22 units*


----------



## germantower

^^ Who would have thought a decade ago thag such a volume of development will hit Harlem and also what is going on in the south Bronx. NYC is on its way to have many many many skylines and finally unleash its full potential!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 425 Park Ave*

*860ft/262m*

































































oppix56 on yimby
































https://www.dezeen.com/2018/12/05/425-park-avenue-skyscraper-tops-out-new-york-foster-partners/


----------



## Hudson11

haven't seen those first two renderings before. Looks great.


----------



## JohnFlint1985

I like an idea of an open space on the level of the old roof. Pretty cool!


----------



## JohnFlint1985

streetscapeer said:


> Their sales gallery model shows it, so I assume it will be there:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...andmark-tribeca-clock-tower-108-leonard/16162


Point is that old style is more popular than glass boxes of today!


----------



## melads

There will definitely be a revival of old style or at least new style that will borrow a lot from it.


----------



## wakka12

melads said:


> There will definitely be a revival of old style or at least new style that will borrow a lot from it.


Hm I doubt it personally. Architecture in general all over the world doesnt seem to be drifting that way at all. itd be nice to have some more diversity of styles though, or even buildings that just reacted to their own cultural and climactic context more

I think a nice change that wil come to architecture within the near future is the replacement of concrete with timber construction, even for large scale commercial projects due to the unsustinability of concrete

Some of the examples Ive seen look much better than most typical concrete and steel buildings


















I havnt really heard of any fully realised proposals of large scale timber buildings though so maybe its just a bit of a fantasy at the moment


----------



## Luca9A8M

*180 Broome Street* - 7 December 2018



















Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/12/7/construction-update-essex-crossing-site-4

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - Pier 55*





























































*Manufacture in Upstate New York*





































@mathewsnielsen











https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/07/nyregion/pier-55-park-hudson-river.html











@simon.yl.ng










@michael_raf_










@michael_raf_









@michael_raf_


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 111 West 57th St*



























































https://www.instagram.com/p/BrGbHFJAtmM/











https://www.instagram.com/p/BrJZrHWnRt_/



















@mchlanglo793












Two Seasons in Central Park (Gapstow Bridge) 3 by Noel Y. Calingasan (nyclovesnyc), on Flickr









https://www.instagram.com/p/BqD9VkNlzQF/










Credit: FC


https://www.instagram.com/p/BrGi3ZhAjLk/




























Manhattan Man said:


> 111 West 57th Street Progress 12/4/18 by Xzeyvion Aryee, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - One Clinton - 280 Cadman Plaza*




















































































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...lest-condo-nears-pinnacle-readies-sales/15386


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 250 West 81st St*

*209ft/18floors*



























NYTimes











colrain on yimby











chused on yimby










Tectonic


----------



## Luca9A8M

*515 West 18th Street* - 11 December 2018









































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2018/12/11/construction-update-515-w-18-heatherwick-studio

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 11 Hoyt Street*

*620ft (189m) / 52 floors*






















































bkhights on yimby


https://www.instagram.com/p/BrBqvTCnd-v/



















@tectonicphoto


----------



## Chad

11 Hoyt is just looking way too similar to Gehry's Tower.


----------



## germantower

^^ It definitly has a lot of simmilarities but 11 Hoyt doesnt even come close to the detail richness and sophistication of NY by Gehry.


----------



## MikeVegas

Hudson11 said:


> thread: https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=2143340
> 
> 
> *Seminary plans 42-story tower in Morningside Heights*



Amazing how similar this is to a building that will be going up in Minneapolis, called Eleven, by the same architect. https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=2068905


----------



## Hudson11

Mplsuptown said:


> Amazing how similar this is to a building that will be going up in Minneapolis, called Eleven, by the same architect. https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=2068905


Stern's designs are becoming a dime a dozen. Ironically, they are some of the most expensive addresses in the world. This tower breaks the mold by having more of a Gothic chic than an arc deco chic. The arched windows emulate the seminary and church. If only the tower terminated with some spires, that would complete the look.


----------



## droneriot

Yeah first thing I thought when I saw your post was that it's a shame Stern seems to have some issue with ornamentation. Could have made something that really blends in perfectly.


----------



## Tower Dude

Hudson11 said:


> Stern's designs are becoming a dime a dozen. Ironically, they are some of the most expensive addresses in the world. This tower breaks the mold by having more of a Gothic chic than an arc deco chic. The arched windows emulate the seminary and church. If only the tower terminated with some spires, that would complete the look.




I’m reading this while sitting in Riverside Church across the street and I I agree with you that it is a bit more gothic and I thing that’s so that it will not be so jarring compared to the riverside bell tower.


----------



## hateman

They should at the very least put four spires at the corners of the crown.


----------



## Tower Dude

hateman said:


> They should at the very least put four spires at the corners of the crown.




Spires on top would be god but I think that it would be better if there were buttresses on the top ledge that transition from the facade to the spires


----------



## tetzlaffalex

Mplsuptown said:


> Amazing how similar this is to a building that will be going up in Minneapolis, called Eleven, by the same architect. https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=2068905




Lol  good call


----------



## germantower

I like the flat roof. The corner tower and the church tower both have corner spires/extensions, a third tower with the same feature would be a bit overkill.

And thank god he didnt pull an asymetrical 220CPS here, cause the facade on 220 is a bit challenging to the eye.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 301 East 81th Street*


















Tectonic


----------



## Hudson11

*Upper West Side | 212 West 93rd Street | 14 floors | 20 measley condos (plus synagogue community space) | Prep*

Sad. 

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...ns-construction-after-securing-40m-loan/19004




























the old building:

https://therealdeal.com/2017/07/06/...with-redevelopment-of-historic-uws-synagogue/



> Some community members had called on the Landmarks Preservation Commission to consider landmarking the synagogue’s building, but *the agency determined in October that the structure didn’t “rise to the level of an individual landmark,”* according to A Letter Filed With The Court.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 1135 Lexington Ave*

*1135 Lexington: New Limestone Condos May Be In Store for Upper East Side*




> Renderings posted on the website of *Alexander Gorlin Architects* show a sumptuous, *18-floor development *at the site, complete with an elegantly-designed ground floor and an understated tiered massing. While we are not certain if the images depict the project to come, back in February 2018, The Real Deal reported that major residential developer HFZ Capital Group purchased the two-floor bank building at the site for $22.5 million.


----------



## Hudson11

*NoMad | 30 East 29th Street | 194m/639ft | 46 floors | 123 Units | CetraRuddy Architects | U/C*

WDNF thread: https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=155414948

renderings:





















photo by JC_Heights on the YIMBY forums


----------



## Hudson11

*Upper East Side | 1780 First Avenue - NYCHA John Haynes Holmes Towers Redevlopment | 162m/530ft | 50 floors | 339 units (inc. below market rate) | World's Tallest Passivhaus Design*

*World's Tallest Passive House to Rise on NYCHA Land on the Upper East Side*


----------



## ophizer

Hudson11 said:


> *World's Tallest Passive House to Rise on NYCHA Land on the Upper East Side*


are the NYMBYs not screaming bloody murder for taking away their "park"?
or does the illness only effect rich, politically connected people?


----------



## Hudson11

ophizer said:


> are the NYMBYs not screaming bloody murder for taking away their "park"?
> or does the illness only effect rich, politically connected people?


they're funding another "park". Also, yes. :lol:


----------



## ushahid

*15 Hudson Yards* | Hudson Yards

website: https://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/

Project facts

Address: 15 Hudson Yards

Status: T/O

Architect: Diller Scofidio + Renfro and David Rockwell and Ismael Leyva

Developer: Oxford properties

Residential: 285 residential units

Height: 278m (912ft)

Floors: 72 floors








[/url]IMG_9737 by Brent Buterbaugh, on Flickr[/IMG]


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - Greenwich West - 110 Charlton st*

*Greenwich West Officially Tops Out*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - HAP Eight - 215 West 28th Street*

*Foundation Work Continues For “HAP Eight”*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - Domino Sugar Factory Development - 260 Kent Ave*






























































5Bfilms on yimby


----------



## Luca9A8M

*40 Tenth Avenue* - 7 January 2019




































































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2019/1/7/construction-update-40-tenth-avenue

The project:


----------



## binhai

Hudson11 said:


> I don't see any problems with the HQ2 deal. If it's about the money, big opportunities require big incentives. If it's about the " behind closed doors" negotiations, our elected Mayor and Governor did their jobs and made a deal. They're our representation. If you don't like their decision, fine, vote them out next time.
> 
> *Amazon may pull out of LIC campus amid opposition: report*


Good. Not sure why they should be subsidizing the world's richest man when there's plenty of (largely unsubsidized) growth already in NYC. If they're already crying about protests then who cares, good riddance.


----------



## Hudson11

We'll have to agree to disagree. It's not about Bezos, it's about his company, which promised 25,000 new jobs and a significant return on investment. This could end up being a huge blow to NYC's reputation as a welcoming business capital.


----------



## binhai

Being a welcoming business capital means having a high quality workforce and business-friendly infrastructure, not necessarily the lowest taxes or the most incentives. Otherwise European countries would be struggling and African countries would be thriving. Some of the rhetoric against Amazon may seem extreme, but they really do not need any special deal, and NYC is booming without them regardless. If a few negative reactions to a large aggressively anti-union company scares them off, they were never serious to begin with. Still no office space leased or anything, so until it happens, it's all hype. Crystal City is a way better location anyway as a quiet, sorta self-contained office campus, but very close to DC, and with a lot of vacancy. Long Island City is just not as suitable in its current form without a ton of additional office construction, while most of it has been residential.


----------



## Hudson11

Tishman Speyer's JACX proves office space is very viable in LIC. My biggest concern at the moment is the very public disapproval of public officials towards a particular company that clearly wants to be here. What kind of message does that send? You can't establish a substantial presence because you're too rich and we don't want to offer you a break for your protracted benefits? Because we don't agree with your policies? I feel like this could harm the city in the long term. This deal isn't about the now. It's about NYC's future. Those 3 billion in incentives aren't going to be shilled out just as 25,000-40,000 people aren't going to be hied overnight. It would show that NYC can and will go out of our way to ensure that prospective businesses will be at home here, and as a result, the people will benefit. If the deal falls through, investors will lose confidence and billions in potential tax revenue will be lost. 

That being said, I can see where people have misgivings about the whole HQ2 contest and how Amazon and our public executives handled the initial negotiations. I expect the process moving forward to be very transparent and public input will be considered - if Amazon doesn't decide to call it all off, that is. I've been hoping to see more about the protracted benefits Amazon would bring - schools, affordable housing, and hopefully transit improvements, but discourse has been so anti-Amazon that now we have this article reporting Amazon doesn't want to put up with the hostility.


----------



## Hudson11

*Hudson Yards | 551 West 38th Street | 180m/590ft | 52 floors | 598 units*

This is phase 1. Following this tower will be a 1.2 million SF office building. 

*Rockrose Moves Ahead on Soaring Hudson Yards Tower Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli*


----------



## binhai

Hudson11 said:


> Tishman Speyer's JACX proves office space is very viable in LIC. My biggest concern at the moment is the very public disapproval of public officials towards a particular company that clearly wants to be here. What kind of message does that send? You can't establish a substantial presence because you're too rich and we don't want to offer you a break for your protracted benefits? Because we don't agree with your policies? I feel like this could harm the city in the long term. This deal isn't about the now. It's about NYC's future. Those 3 billion in incentives aren't going to be shilled out just as 25,000-40,000 people aren't going to be hied overnight. It would show that NYC can and will go out of our way to ensure that prospective businesses will be at home here, and as a result, the people will benefit. If the deal falls through, investors will lose confidence and billions in potential tax revenue will be lost.
> 
> That being said, I can see where people have misgivings about the whole HQ2 contest and how Amazon and our public executives handled the initial negotiations. I expect the process moving forward to be very transparent and public input will be considered - if Amazon doesn't decide to call it all off, that is. I've been hoping to see more about the protracted benefits Amazon would bring - schools, affordable housing, and hopefully transit improvements, but discourse has been so anti-Amazon that now we have this article reporting Amazon doesn't want to put up with the hostility.




Yeah I don’t disagree, I just don’t see nyc’s status as a leading world city threatened anytime soon unless they start moving against all the ethnic small and medium businesses and the property developers. Even if this falls through, most of the plots will certainly still get developed, it’s one of the hottest markets anywhere. There isn’t really any comparable city worldwide that can take its spot. At most jersey city or something in a different jurisdiction nearby, but the area as a whole is doing great.


----------



## AnOldBlackMarble

Titan Man said:


> I've seen many examples of a building's facade being restored to its original shape even in the USA, so I fail to understand why it would be such a problem here. I get that the investors want a tower there, but since I'm not one of them, I get to daydream...











source: wiki

Only the base of the original tower was worth saving, everything above was dull. If they were to rebuild the base in original style, and then a slim supernal rising out of the center of the old building, I would go for that. Especially if they were to make the rooftop of the base a garden plaza for the tower above. That's what I would do, but I'm sure that's not what we'll get.


----------



## streetscapeer

> “Those tensions spilled into public view on Friday when The Washington Post published an article that said the company was reconsidering its plans to come to Queens. *But the two people with direct knowledge of the company’s thinking said the article had gone too far and Amazon had no plans to back out*.”


https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/nyregion/amazon-hq.html


----------



## wakka12

Hmm I dont really like that old Hyatt building. I think its very plain by New York standards. I dont see the point in restoring it really, plenty of modern buildings look a lot better than that


----------



## Hudson11

*Hudson Yards | 515 West 36th Street | 127m/418ft | 38 floors | 250 Units*

not outstanding, but not bad either. This is going to be rendered infill in the next decade. 

*Work Wraps Up on 515 West 36th Street in Hudson Yards*



> Retail space will cover nearly 13,5000 square feet spread among the first three floors. There will also be a dormitory on the fourth floor, measuring close to 36,000 square feet. The 250 residential units begin on the eighth floor all the way up to the 38th floor, averaging just under 800 square feet each. There are a mix of studios, one-, and two-bedroom units. A housing lottery launched almost exactly one year ago for 63 units, roughly twenty percent of the total inventory.































r_180909269_beat0075_a by Mitch Waxman, on Flickr


----------



## Middle-Island

At least paint that thing at the top blue... or something. hno:

Ugly turtlenecks went out in like 1974...jeees! :lol:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District -- 70-74 Gansevoort Street*






































@connie_tyx










https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/02/70...s-to-rise-above-the-meatpacking-district.html


----------



## Hudson11

*Financial District | 125 Greenwich Street | 278m/912ft | 72 floors | 273 units*

topped out at 912ft. It is the seventh tallest tower downtown behind 1 WTC [1368/1775'], 3 WTC [1079'], 4 WTC [977'], 70 Pine Street [952'], 40 Wall Street [927'] and 30 Park Place [926']. It is the 20th tallest building in the city. 










photo by *Tectonic*


----------



## Luca9A8M

*45 Park Place* - 3 February 2019









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*11 Hoyt Street* - 10 February 2019









by 5Bfilms on yimbyforums

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*180 Broome Street* - 11 February 2019









































































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2019/2/11/construction-update-essex-crossing-180-broome

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*74 Trinity Place* - 3 February 2019









by tectonic Photo on Flickr









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Luca9A8M

*25 Park Row* - 3 February 2019









by tectonic Photo on Flickr

The project:


----------



## Hudson11

*Supertall News*

*80 South Street* - back on the market. Oceanwide is quietly taking offers for the assemblage as it recapitalizes. 

*China Oceanwide Holdings Quietly Marketing 80 South Street for $300M*



> Cushman & Wakefield's Adam Spies has been tapped to market the site. He didn’t respond to requests for comment.
> 
> Sources said that only five firms have been approached to bid on the property. Those five firms couldn’t be confirmed by press time.


*Two World Trade Center* - Silverstein is considering building on speculation, resuming work without a tenant signed on. 

*2 World Trade Center may rise without an anchor tenant*



> Bloomberg reports that Larry Silverstein, the head of Silverstein Properties (which owns many of the WTC sites), is looking into building the skyscraper without an anchor tenant in place.
> 
> “I think we’re in an increasingly good spot, in a good position, to do that,” Silverstein told Bloomberg, noting that if the firm began construction in the near future, the building wouldn’t be finished for another three or four years—theoretically enough time to find a client to lease a large amount of space.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Flatiron District - One Madison Avenue*

https://therealdeal.com/the-power-o...history-with-modernity-at-one-madison-avenue/


> ...SL Green is redeveloping One Madison Avenue, a marquee building that will set the standard for new office construction in the sub-district. They’ve tapped *Kohn Pedersen Fox* to lead the building’s design and brought on Hines and Gensler, reuniting the team responsible for constructing One Vanderbilt.
> 
> *One Madison will create 18 additional column-free floors above the existing building* – expanding the rentable space to nearly 1.5 million square feet. The renovation will also include terraces on the 10th and 11th floors, featuring exceptional views of Madison Square Park and the surrounding area, in addition to private tenant terraces at the top of the tower. The building’s lobby and ground-floor retail space will undergo a full upgrade, too.


https://slgreen.com/properties/1-madison-avenue


----------



## germantower

^^ Thats such an unique building, I like it.


----------



## DiogoBaptista

What I understand is that the final clading has not yet been placed.



Hudson11 said:


> that looks pretty bad... the renderings suggested a more textured paneling. This looks as cheap as can be.





>


----------



## Hudson11

*Long Island City - Hunters Point South Phase 2 | Parcels F+G | 187m/612ft | 57 fl | 110m/360ft | 33 fl | 1144 Units | Handel Architects | Prep*

This will be the tallest building on the Brooklyn/Queens East River waterfront. Higher than the eventual tallest at the Domino Sugar Redevelopment in Williamsburg. 

*Two Major New Residential Skyscrapers Filed at 57-28 2nd Street & 1-15 57th Avenue, in Long Island City’s Hunters Point South*



> 57-28 2nd Street will yield about 335,000 square feet of space with 452 units spread over 33 stories, rising 360 feet tall. About 6,000 square feet will go towards communal facilities. The mixed-use building will be made out of a reinforced concrete structure and rise up from the 28,700-square foot lot.
> 
> 1-15 57th Avenue will come with nearly 700,000 square feet of newly built space, climbing 57 stories, and reaching 612 feet into the sky. Within, there will be 692 dwellings. The mixed-use skyscraper will have about 643,400 square feet dedicated towards residential units, nearly 9,000 square feet of commercial space, and around 19,400 square feet for communal facilities. This would be the tallest skyscraper on the Queens waterfront.


*New Renderings of Hunter's Point South Towers by Handel Architects*


----------



## Demos-cratos

*The New York City Evolution Animation*

*The New York City Evolution Animation*


----------



## Luca9A8M

*1802 Third Avenue, Inspir Carnegie Hill* - 11 March 2019














































Source: Field Condition, http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2019/3/10/construction-update-inspir-carnegie-hill

The project:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 76 Eighth Ave*

*Meatpacking District office project lands $40M construction loan*



> A boutique office building coming to the Meatpacking District has landed a roughly $40 million construction loan from G4 Capital Partners.
> The loan is for Noviprop and Plus Development’s *10-story, 34,364-square-foot project at 76 Eighth Avenue*, and HFF arranged the financing, according to the brokerage...
> 
> ...The *Gene Kaufman-designed building*, which between Greenwich Avenue and West 14th Street, *should be competed in the summer of 2020*. It will include ground-floor retail, nine floors of office space and a roof deck for tenants. The developers hope to receive leasing interest from tech and finance companies.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

DiogoBaptista said:


> What I understand is that the final clading has not yet been placed.


Yeah that looks like some kind of insulation layer


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 108 Chambers St*








































rbrome on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - 208 Delancey St*



> 11-story,
> 69-unit residential




















@ODAnewyork


----------



## streetscapeer

*Park Slope, Brooklyn - Parlour - 243 Fourth Ave*

*New Renderings Revealed For 243 Fourth Avenue As Sales Launch*



> Sales have officially launched for Parlour, a new residential building in Park Slope, Brooklyn, *designed in collaboration by INC Architecture & Design with Fischer+Makooi*. Located at 243 Fourth Avenue, the *12-story structure will contain 19 residences*, including 16 half-floor units and three full-floor penthouses.* Brodmore Management is the developer* and the Aguayo Team at Halstead Property Development Marketing is handling condominium sales.


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*76 Eleventh Avenue, The XI*

The final cladding ! :banana:


__
http://instagr.am/p/p%2FBvJ736LA2sO/

The project:












Hudson11 said:


> that looks pretty bad... the renderings suggested a more textured paneling. This looks as cheap as can be.


----------



## RegentHouse

Limestone cladding or not, I can't say I'm entirely impressed.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 570 Fulton Street*

*Mixed-Use Skyscraper Receives City Approval To Begin Construction In Downtown Brooklyn*


> City officials have approved plans submitted by *Slate Property Group* to construct a new mixed-use skyscraper in Downtown Brooklyn. Located at 570 Fulton Street, the structure is *designed by Hill West Architects and will contain a combination of market-rate apartments, affordable housing, and office space.*
> 
> According to proposals revealed in September 2018, the *550-foot-tall tower will contain 139 units, 30 percent of which will be dedicated to affordable housing*. At the office levels, floor plans are designed smaller than typical office buildings in Downtown Brooklyn to specifically accommodate small business owners.


----------



## germantower

RegentHouse said:


> Limestone cladding or not, I can't say I'm entirely impressed.


You say that only after a few cladding parts were added?


----------



## droneriot

streetscapeer said:


> *Meatpacking District office project lands $40M construction loan*


THAT'S GENE KAUFMAN?? Where are the massive blank walls and the red and yellow painted concrete walls and tiny windows????


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 11 Hoyt Street*

*620ft (189m) / 52 floors*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - One Wall Street*

*Art Deco landmark One Wall Street prepares for its condo transformation*
After several years of demolition, the building is ready for its next phase



> In the Financial District, the conversion of One Wall Street—*a landmark structure (well, part of it, but we’ll get to that) designed by prolific Art Deco architect Ralph Walker—has been underway for several years*.
> 
> Prolific *developer Harry Macklowe *purchased the building, which had previously served as the headquarters for the Irving Trust Company and the Bank of New York, in 2014, with the goal of turning it into apartments. Since then, the firm has been working on getting the necessary approvals (Landmarks gave it the green light in 2016), and gutting the entire thing to prep for its condo-filled future.
> 
> On a recent tour of the building—which is *now moving into its next phase of construction, namely the actual build-out of apartments and amenities*—representatives from Macklowe Properties praised the structure, and the opportunity to shape its future...
> 
> ...*A new entrance on Broadway *will have an undulating canopy, inspired by the curves of the limestone facade, that’s based on an unrealized design by Walker. Items salvaged from the demolition of the bank infrastructure, including vault and elevator doors, will be found in the finished building once *it opens in 2020....
> 
> ...The original 654-foot Art Deco tower, which opened in 1932, and an annex on the south side of the property that was added in 1965*...
> 
> 
> ...Once all is said and done,* the building will have more than 560 condos*, ranging in size from studios to four-bedrooms. Sales are expected to get underway later this year, although Macklowe is keeping an eye on the wider real estate market before putting apartments on the market...


----------



## RegentHouse

streetscapeer said:


> *Mixed-Use Skyscraper Receives City Approval To Begin Construction In Downtown Brooklyn*


Unfortunately it appears the further up, the cheaper this tower's architecture looks, especially those horrible checkerboard gold panels on the tower's "spine." It's like the upper floors would be the affordable housing instead.



germantower said:


> You say that only after a few cladding parts were added?


No, the architectural premise of two leaning boxes is just ridiculous. I suppose it's better than the American Copper Buildings with their ugly Swiss cheese side cladding.


----------



## binhai

I’m gonna have to disagree. American Copper looks incredible and the XI is definitely visually interesting but maybe a little overrated. I liked Via 57 West more. Anyway NYC has been getting an awesome volume of architectural gems lately, almost all new buildings are very urban and a good amount are interesting and/or beautiful. With the awe-inspiring older architecture still there too, it’s really unmatched worldwide.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City, New Jersey - 99 Hudson St*

*899ft (274m)*



































































@theltonian


Jersey City by Aviller71, on Flickr










@chihoboken


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- 23-20 Jackson Avenue*

*Permits Filed For Mixed-Use Commercial Building At 23-20 Jackson Avenue In Long Island City, Queens*




















JC_heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Boerum Hill, Brooklyn - 561 Pacific Street*



> The Church of the Redeemer, which was built in 1866 in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill, mirrored the Gothic style of medieval churches in Europe. The condominium building rising in its place, however, looks toward Japan for inspiration.
> 
> *Ryoko Okada, a principal and director of interior architecture and design at ODA* New York, said she tapped into the Japanese aesthetics of “wabi-sabi,” or the art of finding beauty in imperfection, when designing 561 Pacific.
> 
> “It’s about finding natural materials that have an unconscious aesthetic,” she said of the many warm brown and gray materials she chose. The wood, stone, concrete and steel used in the interior all have knots and grains with very subtle imperfections, some of which will also change over time, she said. “It’s about celebrating what’s naturally incomplete.”
> 
> Ms. Okada, a native of Japan, said the wooden slats found in the entryway of the *63-unit building* resembles “koshi,” or wooden lattice entryways and window coverings found in traditional wooden townhouses in Japan called “machiya.” It allows some light in, but also keeps the entryway private, Ms. Okada said...












https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/22/realestate/a-condo-inspired-by-japanese-aesthetics.html


----------



## royal rose1

Hudson11 said:


> that looks pretty bad... the renderings suggested a more textured paneling. This looks as cheap as can be.


Late response, but if this is a cheap, I am not sure what looks good lol. This entryway is ******* amazing, I love port cocheres, and this is an excellently done one, especially for meatpacking, this tames the rawness of the area.


----------



## royal rose1

I am so pleasantly surprised, and happy with the lack of blue glass going up in NYC now. lots of masonry, and inspired metallic facades, really making NYC look more unique and exciting. Less and less like Toronto lol.

MAJOR MAJOR Kudos to 77 Greenwich for maintaining the facade of that gorgeous old building, wish more developments would do that.


----------



## fresco

*Hudson Yards Phase 1*

https://www.archdaily.com/913561/10-30-55-hudson-yards-kpf


----------



## Hudson11

*Midtown East/UN | Turkevi Center | 171m/561ft | 36 floors | Consulate*

*Turkevi Center at 821 First Avenue Rising Quickly Above Turtle Bay, in Midtown East*

rendering:


----------



## ushahid

*111 West 57th Street - Steinway Tower | 435m | 1428ft | 82 fl | U/C *








[/url]Untitled by Jake, on Flickr[/IMG]


----------



## WillBuild

royal rose1 said:


> I am so pleasantly surprised, and happy with the lack of blue glass going up in NYC now. lots of masonry, and inspired metallic facades, really making NYC look more unique and exciting. [..] Kudos to 77 Greenwich for maintaining the facade of that gorgeous old building, wish more developments would do that.


It's a landmark. The developers didn't have any say in it. I doubt it would have still been here if they had.

But agreed on the facades. Much blue glass is still going up all over town (*cough* LIC), as I guess it is cost effective. But across high end developments, the diversity in material is astounding.

I think Related has taken a lot of flak in the press recently, but this aspect of the design diversity across the current crop of buildings is under appreciated. Especially 55 and 35 HY. With Herzog & de Meuron and Gehry rumored for phase two, I can't wait for some Beton Brut and stainless steel to join them.


----------



## ushahid

*NEW YORK | 45 Park Place | 203m | 667ft | 43 fl | U/C* 









P.C.=https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=157357410


----------



## eduard.wichner

we're looking at this megacity skyscrapers all the time but take 30 seconds and listen to the city, listen to the sound of NYC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyT6S0oZOnk :banana:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - One Boerum Hill*



> a joint venture between Allegra, Avery Hall and Aria Development Group...
> 
> ...a *21-story* mixed-use...
> 
> ...*Due for completion in the first quarter of 2021, the 122-unit project *is located close to multiple subway lines. The project will feature nearly 22,000 s/f of ground-floor retail space.











https://rew-online.com/new-york-remains-a-thriving-tech-hub/












RobEss on SSP


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - Pier 55*


























































@timwerler













































@pier55nyc


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Wonderful!^


----------



## Hudson11

*Hudson Yards | 99 Hudson Boulevard | 44 floors | Offices | Pro*

This will be Tishman Speyer's next venture on the West Side after The Spiral [aka 66 Hudson Blvd]

https://corporateoutreach.tishmanspeyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Tishman-Speyer-Properties.pdf



> 99 Hudson Boulevard is Tishman Speyer’s newest development in the Hudson Yards District. The innovative tower will rise 44 stories and feature boutique, premier office space and public space. The property will distinguish itself through an innovative architecture and elegant connection to the environment, through panoramic views, elevated gardens and flexible, interconnected internal spaces.





> Architect: Henning Larsen Architects
> 
> Total Square Footage: 1.3 million SF
> 
> Square Footage Range: 44 floors, Center-core; floor plates ranging from 50,000 SF in the base to 22,400 SF in the tower
> 
> Amenities: Conveniently located within Hudson Park, 99 Hudson Boulevard will feature additional outdoor areas including terraces, atriums, and auditoria.


----------



## Cocory

I love nyc but they sure do love their Square towers.! Time to think outside of the box literally.


----------



## Hudson11

*Downtown | One Seaport Residences | 204m/670ft | 60 floors | FUBAR*

mg:

*Contractor Sues Fortis Over ‘Unsafe’ Leaning Tower Condo Near Seaport*



> The 670-foot-tall, 58-story apartment building under construction at 161 Maiden Lane is leaning three inches to the north, according to a lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court by the project’s contractor, Pizzarotti. An off-kilter foundation is affecting the building’s structural integrity, facade, waterproofing and elevators, the recent suit argues.
> 
> Developer Fortis Property Group, working with a previous general contractor, opted not to drive piles into the soft ground of the site by South Street Seaport on the East River before it laid the foundation because Fortis wanted to save money, the contractor claims in the suit. Instead, Pizarrotti alleges, Fortis decided to use a cheaper “soil improvement” method, which involves compacting and draining the damp earth to make it more stable.
> 
> [...]
> 
> The Fortis spokesman acknowledged that the building was off-kilter, but said it’s not a safety issue, as Pizzarotti claimed. The general contractor actually caused the leaning condition by failing to plan for the settling of the foundation while pouring the concrete slabs of the building, the spokesman shot back.
> 
> [...]
> 
> “As two of the top engineering firms in the world—Arup and WSP—have certified, there are no safety issues at the building and construction can continue immediately,” the Fortis spokesman said in remarks





Luca9A8M said:


> 21 October 2018
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> by tectonic Photo on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - Brooklyn Point - 1 City Point*

*Brookyln's future 2nd tallest (720ft/219m)*












































Credit: Michael Young via NYY















NYGuy on SSP









NYGuy on SSP










Credit: Tectonic


smease


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - Chrysler Building*

*Aby Rosen plans to restore “Sleeping Beauty” Chrysler Building to Art Deco glory

The developer said he will draw inspiration from the building’s once-renowned Cloud Club, adding new restaurants, retail and an observation deck*




> Aby Rosen wants to wake the nearly 100-year-old office building Chrysler Building from its slumber.
> 
> “I see the building as a Sleeping Beauty: It needs to be woken up and revitalized,” Rosen told the New York Post.
> 
> 
> Harking back to the Chrysler’s 1930s glory days, Rosen told the Post he wants to *add multiple restaurant and retail spaces that could recreate the atmosphere of the once-famous Cloud Club*, a glamorous members’ club that occupied the tower’s 66th through 69th floors. It closed in 1979.



https://pagesix.com/2019/04/02/how-aby-rosen-plans-to-revitalize-the-chrysler-building/


> Rosen said he’s in talks with Major Food group, of the Pool and the Grill, both restaurants based in his Seagram building. He is also speaking with Stephen Starr of Le Coucou, a restaurant at Rosen’s 11 Howard Street hotel.
> 
> *As well as high-end restaurant, Rosen, the head of RFR Realty, also plans to open a new observation deck at the building. The previous deck, the Celestial, closed in 1945.*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - The Shed*































































*Preparing for the Grand Opening this Friday*

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvzN8tng5Qg/




























































































@theshedny









@theshedny









@xinai_liang


----------



## towerpower123

Hudson11 said:


> mg:
> 
> *Contractor Sues Fortis Over ‘Unsafe’ Leaning Tower Condo Near Seaport*


Don't tell me we have our own version of San Francisco's Millennium Tower


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 151 East 86th Street*


























































JC_heights on yimby


----------



## fresco

*MAD imagines sinuous black East 34th skyscraper to "soften" New York's skyline*

https://www.dezeen.com/2019/04/11/east-34th-skyscraper-mad-architects-new-york/


----------



## droneriot

I think we can save ourselves the obvious comment, everyone's already thinking it anyway.


----------



## Middle-Island

Don't know about "softening". Maybe a little too futuristic for near the ESB at this point in time. Looks like it could be the embassy of some alien Federation.


----------



## MikeVegas

Alien erotica. I really like it. It's so, so inviting.


----------



## AbidM

It would look better in London, that.


----------



## streetscapeer

Anyway, it's just a vision


----------



## jain ladda

*East 34th Tower to Redefine New York City Skyline*


----------



## Hudson11

*Mount Eden | 1331 Jerome Avenue | 15 floors | 255 affordable units*

*New affordable housing development coming to the Bronx’s Jerome Avenue *



> The monthly rent on those units will range from $724/month for a studio to $1,546/month for a three-bedroom.
> 
> A portion of the units will be allocated to residents with supportive services needs—with a component for formerly homeless individuals—through an Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI) award. The other units will be reserved for low-income families making between 37 to 57 percent area median income and for households already living in the neighborhood.


----------



## binhai

I pay less than that for a market rate studio in Baltimore lol


----------



## crazyevildude

Hudson11 said:


> *New affordable housing development coming to the Bronx’s Jerome Avenue *


Is this quite large for the Bronx? It always seems like the forgotten borough from a development stand point, is this a sign that this is starting to change?


----------



## Hudson11

crazyevildude said:


> Is this quite large for the Bronx? It always seems like the forgotten borough from a development stand point, is this a sign that this is starting to change?


The Bronx is the next frontier for NYC housing. Affordable projects are going up everywhere and higher end projects are planned for the Harlem River waterfront. There's also a new highrise under construction in Concourse. I believe Jerome Avenue was recently rezoned to allow higher density.


----------



## Tower Dude

Also there is a fair amount of middle class housing being built as well not as much as is needed but more than in the rest of the boroughs


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 30 East 29th Street*

*600ft*















































https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/04/30-east-29th-street-aka-rose-hill-begins-ascent-in-nomad.html


----------



## LeCom

Long Island City's Court Square Civic Association has released their master plan concept for the Sunnyside Yard


----------



## MikeVegas

Love it. Q: Is it Eat or East?


----------



## Hudson11

LeCom said:


> Long Island City's Court Square Civic Association has released their master plan concept for the Sunnyside Yard


nice graphic! Are you going to be further involved in the planning process? 

In other news...

*Lower East Side | Essex Crossing Building 4 - 180 Broome Street | 25 floors | Topped Out | Mixed Use | 263 units | Handel Architects*

*At Essex Crossing, 26-story mixed-use tower hits a construction milestone*










rendering:


----------



## ophizer

streetscapeer said:


> JC_heights on yimby


hallelujah, no more exposed AC vents!!

finally it seems we might have crossed the rubicon here in NYC, 
man have I waited for this for a long time, hope this becomes the new baseline


----------



## Jack Daniel

ophizer said:


> hallelujah, no more exposed AC vents!!
> 
> finally it seems we might have crossed the rubicon here in NYC,
> man have I waited for this for a long time, hope this becomes the new baseline


Yes. New York's new buildings are actually starting to look like the work of architects rather than mass produced boxes with no aesthetic value. Using materials like tiles and bronze makes buildings timeless and elegant IMO.
I know that beauty is subjective however quality isn't and IMO quality is always beautiful. I think humans have an innate appreciation for quality. Each of us might find a different person attractive based on their facial features, however, we would all agree that flawless skin is more attractive than blemished skin.
I think it is an evolutionary thing as imperfection is a sign of disease or genetic inferiority.
So a building clad in quality materials will look better than stained concrete panels and buildings that have random AC units sticking out all over the place reminiscent of a face covered in pimples will not be appreciated as much as a more clean facade.


----------



## streetscapeer

streetscapeer said:


> *600ft*



*Extra Rendering*










https://nypost.com/2019/04/17/these-8-standout-buildings-are-rising-across-the-city/


----------



## ushahid

Josedc said:


> Am I the only one who is not a fan of those skinny super talls?


i like skinny supertalls if they are under 350m/1150ft.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown West - 400 West 57th Street - Restoration*



> Construction scaffolding is down at 400 West 57th Street, revealing the eight-story restored brick facade. Morris Adjmi Architects has led the renovation of the 1880 structure, once known as the Windermere. The building was originally constructed as three adjoining structures and is one of the oldest apartment buildings on the west side of Manhattan.















































Field Condition


----------



## Hudson11

There's so many dilapidated 19th century buildings like that all over the country, it's almost jarring to see one touched up like that.


----------



## LeCom

*168 Plymouth*

168 Plymouth Street in DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn

Two pre-war loft buildings are being combined into a single structure, with a vertical addition. Stats are from the NYC Department of Buildings zoning diagram and the article below.

Height: 131 ft to bulkhead, 120 ft to main roof
Floors: 9 FL above ground, 1 FL below ground
Area: 89,157 sq ft
Units: 46
Year built: 1891 (50 Jay Street, 5 FL, designed by architect P. Faust); 1921 (42 Jay Street, 7 FL, architect unknown)
Renovation architect: Alloy Design
Proposed completion: 2020

An excerpt from my CityRealty article

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...condos-launch-sales-168-plymouth-street/31981

*Historic DUMBO lofts converted to condos launch sales at 168 Plymouth Street*

By Vitali Ogorodnikov
Monday, June 17, 2019









https://ds1.cityrealty.com/img/c3bc...-design-dumbo-loft-prewar-condo-penthouse.jpg
_Credit: Alloy Development_

Alloy Development has launched sales at 168 Plymouth Street. Alloy Design has joined a pair of pre-war loft buildings into a 46-unit complex, topped with newly-constructed penthouses that combine the avant-garde with historic inspiration. The storied project, which spans three centuries of development, boasts a diverse array of apartments with varied resident experiences and diverse finish palettes.









https://ds1.cityrealty.com/img/ee2f...prewar-condo-cobblestone-manhattan-bridge.jpg
_Credit: Alloy Development_

DUMBO’s two-decade transformation from an industrial precinct to an iconic residential enclave has been so thorough that new loft conversions are becoming scarce. For their fifth DUMBO project, Alloy has snagged a pair of pre-war factories just east of the Manhattan Bridge. Though both once served as part of the Masury Paint Works, which the Landmarks Preservation Commission calls “one of the most important paint manufacturing companies” of its time, the two buildings’ distinct styles have prompted distinct aesthetic solutions.

The five-story 50 Jay Street, designed by architect P. Faust and built in 1891, sports round arches that mark its aesthetic as that of the American Round Arch style, derived from the German Rundbogenstil. Alloy has renovated the structure as Brick and Timber Homes, where beams and columns of longleaf pine frame walls of restored 19th century brick. The penthouse addition sports broad, floor-to-ceiling windows, arched in homage to the factory below.

The seven-story 42 Jay Street, built next door in 1921, exemplifies the concrete-framed “daylight factory,” where then-recent concept of structural framing created broad widows that liberated the worker from toiling in dark spaces. Sunshine, which remains a sought-after commodity in the crowded city, is in ample supply in the aptly named Daylight Factory Homes. The penthouse above further refines the concept, where a jewel-box of thin concrete piers and unobstructed plate glass windows gazes upon the Brooklyn and Manhattan skylines.

-----

*Full article with interior renderings*

168 Plymouth building page at CityRealty

-----


----------



## LeCom

*30 Morningside Drive*

30 Morningside Drive, between West 113th Street and West 114th Street in Morningside Heights in Upper Manhattan

A partially-landmarked hospital structure, neglected at the exterior over the years, is carefully restored and upgraded into luxury rentals.

Height: around 145 ft
Floors: 9
Year built: 1896, 1906 (extension)
Use: Hospital
Developer: St. Luke's Hospital
Architect: Ernest Flagg

Year renovated: 2019
Use: Luxury rentals
Units:205
Renovation developer: Delshah Capital
Renovation architect: CetraRuddy

An excerpt from my CityRealty article

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...-conversion-former-st-luke039s-hospital/32061

*Leasing launches at 30 Morningside Drive, landmark rental conversion at former St. Luke's Hospital*

By Vitali Ogorodnikov
Monday, June 17, 2019









https://ds2.cityrealty.com/img/cc48...tal-cetraruddy-landmark-conversion-rental.jpg

_Credit: Delash Capital_

After years of careful planning and collaboration with the Landmarks Preservation Commission, developer Delshah Capital has launched rental leasing at 30 Morningside Drive, a luxury conversion at the former St. Luke’s Hospital building. The architects at CetraRuddy brought new life into a languishing landmark, which was revived as 205 exquisite rentals across from Morningside Park.









https://ds4.cityrealty.com/img/88be...tal-cetraruddy-landmark-conversion-rental.jpg

_Credit: Museum of the City of New York via LPC_

In 1896, St. Luke’s Hospital rose across West 113th Street from the rising Cathedral of St. John the Divine, which would stand as the world’s largest cathedral. The hospital was designed in the French Renaissance style by Ernest Flagg, an École de Beaux-Arts-trained architect who crafted then-world’s-tallest Singer Building, opulent “garden apartments” across the city, and affordable housing that was as forward-looking in its modern appearance as it was in its physical and social function.


The hospital’s four limestone-clad pavilions, topped with steep mansard roofs and ornate dormers, centered on an Italian Renaissance-styled, domed tower. By the time two more wings rose in 1906, Morningside Heights boasted some of the city’s most distinguished architecture, much of which survives to this day. Unfortunately, Flagg’s building was less fortunate. The dome was dismantled, one of the 19th-century wings made way for an unsightly modernist annex, and the remaining pavilions suffered from exterior and interior alterations, as well as deferred maintenance.









https://ds4.cityrealty.com/img/d8c6...tal-cetraruddy-landmark-conversion-rental.jpg

_Credit: CetraRuddy via LPC_

Delash Capital and CetraRuddy restored four of the five surviving pavilions to their former glory, and introduced subtle but effective additions. Contextually-styled extensions cover the near-windowless rear walls at the courtyards, which, in turn, were restored into cozy, cloistered gardens. Obsolete technical features, such as aging elevators and HVAC equipment, were overhauled with brand-new equipment. The Landmarks report details the great care that the team lavished upon the century-old masterpiece.

30 Morningside Heights rises nine stories high, yet the views from its perch atop Morningside Park rival those from the skyscrapers at Central Park West. Residents awake to a rising sun that emerges atop the low-slung rooftops of Harlem, which stretches beneath the verdant cliff.

Rental prices start run from $3,350 for studios to $9,692 for a three-bedroom penthouse. Amenities include a fitness center, game room, lounge, library, and more. Residents may take pleasure in the knowledge that not only does their rental contract open the doors to opulent luxury, but, through the building’s original sale, also finances extensive facility improvements at St. Luke’s Hospital, now operated by Mount Sinai, which will prolong the lives of New Yorkers for years to come.









https://ds3.cityrealty.com/img/5f82...tal-cetraruddy-landmark-conversion-rental.jpg

_Credit: CityRealty / Google_

-----

*Full article with interior renderings*

CityRealty page for 30 Morningside Drive

Full Landmarks Preservation Commission Report (seriously, check it out, it's really cool, lots of photos, renders, and diagrams)

-----


----------



## LeCom

*One Sullivan Place*

1 Sullivan Place, east of Prospect Park / Brooklyn Botanical Gardens in Crown Heights, Brooklyn

A 12-story building will bookend the eastern streetwall facing the Botanical Garden, with a major cantilever over the 6-story prewar building next door.

Height: likely around 130 ft
Floors: 12
Status: In progress
Year renovated: 2019
Use: Rental
Units: 54
Architect: RKTB Architects

An excerpt from my CityRealty article

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/marke...hospital/32061

*Latest design at One Sullivan Place shows 12-story condo rising above Prospect Park*

By Vitali Ogorodnikov
Monday, June 10, 2019









https://ds4.cityrealty.com/img/f3c8...livan-place-rktb-architects-crown-heights.jpg

_Credit: RKTB Architects_

RKTB Architects have revealed their latest design for One Sullivan Place, a 12-story rental development across from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in Crown Heights. The 59,000-square-foot design boldly expands the 25,000-square-foot proposal from 2015, and features 54 one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, as well as below-ground parking and other amenities.

The building will form the southern bookend for a stately row of Garden-facing, pre-war apartment buildings. RKTB Architects’ portfolio of contextual design and historic preservation perfectly positions the firm to delicately set a large, prominent building within sensitive historical context.

The contemporary-styled corner boldly anchors the crossing of Washington Avenue and Sullivan Place. Three reed-like, lime-green mullions playfully nod to the Garden across the street. The warm, beige brick at the side walls matches the jubilant Jazz Age zigzags at 1035 Washington Avenue, a six-story apartment building that wraps around the project site on either side.

Massive, 30-foot cantilevers at the upper floors effectively utilize its neighbor’s air rights, while preserving the ornate, pre-war structure. Street-facing setbacks soften the presence of the prominent pinnacle, and create terraces that overlook the awe-inspiring expanse of the Botanical Garden, Prospect Park, and the Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan skylines in the distance.

The deferential design was a deliberate gesture on behalf of the architects. Peter Bafitis, AIA, RKTB’s managing principal, affirms the design intent to “leverage the undeveloped space above the neighboring buildings,” while “showing sensitivity to the architectural context of this beloved New York City neighborhood and its proximity to Prospect Park across the street.”









https://ds4.cityrealty.com/img/0051...livan-place-rktb-architects-crown-heights.jpg

Credit: CityRealty / Google

-----

*Full article*

CityRealty page for One Sullivan Place

-----


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 40 East End Ave*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - Domino Sugar Factory Development - 260 Kent Ave*



> Superstructure has topped out at 1 South First (formerly 260 Kent), the second residential tower of the Domino Sugar master plan. Designed by COOKFOX Architects, the 42-story tower is located at the northern boundary of Domino Park. Along with 330 residential rental units, the mixed-use building will also contain 22-commercial floors with 150,000 square feet of office space and 13,000 square feet of retail.











































Tectonic











ILNY






























































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - Turkish Consulate - 821 First Avenue*



> 563-foot-tall consulate for the Republic of Turkey is currently underway. Perkins Eastman is the designer of the 35-story mixed-use skyscraper, which will yield about 102,000 square feet of commercial space on the first 15 floors and house 20 apartments for residents and staff starting on the 20th floor.







































Tectonic



















Waymond_Womano on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - Dahlia - 212 West 95th Street*



> YIMBY went on a hard hat tour of Dahlia, a new *20-story* condominium on the Upper West Side at 212 West 95th Street. The topped-out structure, which is located on the southeast corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West 95th Street, is *designed by CetraRuddy with RKTB Architects* as the architect of record and JRM as the construction manager. United Management worked in conjunction with Certes Partners to develop the the property. The building contains 38 residences, which range from two- to four-bedroom layouts and include two penthouses and six select homes with private outdoor spaces. Reuveni Real Estate is the exclusive sales and marketing agent for the development.


https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/06/yi...street-aka-dahlia-on-the-upper-west-side.html


----------



## erbse

LeCom said:


> *30 Morningside Drive*
> 
> 30 Morningside Drive, between West 113th Street and West 114th Street in Morningside Heights in Upper Manhattan
> 
> A partially-landmarked hospital structure, neglected at the exterior over the years, is carefully restored and upgraded into luxury rentals.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://ds2.cityrealty.com/img/cc48...tal-cetraruddy-landmark-conversion-rental.jpg
> 
> _Credit: Delash Capital_
> 
> After years of careful planning and collaboration with the Landmarks Preservation Commission, developer Delshah Capital has launched rental leasing at 30 Morningside Drive, a luxury conversion at the former St. Luke’s Hospital building. The architects at CetraRuddy brought new life into a languishing landmark, which was revived as 205 exquisite rentals across from Morningside Park.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://ds4.cityrealty.com/img/88be...tal-cetraruddy-landmark-conversion-rental.jpg
> 
> _Credit: Museum of the City of New York via LPC_


Great this heritage building is surviving brutal NY's building boom - but I think they should definitely reconstruct the former cupola, the middle part and the original roof!


----------



## LeCom

erbse, that would be my hope as well. The good news is that the centerpiece tower was not part of the renovation, and neither was the fifth surviving wing. Ideally, I would love to see the cupola rebuilt, the fifth wing restored, and the ugly midcentury addition (which replaced the sixth wing, left of the cupola) demolished and replaced with a larger building that combines new hospital space on the lower floors with residential (or other) space in a well-designed tower above, in a combo similar to 1214 Fifth Avenue, which combines Mt. Sinai's new facilities with an apartment tower above.

By the way, your signature quote is relevant to the discussion.


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Village - 137 2nd Ave*

*The Wing’s new HQ takes over a historic NYC building*



> As co-working firm The Wing continues to grow, they’ve moved into a new home that takes the idea of a corporate headquarters to the next, uber-cozy level. The company has taken over all 22,000 square feet and four floors of the former Stuyvesant Polyclinic building at 137 Second Avenue with a sprawling office space that fits the brand’s design-forward signature: pastel colors, branded wallpaper, chic custom furniture and a host of features for women, including a lactation room.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Dumbo, Brooklyn - 10 Jay Street*








































































































































https://www.dezeen.com/2019/06/24/10-jay-street-oda-dumbo-brooklyn/#/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - New Museum - 231 Bowery*

*New Museum unveils new, Rem Koolhaas-designed addition*




> The cultural institution has unveiled the design for its forthcoming *60,000-square-foot addition*, *designed by Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu of OMA*, which will sit next to the museum’s current blocky building on Bowery. The new structure will replace an existing six-story building that the museum acquired more than a decade ago.
> 
> The expansion, first announced in 2016, will add much-needed space to the museum. It’ll *double the square footage of its galleries*, with three levels that will connect to the existing galleries in the original SANAA-designed building. It will also address some of the spatial issues with the current building—namely, the fact that the ground-floor lobby can become cramped on busy days, and the need for more elevators. The lobbies of the two buildings will be joined into one, much larger space, with a new bookstore and an 80-seat restaurant...
> 
> ...*The museum expects to break ground on the addition next year, with a target opening date in 2022*. Plans for the new building were filed with the DOB earlier this spring. It’ll cost $63 million, and a large chunk of that—$20 million—has been acquired through a gift from longtime patron Toby Devan Lewis, for whom the new structure will be named.


*Currently:*











*Addition:*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 565 Broome St*





































View from penthouse








https://tribecacitizen.com/2019/06/24/565-broome-gets-the-local-treatment/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Park Slope, Brooklyn - 167 Fourth Avenue*

*Exclusive Reveal For ODA’s Cantilevering-Contemporary 167 Fourth Avenue*




> Developer Claudio Soifer has revealed fresh renderings of a new *12-story, mixed-use development* in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Located at 167 Fourth Avenue and formerly referred to as 639 Degraw Street, the structure will replace several vacant lots.
> 
> Designed by ODA, the building features the firm’s characteristic cubic style with a series of stepped setbacks and balconies. The concrete-formed structure appears to be clad in red brick masonry and glass elements.
> 
> From the ground up, the structure will contain both commercial area and community-oriented facilities within the lower levels. The building’s second through 12th floors will contain 57 residences along with an undisclosed amenities package. When complete, the entire development will yield *220,000 square feet and top off at 125 feet tall.*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 39 West 23rd St*

322 FT | 25 FLOORS









































Waymond_Womano on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 50 West 66th St*

*775ft/236m*

















































https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/07/ex...-reaches-street-level-in-upper-west-side.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Gowanus, Brooklyn - Luna - 229 9th Street*



> Highbrow architecture meets full-service condo living in Gowanus, where Happy Living Development, LLC has launched sales at Luna at 229 9th Street. The Brooklyn-based developer presents *39 condominiums in a ten-story, terraced edifice designed by award-winning architect Luca Andrisani*. Halstead Development Marketing, which handles Luna’s marketing and sales, describes the amenity-laden property as the “first full-service condo building in Gowanus,” and the neighborhood’s “largest new condo to come to market this cycle.”






































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...-service-condo039-launches-sales-550000/32501


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hell's Kitchen - 505 West 43rd St*









































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nono - 22 BOND - 25 Great Jones St*
































































Field Condition


----------



## meetthestreet

"Highbrow architecture meets full-service condo living in Gowanus, where Happy Living Development, LLC has launched sales at Luna at 229 9th Street." How far we have sunk. Something isn't a blue glass box and it is "highbrow." smh


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Love that corten steel against the old stone


----------



## DiogoBaptista

__
http://instagr.am/p/p%2FBySzPVWnfpm/


----------



## Mephisto22

It's Hudson Yards in the back right ? 
So none of these towers existed like ten years ago ?


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - 601 West 29th Street*

*Demolition Wraps For Two New Residential Skyscrapers Next To Hudson Yards*



> Demolition has completed at the site of 601 West 29th Street in Hudson Yards for an upcoming *695-foot-tall, 58-story skyscraper* designed by FXCollaborative and developed by Douglaston Development...
> 
> ...Tower A will yield *730,000 square feet of residential space divided among 931 apartments*, for an average of 780 square feet apiece, indicating rentals. There will also be 9,300 square feet of ground-floor retail...
> 
> *Completion of 601 West 29th Street is expected sometime in 2021.*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn - 1259 Bedford Avenue*



> Design firm Z Architecture has revealed new renderings of its s*ix-story mixed-use building currently under construction* at 1259 Bedford Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Tower Real Estate Investments filed permits earlier this month for the corner property that will eventually comprise 47,445 square feet.
> 
> As previously reported by YIMBY, building components will include 31,126 square feet of residential space and 5,176 square feet for unspecified commercial use. *With a total of 46 apartments*, the average residence should measure approximately 676 square feet.












https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/07/re...1259-bedford-avenue-in-bed-stuy-brooklyn.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 77 Charlton St*






































https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/07/fa...evelopment-nears-completion-in-west-soho.html


----------



## Hudson11

*POWER OUTAGE - Midtown West + Upper West Side*









Scott Heins/Getty Images









ibid


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 30 East 29th Street*

*600ft*
































































https://www.instagram.com/p/B0CFeuqgRio/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 25 Park Row*

*702ft/213m*




















































the726 on yimby









Skyscrapergramer on yimby


----------



## droneriot

Lots of updates on that one but the Wall Street Tower thread hasn't had an update in over a month.


----------



## JohnDee

The Wall Street Tower is traaash. Just looks out of place, is unattractive and foreboding.


----------



## gravesVpelli

^^If you're referring to 25 Park Row, I couldn't disagree more. It is totally contextual and there is nothing wrong in designing a building that harks back to the past, especially in this corner of Lower Manhattan. It relates to products of the 1920s and 30s with its stepped profile and leaded window framing. A very good addition to fill this plot. The elevations recall the earlier towers in their robust and handsome detailing and the setbacks are generous too, allowing for plentiful balcony placements. A success in my book.


----------



## JohnDee

gravesVpelli said:


> ^^If you're referring to 25 Park Row, I couldn't disagree more. It is totally contextual and there is nothing wrong in designing a building that harks back to the past, especially in this corner of Lower Manhattan. It relates to products of the 1920s and 30s with its stepped profile and leaded window framing. A very good addition to fill this plot. The elevations recall the earlier towers in their robust and handsome detailing and the setbacks are generous too, allowing for plentiful balcony placements. A success in my book.


That one is not the tower I'm talking about. I'm addressing the Wall Street Tower, which is a building that is not on this page.


----------



## AbidM

NOMAD and 25 PARK STREET are stunning, really classy stuff!


----------



## JohnDee

AbidM said:


> NOMAD and 25 PARK STREET are stunning, really classy stuff!


The NOMAD is great indeed. The entire NOMAD area has turned around big time. Used to be a dump, but now it seems like it's becoming very upscale with these kind of developments.

It's honestly becoming a rich ghetto sadly. But the rich always go for the areas that have pretty buildings and then the middle class/poor folks have to move out. The same thing is slowly happening in Brooklyn.


----------



## germantower

^^ And is even starting in Harlem.


----------



## Hudson11

test!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 28 & 7 - 322-326 Seventh Avenue*



> Klövern and GDS Development recently broke ground on a new Manhattan boutique office project in Chelsea, called 28 & 7. Skidmore Owings & Merrill is the designer of the *12-story, class A office structure,* which is located at 322-326 Seventh Avenue and is one of three properties that the two developers are working together on in New York City. Klövern is aiming to bring a more Scandinavian-inspired approach to the office market with higher sustainability standards and a more “human-scaled” design approach...
> 
> ...The site was purchased in 2018, and the project is *expected to be finished in the fourth quarter of 2021*.































https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/10/kl...ing-at-322-326-seventh-avenue-in-chelsea.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenwich Village - 799 Broadway*



> ...Across from James Renwick, Jr.'s magnificent Grace Church, *a new 12-story office building* at 799 Broadway is being developed by Normandy Real Estate Partners and Columbia Property trust. The project architects, *Perkins and Will*, designed a zig-zagging structure with stratified layers, which will both animate the streetscape and reinvigorate the local office market with top-of-the-line Class A space. CityRealty’s recent check-in revealed ongoing excavation at the site...
> 
> ...The 168,645-square-foot structure will feature retail on the ground and sub-grade levels, with offices above...




























































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...ley039-tower-rising-across-grace-church/35781


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*Pendry Manhattan West tops out, gets wavy, and drops condos from plans*











































































> SOURCE: https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...t-tops-out-gets-wavy-drops-condos-plans/18441​





>


----------



## streetscapeer

cross post


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*One Boerum Place: Downtown Brooklyn condo tower by Avery Hall takes shape*






























> SOURCE: https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...klyn-condo-tower-avery-hall-takes-shape/35701​





>


----------



## DiogoBaptista

> After looking through these skyscrapers, there are a lot on the list that haven’t even started construction, approval, or been updated on. Such as One Park Lane, 262 Fifth Avenue, 666 Fifth Avenue, and 145 East 60th Street.















> SOURCE: https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-various-news-about-our-city-and-q-a/1700/350​


----------



## tetzlaffalex

DiogoBaptista said:


> ​




666 Avenue was cancelled I believe or sold.


----------



## DiogoBaptista

​


> SOURCE: https://www.newyorkyimby.com/2019/1...-schermerhorn-street-in-brooklyn-heights.html​





> ​


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - HAP Eight - 215 West 28th Street*
















































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...ndo-towers-hap-dxa-studio-goes-vertical/17061


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - 111 West 57th St*

*111 West 57th Street Tops Out*











































@t4rev









@mchlanglo793









https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/10/11...oot-rooftop-parapet-in-midtown-manhattan.html


Michael Lee





































































> *Steinway Hall*
> 
> Also included in the project is the restoration of Steinway Hall, designed in 1925 by Warren & Wetmore as the home of Steinway & Sons’ concert hall and piano showroom.
> The building will now be integrated into the residential function of the adjacent tower and offer four floors of luxury retail space.














https://www.instagram.com/p/B3SHakCBkwy/






























































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - Lantern House - 501 and 515 West 18th St*




















@cityrealty






























@timfisherphotos









5Bfilms on yimby









info share on yimby









@lunarsynthesis


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Rolex USA Headquarters - 5th Ave and 53rd Street*

*David Chipperfield Architects to Build Rolex USA Headquarters in New York*




> David Chipperfield architects has been selected to build the rolex USA headquarters in new york. the *new 25-storey tower* will be located on the corner of *5th avenue and 53rd street*, replacing the existing building that has been occupied by the luxury watch brand since the 1970s. the scheme was the winning entry submitted as part of an international competition, and has been designed in accordance with LEED platinum guidelines to take into account sustainability and energy consumption...
> 
> The *165,000 square foot structure* includes new office areas for rolex staff and tenants, as well as a new store at ground level. the first renderings of the project illustrate five vertically stacked volumes, which have been offset to create outdoor terraces and roof gardens. according to its architects, the building will provide brand experiences across a wide range of the company’s interests, becoming an important symbol of rolex’s commitment to quality, precision, and excellence...


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - Google @ St John's Terminal - 550 Washington Street*

*Construction begins on Google's massive Hudson Square outpost at 550 Washington Street*



> Late last year, Oxford Properties Group filed plans to build a *588,000-square-foot, nine-floor addition to the St. John’s Terminal building* located at 550 Washington Street in Hudson Square. The Wall Street Journal broke the news in November 2018 that California-based Google is in discussions to lease the entire building, a deal that was finalized this past summer with the internet tech giant committing to the entire *1.3 million square feet* of redeveloped office space to be created inside.
> 
> The adaptive re-use plan designed by COOKFOX Architects involves salvaging the 1934-built former freight terminal of the High Line and building above it. A recent pass by the site reveals that work has started at Google/Oxford's nearly 600-foot-long portion spanning south of West Houston Street between Washington and West streets. The northern sections of the St. John's Building, which includes the bridge over Houston Street has been demolished (alas!). The section of the terminal building that stretched from West Houston to Clarkson Street will be developed with housing and retail, tentatively known as Clarkson Square.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 80 Flatbush Ave*

*Demolition At 80 Flatbush Avenue Nears Completion*
*840 FT / 510 FT* 























































Sloper said:


> A couple demo pics from today:


----------



## FelixMadero

Unstoppable!!!


----------



## AbidM

*Cough-cough* 'Beast coast' Hip-Hop movement, more specifically a group part of the movement, the aptly named, 'Flatbush Zombies' rap group, I'm sure they bought some attention wherever they like it or not...


----------



## streetscapeer

*Dumbo, Brooklyn - Front & York - 85 Jay Street*

*Morris Adjmi-Designed Front & York Steadily Rising*



> Front & York, *Morris Adjmi Architects‘ 1.1-million-square-foot residential *development at 85 Jay Street, is steadily rising in in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Two construction cranes continue to lift and place materials across the wide floor plates of the reinforced concrete structure. CIM Group and LIVWRK are the developers of the *21-story project*, which will yield condominiums, rentals, and retail space....
> 
> ...Initial occupancy for Front & York is slated for *mid-2021.*
















































@morrisadjmiarchitects












5Bfilms on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - The Rockefeller University Campus Addition*

*Rockefeller University River Campus Addition Atop Highway*



> *The initiative adds two acres of green space and several buildings to the existing 14-acre campu*s of The Rockefeller University, *spanning across – and 25-feet above – a 6-lane highway in New York City*. Designed by *Rafael Viñoly Architects*, the extension connects the existing campus landscaping and extends four blocks along the East River. The new laboratories housed in the campus extension replace existing laboratories that are no longer suited to the needs of modern bioscience, providing the University’s researchers with cutting-edge, flexible research facilities.
> 
> The University *also rejuvenated a 1,200-foot long public esplanade adjacent to the campu*s for the benefit of the greater New York City community. New landscaping, seating, and a designated bike lane was created, while a seawall along the East River was repaired...
> 
> ...*The new research building is three stories high and extends almost three city blocks, providing 160,000-square-feet of space*











































































































































https://snf-dr-rivercampus.rockefeller.edu


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 200 Amsterdam Ave*

*668ft(203m)/55 floors*





























































baronsonphoto-20191007-001.jpg by Brian Aronson, on Flickr










@200amsterdam









@nyconstructionphoto









Baronson on yimby









https://www.flickr.com/photos/joejo...pd8n-2hqmnzA-2hqpeDZ-2hqpejq-2hqodua-2hqpere/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Museum of Modern Art Expansion - 11 West 53rd Street*

*MoMA Expansion and Reopening*



> The Museum of Modern Art is *ready for it’s reopening later this month*, with expanded gallery space, renovations to existing entry and gallery spaces, and a new museum store.
> 
> *Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Gensler, *the MoMA’s expansion occupies two sites to the west of the existing museum. Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects‘ Folk Art Museum occupied the first site from its completion in 2001 until demolition in 2014. The rest of *the expansion is located in the base of the adjacent Jean Nouvel tower 53 West 53*...
> 
> ...The museum’s expansion includes *47,000 square feet of new and renovated gallery space*. Along with the five floors of new gallery space in the west building, some of the galleries added in the Taniguchi expansion of 2004 have also been renovated and reconfigured.


http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/10/review-of-the-renovated-museum-of-modern-art.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/09/...-expansion-moma-is-bigger-is-that-better.html
http://fieldcondition.com/blog/2019/10/12/tour-museum-of-modern-art-reopening


----------



## geoking66

*JPMorgan Chase HQ* | Midtown

Project facts


Address: 270 Park Avenue


Status: Demolition


Developer: JPMorgan Chase


Architect: Foster + Partners


Office: 2,348,490 s.f. (218,182 sqm)


Retail: 6,475 s.f. (602 sqm)


Height: 1,425ft (434m)


Floors: 70


First rendering revealed:











(@YIMBY)


----------



## AbidM

Wait which building is it? ^


----------



## DNSylvestre

Jesus Christ that looks hideous.


----------



## streetscapeer

AbidM said:


> Wait which building is it? ^


The one that's dead center:


----------



## ValentinoTC

Hope they change that terrible design.


----------



## citysquared

Foster has done variations on this design in Toronto and elsewhere, this one is the dullest, NYC deserves better.


----------



## msquaredb

Eh... I dont love the proportions but Id really like for the bronze accents to be coupled with a bronze looking glass rather than blue. That would at least set it apart.


----------



## streetscapeer

*50 Hudson Yards*

*1,011 ft/308m* - 2.9 million sqft.
















































































https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/10/st...-level-of-norman-fosters-50-hudson-yards.html









JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## RegentHouse

msquaredb said:


> Eh... I dont love the proportions but Id really like for the bronze accents to be coupled with a bronze looking glass rather than blue. That would at least set it apart.


In this case, blue would actually make sense because it's Chase colors.


----------



## Hindustani

interesting



prageethSL said:


> Credit: siniaevart


----------



## gravesVpelli

I must say I am aghast at the demolition of 270 Park, one of NYC's iconic 1960s structures by Gordon Bunshaft (SOM). It always stood out as something special and was one of the first of the International Style. Surprised that it wasn't listed for retention. It's base and shaft when seen from the Avenue were truly impressive. Although the style of glass and steel has been duplicated numerous times (just look at the inferior clones on Seventh Avenue), and in many countries, somehow this landmark stood the test of time and was a spectacular example of the style. Being built over the railroad tracks made it particularly standout, with escalators instead of elevators from the ground level. But perhaps 707 feet is not seen as tall enough for this address - it is certainly streaks ahead of its copy on the opposite side of the avenue. The Foster replacement proposal, although of considerably more height, does not come close. 

New York City: Former 270 Park Avenue by Gordon Bunshaft (SOM), 1960


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - The Spiral - 66 Hudson Boulevard*

*1,005ft/306m*






















































@profilenyc























JC_Heights on yimby









https://www.instagram.com/p/B3pRCWFH2Du/









https://www.instagram.com/p/B3rlcsRBgWb/




Hudson11 said:


>











Thomas_Koloski on yimby modified Hudson11's photo










Thomas_Koloski on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Murray Hill, Manhattan - 122 East 32nd Street*

*SAMOO's New Korean Cultural Center begins construction in Manhattan*



> From a midblock site lying at the junction of Koreatown, NoMad, and Murray Hill, the new *33,000 square foot* Korean Cultural Center building *will house administration offices, exhibition space, gardens, artists studios, a library, and a 200-seat theater. *Designed by Seoul-based Samoo Architects and Engineers, the 2010 competition-winning design features a beautiful, multi-layered facade to swoosh some *120-feet high*, and to encase three sculptural, culturally-referenced figures within...
> 
> Situated midblock between Park and Lexington avenue, a few blocks from the heart of growing K-Town, a mix of cultural and community spaces will stretch across the* seven-floor building*...


----------



## Josedc

mmm dunno about this last one


----------



## ushahid




----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- Skyline Tower -- 23-15 44th Drive*

*Queens tallest tops out-- 778ft/237m*

























































https://www.instagram.com/p/B3msK5XH2Dz/




















https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/10/yi...-amsterdam-avenue-on-the-upper-west-side.html


*Views from project*
























































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Noho - 40 Bleecker Street*













































































Field Condition


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*NEW YORK | One Vanderbilt | 427m | 1401ft | 58 fl | T/O*



> *Construction Tour: One Vanderbilt*
> *OCTOBER 16, 2019* | FIELD CONDITION
> 
> *Architect:* KPF; *Developer:* SL Green Realty Corporation; *Development Manager:* Hines; *Construction:* Tishman Construction; *Interiors:* Gensler; *MEP Engineers:* Jaros Baum & Bolles; *Structural Engineers:* Severud Associates; *Program:* Mixed Use, Office, Retail; *Location:* Midtown East, New York, NY; *Completion:* 2020.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards District - 450 11th Avenue*



> Excavation continues at the site of 450 Eleventh Avenue, while the first portions of the reinforced concrete foundation walls are beginning to form what will become a *487-foot-tall* hotel from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. *Designed by DSM Design Group and developed by Marx Development Group*, the project is located between West 36th and 37th Streets, directly across Eleventh Avenue from the Jacob K. Javits Center and just to the north of Related Companies’ Hudson Yards master plan...






























https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/10/fo...ile-excavation-continues-in-hudson-yards.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City, New Jersey - 351 Marin Boulevard*

*Construction Breaks Ground On 38-Story Tower At 351 Marin Boulevard In Jersey City*



> Construction has begun on 351 Marin Boulevard, a *38-story mixed-use development in Downtown Jersey City*. Located between 1st Street and Bay Street, the tower will bring 507 residential units, 8,000 square feet of commercial space, 203 parking spaces, and a 4,500-square-foot public plaza to the area. *Designed by Hollwich Kushner *in collaboration with HLW International, 351 Marin is a joint venture between developer KRE Group and Northwestern Mutual....
> 
> New renderings show a sculptural, faceted podium with a double-height façade that rises to a geometric crown. Along the base will be a freestanding pavilion, part of the pedestrian plaza. The tallest portion of 351 Marin will rise about* 383 feet*, with a shorter eight-story component connected to the tower.


----------



## MikeVegas

Interesting that Marc Kushner of Hollwich Kushner is Jared Kushner's cousin. I wonder if the 2 have ever collaborated on a project.


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*NEW YORK | 611 West 56th Street | 134m | 442ft | 34 fl | U/C*



> *Construction Update: 611 W 56*
> *OCTOBER 21, 2019* | FIELD CONDITION
> 
> *Architects:* Álvaro Siza (Design Architect), SLCE Architects (Executive Architect); *Interiors:* Gabellini Sheppard Associates; *Developers:* Sumaida + Khurana and LENY; *Program:* Residential; *Location:* Hell’s Kitchen, New York, NY; *Completion:* 2020.





>


----------



## streetscapeer

*Kips Bay - 368 Third Avenue*



> A ground-up *35-floor condo development* has begun to climb above the humble walk-ups of Kips Bay/Gramercy Park. Rising from a two-lot site at 368 Third Avenue, between West 26th and 27th streets, the 100-unit venture is being brought to market by *Minrav Development with SLCE Architects *steering the design.
> Now 13 floors above street level, upon an October 19 pass, the slender concrete-frame will top out *407 feet *above the mid-rise area and eventually present buyers sweeping views across downtown and Manhattan's east side. The size of the *145,000-square-foot project *was augmented by a zoning lot merger between the three adjacent tenement buildings to the south. Their unused development potential will be transferred over to the new building -- ultimately saving them (at least their scale) in perpetuity. This convenient and sometimes controversial maneuver has also allowed Minrav to legally install residential windows along the tower's merged south lot-line preserving near-distance views eternally.



















































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...0-unit-condo-begins-climb-over-kips-bay/36361


----------



## DiogoBaptista

> SOURCE: https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-270-park-ave-1-425-ft-70-floors/4189/794​


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - Brooklyn Music School - 130 St. Felix Street*

*New renderings revealed for FXCollaborative-designed Brooklyn Music School expansion*



> The Brooklyn Music School has just announced plans for a new *20,000 square-foot facility as part of a 167,000 square-foot mixed-use development *in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District. In addition to expanding the school’s existing facilities to meet growing demand, the *FXCollaborative-designed project will also create 120 new residential units* with 36 of those reserved for moderate-income households earning 70 to 100 percent of the area median income...
> 
> ...*Gotham Organization* has tapped FXCollaborative to design a *24-story building* to occupy a currently empty lot at 130 St. Felix Street which has been used as a loading area for the neighboring Brooklyn Academy of Music. With New-Romanesque influences, the design intends to “create a transition” between the adjacent Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church and the iconic former Williamsburg Savings Bank tower.


----------



## DiogoBaptista

> Long Island City​













201910019 AA3350 YYZ-LGA New York City Queens by taigatrommelchen, no Flickr​


----------



## streetscapeer

*Cobble Hill, Brooklyn - River Park Complex*
































































































































*Views*



















































Field Condition


----------



## binhai

Superb townhouses. NYC has the best urban infill in the country by far.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- 52-03 + 52-41 Center Boulevard*

*New Renderings of TF Cornerstone's Gargantuan Towers Rising on the Hunters Point South waterfront*



> ...Tentatively known as Hunters Point South Parcel C , the *pair of 46- and 56-story towers* will not only be Hunters Point's biggest buildings, but also the tallest towers along the city's shoreline outside of Manhattan.
> New renderings published by ODA reveal the immensity of the project. Set to accommodate a whopping *1,200 apartments in all, the 1.2-MSF scheme *will stand on a city-donated block bounded by Center Boulevard, Borden Avenue, 2nd street and 54th Avenue...
> 
> ....The *shorter 475-foot-tall south tower* at 52-41 Center Boulevard is already several floors out of the ground upon a late-October site visit. It will stand above and beside a 572-seat elementary school. *Foundation work on the taller 575-foot-tall north tower is ongoing. Delivery is anticipated in late 2022* according to site postings.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 33 Park Row*

*Steel Façade Of No. 33 Park Row Closing In On Parapet*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center - World Trade Center*


















































































































*Mock up*









@rexarchitecture









@rexarchitecture


*U/C*





















Skyscrapergramer on yimby









JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - The Six - 106 West 56th Street*



> New ground-up 27-Story Class-A Boutique Office Building on Billionare’s Row totaling 87,600 SF of Structural Steel Superstructure with Curtain Wall and Aluminum Composite Panels. This Office Building is LEED Certified with High-End Amenities.















*Mid-Construction*









*Nearing Completion*








Tectonic


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*Rendering Revealed For 1100 Avenue Of The Americas’ Glass Recladding, In Midtown*



























































> SOURCE: https://www.newyorkyimby.com/2019/1...-of-the-americas-curtain-wall-in-midtown.html​


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 27 East 79th Street*
































































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...th-street039s-vintage-design-see-photos/14046


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - Rose Hill - 30 East 29th Street*

*600ft*




































































































































https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/10/cetraruddys-rose-hill-surpasses-the-halfway-mark-in-nomad.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - Pier 55*









































































































JC_Heights on yimby

































> A renovated section of the adjacent Hudson River Park promenade, designed by Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, has also recently reopened.





























Field Condition










5Bfilms on yimby









@timothyschenck









@timfisherphotos


baronsonphoto-20191012-063.jpg by Brian Aronson, on Flickr


baronsonphoto-20191012-067.jpg by Brian Aronson, on Flickr


----------



## Middle-Island

New York City...Parks in the water, parks in the air! 

I think the underground one (the Low Line) is still in development too.


----------



## urbanflight

Way to go NYC!! :banana::applause::cheers:

*City Council Approves $1.7 Billion 'Master Plan' to Revolutionize NYC Streets to favor cyclists, pedestrians, bus riders*












> A red light in New York City could soon turn green just as a bus approaches, and cyclists could have triple the protected bike lanes they have today as the City Council approved a bill Wednesday that will "revolutionize" the Big Apple streets.
> 
> City Council Speaker Corey Johnson says he drew up the Streets Master Plan after hearing from dozens of grieving relatives of those who were killed or injured on New York City streets.
> 
> "We need to do everything we can to encourage sustainable modes of transportation, especially with the realities of climate change growing more dire every day. This plan will make New York City a much more livable and enjoyable place to call home," the likely 2021 mayoral hopeful said on Tuesday.
> 
> The five-year, $1.7 billion plan includes adding 250 miles of protected bike lanes over five years, adding 150 miles of protected bus lanes, and making buses a priority at 1,000 intersections.
> 
> Johnson's plan includes redesigning signalized intersections, adding more pedestrian signals and adding more pedestrian plazas where no cars are allowed. And that's just the first phase of the plan due in December 2021.
> 
> The master plan was approved by a vote of 36-10 on Wednesday, with two abstentions.
> 
> Supporters of the legislation say the changes will make the streets safer for all New Yorkers.
> 
> More Manhattan Streets Could Become Closed to Cars
> 
> Harold and Debbie Kahn's son Seth was killed in 2009 after being hit by a bus driver on West 53rd Street. They joined Johnson on Tuesday to voice their support for the bill.
> 
> "Ten surreal agonizing years – we will never get to know what he would have accomplished with his life had he been given a chance to live," Harold Kahn said.
> In 2019, at least 25 cyclists have died on city streets and advocates say the protected bike lanes are much needed.
> 
> The changes already made to city streets include banning cars from the busway on 14th Street. The rule has been in effect since the beginning of the month and has been getting very positive reviews from commuters.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - Greenwich West - 110 Charlton St*










































































































*Views from building:*














































https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/11/yi...ews-from-greenwich-west-in-hudson-square.html


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*The Dime - 209 Havemeyer Street*

*Construction Update: The Dime - 209 Havemeyer Street*
*NOVEMBER 01, 2019* | FIELD CONDITION

*Architect:* Fogarty Finger Architecture; *Developer:* Charney Construction & Development and Tavros Holdings; *Program:* Residential Rental, Commercial Office, Retail, Parking; *Location:* Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY; *Completion:* 2020.





























































































>


----------



## Dale

I’ll be staying at Pod Times Square next week!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - Facebook*

*Facebook is moving into more than 1.5 million square feet of office space in New York's Hudson Yards*



> Facebook has signed a lease at Hudson Yards for more than 1.5 million square feet of office space and plans to move into the new offices next year. The lease includes office space across 30 floors and three buildings in the far West Side neighborhood, Hudson Yards announced Thursday. *The lease includes 1.2 million square feet of space at the 1,000-foot-tall tower 50 Hudson Yards, 265,000 square feet in 30 Hudson Yards as well as 57,000 square feet in 55 Hudson Yards.*
> 
> "When considering the next phase of our growth in the city, it was important that our newest office space was situated in the heart of a vibrant community that offered access to arts, culture, media and commerce," John Tenanes, Facebook's vice president of global facilities and real state, said in a statement. "Hudson Yards offered this and more, and we're excited to expand our offices there starting in 2020."


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Village - 1 St. Mark’s Place*

*New boutique office building headed for East Village*



> Another high-priced, boutique office building is moving forward in Midtown South.
> 
> Real Estate Equities Corp.’s development at 1 St. Mark’s Place in the East Village landed a nearly $80 million construction loan, according to property records filed with the city Wednesday.
> 
> South Korean financial services firm Hana Financial Group provided a $31.1 million mezzanine loan, and Madison Realty Capital provided a $48 million first mortgage.
> 
> A representative for REEC — headed by Brandon Miller and Mark Siegel — declined to comment.
> 
> *REEC is planning to develop a 10-story, 65,000-square-foot office building* on the site at the corner of St. Mark’s Place and Third Avenue.


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*NEW YORK | 100 East 53rd Street | 217m | 711ft | 61 fl | Com*



> *Tour: 100 E 53*
> *NOVEMBER 15, 2019* | FIELD CONDITION
> 
> *Architects:* Foster + Partners (Design Architect), SLCE Architects (Architect of Record); *Interiors:* William T. Georgis; Owners: RFR, Vanke; *Developers:* RFR, Hines; *Program:* Residential, Retail; *Location:* Midtown East, New York, NY; *Completion:* 2019.


----------



## Demos-cratos




----------



## Hudson11

Dale said:


> I’ll be staying at Pod Times Square next week!


let us know if it's any better on the inside than it is on the outside :lol:









tectonic


----------



## Dale

^ With a name like “Pod”, I expect it to be very small on the inside. :lol:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 111 Varick St*



































































































https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/11/11...de-reaches-roof-parapet-in-hudson-square.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - Manor 82 - 333 East 82nd Street*

*New renderings revealed for Manor 82, 21-unit condo planned near Second Avenue subway*



> In the Yorkville section of the Upper East Side, 333 East 82nd Street is set to go from rowhouses to regal: Demolition permits were filed for five townhouses formerly on-site, and *Rybak Development *has revealed new renderings for Manor 82, the *eight-story condo* set to rise in its place. The facade by *Zproekt Architecture* is made of hand-chiseled limestone, and its rounded window bays, molding bands, and dentil course parapet pay tribute to prewar-inspired opulence.


----------



## hateman

Straight out of Putinist Russia, via Brighton Beach.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn*

*Downtown Brooklyn Rising*

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4yRnYRgKTm/


----------



## Dale

Kid you not. Had a $10 hamburger at Hudson Yards today. 

Everywhere you go, construction every block.


----------



## ophizer

hateman said:


> Straight out of Putinist Russia, via Brighton Beach.


s\


----------



## Dale

hateman said:


> Straight out of Putinist Russia, via Brighton Beach.


Walking the streets of Manhattan though, I dare say Putin would keep the streets clean. Unbelievably trashy!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Get a Look at New Renderings of Hudson River Park’s Pier 97 *



> New renderings of Pier 97 have been released by Hudson River Park Trust. *Located opposite West 57th Street* on the northern end of Hudson River Park, the pier will undergo *construction starting next fall*. *Architecture firm !melk* is responsible for the design of the approximately *680-by-120-foot pier* and the adjacent upland area fronting the Route 9A bikeway, alongside the western border of Hell’s Kitchen.


----------



## streetscapeer

*First Renderings Revealed For CetraRuddy’s 200 East 34th Street In Kips Bay
*


> YIMBY has the first look at new renderings for a *31-story mixed-use building* at 200 East 34th Street, aka 501 Third Avenue, in Kips Bay. Xiaocheng Zhou under COA 200 East 34th LLC is listed as the owner behind the applications on recently filed permits for the development. The project is being *designed by CetraRuddy Architecture* and will eventually rise as a *388-foot-tall* tower yielding a total of 135,094 square feet.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - 420 Kent Ave*

*Tower 1 at 420 Kent Ave Opens*






































































































































https://www.archdaily.com/928548/tower-1-at-420-kent-residential-building-oda


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 561 Greenwich Street*

_Hudson Square is on fire lately:_


*COOKFOX Releases Rendering For Office Building At 561 Greenwich Street In Hudson Square*




> *COOKFOX Architects* has released a rendering for 561 Greenwich Street in Hudson Square. *Trinity Church Wall Street filed permits for the 260,000-square-foot building*, which will feature retail at the ground floor and office space above. *Hines is serving as development manager for the 19-story project.*
> 
> The rendering depicts a design that complements the look of its industrial neighbor, with a matching overall height and aligned elevations. The light-colored façade features numerous setbacks with outdoor terraces that rises to floor-to-ceiling windows and concealed mechanicals on the rooftop.
> 
> Architect Rick Cook of COOKFOX noted, “The powerful masonry buildings of Hudson Square gave us a palette of materials and tools that helped us craft a building that feels authentic to the neighborhood and expresses a high-performance modern workplace with a connection to community and nature.”


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 60 Charlton St*


















JC_heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 9 Dekalb Avenue*

*1,066 FT (325m) | 73 FLOORS*



















































Photos by Boerumer on SSP
































































https://www.instagram.com/p/B4yRnYRgKTm/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - David Geffen Hall - Lincoln Center*

*Redesign of David Geffen Hall at New York's Lincoln Center*



> The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the New York Philharmonic announced yesterday, 2 December, that David Geffen Hall will be renovated by local studio Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and Toronto's Diamond Schmitt Architects.
> 
> ...
> 
> In the new venture, Diamond Schmitt will overhaul the New York City concert hall, while Tod Williams Billie Tsien will redesign the public spaces.
> 
> The renovation of the music hall, which is the home of the New York Philharmonic orchestra, aims to update the space with improved acoustics and sightlines. The firm is working with Paul Scarbrough of Akustiks for the acoustic design, and Fisher Dachs Associates for the theatre planning and design.
> 
> Renovated concert hall "will be intimate, immersive, and adaptable"
> 
> "The auditorium is recalibrated to deliver improved sightlines, audience comfort, and superb acoustics from every seat in the house," said Diamond Schmitt project lead Gary McCluskie.
> 
> "The new concert hall will be intimate, immersive, and adaptable to host a range of performances of classical compositions and innovative programming."
> The stage of David Geffen Hall will be moved forward by 25 feet (7.6 metres), and seating capacity will be reduced from 2,738 to 2,200. Seats will be placed closer to the stage and arranged to wrap around it.


----------



## sgollis

^^
Looks like a great re-design for the acoustics. It is very similar to the interior of Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the sound there is superb.


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*Construction Continues On 180 And 202 Broome Street At Essex Crossing On The Lower East Side*






















































































> SOURCE: https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/12/co...at-essex-crossing-on-the-lower-east-side.html​





> ​


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Harlem - Sendero Verde - 1691 Madison Ave*

*Construction starts on Sendero Verde, Passive House tower to be one of New York's tallest and largest affordable housing projects*



> About a year and a half since the first plans were filed, construction is officially underway on Sendero Verde. A recent visit to the once-vacant lot in East Harlem shows foundation work beginning on the first of three phases, which will measure *37 stories and 384 units*. This impressive size will make it one of the tallest and largest affordable housing projects built to Passive House standards in the entire city...
> 
> ...Completion of phase one is estimated for 2022. As construction takes place, permits have just been issued for phase two, which comprises a pair of opposing mid-rise buildings set to hold a total of 315 apartments. When all three phases are completed, Sendero Verde will bring approximately 700 affordable housing units, office and retail space, a new school, community and social service space, publicly accessible open space, and community gardens to East Harlem.


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*New "Lifestyle Hotel" coming to Boerum Hill at 252 Schermerhorn nears finish Line; See photos*





















> SOURCE: https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...hermerhorn-nears-finish-line-see-photos/11844​





>


----------



## Troopchina

This one ended up much better than the render.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Heatherwick's Pier 55 park progress


----------



## Josedc

why does it look like a bunch of messed up teeth?


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - former Con Edison North First Street Site*

*Bjarke Ingels and Field Operations design master plan for Williamsburg waterfront development*



> A new waterfront park and *two mixed-use towers* may soon come to the Williamsburg waterfront, north of the Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment site.
> 
> *Developers Two Trees Management*—also behind the Domino megaproject—unveiled a proposal to build two mixed-use towers, up to *650-feet-tall, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), and a six-acre park with access to the East River,* designed by James Corner Field Operations (the firm behind Domino Park and the High Line). The waterfront development will stretch from Grand to North 3rd street on River Street...
> 
> ...The BIG-designed towers will have *1,000 residential units, 250 of which will be below-market rate.* They will also include a 4*7,000-square-foot YMCA, 30,000 square feet of retail space, and 57,000 square feet of office space*...
> 
> ...Perhaps one of the most noteworthy aspects of the project is its Field Operations-designed public waterfront park, with community input, which *will have a circular esplanade extending into the East River, a sandy beach, tidal pools, a fishing pier, salt marsh, a boating cove on North 1st Street, and an amphitheater.* There will also be community kiosks with 5,000 square feet worth of space available to community partners, kayak rental, among other things...
> 
> ...Built on the former Con Edison North First Street terminal site, the developers will seek a rezoning and make their way through the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). *Walentas said he aims for the project to get approved in the next two years, and that construction should take around five years.* Two Trees recently bought the 3.5-acre site for $150 million.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nolita - 75 Kenmare Street*









































































Field Condition


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*NEW YORK | 611 West 56th Street | 134m | 442ft | 34 fl | T/O*

^^^^



> ​





>


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - Wall Street Tower - 130 Williams Stnancial District - Wall Street Tower - 130 Williams St*

*800ft/244m*

















































































































rbrome on yimby






*View from above*































































https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/12/da...panel-installation-in-financial-district.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 100 Flatbush Avenue*

*Alloy Development Set To Complete NYC’s First All-Electric Tower At 100 Flatbush Avenue In Downtown Brooklyn*



> Alloy Development has unveiled plans to construct what will be one of New York City’s most sustainable mixed-use developments. Located at 100 Flatbush Avenue, *the residential portion of the tower will be 100 percent electric, or fossil fuel independent*, a first for the increasingly carbon-neutral city.
> 
> *Designed by Architecture Research Office*, the two public schools within the lower levels of the tower will be designed to meet Passive House standards, a framework of rigorous architectural guidelines that ensure extremely low energy consumption. These facilities include an elementary school and a new Khalil Gibran International Academy high school.
> 
> The *38-story structure is expected to break ground next spring and will eventually rise 500 feet above ground*. Additional components designed by Alloy include *100,000 square feet of Class A office space and 30,000 square feet of retail. The residential area will yield 256 units*...
> 
> ...*100 Flatbush is expected to be fully completed by 2023 *and will debut as phase one of 80 Flatbush. The second phase includes construction of a 69-story tower that will contain a mix of residential, office, and retail areas. The final phase comprises the rehabilitation of two aging structures at 362 Schermerhorn, the former home of the Khalil Gibran International Academy high school.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Love Bjarke's project in Brooklyn. If only his 2WTC project was as elegant.


----------



## Architecture lover

Josedc said:


> why does it look like a bunch of messed up teeth?


What?


----------



## Architecture lover

Also: This ended up just as the pile of Japanese 70's mess I expected it to be. 
The fact that it is black - it sure gives it a nice Gestapo prison vibe.

At least the Colosseo Quadrato in Rome has a nice travertine facade and some grace into it, probably the last (if any) quantum of Italian sense and sanity of that era made it work somehow. 



streetscapeer said:


> *800ft/244m*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> rbrome on yimby


----------



## spoortje nijverdal

DiogoBaptista said:


> *NEW YORK | Rose Hill Tower | 195m | 639ft | 45 fl | U/C*
> ​


Try to find a tree


----------



## spoortje nijverdal

DiogoBaptista said:


> *NEW YORK | Madison House | 245m | 805ft | 56 fl | T/O*
> ​


Try to find a tree 😥😥


----------



## Architecture lover

I get your point. The city (as every other city) needs more greenery.
For instance if I was in charge all its ultra straight boulevards, avenues would've been lined up with trees from both sides. 
However, it does have its huge Central Park, and now it is approaching winter so that's why the photos are grim. No green leaves, not nearly as much oxygen as in summer. 

It's New York, and despite my criticism, it truly is beautiful. 
Just look at that new Bjarke Ingels Williamsburg project. So graceful. 
And Nolita's - 75 Kenmare Street white facade is lickable, that's how good it looks.

I love this city.


----------



## Cobblepot

^^

https://tree-map.nycgovparks.org


----------



## Manitopiaaa

msquaredb said:


> I never quote a post with photos but this deserves it to be seen twice or the first time by those who scroll to the bottom for new posts.
> 
> This is amazing. I thought the renders were promising but the end product blows my mind.


The beautiful pre-war that used to stand here was even more amazing hno:










All thanks to Trinity Church and the fake greedy "Christians" there who decided to tear down a beautiful skyscraper at the altar of Mammon.


----------



## gravesVpelli

One Wall Street has always been one of my very favorite buildings in the entire city; possible the best and most idealized Art Deco creation New York produced, and consistently under the radar for visitors. The transformation is superb - Oh to have an apartment/condo there and with Whole Foods down below!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - Rose Hill - 30 East 29th Street*

*600ft*




















































































baronsonphoto-20191207-055.jpg by Brian Aronson, on Flickr



*Views from the top*




















Rose Hill views by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


Rose Hill views by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr




Rose Hill Pano by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


Rose Hill Pano by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


Rose Hill Pano by NyConstructionPhoto, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 30 East 31st Street*



> 39-story, 479-foot-tall residential tower is designed by Morris Adjmi Architects







































































https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/01/30...-cladding-reaches-lattice-crown-in-nomad.html


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*LPC Approves Major Restoration Plan For Terminal Warehouse In Chelsea*
















































> SOURCE: https://www.newyorkyimby.com/2020/0...n-plan-for-terminal-warehouse-in-chelsea.html​


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*Morris Adjmi Architects’ The Warehouse Nears Completion At 520 West 20th Street In Chelsea*



























































> SOURCE: https://www.newyorkyimby.com/2020/0...etion-at-520-west-20th-street-in-chelsea.html​





> ​


----------



## DiogoBaptista

*Work Continues On Topped-Out 128 West 23rd Street In Chelsea*



























































> SOURCE: https://www.newyorkyimby.com/2020/0...pped-out-128-west-23rd-street-in-chelsea.html​





> ​


----------



## JohnFlint1985

Manitopiaaa said:


> The beautiful pre-war that used to stand here was even more amazing hno:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All thanks to Trinity Church and the fake greedy "Christians" there who decided to tear down a beautiful skyscraper at the altar of Mammon.


True to that - it was a 1920s art deco brick building, which I extensively photographed, before they started to ruin it....


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - One Clinton - 280 Cadman Plaza*

*36-story
409ft/125m*
















































































































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...otflatironquot-condo-breathtaking-views/40241


----------



## streetscapeer

*Gowanus, Brooklyn - Luna - 229 9th Street*
















































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...ws-terraces-see-custom-made-condos-565k/32501


----------



## Architecture lover

So many great projects. Just beautiful. I love the fact that New York still keeps a round arch love. 
Some examples are great at implementing it, like the one above, and then there are some others of which I was rather loudly not that fond of.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - The Dime - 209 Havemeyer Street*























































































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*South Slope, Brooklyn - 441 Fourth Avenue*



























https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...ding-gives-way-new-tower-441-4th-avenue/28644


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - Ritz Carlton - 1185 Broadway*

*Ritz Carlton Continues To Rise*




> Construction is approaching the final floors of the NoMad Ritz Carlton Hotel. Located at 1185 Broadway at the northern intersection of West 28th Street, the reinforced concrete structure will soon top out at *580 feet tall, yielding 150,000 square feet and 250 guest rooms*. The *40-story skyscraper* is designed by Rafael Vinoly and developed by Marriott, Ritz Carlton Hotels, and Flag Luxury Properties. The interiors are being designed by Yabu Pushelberg.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - Sutton58 - 430 East 58th St*

*844ft (257m) /62 Floors*









https://www.instagram.com/thomasjuulhansen/ 










@nyconstructionphoto











@nyconstructionphoto


















baronson on yimby


----------



## JohnDee

That ritz is pretty uninteresting. Not into it at all. NoMAd is a nice area and needs better.

Like that curvy white tower, gothic fantasy thing, and the arched building is not bad..


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - Gotham East 126th Residential - 146 East 126th St*













































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - Maverick - 215 West 28th Street*

*Construction Tops Out On Maverick*



> Construction has topped out on Maverick, a two-building, *210-foot-tall residential project* at 215 West 28th Street in Chelsea. Located between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue, the *20-story development* is designed by DXA Architects and being developed by HAP Investments, and consists of abutting buildings spanning over 300,000 square feet. The structurally identical reinforced concrete superstructures are addressed as 215-219 West 28th Street and 221-229 West 28th Street....
> 
> ...The development contains 112 rental units and 87 condominiums


----------



## streetscapeer

^^

And the facade work has just started too:




































https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...s-apex-getting-groovy-facade-dxa-studio/17061


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 1241 Broadway*

*22 stories*























































































https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/02/co...podium-setback-at-1245-broadway-in-nomad.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 150 East 78th Street*

*205-foot-tall residential project*































https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/02/co...-east-78th-street-on-the-upper-east-side.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 130 East 82nd Street*

*Exterior Work On Moise Safra Cultural Center Wrapping Up*



> Exterior work is wrapping up on the Moise Safra Cultural Center, a *14-story mixed-use structure* at 130 East 82nd Street on the Upper East Side. Designed by *PBDW Architects*, the building is named after the late Jewish philanthropist Moise Safra and will largely cater to Orthodox Jews of Syrian ancestry.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn Rising*

Today vs 7 years ago (2013)










Tectonic on yimby
aligned by Thomas_Koloski on Yimby






...and 12 years ago:









Tectonic on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - Beckford Tower and House - 301 East 80th St and 301 East 81th Street*









@the_boundaryuk

*Beckford Tower* 438ft (134m) -- 29 floors

































*Beckford House* 215ft (66m) -- 19 floors










































*Stone Façades Progressing On Beckford Tower And House On The Upper East Side*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - Vanderbilt Street Pedestrian Area*

*Midtown tower One Vanderbilt will make Grand Central area a pedestrian haven*



> t’s been six years in the making, and now, One Vanderbilt — East Midtown’s first major ground-up new office tower in more than a half-century — is six months from opening. We got a first look at what’s in store for tenants, visitors and the 750,000 transit riders who pass through Grand Central Terminal every day.
> 
> Traffic-clogged Vanderbilt Avenue between East 42nd and 43rd streets will soon become a pedestrian plaza — a central feature of the $220 million transit and crowd-flow improvement program that SL Green was required to provide in conjunction with its new skyscraper.
> 
> The plaza and other amenities are courtesy of a 2014 deal between SL Green and the city to let the developer put up a tower with twice as much floor area as earlier zoning allowed.
> 
> It was a breakthrough for East Midtown, where office buildings were on average 70 years old. The 2015 Vanderbilt Avenue rezoning requires developers to provide transit and pedestrian upgrades to ease crowding and improve pedestrian flow in and around notoriously congested Grand Central Terminal.
> 
> SL Green must complete all of them before the $3.3 billion, 77-story, 1.7 million-square-foot, 1401-foot-tall cloudbuster can receive a certificate of occupancy this summer. Which may explain why the job is three months ahead of schedule. Office tenants will start moving in this August...
> 
> ...Images shown here for the first time reveal an airy, open walkway on Vanderbilt Avenue’s southern-most block between One Vanderbilt and the landmark terminal. *The 14,000- square-foot plaza features five raised planters anchored by honey locust trees.* Auto traffic moving south on Vanderbilt will be diverted west on 43rd Street.
> 
> *Unlike most other plazas, it has no seats. SL Green and Peter Walker’s PWP Landscape Architecture worked with the city’s Public Design Commission to ensure “optimal pedestrian flow and movement”* — in contrast to the loitering grounds that many other plazas are...


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - Ritz Carlton - 1185 Broadway*



streetscapeer said:


> *Ritz Carlton Continues To Rise*


More From *Field Condition*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Morningside Heights -The Vandewater - 543 West 122nd Street*

Work On Vandewater Nearing Completion At 543 West 122nd Street 



> 33-story, 385-foot-tall residential tower










































































































https://www.instagram.com/p/B73r-WDJc9F/


----------



## hateman

For its height and location it doesn't stick out as poorly as the Rafael Moneo metal radiator cover nearby. He shoulda stuck with masonry like he did in Murcia. 

In the last photo you can see the stirrings of the next tower, in the scaffolding at the lower left of the church tower. That one might stick out poorly. 

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...2-story-condo-tower-morningside-heights/27623


----------



## LeCom

My CityRealty article

*Parlour's array of arches stack up in Park Slope; Now see its model apartments*

By Vitali Ogorodnikov

January 30, 2020

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...-up-park-slope-now-see-model-apartments/40521









https://ds3.cityrealty.com/img/7cdc...r-243-fourth-avenue-brooklyn-ondel-hylton.jpg

New York City offers a staggering variety of apartment buildings that span a century-and-a-half continuum; almost all, however, young and new, posh and shabby alike, offer only one of two kinds of windows - either those of the regular rectangular variety, or the sheer floor-to-ceiling expanse of the en-vouge “glass box” type. By contrast, *Parlour* at 243 Fourth Avenue, a 12-story, 19-unit luxury condo nearing completion in Gowanus, breaks the mold with a facade where every aperture takes the form of an arch.









https://ds1.cityrealty.com/img/ab2b16f91da310cdf54c3f41237b8cc7ca328d2e+736++0+60

The arch is a pervasive theme that manifests beyond the windows. At the facade, some arches are hollow, concealing cozy open-air loggia arcades that overlook the Manhattan skyline. Skyline views are available in most apartments, where each unit spans either a half or a full floor. Units come with white oak floors, rift-sawn oak cabinets, kitchens with honed Breccia Classico counters and islands, and bathrooms outfitted with mirrored cabinetry, marble vanities and bathtub surrounds, and heated Nero Marquina marble floors laid out in a herringbone pattern.

The marketing team calls the building a “modernist reinterpretation of historic Park Slope” that is “an homage to the signature arched bridges in Prospect Park,” but also a likely nod to the arcades in some of the warehouses in the adjacent industrial neighborhood, such as 530 President Street two blocks west. The site describes the method of Adam Rolston, Principal of INC Architecture & Design, as one that “delivers a modernist approach to timeless design,” where “in their purest material forms, the arch and vault command an emotional response.”

Arches and vaults are a driving thee buildings amenities, which include a vaulted lobby, a sunlit fitness center, a children’s “play gym,” and a rooftop terrace with a full outdoor kitchen. Additional storage and bike parking is available for all apartments.









https://ds2.cityrealty.com/img/b05015ee9198cbe3008addebe99a444e9e6fbbbe+1004++0+60









https://ds3.cityrealty.com/img/d31e45c69649e65b3af5cd16a9b9085006e7eed1+1004++0+60









https://ds3.cityrealty.com/img/6f88...2f76+1004++0+60/parlour-243-fourth-avenue.jpg









https://ds4.cityrealty.com/img/dd2e...16e0+1004++0+60/parlour-243-fourth-avenue.jpg









https://ds4.cityrealty.com/img/a270...60fa+1004++0+60/parlour-243-fourth-avenue.jpg

Thanks to its embrace of a typology that dates back to the Romans, textured light brown brick, and nuanced details such as soldier course brick composing every arch, Parlour stands against the backdrop of similarly-sized neighbors, which have sprung up after the neighborhood rezoning in the early 2000’s. Of these, the most architecturally interesting is the recently built condo at 251 First, which sports ODA Architecture’s signature cubist, stacked profile at the avenue-facing corner. A closer local kin to Parlour is LUNA about ten blocks south down Fourth Avenue, which rises in a series of telescoping setbacks toward the avenue and embraces the arch in a playful, dynamic manner.

Across the East River in Manhattan, Adjaye Associates’ 61-story condo under construction at 130 William Street is a dark, brooding, yet immensely characterful tower that also offers an arch for every window and balcony. Further uptown, 180 East 88th Street reserves its arches just for the midsection and the top, yet their immense scale and dramatic parabolic uplift makes for an impactful statement on the Upper East Side skyline.

Back on the Brooklyn side, further positive changes are coming to the still-developing neighborhood. Two days ago, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an order to start the long-awaited cleanup of the nearby Gowanus Canal. A day later, the city unveiled a plan for further upgrades to Brooklyn’s bike network, which involve enhancements at Fourth Avenue.









https://ds1.cityrealty.com/img/5a4ee8552a4314a42cc4d46278febeb32d0de5c4+1004++0+60


Link to full article with more images and info on interiors, pricing, etc.


----------



## Hudson11

*World Trade Center News & Leasing Update*

Will the stars align in 2020 for the completion of the World Trade Center? There are a number of reasons to feel confident about it. 

1 WTC: over 85% leased

*Celonis becomes newest full-floor tenant at One World Trade Center*



> One World Trade Center has snared another full-floor tenant — Celonis, a major software firm that uses AI-enhanced processes to “transform data into insight and action.”
> 
> Celonis is taking the entire 34,328-square-foot 87th floor in the tower owned by the Port Authority and the Durst Organization. The asking rent was $85 per square foot. *The deal brings the super-tall skyscraper to more than 85 percent leased.*
> 
> Celonis is moving its US headquarters from 119 W. 40th St.


3 WTC: Over 75% leased

*Nationally Ranked Law Firm Cozen O'Connor Signs 77,000-Square-Foot Lease at 3 World Trade Center*



> December 5 2019 - Silverstein Properties, one of New York City’s leading real estate development and management companies, today announced that Cozen O’Connor, one of America’s largest law firms, has signed a 15-year, 77,000 square-foot lease at 3 World Trade Center in Downtown Manhattan.
> 
> Currently located in two Manhattan offices, 45 Broadway and 277 Park Avenue, Cozen O’Connor is slated to occupy 3 World Trade Center’s entire 55th floor, and a portion of the 56th floor, when it moves in towards the end of 2020.
> 
> [...]
> 
> *3 World Trade Center, New York City’s fifth-tallest tower and newest office building to open in the World Trade Center campus, is now over 75% leased. *


7 WTC: 100% Fully leased










4 WTC: 98% leased, 2.25M SF / 2.3M SF










Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center: Under Construction









@luxigon

photos from Field Condition





















2 WTC: Coming soon? 0% Leased

*Silverstein may build 2 WTC on spec*



> Given what he described as a strong economy and leasing momentum at nearby towers, the developer’s chairman, Larry Silverstein, said it might be a good time to move ahead with construction on the 80-story, 2.8 million-square-foot tower.
> 
> “I think we’re in an increasingly good spot, in a good position, to do that,” Silverstein told Bloomberg. “For all intents and purposes, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start on Tower 2 because it won’t be finished until about 2022, 2023.”



*2 World Trade Center getting revamped Norman Foster design *



> Larry Silverstein and architect Norman Foster are working on major changes to Foster’s original vision for the still-unbuilt skyscraper, the developer tells The Post.
> 
> [...]
> 
> Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and 21st Century Fox signed a non-binding agreement to be the project’s anchor tenants, but decided in early 2016 not to move there.
> 
> Silverstein hit the pause button after that to concentrate on leasing up the other towers. But now he’s itching to hit the launch button for Tower Two — although not without first filling the rest of Three World Trade Center.
> 
> “The important thing now is to lease up Tower Three,” he says. “I don’t think it’s going to be long to start focusing on Tower Two.”
> 
> Did that mean he wants Tower Three to be fully leased first? “Yes, it’s fair to say that,” he says.


5 WTC: Early stages of planning, Responses to Request for Proposals received

*Warring agencies reach deal to sell final World Trade Center site*



> Two state agencies that had been embroiled in a yearslong impasse over how to develop the last site at the World Trade Center appear to have resolved their differences and are planning to bring the parcel to market.
> 
> [...]
> 
> The parcel, which can accommodate over 1 million square feet of commercial or mixed-use development, could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars and is expected to draw attention from developers interested in raising an office, hotel or apartment spire, or a tower that could include all three uses.
> 
> [...]
> 
> The Port Authority and the LMDC had an agreement to transfer the site over to the Port's control as compensation for another parcel on the World Trade Center site that the Port handed over for a performing arts center now under construction next to 1 World Trade Center. But the two agencies wrangled for years over how the site should be developed. Port Authority executives insisted it be commercially developed; the LMDC's former president, David Emil, who vacated his role at the agency last year, argued that a component of residential space would yield more value. The Port Authority is not allowed to hold residential assets.
> 
> The RFP will allow developers to submit proposals for both. The site is part of a general project plan—a state zoning framework—that prohibits residential development on the site. The general project plan, however, could be altered by the board of the LMDC. The source said the site would likely be sold if it were to become residential. The Port Authority could opt for a ground lease if it's built as a commercial project.


St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church: restarting soon?

*Rebuilding of Church Lost in 9/11 Attacks to Resume*



> The cost estimate of the church just south of the rebuilt trade center's memorial pools has ballooned from $20 million when the design was announced in 2013 to $80 million, of which $40 million remains to be raised, said the Rev. Alex Karloutsos, vicar general of the archdiocese.
> 
> Construction company Skanska U.S.A. halted work on the church in December 2017 when the archdiocese ran out of money to complete the project. The half-finished church has been covered in white tarp since then.
> 
> Karloutsos said archdiocesan officials expect construction to resume by early March.
> 
> "We have a full understanding of the cost and we have a construction manager named," he said. "We're going to be very transparent and accountable."
> 
> [...]
> 
> Officials with the archdiocese have acknowledged financial mismanagement during the tenure of the previous archbishop, Demetrios, who recently retired last year at age 91.
> 
> The new archbishop, Elpidophoros, said last June when he was installed as the first new leader in 20 years for the 1.5-million Greek Orthodox worshipers in the United States that completing the St. Nicholas shrine at the World Trade Center was his top priority.


----------



## LeCom

My CityRealty article

*Landmarks to decide if proposed condo at 171 Calyer is worthy of Greenpoint's Historic District*

By Vitali Ogorodnikov

February 7, 2020

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...worthy-greenpoint039s-historic-district/40961









https://ds4.cityrealty.com/img/ca55...-calyer-street-greenpoint-pksb-architects.jpg
Image credits: PKSB Architects

On February 11th, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will witness the developer’s presentation 171 Calyer Street at the corner of Calyer and Lorimer streets. The point of contention is not the non-historic, single-story supermarket that it replaces, but rather how it relates to the context of the Greenpoint Historic District


----------



## LeCom

My CityRealty article

*100 Pearl Street to sacrifice public arcade for commercial space in litmus test of controversial trend*

By Vitali Ogorodnikov

February 10, 2020

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...l-space-litmus-test-controversial-trend/41101









https://ds2.cityrealty.com/img/23c3...04++0+60/7-hanover-square-s9-architecture.jpg
Credits: S9 Architecture

Urban planning is a tricky discipline where an idea’s outcome is often evident only years after its implementation. A few years ago, the city moved to ostensibly “correct” a perceived decades-old planning concept, yet time will tell whether they’ve stumbled into an even worse blunder by allowing developers to gobble up public space which was once created in exchange for extra buildable footage. The first test may soon come at *7 Hanover Square*, to be rebranded as *100 Pearl Street*, where GFP Real Estate plans to replace open-air public space with an enclosed lobby and food court.

In the 1960s, New York’s new zoning code allowed developers to build public plazas (“Privately Owned Public Spaces,” or POPS) in exchange for extra air rights. As long as the space was cleverly designed, everyone benefited - the builder got extra building footage while the public had more of the outdoors to enjoy amid skyscraper canyons.

“Clever design” has proven to be the crucial caveat among the dozens of POPS that have been built in the years since, which amount to 80 combined acres. Depending on their design, the Municipal Art Society classifies POPS into five categories that range from “destination,” which readily attract visitors, all the way down to “marginal,” which tend to be underperforming and downright dreary. A 2007 report (PDF) revealed that only 16 percent of POPS were considered “destination” spaces while a whopping 41 percent were of “marginal” use.

To work with the Financial District’s small blocks and narrow Colonial-era streets, the city allowed new buildings on and around Water Street to feature covered arcades - open-air spaces with office floors above. Arcades are a cherished traditional typology with millenia-long European roots (Rue de Rivoli in Paris is a fine example). In post-war Downtown, however, many such arcades fell victim to ill-conceived layouts and planning, with foreboding, poorly-lit, barely useful spaces. Of the 23 POPS analyzed along the Water Street corridor, only two ranked as “destination” spaces and four more as “neighborhood,” with the remaining 17 falling into the three lowest categories.









https://ds2.cityrealty.com/img/520e...ic-spaces-pops-water-street-city-new-york.jpg
Privately owned public spaces (POPS) around Water Street. Credit: the City of New York









https://ds1.cityrealty.com/img/7e03...blic-space-7-hanover-square-city-new-york.jpg
Current privately owned public space (blue) at 7 Hanover Square. Credit: the City of New York









https://ds1.cityrealty.com/img/8fd3...+60/7-hanover-square-public-arcade-google.jpg
7 Hanover Square public arcade as seen from Water Street. Credit: Google

In 2016, the de Blasio administration allowed building owners to convert open-air arcades into indoor commercial space, turning a “shadowy, windswept realm into moneymaking retail,” as per a New York Times article. However, the amendment is troubling because instead of incentivizing owners to improve poorly-planned public space, it outright gives it away for private commercial conversion.

The NYT report calls the practice a “double dip” that allows landlords to “receive a benefit from new retail space on top of the revenue they already get from the bonus office space,” and quotes local architect Alice Blank stating that the amendment “violates the deal made with the citizens of New York, when developers got prime additional real estate in exchange for their unqualified promise to preserve this public space.” 6sqft states that “opinion is divided” on the “controversial” amendment, while Curbed minces fewer words, questioning whether the move is a “shameless land grab.”

The project planned at 100 Pearl Street, a 27-story, 846,463-square-foot Postmodern office tower built in 1983 (until recently owned by Milstein, which also owns a large development property nearby at 250 Water Street), would be the first major arcade conversion since the controversial amendment’s passage and may serve as an early litmus test of its viability. Today the public space at 7 Hanover consists of a covered arcade along Water Street and Hanover Square and a cavernous through-block arcade between Water and Pearl streets. Near the end of last year, GFP Real Estate filed applications to replace both the public arcade and passageway with a private lobby and a dining concourse.









https://ds3.cityrealty.com/img/430d...04++0+60/7-hanover-square-s9-architecture.jpg
Image credits: S9 Architecture









https://ds3.cityrealty.com/img/bb64...04++0+60/7-hanover-square-s9-architecture.jpg









https://ds3.cityrealty.com/img/6e26...04++0+60/7-hanover-square-s9-architecture.jpg









https://ds4.cityrealty.com/img/6b52...04++0+60/7-hanover-square-s9-architecture.jpg

On one hand, the plan looks promising. Renderings by S9 Architecture, which did as well a job as could be under the plan scope, show a brooding arcade replaced with an airy, glassed-in lobby, while the dark through-block passage becomes an action-filled food court, a welcome amenity in an increasingly round-the-clock neighborhood. However, the move also shutters an important public walkway that connects the waterfront to the cafe-lined Stone Street district and significantly reduces the size of the public plaza outside the building, even if it adds new seating to the remaining rump plazas.

Another wildcard in play is the type of development that would eventually come to the next-door site at 46 Water Street, which has been shrouded in netting for several years for its impending demolition.

But even if the private shopping mall that replaces the public plaza at 7 Hanover Square proves to be a local favorite, if other building owners follow suit, a sizable chunk of FiDI stands to lose a unique, if imperfect, character of its public realm.

---

Link to full article with more images, including those of the (non-controversial) rooftop addition

---


----------



## FelixMadero

^^ Much better the commercial area.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 185 Broadway*



> Construction is going vertical at 185 Broadway, a *31-story mixed-use buildin*g in the Financial District. Designed by FXCollaborative and developed by SL Green, the *260,000-square-foot development* is located at the southwestern corner of Dey Street and Broadway, directly next to one of the entrances to the Fulton Street subway station.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 220 11th Avenue*

*Moinian breaks ground for Chelsea office tower*



> The Moinian Group has broken ground for the Hudson Arts Building, *a ten-story, 200,000 s/f Class-A office tower* located at 220 11th Avenue.
> 
> The ground-up, state-of-the-art development will offer tenants open, column-free floor plates, ceiling heights up to 17 feet, and 15,250 s/f of outdoor space.
> 
> It will has one of the largest newly-built rooftop spaces in Manhattan, spanning the entire avenue front from West 25th to West 26th Street.
> 
> Positioned as one of the only new construction block-front commercial projects on 11th Avenue, Hudson Arts Building is located at the intersection of the Meatpacking District, the Highline, the Hudson Yards District, and the West Chelsea arts district.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 1230 Madison Avenue*

*1230 Madison Avenue Nears The Halfway Mark*



> Construction is nearing the halfway mark at 1230 Madison Avenue, a *Robert A.M. Stern Architects*-designed residential building on the Upper East Side. The reinforced concrete superstructure is starting to reach the height of its abutting low-rise neighbors and will eventually top out at *208 feet tall. *Located in Carnegie Hill on the same block as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the *20-story project *is being developed by Real Estate Equities Corporation (R.E.E.C.) with SLCE Architects as the architect of record.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 77 Greenwich St*

*503ft*


----------



## streetscapeer

*South Street Seaport - The Tin Building*



> The New York Post reports, by way of a site visit, that the Tin Building is now *being “painstakingly” dismantled by Seaport overlord the Howard Hughes Corporation in order to move it about 33 feet east of its original location.* When the relocation is complete,* the building will play home to a seafood-themed market helmed by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten*, a play on its past as home to the Fulton Fish Market until 2005...
> 
> ...*It will also move the building slightly away from FDR Drive allowing for a less obstructed view of the structure and a more appealing public plaza at its entrance.
> 
> The relocation of the building will be coupled with a renovation by SHoP Architects that will help restore some of its historic characteristics* lost in a 1995 fire; it was further damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012...
> 
> *The updated Tin Building is set to open in 2020*








































































https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/02/in...-ornamental-fixtures-in-seaport-district.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 33 Park Row*

*No. 33 Park Row’s Steel Façade Nears Completion*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 25 Park Row*

*702ft/213m*




















































































































https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/02/25...d-spring-debut-in-the-financial-district.html









JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 9 East 30th Street*



> The freshest development of the bunch readies to rise at 9 East 30th Street, where digging is in progress and foundation work appears imminent. The slender mid-block tower, being developed by Castellan Real Estate Partners and with SWA Architecture PLLC listed as the architect of record, will rise *24 stories and hold 49 unit*s (likely rentals)




















https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/mark...-boom-digging-begins-9-east-30th-street/41201


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - Balton Commons - 265 West 126th Street*

*Work begins on Balton Commons; Middle-income Passive House with tech hub to rise in Central Harlem*



> Proving affordable housing does not mean unattractive, bottom-line construction, a dignified *37-unit middle-income housing development* at 265 West 126th Street is replacing a long-vacant lot in Harlem behind the Apollo Theater. Named Balton Commons, the new building will meet Passive House standards and will host a restaurant and tech incubator in addition to below-market rate apartments.
> 
> The 85-foot wide formerly city-owned site was previously home of Mandela community garden. Through the city's Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) Building Opportunity Initiative, developers Lemor Realty Corporation and Apex Building Group acquired the vacant lot for $1 to build affordable homes and the community-benefitting commercial uses. Lemor Realty states there will be* 4,500 square feet of tech incubator space managed by Silicon Harlem, 1,200 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, and 1,350 square feet of community facility space *in the $19 million project. Silicon Harlem is a non-profit organization that aims to transform Harlem into a technology and innovation hub.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - Sutton58 - 430 East 58th St*

*3 Sutton Place rises 50 stories and gets stately facade*



> A block to the south, luxury condominium Sutton 58 continues its climb to its *eventual 847-foot-tall pinnacle*, which will be adorned with dramatic, one-of-a-kind vertical coffered niches (here’s hoping for some dramatic nighttime illumination to spice up the skyline). The curtain wall has already arrived at the tower’s midsection, where four-story bands of floor-to-ceiling windows are grouped in a grid of light-colored panel strips that soften the tower scale and echo the neighborhood’s brick and stone palette. At the moment, the tower likely stands around 600 feet tall.
> 
> At one point, the tower played a part in a curious “controversy” that exemplifies the one-percenter fight to keep their slice of the city to themselves by excluding the rest by any means necessary. Sutton 58 is an example of street-friendly development that makes effective use of space by stacking its occupants vertically within a small site rather than sprawling outward like a suburban mall. The site occupies around 6,000 square feet, comparable with an average mid-rise pre-war building, as is its tally of *121 units*, a figure unlikely to overwhelm the neighborhood infrastructure. Furthermore, the historicist base makes overt gestures to its pre-war neighbors.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens -- 41-05 29th Street*

*290ft/88m - 24floors*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 150 East 78th Street*

*Timeless residences by Robert A.M. Stern coming to the Upper East Side*


----------



## streetscapeer

*West Village - 127 Leroy St*



> Construction is nearing completion on 127 Leroy Street, a *nine-story residential building* in the West Village. Designed by *BKSK Architects and developed by Shibumi Development*, the* 124-foot-tall* reinforced concrete structure topped out in early 2018 and the glass and stone curtain wall is now substantially complete, with only small portions on the top floors left to be enclosed. The site is bounded by Leroy Street, Washington Street, and Greenwich Street, and was formerly occupied by a one-story warehouse for Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, which has since moved to North Bergen, New Jersey.
> 
> Photos show the symmetrical building, with its stone podium walls topped by a glass-clad upper massing. The lower section features a grid of recessed windows with sharp stone corners. The setback serves as an outdoor terrace.



















































































https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/02/co...eet-nears-completion-in-the-west-village.html


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - 329 Broadway*

*Exterior Work Progresses On 329 Broadway In Williamsburg, Brooklyn*



> Exterior work is moving along on 329 Broadway, a 1*7-story mixed-use building *in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. *Designed by Syndicate Architecture and developed by Parkview Management, the 195-foot-tall* reinforced concrete structure spans 175,000 square feet and will contain *63 units, more than 59,000 square feet of retail area on the first two floors*, and around *24,500 square feet of community facilities* on the third and fourth floors. JLJ Capital recently provided $57 million in financing for the project.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - Domino Sugar Factory Development - 260 Kent Ave*

*Exterior Work Wraps On COOKFOX’s One South First*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenwich Village - 799 Broadway*



> ...Across from James Renwick, Jr.'s magnificent Grace Church, *a new 12-story office building* at 799 Broadway is being developed by Normandy Real Estate Partners and Columbia Property trust. The project architects, *Perkins and Will*, designed a zig-zagging structure with stratified layers, which will both animate the streetscape and reinvigorate the local office market with top-of-the-line Class A space. CityRealty’s recent check-in revealed ongoing excavation at the site...
> 
> ...The 168,645-square-foot structure will feature retail on the ground and sub-grade levels, with offices above...

































































































https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/02/79...eaches-halfway-mark-in-greenwich-village.html


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## droneriot

41-05 29th Street is the third Flatiron I've seen being built since I joined the forum. First the one in Hudson Square, then the one in Brooklyn, now this one.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - Walt Disney HQ - 4 Hudson Square*

*Disney’s New Hudson Square Headquarters Gaining Steam As Excavation Work Begins*



> YIMBY went to check in on the progress of demolition and excavation for Disney’s new *1.2-million-square-foot* headquarters at 137 Varick Street, aka Four Hudson Square, in Lower Manhattan. *Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and developed in partnership with Silverstein Properties*, the *22-story building* is slated to stand *320 feet tall*. Skanska is overseeing the demolition process for the Hudson Square property, which Disney purchased from Trinity Church Real Estate for $650 million.


























































Hudson11 said:


>


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - 661 Driggs*

*First look at 661 Driggs: New mixed-use development planned for the heart of Williamsburg*



> Every time we start to wonder if all Williamsburg’s industrial buildings have been razed to make way for new commercial and residential structures, another pops up to prove that these are still out there, if not for long. Case in point: In summer 2015, an entity known as Brooklyn Rose LLC purchased 661 Driggs Avenue, the one-time office of Puccio Marble, for $2,833,188 ("a ridiculous amount of money," as a tipster told Brownstoner) from the Puccio family. Demolition permits were filed hot on the heels of permits for a new *four-story, six-unit mixed-use development*...
> 
> ...According to floor plans released by developer Brooklyn Boss, the first floor will be home to a residential lobby, a small retail store, and a larger restaurant. Residences will start on the second floor and contain a collection of two-bedroom, two-bath homes with private balconies, averaging 1,347 square feet. *T.F. Cusanelli & Filletti Architects* is listed as the designer of record, but the project does not appear on its website.














*New Construction*


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Village - 80 East 10th Street*

*Recently Completed*



> Construction has wrapped up at Eighty East Tenth, a *10-story residential condo building by Parametric Development Group* ( PDG ) in the East Village. Designed by NAVA, the building facade features floor-to-ceiling windows and bronze toned metal panel with an organic dot pattern of concave and convex impressions.

























































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - Turkish Consulate - 821 First Avenue*





















Baronson on yimby



























https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/01/tu...tion-at-821-first-avenue-in-midtown-east.html











https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 86 Warren St*

*Breaking ground on the Firmdale hotel*



> Firmdale Hotels broke ground yesterday on its hotel planned for 86 Warren, and this is the first look at a rendering. DOB plans on file call for *11 stories at 135 feet*, with 44,000 square feet of hotel and 11,000 of residential and construction should take a little more than two years. (If you want a preview, and even if you don’t, you must watch this amazing film on the construction of the Crosby Street Hotel, made by artist Jean Roman Seyfried using time lapse photography over two years.) Hopefully more TK soon on building amenities and other drawings, but here’s what we know in the meantime.


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Side Access*

*New tunnels and platforms to bring LIRR access to Grand Central*










https://www.amodernli.com/beauty-an...-features-world-class-architectural-finishes/


----------



## Dale

Little by little.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - Woolworth Tower Residences (Conversion)*













































































































*Field Condition*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Kips Bay - Hillrose 28 - 157-161 East 28th*

More Renderings:



> Hillrose28 is a new ground-up contemporary condominium tower located in the historic Rose Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. Upon completion later this year, the building will deliver *43 residences designed by Lemay + Escobar*. Almost half of the homes will have significant outdoor space of over 300 square feet. The top four floors will feature a three bedroom penthouse collection, including a duplex residence. Unit sizes will range from one to three bedrooms. The project is expected to feature a curated collection of best-in-class amenities including a a gym and roof terrace with expansive views of the neighborhood.








































https://www.instagram.com/p/B9cvXTsHhl7/


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 111 Varick St*

*111 Varick Street’s Façade Nears Completion*



> Exterior work is getting close to completion on 111 Varick Street, a topped-out, 27-story residential building in Hudson Square. Located at the northern corner of Varick Street and Broome Street near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, the project is designed by S9 Architecture and developed by Madigan Development with CM & Associates in charge of construction.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 60 Charlton St*

*Office Addition Atop 60 Charlton Street Continues Ascent*



> Work is progressing on the six-story addition atop 60 Charlton Street, formally addressed as 163 Varick Street, in Hudson Square. The steel structure will bring the mixed-use building’s total height to 12 stories and 191 feet tall.* Designed by HOK and co-developed by APF Properties, Kenneth Aschendorf and Berndt Perl with Stuart Milstein of Drake Street Properties*, the commercial property is located at the intersection of Varick Street and Charlton Street, near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - 208 Delancey St*

*Excavation Begins For ODA’s 208 Delancey Street*



> Excavation has begun at 208 Delancey Street, the site of a *119-foot-tall, 11-story residential development *on the Lower East Side. Located near the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge between Pitt Street and Ridge Street, the *80,200-square-foot project is designed by ODA Architecture and developed by New Empire Real Estate Development, with Shiming Tam Architect as the architect of record*. The building will contain 69 condominium units averaging 854 square feet apiece.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, Brooklyn - 18 6th Avenue*

*820 units
511ft*






































Tectonic on yimby


----------



## _Hawk_

*DOUBLE TOWER*

location: 7W54 New York, USA
area: 720 sq.m.
floors: 109 
height: 491 m
status: concept

The building stand on a crossroad 7th Ave and 54th street, New York. This plase in midtown Manhattan is only in 5th blocks from Central park and 7th blocks from Times Squre. Most serrounding buldings are tall. Most of them was build on 1st part of 20th century. Created tower trying to be part of the city, with brick facade on ground element, and more modern top element.


















































































https://www.behance.net/gallery/92533931/DOUBLE-TOWER?tracking_source=search


----------



## LCIII

Good God, no- that’s awful.


----------



## joeyoe121

It's hideous :lol: :lol: that can't be a real proposal surely


----------



## droneriot

You're three weeks early.


----------



## MikeVegas

Wouldn't want to be anywhere near it let alone in it


----------



## Hudson11

*NEW ROCHELLE, NY | 26-28 South Division Street | 2 x 28 floors | 742 Units*

renderings:



















http://101010nr.com/maps/dev.asp?DevProjID=Dev04


----------



## Hudson11

*Mayor Halts ULURP - Projects Requiring Community Review Frozen*

*These projects could be held up by New York’s rezoning freeze*



> Through an executive order, *Mayor Bill de Blasio put all projects that must go through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure on hold.* As of Tuesday, there were 119 active Ulurp applications, of which 45 had officially started the seven month-long process, according to an analysis by The Real Deal.
> 
> Department of City Planning spokesperson Joe Marvilli indicated that owners who filed the remaining 74 Ulurp applications can still work with the city to get their applications ready for public review.


----------



## Hudson11

*CONSTRUCTION WILL CONTINUE - State Governor Exempts Construction from Covid-19 Restrictions*



*Cuomo exempts construction, certain residential services from virus order*



> The state has exempted construction, banks and certain residential services from a new work-from-home mandate.
> 
> Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order, released Wednesday night, that requires businesses to limit their in-office workforce to 50 percent.
> 
> [...]
> 
> Other cities have grappled with the question of whether construction is “essential,” and the answers have varied. Boston shut down its sites on Monday. San Francisco, which issued a shelter-in-place order Monday, included housing construction among its essential businesses. Construction also continued in Las Vegas following an order by the Nevada governor for nonessential businesses to close for 30 days. Sites also remained active in Philadelphia, after the city ordered the closure of non-essential businesses.
> 
> Construction groups urged New York officials to specifically exempt construction from the governor’s order.
> 
> [...]
> 
> During multiple media interviews on Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated that he favors the San Francisco model.
> 
> “So, I think construction has been exempted so far for valid reasons. Whether it is going to be tightened up going forward is a different discussion,” he told NY 1.


----------



## streetscapeer

*RAMSA’s 555 West 22nd Street Tops Out*




> The superstructure of 555 West 22nd Street appears to have topped out near the Chelsea waterfront. Designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects and developed by Related Companies with SLCE Architects as the architect of record, the 26-story condominium building now stands about 300 feet tall. The 250,000-square-foot project is located along Eleventh Avenue between West 22nd Street and West 23rd Street and will yield 141 units, averaging around 2,245 square feet apiece.






























































































































The Cortland: Robert A.M. Stern-designed condo in West Chelsea gears up for sales launch


The Cortland, 555 West 22nd Street, Chelsea : After the knockout success of Tribeca's 70 Vestry Street and the award-winning Lantern House, Related Companies wasted no time erecting The Cortland,




www.cityrealty.com


----------



## RegentHouse

streetscapeer said:


> *Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, Brooklyn - 18 6th Avenue
> 
> 820 units
> 511ft*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tectonic on yimby


The base could have been a nice contrast with the stonework, but the windows ruin the whole thing. "Public streetscape pedestrian experience," SAD!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Park Slope, Brooklyn - Six Garfield - 269 Fourth Ave *



> Recently featured in our guide of new residential developments launching this spring, Six Garfield is located at the union of Park Slope and Gowanus. The new condominium will include a cantilevered penthouse addition over an existing three-story structure situated on the corner of Garfield Place and Fourth Avenue. The collection of 33 residences will come in one to four bedroom layouts with select homes featuring private outdoor space. The amenity collection will include an exercise room, a reading room, a children’s playroom, a landscaped terrace on top of the existing three-story structure, and a roof terrace.











Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - 300 West - 300 West 122nd St*



> Rising on the corner of 122nd Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard in South Harlem, 300 West will bring *170 luxury condominium residences* to the neighborhood. The extensive amenities list is set to include valet parking, a playroom, a fitness center, an indoor pool, a sauna, a party room, a communal terrace on the eighth floor, and a roof terrace. The top floor will feature ten penthouse level residences. The one to four bedroom residences will start around $500,000 upon the sales launch later this spring. *Completion is expected sometime next year.*




















Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 212 West 93rd Street*



> A limited collection of 20 condominium residences is making its way to 212 West 93rd Street on the Upper West Side. The *14-story building, designed by ODA New York*, will replace one of the city’s oldest synagogues and encorporate a brand new synagogue below the residential units. The studio to four bedroom homes will offer a selection of half and full floor opportunities with no more than three homes per floor. Many of the residences will include private outdoor space....











Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City, New Jersey - 351 Marin Boulevard*

38-story tower 4,500-square-foot public plaza.
383 feet




























Oreo_Zchut on yimby









apophenic on yimby









G_Stram on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Dumbo, Brooklyn - Front & York*



































































































































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - 555 West 38th St*

*555 West 38th Street’s Reinforced Concrete Superstructure Begins Ascent*


> Construction is now one floor above street level at 555 West 38th Street, a *570-foot-tall residential skyscraper *in Hudson Yards. Designed by* Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and developed by **Rockrose* with SLCE as the architect of record, the *52-story tower* will yield *598 rental units* and is located directly across Eleventh Avenue from the Jacob K. Javits Center.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City, New Jersey - The Charlotte - 25 Columbus Drive*
_626ft
57 floors_ 












































JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - Columbia University Business School - Manhattanville Campus*































































































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Mott Haven, The Bronx - Tres Puentes - 271 E 138th St*
_11 floors_



> Tres Puentes, part of the South Bronx’s recent revitalization, is a two building* senior housing development recently completed by SGVA*. The project includes 175 apartments for seniors and individuals with special needs spread across two buildings, a *11-story west building and a 8-story east building*. Along with the residential units, the project includes 10,000 square feet of health-oriented commercial and community space. The adjacent Borinquen Court Senior Center has also been expanded for neighborhood residents.



































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 320 West 66th Street*


Sneak peek at the skyscrapers coming to former ABC/Disney lots on the Upper West Side



> Plans for the lots behind 125 West End Avenue, a studio building at 320 West 66th Street and a property known as Lot 61, have not been made clear. A rendering published by ArsLonga shows a pair of glass-clad towers of differing heights rising from the parcel. While unlikely to be the final design, the depicted skyscrapers appear roughly 40 to 60 floors in height and may rival the area's tallest buildings. They include the much-contested 200 Amsterdam Avenue (668'), 3 Lincoln Center (595'), and 220 Riverside Boulevard (542').


----------



## binhai

Lol I almost wish I could live in nyc during this shutdown and have free reign to see all these magnificent new buildings and districts. Just stunning and far beyond any other city in the country. Hopefully I’ll be able to visit sooner rather than later!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 430 East 58th Street*
_62 Floors - 800ft
Residential_





















































































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - 64 Norfolk Street*
_16 floors - 163 feet_

*Rendering Revealed For Broome Street Development On The Lower East Side*



> Permits have been filed for a *16-story mixed-use building at 64 Norfolk Street* on Manhattan’s Lower East Side as part of the* Broome Street Development*, which is compromised of two mixed-use buildings spanning an estimated total of 400,000 square feet. Gotham Organization is listed as the owner behind the applications, and filed permits for 60 Norfolk Street last month.
> 
> The proposed *163-foot-tall development will yield 519,365 square feet*, with 467,170 square feet designated for residential space, 43,653 square feet for community facility space, and 8,542 square feet for commercial space. The building will have 116 low-income senior residences, with an average unit scope of 1,004 square feet. The concrete-based structure will also have a cellar and a public assembly on the ground floor. 64 Norfolk Street will be a cultural heritage center surrounded by the preserved remains of the Beth Hamedrash Hagodol synagogue, which previously occupied the property.
> 
> Details have been released for 60 Norfolk Street, the 30-story mixed-use structure, which will include a 43,653-square-foot flagship headquarters for the Chinese-American Planning Council. In addition, there will be 8,542 square feet of retail and 481 rental units, of which 25 percent set aside for permanent affordability.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 115 East 55th Street*
_18 floors - 185 feet_

*Rendering Revealed For 115 East 55th Street, In Midtown East*


> SLCE Architects has revealed a new rendering for 115 East 55th Street, a *185-foot-tall* residential project underway in Midtown East. Developed by Zeckendorf Development, the *18-story* project will rise directly adjacent to the eastern elevation of Norman Foster’s 425 Park Avenue.


*







*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Gramercy - 359 Second Ave*
_13 floors - 145 feet_ 



> Excavation is underway at 359 Second Avenue in Gramercy, site of a *13-story mixed-use residential building* from* Issac & Stern Architects and **Silverback Development*. Located on the corner of East 21st Street and Second Avenue, the structure will stand *145 feet tall *and yield 97,193 square feet.
> 
> 359 Second Avenue will contain 63,943 square feet of residential space, 27,492 square feet for community facilities, and 5,758 square feet for commercial use. The development will contain 53 residences, most likely condos, with an average scope of 206 square feet. The building will also have a cellar.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - HAP Eight - 215 West 28th Street*
_20 floors - 210 feet_




























































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Kips Bay - 200 East 34th Street*
_31 floors - 388ft
Mixed use/Residential_

*CetraRuddy-Designed 200 East 34th Street Gets Ready To Rise*


> The site of 200 East 34th Street in Kips Bay is cleared and ready for excavation to resume for a 31-story mixed-use building. CetraRuddy Architecture is the designer of the 388-foot-tall project, which is alternately addressed 501 Third Avenue, and revealed renderings last November. Xiaocheng Zhou is listed as the owner on permits, under the COA 200 East 34th LLC. The property is located at the corner of East 34th Street and Third Avenue and is expected to yield a total of 135,094 square feet.


----------



## streetscapeer

*50 Hudson Yards*
_1,011 ft (308m)_ - 2.9 million sqft.
_Office_

















































Source















































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Lower East Side - Essex Crossing - 202 Broome Street*
_14 floors_




























Source


































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - Walt Disney HQ - 4 Hudson Square*
_22 floors - 338 ft
1.2 million sqft_





























































Sidestreet on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Bushwick, Brooklyn - Bushwick Generator - 215 Moore Street*
375,000 sqft office
80,000 sqft expo
16,000 sqft retail_



> Northern Brooklyn job growth increased by as much as 42 percent from 2010 to 2106, yet office construction had hardly kept pace. *Developer Heritage Equity Partners *seems eager to change that: Hot on the heels of 25 Kent, the borough’s first ground up office space in decades, it announced plans for the Bushwick Generator, a new commercial space at 215 Moore Street in the heart of Bushwick.
> 
> Renderings of a design by *HWKN Architecture* show a three-story base with an eye-catching vertical icon on top. No two floor plates within would be exactly alike, and over 375,000 square feet of office space would be targeted at entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies alike. The development would also contain approximately 16,000 square feet of retail space and approximately 80,000 square feet of expo space. Between 249 planned parking spaces, a nearby Citi Bike station, and its close proximity to the Morgan Avenue L train, a line that just resumed regular service, there is no shortage of ways to get there.











































Source


----------



## Troopchina

Fantastic structure. I wish it were on a better location.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenwich Village - NYU Expansion - 181 Mercer St*
_23 floors_

























































@tectonic


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 100 Franklin St*
















































































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 1245 Broadway*
_23 floors - 318ft
200,000 sqft_




































































Source


----------



## WillBuild

streetscapeer said:


> Source


Essex Crossing has gotten tremendous hype for being the anti Hudson Yards. Yet design-wise that irks me to no end.

They are just ugly boxes.

I cannot articulate is well. It is just shoebox upon shoebox, out of scale for the neighborhood (not terrible on its own, I do know where I'm posting), with some gimmicky panels to try to make us forget. That brown turd on the right is the worst offender. But the box in the middle here also no better than the Whole Foods block on Houston & Bowery.

This might be value engineering for a reason.

Have architecture critics conflated social good (relatively high ratio of subsidized housing and market stalls) with design?

Do others here feel the same? And can perhaps put their finger on what exactly is wrong with it better than I can.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards - 601 West 29th Street*
_58 floors - 695ft
931 residential units_



















































Tectonic on Yimby


----------



## binhai

Essex Crossing is awesome and has an awesome food market with a cool underground part. It replaced some dead parking lots. I would have preferred some smaller lots/building footprints but it’s not bad I would say. I also think Hudson yards is good.


----------



## streetscapeer

*South Street Seaport District - 250 Water Street*
_89 floors - 1052ft (321m)
Commercial, Hotel, Residential - 1 million+ sqft_

*Official Renderings Revealed For SOM’s Supertall 250 Water Street*



> In an exclusive reveal, today, YIMBY has the scoop on the official renderings for Howard Hughes‘ planned supertall at 250 Water Street on the edge of the Financial District in the South Street Seaport, designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill. There has been much speculation about whether the full-block development could reach supertall status with the transfer of 700,000 square feet in air rights, which would make it the tallest structure in Lower Manhattan, after One and Three World Trade Center, with diagrams indicating a total height just shy of 1,052 feet.
> 
> According to the plans, 250 Water Street will rise 89 stories with *1,038,950 square feet *divided between commercial, hotel, and residential components. The ground level will have 47,820 square feet of commercial space and the second through fifth floors will have a cumulative 179,370 square feet of commercial space. The hotel will span 156,800 square feet across the seventh through 22nd stories. Residential space takes up 608,630 square feet from the 24th through the 87th floor. Mechanicals will occupy 46,330 square feet on the sixth, 23rd, 88th and 89th floors...
> 
> ...Also of note, is the plan to use a composite timber frame in the superstructure. This would make the tower the tallest partially wood-framed skyscraper on the planet.


----------



## streetscapeer

*South Street Seaport District - New Market Building*
_75,000 sqft
Community Space_

*Renderings Revealed For South Street Seaport’s New Market Building*


> A complete set of renderings have been revealed for the 75,000-square-foot New Market building in Lower Manhattan’s South Street Seaport. The construction is part of a massive undertaking by the Howard Hughes Corporation and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in the South Street Seaport district. The community facility space will sit adjacent to the Pier 17 building and the Tin Building, which is currently being rebuilt and will reopen in early 2021.
> 
> A timeline of construction and completion for the New Market have yet to be announced.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Midtown East - One Vanderbilt*
67 floors - 1401 feet (427m)








_








Ongoing work on One Vanderbilt crown and spire

Source










View attachment 52376

@thearchitecturalexperience









@pappas_sean









Source

Click to enlarge








One Vanderbilt Aerial View by Brady Cloud, on Flickr









One Vanderbilt Aerial View by Brady Cloud, on Flickr

Source









Xacobeo4









Source

















Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 2 Hudson Square -76 Varick Street*
26 floors - 465ft (142m)
450k sqft - education, office

*Renderings Revealed For SHoP Architects-Designed Skyscraper*


> Today, YIMBY has the scoop and exclusive reveal of official renderings for the 450,380-square-foot mixed-use building coming to 2 Hudson Square. Located at the southeast corner of the neighborhood, the lot will soon house *a public school with an office tower above* for boutique finance and tech tenants. The 465-foot-tall, 26-story development is a joint venture between *Taconic Investment Partners** and Nuveen*, after the pair acquired the land in a 99-year lease from Trinity Real Estate, the real estate branch of Trinity Church. *SHoP Architects* is responsible for the design...
> 
> ...Renderings reveal a textural façade of steel and floor-to-ceiling glass. *Mullions of glazed terracotta separate the narrow opaque glass panels all the way up the tower,* which features a couple landscaped terraces on setbacks...
> 
> ...I*n December 2019, Taconic Investment Partners and Nuveen Real Estate secured $408 million in construction financing for 2 Hudson Square.* Construction on 2 Hudson Square is expected to be finished in early 2025.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - 160 East 125th Street*
_9 floors - 120 feet
419,000 sqft - Mixed use (office, community, retail)_



> Permits have been filed for a* nine-story mixed-use building *at 160 East 125th Street in Harlem, Manhattan. Located between Third Avenue and Lexington Avenue, the through lot is steps from the 125th Street subway station at Lexington Avenue, serviced by the 4, 5, and 6 trains. Extell under the 160 East 125th Owner LLC is listed as the owner behind the applications...
> 
> ...The proposed 120-foot-tall development will yield *418,780 square feet*, with 313,499 square feet designated for commercial space and 40,851 square feet for community facility space. The building will have 56,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor. Office space and a community facility will occupy the floors above. The concrete-based structure will also have a cellar but no accessory parking...
> 
> William Rice of Gensler is listed as the architect of record.
> 
> Demolition permits were filed in February of this year for the one-story structure on the site. 160 East 125th Street is expected to be completed by 2023.











Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenpoint, Brooklyn - Greenpoint Landing - 1 Eagle Street and 221 West Street*
_40 and 30 floors
745 units_



















































Tectonic on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*South Street Seaport District - South Street Seaport Museum - John and South Street*
6 floors 
30,000 sqft

*Renderings Revealed For SOM’s South Street Seaport Museum*


> Renderings have been revealed for *a six-story, 30,000-square-foot* building that will house the South Street Seaport Museum. Located at John and South Streets, the new construction is part of a massive undertaking by the Howard Hughes Corporation and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in the South Street Seaport District that also includes 250 Water Street, the completed Pier 17 building, and the 75,000-square-foot New Market Building adjacent to the Tin Building, which is already in progress.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 561 Greenwich Street*
_19 floors
260,000 sqft_



> Demolition has finished at 561 Greenwich Street in Hudson Square, the site of a 19-story commercial building. Designed by COOKFOX Architects, the 260,000-square-foot project will add 199,353 square feet of office space to the booming neighborhood. Hines is serving as development manager and Trinity Church Wall Street is listed as the owner on permits filed last November...












Demo Complete:








Source


----------



## Zaz965




----------



## MikeVegas

No way around it Lower Manhattan and Midtown have both had phenomenal growth mostly in the past 10 years.


----------



## jogiba

Screenshot from Amazon Prime video "Upload".


----------



## tetzlaffalex

jogiba said:


> Screenshot from Amazon Prime video "Upload".
> View attachment 123864


I saw that the other day, it’s been bothering me.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Mott Haven, The Bronx - Bankside - 101 Lincoln Ave and 2401 Third Ave*


*The South Bronx gets a new skyline as Brookfield's 'Bankside' rises; Info site launched*


> Construction started last fall. The first phase at 2401 Third Avenue is expected to open at the end of 2021, and new registration-information site estimates completion for 2022. Given the project’s essential construction designation, that remains a distinct possibility. At that time, Bankside’s seven residential buildings will have over 1,350 units spread among them, 30 percent of which will be affordable. The project will also feature 34,000 square feet of public waterfront space, 15,000 square feet of retail space, 598 parking spaces, and a tech-oriented community center run by Project Destined. It is aiming for LEED certification.
> The news is the latest to come out of the South Bronx waterfront. Last fall, the two-building Deegan Towers development topped out construction around the corner. An earthmover is on site at Bronx Point, which will be the home of 540 new housing units and the Universal Hip Hop Museum. In between the two, an affordable Passive House project at 425 Grand Concourse has been deemed essential construction.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards District - Manhattan West Complex - 2 Manhattan West*
_935ft/285m_

















[/resize]



































@tectonicphoto


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - The Dime - 209 Havemeyer Street*
_23 floors -264ft
Mixed Use_




































































































@tectonicphoto


----------



## sebass123

jogiba said:


> Screenshot from Amazon Prime video "Upload".
> View attachment 123864


What is this about?


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 101 West 14th Street*
_14 floors_








































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 9 Dekalb Avenue *
_1,099 FT (335m) | 73 FLOORS_

*Brooklyn's Next Tallest*




















































@sinievart




















Tectonic on yimby


----------



## towerpower123

^^^ It's about time that that tower is rising!


----------



## Hudson11

City Approves Plans for Chrysler Building Observation Deck


The iconic Chrysler Building will get a new observation deck after the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission approved the plans.




commercialobserver.com







> The LPC gave Abey Rosen’s RFR Realty the go-ahead to install a glass screen on the 61st floor of the landmarked skyscraper at 405 Lexington Avenue — the same level of its iconic gargoyles — to create an observation deck in a unanimous vote during a Tuesday LPC meeting held via Zoom.
> 
> Aside from the glass screens, the plans also include replacing the windows on the 61st and 62nd floors of the 77-story Chrysler Building and the door to access the terrace.


Chrysler Building at Dusk Again by ty law, on Flickr









The Chrysler Building is getting an observation deck


It'll be state of the Art Deco.




nypost.com


----------



## Munwon

No!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenwich Village - 38 West 8th Street*



> Permits have been filed for a seven-story mixed-use development at 38 West 8th Street, one block away from Washington Square Park. The site is off the beaten path for Greenwich Village, and the extant structure is not of noteworthy or particular beauty. Despite this, the odds are high this project will attract undeserved criticism from local rent-gouging homeowners fearful of any increase in neighborhood housing supply. Joseph Straus of the Straus Group is listed as responsible for the development.
> 
> The 74-foot tall structure will yield 43,400 square feet, with 7,250 square feet dedicated to commercial use, 33,900 square feet dedicated to residential use, and 2,250 square feet dedicated to community facility use. 26 apartments will be created, averaging 1,300 square feet apiece, indicating condominiums.



















Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - Rose Hill - 30 East 29th Street*
_41 floors - 639ft_














































@tectonicphoto









@nyconstructionphoto









baronsonphoto-20200222-032.jpg by Brian Aronson, on Flickr

Willbud on SSC
























Willbud on SSC

















@skyalign


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - No. 33 Park Row - 1 Beekman Street*
_25 Floors - 335 feet_











































































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Cobble Hill, Brooklyn - One River Park*
_15 floors_



























































*Foundation Underway







*
Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City, New Jersey - The Charlotte - 25 Columbus Drive*
_57 Floors - 626 feet_

*Construction Passes Halfway Mark On The Charlotte*




































Source

Middle right:








JC_heights on yimby









G_Stram on yimby

















the726 on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 76 Eighth Avenue*
_10 floors - 120 feet
Office Development_


































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper East Side - 200 East 83rd Street*
36 floors - 489 ft (149m)
250,000sqft Residential_





































Tectonic on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*New Rochelle, NY (NYC Suburb) - 14 Lecount Place*
_2 x 27 floors - 323ft (98m)
Mixed use - 500 residential units_



































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 28 & 7 - 322-326 Seventh Avenue*



> Klövern and GDS Development recently broke ground on a new Manhattan boutique office project in Chelsea, called 28 & 7. *Skidmore Owings & Merrill *is the designer of the *12-story, class A office structure*, which is located at 322-326 Seventh Avenue and is one of three properties that the two developers are working together on in New York City. Klövern is aiming to bring a more Scandinavian-inspired approach to the office market with higher sustainability standards and a more “human-scaled” design approach...
> 
> ...The site was purchased in 2018, and the project is expected to be finished in the fourth quarter of 2021.





























Klövern and GDS Development Break Ground on 28 & 7 Office Building, at 322-326 Seventh Avenue, in Chelsea - New York YIMBY










JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*NoMad - 7-9 East 30th Street*
_23 floors - 227ft
Residential_

*







*









JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - Giorgio Armani Flagship Boutique - 752 Madison Avenue*
_12 floors
Mixed Use - Retail, Residential_

*Demolition Permits Filed For 752 Madison Avenue*



> Full demolition permits have been filed for a 25,000-square-foot, four-story structure at 752-760 Madison Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Locate at the corner of East 65th Street, the site is planned to yield a 12-story building that will house the new Giorgio Armani flagship boutique with residential units on the upper floors. SL Green Realty Corp. is listed as the owner behind the applications and partnered with Giorgio Armani Corp. for the future development.











*















*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 141 Willoughby Street*
_24 floors
Mixed Use - retail, office, residential _

*Renderings Reveal High-Rise At 141 Willoughby Street In Downtown Brooklyn*



> In an exclusive reveal, YIMBY is pleased to share new renderings of a 24-story mixed-use tower in Downtown Brooklyn designed by SLCE Architects and Fogarty Finger. Located at 141 Willoughby Street, the building was originally expected to support a mix of ground-floor retail, student housing, office space, and residential units. It was also speculated that the building could climb as high as 44 stories with approximately 310,000 buildable square feet. However, the latest pair of renderings appear to reveal a dedicated commercial tower with office suites positioned above the second floor.


*















*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 260 Gold Street*
_13 floors - 194,000 sqft_

*J Frankl Architects Reveals Façade For 260 Gold Street In Downtown Brooklyn*



> New renderings from J Frankl Architects reveal an updated design for 260 Gold Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Compared to the previous reveal, the building’s facade will now feature an expansive corner glass curtain wall, multiple atria, and additional greens spaces to both facilitate the flow of natural light and to improve the daily experience of occupants.
> 
> Considering the 13-story structure topped out earlier this year, the announcement of a redesign from the project team arrives as a surprise. Those facts aside, the new renderings are an elegant departure from the former opaque massing of the building.
> 
> When complete, the building will comprise 194,000 square feet of residential area. This will include 286 rental units, averaging approximately 689 square feet apiece. Despite the redesign, many of the apartments will still feature outdoor balconies or large private terraces.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenwich Village - Zero Irving - 124 East 14th Street*
_22 floors - 286 ft
254,000 sqft_

Zero Irving: New tech hub near Union Square rises



> Within the city's emerging “Silicon Alley” area, RAL Development Services is building a state-of-the-art, 254,000-square-foot tech hub at 124 East 14th Street between Broadway and Third Avenue. Named Zero Irving, (formerly the Union Square Tech Training Center and 14 @ Irving), the 22-story faciliity is named in honor of its address near historic Irving Place. The P.C. Richard and Son's retail store that previously stood at the site has been demolished, and construction is now five floors up. The project is deemed one of the city's nearly 10,000 essential construction sites and work is ongoing.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - Hunters Point Parcel C - 52-03 & 52-41 Center Blvd*
_56 & 46 floors - 587ft & 475ft
1,200 Apartments, Retail, 22,000 sqft Park, Community Center, Daycare Center_

*TF CORNERSTONE'S RENTAL TOWERS RISE ON HUNTERS POINT SOUTH WATERFRONT IN LIC*



> Manhattan skyline views are an obvious benefit of living in Long Island City, but its own waterfront is going to look a lot more distinctive in the wake of new construction. Among it is a pair of *46- and 56-story towers at Hunters Point Parcel C,* a project helmed by TF Cornerstone that will be the tallest towers along the city's shoreline outside Manhattan. ODA Architecture / SLCE Architects are leading the design of the towers, which are set to accommodate a total of 1,200 apartments. Sixty percent of which will be earmarked as permanently affordable, making it the largest affordable housing project New York City has completed in decades.
> 
> Residential amenities will include a fitness center, recreational terrace, and lounges. The site will also house a new community center, new retail, a daycare center, and a 22,000-square-foot park designed by Matthews Nielsen Landscape Architects. Delivery has been estimated for late 2022, and a recent visit shows that the south tower is nearly topped out.
























































































Baronsonphoto


----------



## streetscapeer

*Boerum Hill, Brooklyn - 561 Pacific Street *
_12 floors_




































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Midtown East - 270 Park Avenue*
70 floors - 1425ft (434m)_











*Demolition of 270 Park Ave Continues *- largest building to be voluntarily demolished to make way for JPMorgan's new superscraper HQ









*@ksmontoya*









bpc on yimby


















Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Kips Bay - 200 East 34th Street*
31 floors - 388ft
Mixed Use - Residential_



















JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - One Boerum Place*
_21 floors - 300ft_




















































Source









@tectonicphoto


----------



## streetscapeer

*Gowanus, Brooklyn - 363 and 365 Bond St*
_12 floors
Residential_ - 700 units

































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 1 Flatbush Ave*
_19 floors
Residential - 138 units_

*















*
Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 9 Dekalb Avenue *
_1,099 FT (335m) | 73 FLOORS
Mixed Use - Residential_

*Brooklyn's Next Tallest*




















































@sinievart


*Mockups*



































Source



Older shot:








*@flashing








*
Tectonic on yimby










posted by DTBKFan on SSP and compiled by TK2000


----------



## RegentHouse

Mansa Musa said:


> Hudson yards already looking more impressive than Lower manhattan!


A megaproject that was a hole in the ground ten years ago is more impressive than an incremental cityscape of skyscrapers, many over 100 years old. Alrighty...


----------



## Mansa Musa

RegentHouse said:


> A megaproject that was a hole in the ground ten years ago is more impressive than an incremental cityscape of skyscrapers, many over 100 years old. Alrighty...


You took a lot of offense for an opinion are you having an ok day mate? 
In my opinion I think Hudson yards looks very appealing to look at, and most of the structures in lower Manhattan are at most 40-50 years old. Very few if any eye catching skyscrapers.


----------



## urbanflight

*These dreamy renderings show what New York would look like without cars*


> These before-and-after images suggest that a traffic-free NYC may be closer than you think.
> 
> Except for occasional spates of speeding and drag-racing, the streets of New York City have been pretty quiet during the pandemic, thanks to a corresponding drop in traffic. And even as people stayed home, Mayor De Blasio closed off 23 miles of NYC streets to automobiles. These developments have led designers and urban planners to start imagining a car-free future for NYC once the current crisis passes.
> 
> In fact, there have been proposals put forth to turn the Brooklyn Bridge into something more akin to the High Line; now, architect Vishaan Chakrabarti and his firm, Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU), has released plans to greatly reduce the number of individually-owned cars entering Manhattan, while refashioning streets to cede space to pedestrians and bikes.
> 
> PAU calls the project “N.Y.C. (Not Your Car),” and it is nothing if not ambitious. Besides restricting private motor vehicles and curbside parking, the program would enlarge sidewalks, replace car lanes with two-way bike paths protected by concrete barriers, increase dedicated bus lanes, create a new greenway along FDR Drive that would connect to the one on the West Side Highway, and dedicate more room on the Manhattan Bridge to ride-shares, buses, pedestrians and bikers.
> 
> Whether or not any of this becomes reality remains an open question, but in the meantime, you can check out how PAU envisions the city with fewer cars in these before and after images.


Photograph: Courtesy PAU:


----------



## Mansa Musa

Hopefully what cities begin to look like at the turn of this century.


----------



## Shenkey

WillBuild said:


> You know that it might have to chop off 20 floors?
> 
> I find it an awkwardly proportioned design. A twenty story building carrying a taller thirty story crown. A way too big hat.
> 
> View attachment 284553
> View attachment 284529
> 
> 
> It makes sense in terms of balconies, no doubt. Just not when looking at it.


They should have made step backs increase with frequency and support even shorter.


----------



## towerpower123

streetscapeer said:


> _*Hudson Yards District - 450 11th Avenue*
> 43 floors - 487ft
> Hotel_
> 
> 
> View attachment 286492
> 
> 
> 
> Source


Oh I cannot wait to see what the facade for this one will look like! This will either be the most amazing and unique looking midrise or a hideous pile, depending on the quality of the glass and the detailing around the popouts. And I hope that is a big glass 5 story high atrium at the base like it looks to be.


----------



## RegentHouse

Mansa Musa said:


> You took a lot of offense for an opinion are you having an ok day mate?
> In my opinion I think Hudson yards looks very appealing to look at, and most of the structures in lower Manhattan are at most 40-50 years old. Very few if any eye catching skyscrapers.


You're free to opine however you please, but it doesn't help that you are dead wrong about "most" structures in Lower Manhattan being fifty years old.



urbanflight said:


> These dreamy renderings show what New York would look like without cars


Maybe if DeBozo spent less time renaming the Manhattan Municipal Building after the worst mayor in the city's history (although he is getting close) and painting words on Fifth Avenue in a SAD attempt to taunt President Trump, it would be the perfect opportunity to plan ahead which streets should be prioritized for "road diets" so it doesn't take as long as Times Square.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - 159 Broadway*
26 floors - 277 feet
Mixed Use - Residential_










































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Downtown Brooklyn - 308 Livingston St*
23 floors
Residential_


































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper East Side - 1230 Madison Avenue*
_20 floors - 208 feet
Residential_




























Posted a month ago:



































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Prospect Heights, Brooklyn -18 Sixth Ave*
_49 floors - 500 feet
Mixed Use - Residential (858 units)_




























































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 11 Hoyt Street*
_57 floors - 620 feet
Residential_




















































Source


----------



## JMS9

streetscapeer said:


> *Downtown Brooklyn - 9 Dekalb Avenue *


My favorite building under construction in America. Love this.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - Lutèce - 249 East 50th Street*
_15 floors - 190 feet
Residential_




































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - H Hotel W39 - 58-60 West 39th Street*
_29 floors - 450 feet
Hotel_


























































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - Pier 55*
















































































Pic by Michael Lee on Flickr









*@hendrik_ath*









*@mikiodo*









*@littleislandnyc*


















*@daniel3batista*

*








@maximusupinnyc









*
*@maximusupinnyc*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Newark International Airport - Terminal One Replacement*
*Future flagship terminal currently under construction*




The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is spending $2.7 billion to revamp Newark Liberty International Airport after years of decay.
A brand-new terminal to replace Terminal A is slated to open in late-2021, offering passengers a "world-class" experience. (33 new gates)























































































































































































































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 75 West Broadway*
_10 floors - 120 floors
55,000 square foot residential project _



























rbrome on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown East - 425 Park Ave*
_41 floors - 860ft/262m
Office_

















[/resize]































































































Source









*@worldinfrastructure*

















the726 on yimby









*@llholdingco*









*@llholdingco*









*@joerodddd*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Kips Bay - Hillrose 28 - 157-161 East 28th*
_21 floors - 191 feet
Residential_





































































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Dumbo, Brooklyn - 167 Plymouth Street*
11 floors 
Commercial_



























Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenwich Village - 76 Eighth Avenue*
_Commercial - 35,000 sqft_


----------



## streetscapeer

*Jersey City, New Jersey - The Charlotte - 25 Columbus Drive*
_57 Floors - 626 feet
Residential_




















the726 on yimby

















@JC_Heights









Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenwich Village - NYU Expansion - 181 Mercer St*
_23 floors
750,000 sqft _

















































More photos from Field Condition











































































Tectonic:


----------



## MarshallKnight

Is there a thread for / has there been any word about the site directly west of 55 HY and north of Phase II?









KPF

It seems like a prime piece of the Hudson Yards puzzle, since it fronts Javits and connects to the North end of the High Line, but I can’t seem to find any info about it.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Tribeca - 315 Broadway*
20 floors
Mixed-Use Residential_

*Renderings Revealed For 20-Story Building And Historic Restoration At 315-317 Broadway*

*















*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards District - 601 West 29th Street*
_58 floors - 695ft
931 residential units_












































































Source









JC_Heights


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 101 West 14th Street*
_14 floors
Mixed Use Residential_












































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Penn Station - New 7th Avenue Entrance*












































NYGuy on ssp


























source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Lower East Side - 61 Rivington Street*
Residential_

























Source


----------



## GeneratorNL

A big "thank you" to anyone who keeps this thread up to date! It's always a pleasure to see what's happening in New York.


----------



## elliot42

MarshallKnight said:


> Is there a thread for / has there been any word about the site directly west of 55 HY and north of Phase II?
> 
> View attachment 515870
> 
> KPF
> 
> 
> --I don't know, but it seems to me that Madison Square Garden ought to be relocated here, and Penn Station rebuilt in it's place. Expensive yes, but everyone wins.
> It seems like a prime piece of the Hudson Yards puzzle, since it fronts Javits and connects to the North end of the High Line, but I can’t seem to find any info about it.


----------



## MarshallKnight

elliot42 said:


> I don't know, but it seems to me that Madison Square Garden ought to be relocated here, and Penn Station rebuilt in it's place. Expensive yes, but everyone wins.


Madison Square Garden currently takes up a site two blocks wide, so I think that plot between Javits and HY Phase II is probably too narrow. My favorite MSG proposal comes from this January NYMag article. As part of Cuomo's Empire Station district, the two blocks to the east of 7th Ave, between 34th and 32nd, could be razed and replaced with a new MSG. 










It's a total win/win. Penn Station gets the lid taken off of it so it can be remade into a world class station, and MSG moves to an even better location -- fronting on Herald Square, with direct access from the 34th Street 1/2/3, the Herald Square B/D/F/M, E, N/Q/R/W and New Jersey PATH stations. Those blocks are currently home to the Hotel Pennsylvanian, which has long been planned for redevelopment; the Manhattan Mall which is seeing a surge of vacancies as large brick-and-mortar retail tenants like JC Penny go bankrupt; and an Old Navy.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Midtown East - One Vanderbilt*
1401 feet (427m)
Mixed Use Office_










Credit: The Dronalist


















@jerometraveller

































































KPF Completes Tallest Office Tower in Midtown Manhattan









*@mattbreitel*

Supertall One Vanderbilt officially opens in Midtown Manhattan

































*@ayindestevens









@jarosbaumbolles









*
@anilljayy









*@the_acphotos*








*@chihoboken*









...









*@captiv_8








*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Paterson, New Jersey - 24-1/2 Houten Street*
Live/Work/Play Mixed Use Development_

*Construction Begins On Mixed-Use Development At 24-1/2 Van Houten Street In Paterson, New Jersey*

*















*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Hudson Yards - 347 West 34th Street*
19 floors_

*Synagogue-Condominium ‘SynaCondo’ Revealed For 347 West 34th Street In Hudson Yards*
*















*


----------



## MikeVegas

Tremendous amount of growth around this site as well.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - Pier 26*
_2.5 acres_













































































































Source 1
Source 2


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Financial District - 74 Trinity Place*
26 floors - 424 feet
Mixed Use Office_

*Trinity Commons On Track For 2021 Opening At 74 Trinity Place In The Financial District*
*































































































*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - 111 Wall Street*

*Developers Seek $860M Finance Package To Renovate 111 Wall Street In Manhattan*

*







































*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 555 West 22nd St*
_26 floors - 300 feet
Residential - 141 units_












































JC_Heights


----------



## elliot42

MarshallKnight said:


> Madison Square Garden currently takes up a site two blocks wide, so I think that plot between Javits and HY Phase II is probably too narrow. My favorite MSG proposal comes from this January NYMag article. As part of Cuomo's Empire Station district, the two blocks to the east of 7th Ave, between 34th and 32nd, could be razed and replaced with a new MSG.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's a total win/win. Penn Station gets the lid taken off of it so it can be remade into a world class station, and MSG moves to an even better location -- fronting on Herald Square, with direct access from the 34th Street 1/2/3, the Herald Square B/D/F/M, E, N/Q/R/W and New Jersey PATH stations. Those blocks are currently home to the Hotel Pennsylvanian, which has long been planned for redevelopment; the Manhattan Mall which is seeing a surge of vacancies as large brick-and-mortar retail tenants like JC Penny go bankrupt; and an Old Navy.


Looks from this angle like the yards are actually bigger than the MSG site. Granted your idea has much better transit access (though I am assuming that with the move of MSG next to the Javits Center, the 'circle line' as I envision it, would also be constructed; I am nothing if not a dreamer).


----------



## elliot42

this is what I am referring to as the Circle line (plus a half dozen other new lines/extensions):


----------



## MarshallKnight

elliot42 said:


> Looks from this angle like the yards are actually bigger than the MSG site. Granted your idea has much better transit access (though I am assuming that with the move of MSG next to the Javits Center, the 'circle line' as I envision it, would also be constructed; I am nothing if not a dreamer).
> 
> View attachment 614561


The available site in Hudson Yards is the blue rectangle below. The red is going to be the site of HY Phase II. Or are you proposing that Related should scrap their plans for all their residential and office towers in order to make way for a new MSG?


----------



## elliot42

I was not aware of their plans . I do think the garden would be better to have the garden relocate there instead of those towers. that's a multi-billion dollar proposition, and I have no illusions as to the likelihood of that happening, but from a density, feasibility, and benefit to the Javits center standpoint, moving the garden is the superior option.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - Rose Hill - 30 East 29th Street*
_41 floors - 639ft
Residential_






































*Rose Hill’s Art Deco Exterior Nears Completion In NoMad*























*@everydayimshuttering*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - West End Collegiate Church - 378 West End Avenue*
18 floors - 234 feet



*Facadectomy and New Building Construction *


























West End Collegiate Church To Create New Residential Presence At 378 West End Avenue, Upper West Side - New York YIMBY





































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

The urban transformation of Jersey City, NJ continues









@jerseyphotographer


----------



## Josedc

amazing


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Hudson Yards District - 555 West 38th Street*
52 floors - 570ft
Residential_


























JC_Heights









*@mchlanglo793
























*








Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Chelsea - The Warehouse - 520 West 20th Street*
7 Floors - 105 feet
Mixed Use - Office_










































































Field Condition

















@selvon.nef


----------



## ThatOneGuy

That little cantilever makes the whole project


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Chelsea - 241 West 28th St*
250K sqft
Residential - 479 units_

*Developers Secure $173M To Construct Rental Development*
*















*


----------



## towerpower123

Across the river in Jersey City's Journal Square neighborhood, will the One Journal Square development finally happen? The site has been empty for 10 years. The current version will have Two 64-story, 710-Foot towers. 
Jersey City Approves Legal Settlement Over Kushner's One Journal Square | Jersey Digs


----------



## WillBuild

540 Sixth Ave seems close to topping out. Rising next to 101 West 14th.








































Somewhat surprisingly, still no renders have been shared as far as I know.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*South Street Seaport District - 250 Water Street*
2 x 470 feet
Mixed Use Residential_

*$1.4B South Street Seaport proposal includes two mixed-use towers with affordable units*


The Howard Hughes Corporation on Thursday unveiled its latest effort to redevelop the South Street Seaport neighborhood. The $1.4 billion proposal includes the construction of* two 470-foot towers* which would contain rentals, condos, and office space on a parking lot at 250 Water Street. Initial plans from the developer called for a single tower that would rise nearly 1,000 feet, but local residents and Community Board 1 opposed it. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the two towers would include *360 units*, with at least 100 apartments set aside for families earning 40 percent of the area median income. It would be the first affordable housing built in the community under the city’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program.
...
*The proposed designs are expected to be heard by Landmarks in December*, with the uniform land use review procedure kicking off next spring. *If approved, construction could begin in 2022.*

*















































*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Jersey City, New Jersey - 1 Journal Square*
2 x 76 floors - 2 x 710 feet
Mixed Use Residential - 3,400 apartments_

*Jersey City Reaches Settlement With Kushner Companies Over 1 Journal Square Residential Complex*


Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop this week announced that all litigation between the city, Kushner Companies, and the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency has concluded. The agreement settles lawsuits brought by Kushner Companies beginning in 2018 regarding construction delays at 1 Journal Square, a forthcoming residential development in Jersey City.

Kushner Companies claimed that the project was unfairly denied tax abatements due to its close relation with President Donald Trump. The developer also sought damages for incurred costs and sluggish progress related to the city’s alleged anti-Trump agenda. The Fulop Administration cited that it has not granted a tax abatement in nearly four years.

*With litigation successfully settled out of court, construction is expected to break ground in 2021.* The development will include a pair of 64-story residential towers positioned above a 12-story podium. Each of the towers will top out at a scaled-back 710 feet, each totaling 1,700 apartments. At the base of the structure, podium levels will comprise a mix of retail space, amenities, and indoor parking.

While updated renderings of the project have not been released, there is no indication that the design team has changed. This includes architect of record Woods Bagot.

*































*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Downtown Brooklyn - One Willoughby Square*
35 floors - 495ft
Class A Office_








































































































































































Field Condition


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Very nice ones on this page


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Prospect Lefferts Garden, Brooklyn - 15 Ocean Ave*
15 floors
Mixed Use Development_


According to Rise Architecture, the development is expected to be completed by 2022, though construction permits have not been filed yet with the Department of Buildings. A commencement date for construction and the developing agent responsible for the property has not been announced.

































Source


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Very 90s looking design


----------



## streetscapeer

ThatOneGuy said:


> Very 90s looking design


I think it looks good, but I can see how it can turn out pretty bad if they don't choose the right materials


----------



## Fabio1976

Major Mixed-Use and Affordable Housing Development 'Liberty Towers' Revealed for St. George, Staten Island - New York YIMBY


A massive mixed-use housing development by Madison Realty Capital may be coming to the St. George neighborhood in Staten Island.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## Bestoftheworld

ThatOneGuy said:


> Very 90s looking design


I don't understand. Why ?


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 60 Charlton St*
_12 floors_
_Office Addition Atop 60 Charlton Street_


----------



## streetscapeer

*New skyline forming in the South Bronx*






























*3 towers at 2401 Third Avenue*
_25, 25, and 17 floors
Mixed Use - 450 Residences_














































































_*4 towers at 101 Lincoln Avenue*
Mixed Use - 900 Residences_


----------



## ZeusUpsistos

> *Rockwell Group completes luxury residents-only leisure club for New York's Waterline Square*
> 
> A sinuous wooden walkway connects different amenities in this private leisure club that architecture and design firm Rockwell Group has created for residents of New York's Waterline Square development.
> 
> The Waterline Club by Rockwell Group links together the trio of skyscrapers that make up Waterline Square, a five-acre residential development located on Manhattan's Upper West Side between West 59th and 61st streets.
> 
> Each of the three buildings was designed by a different architect – Rafael Viñoly, Richard Meier and KPF – and together accommodates 1,132 luxury apartments [...]


----------



## GeneratorNL

That wooden walkway looks stunning!


----------



## towerpower123

That walkway and the ceiling are stunning!!!


----------



## JohnDee

Seems as if the architects of NY need some inspiration. Too many warehouse style buildings that are of cubic form..


----------



## MikeVegas

Love those walkways and ceilings as well. Stunningly beautiful. Reminds me of tree limbs and leaves.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Chelsea - 555 West 22nd St*
26 floors - 300 feet
Residential - 141 units_











































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - Google @ St John's Terminal - 550 Washington Street*
_12 floors - 232ft
1.3 million sqft_


*Google’s Office At 550 Washington Street Nears Topping Out*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - Walt Disney HQ - 4 Hudson Square*
_22 floors - 338 ft
1.2 million sqft_


*Excavation Progressing For Disney’s Headquarters At Four Hudson Square*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Hudson Square - 102 Charlton Street*
21 floors - 210 feet
Residential_

*102 Charlton Street’s Glass Façade Nears Parapet*


----------



## JohnDee

Why are Disney's and Google's offices so conservative?

Ya know, for Disney I would have expected something more playful than a pile of green boxes.. come on.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*East Village - 45 East 7th Street*
7 floors
Mixed Use Residential_









































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - 300 122nd Street*
_13 floors
Mixed Use -Residential/Retail - 170 units_




































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - The Smile - 145 East 126th St*
_11 floors
Mixed Use Residential_









North facade from East 126th Street.
Construction has wrapped up at Blumenfeld Development Group's 11-story rental building at East 126th Street in East Harlem. Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is in charge of the design, which features a 11-story volume fronting East 126th Street and a six-story volume that extends over the center of BDG's existing retail building on the adjacent lot fronting East 125th Street. Along with residential, the development will also house neighborhood non-profit and performing arts group MAMA Foundation for the Arts.
View fullsize
























































































View fullsize








































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Jersey City, NJ - MGM Marin Boulevard - 331 Marin Boulevard*
41 floors
Mixed Use Residential_


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper West Side - 125 West End Ave*
400K sqft_

*Upper West Side’s 125 West End Avenue To Be Redeveloped As Science And Research Facility*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Jersey City, NJ - 351 Marin Boulevard*
38 floors - 383 ft
Mixed Use Residential_

*Curtain Wall Installation Begins At 351 Marin Boulevard*

*
































































*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Jersey City, NJ - 1, 2, and 3 Harborside*
12 floors
400K sqft_

*Harborside 1–3’S Recladding Makes Progress*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Hudson Square - 561 Greenwich Street*
19 floors
260K sqft - Office











































Source_


----------



## streetscapeer

*West Village - 601 Washington Ave*
_9 floors
Residential_






































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Greenpoint, Brooklyn - Gem St*
Mixed Use Manufacturing and Commercial
580K sqft_

*New Acme Smoked Fish factory proposed for mixed-use project in Greenpoint*

*























*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - Pier 55*


























































































Source









@ritasoy


















@littleislandnyc

























baronson on yimby

































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - Greenwich West - 110 Charlton Street*
_30 floors
Residential - 170 units_






















































JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Boerum Hill, Brooklyn - Saint Marks Place - 58 Saint Marks Place*
12 floors
Residential - 100 units_









































 Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper West Side - Waterline Square*
2.6 acres_

*New York City’s newest public park at the Upper West Side’s Waterline Square*

*























































*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Flatiron District - One Madison Tower - 1 Madison Ave*
27 floors
Mixed Use Office - 1.4 million sqft_

*SL Green JV closes on $1.25B loan, starts construction of One Madison tower*


Today, SL Green and its partners announced the start of construction of the 1.4 million-square-foot development that will transform the existing full-block structure into a 27-floor, state-of-the-art office tower during an outdoor ceremony attended by government officials, neighborhood businesses, and the development project team. 

The developers have re-assembled the team that recently delivered One Vanderbilt Avenue to execute the project, including Hines, Kohn Pedersen Fox and AECOM Tishman, to lead the four-year project that is expected to create 3,000 new construction jobs.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

streetscapeer said:


> _*Upper West Side - Waterline Square*
> 2.6 acres_
> 
> *New York City’s newest public park at the Upper West Side’s Waterline Square*
> 
> *
> View attachment 734350
> 
> View attachment 734352
> 
> View attachment 734354
> 
> View attachment 734356
> 
> View attachment 734357
> 
> View attachment 734358
> 
> View attachment 734360
> *


Beautiful geometries, and visual contrast between greenery and glass!


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Greenpoint, Brooklyn - Greenpoint Landing - 221 West Street*
30 & 40 floors
Residential_





























































































Field Condition









@tectonic

















skyalign on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Prospect Park, Brooklyn*

*Prospect Park’s 150-year-old Endale Arch returns with stunning original details after restoration*

























































*







*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Harlem - 145 Central Park North*
13 floors - 132 feet
Residential_



























































































































































































Field Condition


----------



## hateman

That arch is awesome. It looked like a modern design until you see that it's contrasting wood.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

This will be top quality, can't wait to see more of the cladding


----------



## streetscapeer

me too! looks sleek and sexy so far!


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Clinton Hill, Brooklyn - 550 Clinton Ave*
29 floors - 329 feet
Mixed Use Residential_












































Tectonic









*@highburyconcreteinc*


----------



## JohnDee

streetscapeer said:


> _*Clinton Hill, Brooklyn - 550 Clinton Ave*
> 29 floors - 329 feet
> Mixed Use Residential_
> 
> 
> View attachment 768269
> 
> View attachment 768270
> 
> View attachment 768271
> 
> View attachment 768272
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 768252
> 
> Tectonic
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *@highburyconcreteinc*


This type of cladding reminds me of the 1960's. heavy window frames are showing up a lot recently. 🤮


----------



## Manitopiaaa

TM_Germany said:


> It would block many views of Chrysler and make it seem much less signficant. There are many much more suited sites for a next supertall.


It's already obscured. Here's the view of Chrysler from just in front of Grand Central Terminal: Google Maps

The best views remain from this angle (which wont change with Project Commodore): 








Google Maps


Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.




www.google.com





And here (also unchanged):








Google Maps


Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.




www.google.com





And in case you're wondering, most of Chrysler is also obscured from Top of the Rock by the MetLife Building too.

So there's no real "vantage" loss here at all. The worst is probably losing the sight of Chrysler from the new Hudson Yards Observation Deck, but it's so tiny that you can hardly call it a worthwhile trade-off to losing a 1,646' supertall:


__
https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/fqmbld


----------



## AchilleFF

Manitopiaaa said:


> It's already obscured. Here's the view of Chrysler from just in front of Grand Central Terminal: Google Maps
> 
> The best views remain from this angle (which wont change with Project Commodore):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Google Maps
> 
> 
> Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.google.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And here (also unchanged):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Google Maps
> 
> 
> Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.google.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And in case you're wondering, most of Chrysler is also obscured from Top of the Rock by the MetLife Building too.
> 
> So there's no real "vantage" loss here at all. The worst is probably losing the sight of Chrysler from the new Hudson Yards Observation Deck, but it's so tiny that you can hardly call it a worthwhile trade-off to losing a 1,646' supertall:
> 
> 
> __
> https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/fqmbld


one of the best rooftop i seen in my life, congrats USA !


----------



## Ecopolisia

AchilleFF said:


> one of the best rooftop i seen in my life, congrats USA !


If not THE bet so far, and for sure congrats, indeed, NYC, you just doing it again😌😊✌👌👍💪💎🌈


----------



## TM_Germany

That tower is so massive in profile that even if Chrysler is still visible, it would be essentially unnoticable. Even though coming from the East, you'd still see it, it would have been erased from the skyline, as the entire backdrop of Chryslers shape would consist of that tower. I really get the excitement for a new supertall, but NY, please don't sell off your greates advantage out of desperation.


----------



## JohnDee

TM_Germany said:


> That tower is so massive in profile that even if Chrysler is still visible, it would be essentially unnoticable. Even though coming from the East, you'd still see it, it would have been erased from the skyline, as the entire backdrop of Chryslers shape would consist of that tower. I really get the excitement for a new supertall, but NY, please don't sell off your greates advantage out of desperation.


Agreed, but that's NY for you. You just gotta accept it. A city of big business first, history and aesthetics comes later. But don't worry, the tower is not being built yet, you still have hope.

If this were London, the Chrysler would have a protected view corridor probably, LOL!
For example, the Cheesegrater's shape was thus because it was in danger of impacting St. Pauls or the Tower of London, etc. .. Ny doesn't do that. 

I am well aware that the nimbies are powerful in NY when the want to be (see Jane Jacobs, Jackie Kennedy, Amanda Burden, etc). So nothing's set in stone yet. You have some hope left.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Manitopiaaa said:


> It's already obscured. Here's the view of Chrysler from just in front of Grand Central Terminal: Google Maps


I heard there's an older structure hidden behind the mirror facade of the Grand Hyatt. I hope they will one day restore it to its original condition. That discolored glass is really an eyesore.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - 111 Varick St*
_30 floors - 337 feet
Residential_























































































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 101 West 14th Street*
_14 floors
Mixed Use Residential_




































































































Field Condition


----------



## aliali78

big building. more box desing


----------



## JohnDee

ThatOneGuy said:


> I heard there's an older structure hidden behind the mirror facade of the Grand Hyatt. I hope they will one day restore it to its original condition. That discolored glass is really an eyesore.


The Commodore??? That old overrated monstrosity? It's coming down for the new 500m tower.. there is nothing else there. No other old building. And the commodore is not staying, it's doomed to dust with the rest of the hyatt..

and besides

Commodore Hotel, New York City, 1921 - Grand Hyatt New York - Wikipedia

as you can probably see, it's no great shakes.. no loss. Probably has ben stripped to the bone by now anyway.

A lot of these old hotels in NY are overly romanticized. just because it's old, doesn't mean it's gold. those architects who landmark stuff are not fools. These aren't landmarks for nothing.


----------



## JohnDee

LivinAWestLife said:


> IMO, any restriction on height and construction is always a negative, socially and economically.




No , they have their place. Go ask a Parisian, Roman or Prague resident if a lack of/restriction on skyscrapers is a "negative socially".. they would laugh in your face. I would agree.. and Europe keeps them outside the historic cores. Skyscraper would just ruin a good thing there. The average joe isn't a big fan of tall towers, they prefer human-scale cities. Height restrictions often do make sense in order to protect heritage and beauty. There are many places in the world where skyscraper do NOT belong, I don't care what your typical skyscraper zealot says. I also don't buy it hinders economically either in all cases. It depends on the situation.


----------



## QData

edit


----------



## TM_Germany

Wanting skyscrapers in the middle of Paris is like wanting to graffiti all over Mona Lisa. I assume you also don't want skyscrapers in the middle of old Barcelona or right next to Sagrada Familia. 

Skyscrapers have their deserved place but equally there are lots of places where they don't belong.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Is there a design for this 500m replacement?


----------



## streetscapeer

ThatOneGuy said:


> Is there a design for this 500m replacement?


Nope, not yet!


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - One Clinton - 280 Cadman Plaza*
_36-story
409ft/125m_






















































































baronson on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Kips Bay - 368 3rd Ave*
36 floors - 410 feet
Mixed Use Residential_

View attachment 414101

View attachment 414103






































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Turtle Bay - 1009 Second Ave*
19 floors - 210 feet
Residential

























Source_


----------



## streetscapeer

*New Renderings Revealed For Classically-Inspired 19 West 55th Street*

Corcoran has released a new rendering detailing a possible renovation for a nine-story residential building at 19 West 55th Street in Midtown East, Manhattan. Located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, the property’s $58.5 million price tag includes complete plans to transform the façade and interior organization for a multitude of use types.

Details from Corcoran specify flexibility to redevelop the property for a private corporate or institutional headquarters, traditional office space, a consulate, or retain the building as a residential property with ground-floor retail.


----------



## GojiMet86

Andrew Cuomo wants to extend the High Line to the new Moynihan Train Hall:









$60 Million High Line Expansion to Connect Park to Moynihan Train Hall (Published 2021)


Gov. Andrew Cuomo will propose a 1,200-foot elevated pathway that will lead to the new Penn Station development, to be financed by public and private funds.




www.nytimes.com


----------



## streetscapeer

GojiMet86 said:


> Andrew Cuomo wants to extend the High Line to the new Moynihan Train Hall:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> $60 Million High Line Expansion to Connect Park to Moynihan Train Hall (Published 2021)
> 
> 
> Gov. Andrew Cuomo will propose a 1,200-foot elevated pathway that will lead to the new Penn Station development, to be financed by public and private funds.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com


----------



## MarshallKnight

streetscapeer said:


> View attachment 954449


Hell yes! I've been saying this ever since they announced the Manhattan West plan with the elevated plaza. 

I'm less convinced about the northern extension to Pier 76. There's obvious utility to an easy pedestrian connection between Moynihan, Manhattan West, Hudson Yards and the other west side neighborhoods that the High Line serves... I don't see even a fraction of the same value in connecting to some TBD riverside park.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Good pedestrian connections, and many of them, will ensure the success of the High Line.


----------



## WillBuild

Pre pandemic, the high line was already so crowded with slow moving tourists that no sane person would take it to actually get from A to B.

Also, is there a Moynihan station exit planned mid block on 9th Ave? It is just a postal truck exit now. Until that changes, it won't match up with real traffic flow.

In general, walkable cities are walkable at street level. There is a lot that can be improved there (for 60M). Not a huge fan of subsidizing shuffling people through a private developer's pedestrian mall.


----------



## Shenkey

Agree,
High line is not wide enough and has too many benches & greenery to be used as a pedestrian connection


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - Domino Park Factory Redevelopment*
_Mixed Use Office_















































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper West Side - 2505 Broadway*
19 floors - 210 feet
Mixed Use Residential - 44 units_

























JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 2330 Broadway*
_230 feet - 18 floors
Mixed Use residential - 162 residences - Senior Living Facility_





























JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## MarshallKnight

WillBuild said:


> Pre pandemic, the high line was already so crowded with slow moving tourists that no sane person would take it to actually get from A to B.
> 
> Also, is there a Moynihan station exit planned mid block on 9th Ave? It is just a postal truck exit now. Until that changes, it won't match up with real traffic flow.
> 
> In general, walkable cities are walkable at street level. There is a lot that can be improved there (for 60M). Not a huge fan of subsidizing shuffling people through a private developer's pedestrian mall.


Right on all points. I’m not saying it’s going to be a great pathway for commuters. But it could siphon a ton of the aforementioned tourist foot traffic — between Penn (where many tourists arrive in the city), the two malls/megacomplexes of Manhattan West and Hudson Yards, and the rest of the High Line — up off of the street. 

Essentially grade-separating tourist traffic from normal city traffic, so New Yorkers rushing to their jobs on the west side don’t have to fight through a bunch of out-of-towners stopping to smell the roses.


----------



## streetscapeer

Yeah, I don't understand the gripe with this extension of the high line.

Currently the northern end of the High Line empties tourists out onto the Hudson Yards Complex (public square, shopping, dining, etc). This extension isn't really going to Moynihan/Penn station, it will end right at the Manhattan West Complex, a sort of mini-Hudson Yards right across the street consisting of another public square with shopping/dining/entertainment. Also now tourists can go from one square to the next without crossing pedestrian-hostile 10th avenue (right now on either side of the street, both complexes host blank walls on that stretch). So now you have two public/pederstrianized squares and entertainment complexes where tourists can go when coming off the high line. (And Manhattan West is footing some of the cost of this extension as they will reap the benefits of this access to tourist money greatly). To me this is absolutely a good thing and has very little to do with commuters.

I guess it looks better in the media if it's spun as if this were a commuter infrastructure improvement rather than a tourist and commercial amenity, but that is obviously not the case


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - Walt Disney HQ - 4 Hudson Square*
_22 floors - 338 ft
1.2 million sqft_





















































Source

















JC_Heights on yimby









@ny_union_trades


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - Google @ St John's Terminal - 550 Washington Street*
_12 floors - 232ft
1.3 million sqft_




















































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*$100M proposal aims to turn Union Square into NYC’s ‘most accessible’ space*

Open space around Union Square would increase by more than 33 percent under a new proposal to transform the Manhattan neighborhood into New York City’s “most accessible space.” The Union Square Partnership on Tuesday released a plan that expands Union Square Park by about two acres to the edges around the square and connects landscaped plazas with safe, pedestrian-friendly space. Designed in collaboration with Marvel, the proposal is the result of a two-year community out-reach process.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Growing Greenpoint, Brooklyn Waterfront Skyline*



























































Source









Source


----------



## fkus

Any update on Hudson Yards phase 2?


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Clinton Hill, Brooklyn - 550 Clinton Ave*
29 floors - 329 feet
Mixed Use Residential_












































































@tectonicphoto

















@morrisadjmiarchitects


----------



## gravesVpelli

Yes, an original design except it will totally overwhelm the Chrysler in an intimidating fashion due to its height and bulk, which will be a major mistake. Even when viewed from the East River side its bulk will unfortunately desecrate the elegant profile of the latter.


----------



## Troopchina

I love the base. Hopefully one day the Grand Central viaduct becomes a pedestrian zone which would blend perfectly with those stairs seen on the render.


----------



## DNSylvestre

It's a shame that they won't just restore the Grand Hyatt to it's former glory.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Midtown - 660 Fifth Ave*
41 floors - 485 ft
Mixed Use Office Renovation (2022 Completion)_















































































JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## JohnDee

DNSylvestre said:


> It's a shame that they won't just restore the Grand Hyatt to it's former glory.


well, i never rated that building! Good riddance I say, it was a rather ordinary pre-war anyway. Mostly brick facade with little ornament.
.


----------



## JohnDee

Troopchina said:


> I love the base. Hopefully one day the Grand Central viaduct becomes a pedestrian zone which would blend perfectly with those stairs seen on the render.


NY needs a pedestrian zone in an area with shops/bars, etc. SoHo would be a good place to pedestrianize, it has narrow streets that are quiet anway.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - Rose Hill - 30 East 29th Street*
_41 floors - 639ft
Residential_























































































































































Field Condition










Source


----------



## ZeusUpsistos

> *Irregularly stacked cubes form exterior of ODA apartment building in Dumbo*
> 
> Architecture firm ODA has completed a residential building in Brooklyn with a facade formed of irregularly stacked boxes made of concrete and glass.
> 
> Called 98 Front, the condominium building occupies a corner lot in Dumbo, a waterfront neighbourhood that has seen a flurry of new development in recent decades [...]



























































© Aaron Thompson


----------



## Troopchina

Cool building but that concrete base ruins it.


----------



## binhai

Wtf is that base. In what should be a flagship retail corner.


----------



## BoulderGrad

Oof that street frontage...


----------



## streetscapeer

yup! Horrible base!


----------



## Shenkey

so basic


----------



## streetscapeer

A better project in the same neighborhood:



*Dumbo, Brooklyn - Front & York*
_Mixed Use Residential_
















































































Tectonic on yimby

















baronsonphoto


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - Tiffany & Co Headquarters - 610 5th Ave*
_Glass addition and Renovation_



























































































Field Condition


----------



## Ecopolisia

streetscapeer said:


> A better project in the same neighborhood:
> 
> 
> 
> *Dumbo, Brooklyn - Front & York*
> _Mixed Use Residential_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 1072647
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 1072640
> 
> View attachment 1072642
> 
> View attachment 1072643
> 
> View attachment 1072644
> 
> Tectonic on yimby
> 
> View attachment 1072645
> 
> View attachment 1072646
> 
> baronsonphoto


I wouldn't say better. Don't take the mouth for full. Be more keenly observing, thanks. Only the other one's base, and that's only a little part of the base, is kinda of a let down or a drawback, where this one, design wise and facade look wise(remember not the facade quality, then all are equally as good ) is lesser eccentric appealing, non-basic and attractive than the other by a far margin, just saying..... 😌😉✌🌈


----------



## streetscapeer

I respect your opinion, but I big to differ


----------



## Ecopolisia

streetscapeer said:


> I respect your opinion, but I big to differ


OK, and I'm just saying what's genuinely keenly observing realistic about them, overall AND specifically, too. It's alle depends where to see the full form of something and then take specific traits for an realistic estimation (of, in this case, beauty or whatever is better) , yeah.. ✌😅😉


----------



## hateman

They couldn't make the Tiffany addition just a little Art Deco?


----------



## hateman

People who permanently deface something tend to live on in infamy. Let's not forget the Tiffany building's former neighbor:

















The Bonwit Teller Building: How Donald Trump Destroyed an Art Deco Treasure


Donald Trump may occupy the White House, but after a weekend of supporting neo-Nazis and white supremacists, he returned to his real seat of power – Trump Tower. Here in his self-made citadel…




secretsofmanhattan.wordpress.com


----------



## Mike-

What is this construction guys?



IMG_3913 by Vinny Schiano, on Flickr



IMG_3907 by Vinny Schiano, on Flickr


----------



## streetscapeer

Mike- said:


> What is this construction guys?
> 
> 
> IMG_3913 by Vinny Schiano, on Flickr
> 
> 
> IMG_3907 by Vinny Schiano, on Flickr


That's one of the new buildings for the huge Pacific Park/Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn:

































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

maginot said:


> Apologies if already posted, but does anyone know if the New Museum extension by OMA is already under construction?


Haven't seen any updates yet


----------



## JohnDee

The Pacific Park has some of the most banal design I've ever seen. Almost a commie block, it's so plain and bare. A factory from 1889 or something, all that's missing is the smoke stacks and the smoke. Of course the developers are blowing a lot of smoke, and people buy it.


----------



## streetscapeer

Which New York projects do you like Ro... @JohnDee?


----------



## JohnDee

streetscapeer said:


> Which New York projects do you like Ro... @JohnDee?


Be nice, dude.


----------



## streetscapeer

JohnDee said:


> Be nice, dude.


Simple question, no need to answer if you don't want to I guess


----------



## JohnDee

Yeah, I'll answer genuine questions. Not snarky ones. But, for anybody reading this, if you think I hate all the NY projects, you are wrong. You just don't remember when I complimented buildings in the past. However, I have no tolerance for poor, lazy, unimaginative trash buildings like this. Sorry.


----------



## Objective

Yellow Fever said:


> All OT posts are subjects to delete, give me links to the other posts you have mentioned and I will delete them too, thanks! Im busy and don't have time to back read all pages, sorry!


Delete


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper East Side - 150 East 78th Street*
17 floors - 205 feet
Residential_

(@erbse will like)




































































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Midtown - 685 Fifth Avenue*
10 new floors on top of original 20 floors - 385 ft
Office-to-Residential Conversion_

*685 Fifth Avenue’s Residential Addition Begins Ascent*




















































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Greenwich Village - 16 Fifth Avenue*
19 floors - 241 feet
Residential_

*16 Fifth Avenue to go before Landmarks*

*Current:*











*Proposed:*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Tribeca - 15 Laight St*
Mixed Use Office - 115K sqft _






















































































































































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Soho - 11 Greene St*
Residential_

*Construction Wraps On 11 Greene Street In Soho*

*







































*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - American Museum of Natural History - Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation*

_New galleries, state-of-the-art classrooms, a theater, an insectarium, a butterfly vivarium, and a redesigned research library_













































































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 1245 Broadway*
_23 floors - 318ft
Mixed Use Residential - 200,000 sqft_




































































































Field Condition
5BFilms on Yimby


----------



## towerpower123

streetscapeer said:


> _*Soho - 11 Greene St*
> Residential_
> 
> *Construction Wraps On 11 Greene Street In Soho*
> 
> *
> View attachment 1189061
> 
> View attachment 1189062
> 
> View attachment 1189064
> 
> View attachment 1189065
> 
> View attachment 1189066
> *


11 Greene Street is Gene Kaufman's work!!! As in the guy that did all those hideous hotel sticks that break the streetwall everywhere, particularly around the Port Authority Bus Terminal. But he really stepped up his game here!









And I am thrilled to see the Natural History Museum's expansion is actually happening and making significant progress!


----------



## ThatOneGuy

That museum will be quite stunning. Can't wait to see the finished result


----------



## crazyevildude

streetscapeer said:


> _*Greenwich Village - 16 Fifth Avenue*
> 19 floors - 241 feet
> Residential_
> 
> *16 Fifth Avenue to go before Landmarks*
> 
> *Current:*
> View attachment 1189038
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Proposed:*
> View attachment 1189024
> 
> View attachment 1189027
> 
> View attachment 1189028
> 
> View attachment 1189030
> 
> View attachment 1189032
> 
> View attachment 1189043


How nice to see the POS on that block going rather than the nice building next to it. 

New York has some really exceptional stuff going up at all different scales at the moment.


----------



## MikeVegas

The museum reminds me so much like the museum in the original Planet of the Apes movie. But better.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 9 East 30th Street*
_24 floors
Residential_




























JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn - 270 Norstrand Avenue*
14 floors
Residential - 487 units_









Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Greenwich Village - 799 Broadway*
_12 floors
Mixed Use - Office_






















































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper East Side - The Spence School - Spence 412*
Athletic and ecology center_


































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Yards District - Manhattan West Complex - 2 Manhattan West*
_56 floors - 935ft/285m
Office_












































































Source
Source
Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Lower East Side - 55 Suffolk Street*
30 floors - 310 feet
Mixed Use Residential - 488 units_




























Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Harlem - One 45 - West 145th Street*
363 feet
Mixed Use Cultural/Residential (Museum - 866-939 new residential units)_


































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Jersey City, NJ - 2958 Kennedy Blvd *
30 floors - 318 ft
Mixed Use - Hotel/Office/Residential_

*Rendering Released of Proposed 30-Story Journal Square Mixed-Use Tower*









Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Dumbo, Brooklyn - Front & York*
_Mixed Use Residential_

























































































































































































































Field Condition


----------



## PsyLock

So many quality projects in this page.. most especially liked Front and York.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Jersey City, NJ - The Cove - Life Science ‘super cluster’ Development*
Mixed Use - 16 acres total of [Office, lab/tech space (1.4 million sqft)] and [homes, shops, restaurants and parkland (1.6 million sqft)]_


*Partners unveil plan for ‘super-cluster’ science community in Jersey City*

*The campus will be developed in multiple phases and construction of the first two-tower, mixed-use project is expected to commence in 2022. The ground-up development is being designed by Ennead Architects. Nancy J Kelley + Associates is leading marketing and leasing for the property.*

The first phase encompasses two academic/laboratory/teaching facilities and a commercial life science building totaling up to 833,899 s/f of space. The first academic building will include seven floors comprised of a spectrum of life science and teaching uses, including laboratory/office space for companies at all stages of growth, a state-of-the-art digital conference center, a café, and core facilities designed for biomedical engineering, clinical drug discovery and other translational uses. The commercial building will include laboratory and office space, as well as street-level retail. The plan also calls for a publicly accessible 3.5-acre waterfront park linked to the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Midtown East - 141 East 47th Street*
35 Floors -
Mixed Use Residential_




























Source


----------



## Ecopolisia

Doesn't a whole different ((city)), like Jersey city have its own wonderful forum to possess such wonderful building project or mega project as that we seeing above, instead , yet? Just curiously asking, guys?🤔😉


----------



## streetscapeer

Ecopolisia said:


> Doesn't a whole different ((city)), like Jersey city have its own wonderful forum to possess such wonderful building project or mega project as that we seeing above, instead , yet? Just curiously asking, guys?😉


nope it doesn't 


_*Midtown - 495 11th Ave*
57 floors and 56 floors - 680 feet and 653 feet
Mixed Use - 275 residential units totaling 236,699 square feet; 75 supportive housing units collectively measuring 48,655 square feet; a hotel, offices, and retail space adding up to 296,247 square feet_
















Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Midtown - 295 5th Ave*
700k sqft_


*$350M redevelopment of century-old Textile Building reimagines office space with fresh air and greenery*


A 100-year-old property in Midtown South will be reimagined as a modern office building with courtyards and terraces, flexible workspace, and lots of greenery, amenities the owners hope will draw tenants back to in-person work post-pandemic. Tribeca Investment Group, PGIM Real Estate, and Meadows Partners announced this week plans for a $350 million redevelopment of 295 Fifth Avenue, also known as the Textile Building. The owners acquired a 99-year ground lease for the 17-story building in 2019 for $375 million...

*There building will offer 700,000 square feet of available space, which will be marketed by CBRE. The owners expect the building to be ready for tenant construction in the first quarter of 2022 and ready for occupancy in the third quarter.*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Crown Heights, Brooklyn - 1034 and 1042 Atlantic Ave*
17 floors and 9 floors 
Mixed Use Residential/Youth Center_


















































Source


----------



## Ecopolisia

streetscapeer said:


> nope it doesn't
> 
> 
> _*Midtown - 495 11th Ave*
> 57 floors and 56 floors - 680 feet and 653 feet
> Mixed Use - 275 residential units totaling 236,699 square feet; 75 supportive housing units collectively measuring 48,655 square feet; a hotel, offices, and retail space adding up to 296,247 square feet_
> View attachment 1386244
> 
> View attachment 1386249
> 
> Source


Oh,waow,ok..Well, is it about time to have a forum on its own, particularly taken into account of the more and more great projects of JC popping up at recently. 

And, oh - because I'm not able to do so - who would make one, well that's the big question here. Anyways, back on track again, especially if you simply can't - or just won't .I'd accept that, too - answer it..lol..😁😄👍💎


----------



## streetscapeer

Ecopolisia said:


> Oh,waow,ok..Well, is it about time to have a forum on its own, particularly taken into account of the more and more great projects of JC popping up at recently. And, oh - because I'm not able to do so - who would make one, well that's big question here. Anyways, back on track again, especially if you simply can't - or just won't .I'd accept that, too - answer it..lol..😁😄👍💎


I think it's fine having the whole NY metro under one thread, no need to splinter it.


----------



## Ecopolisia

streetscapeer said:


> I think it's fine having the whole NY metro under one thread, no need to splinter it.


..Say what,I didn't know that they were a part of the same metro in the first place .OK,ok..lol..
It seems that cities from whole other states can crossway each other to synthetically make one metro of its own. And, heck yeah it sure shouldn't splinter,like at all, if that's very case,which I didn't know about till now, hmm(is it that's why it's called NY and not NYC for some reason,too?. Probably..)?Well, it kinda gives meaning however to me,now when the promising example of Washington D.C have that dilemma or situation as well..lol..

Anyways, yeah back on track, I suppose now..lol..💎👍😉🙃


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 28 & 7 - 322-326 Seventh Avenue*
_12 floors
Mixed Use Office_




























Klövern and GDS Development Break Ground on 28 & 7 Office Building, at 322-326 Seventh Avenue, in Chelsea - New York YIMBY


















JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## JohnDee

^^This tower seems much more ornamented than other retro towers. IS this a stern? hard to believe the difference if so. I suppose the budget here is just much higher and they can afford to put in the details. If all retro towers were like this I'd be a big proponent of them, but most of the time you find boring bare facades with little to no ornament which makes my blood boil..


----------



## streetscapeer

JohnDee said:


> IS this a stern?


yes its a Stern

*Chelsea - 124 West 16th St and 246 West 16th Street*
_Residential_









































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Lower East Side - 199 Chrystie Street*
14 floors
Residential_
























































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - One Boerum Place*
_22 floors - 300ft
Mixed Use Residential_



































































































*Rooftop Views*
































Field Condition


----------



## spartannl

This is by far the best thread on this entire SSC-forum. Just an opinion of course…


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Tribeca - 65 Franklin Street*
19 floors - 210 ft
Mixed Use Residential (41 residences)_

































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 2330 Broadway*
_230 feet - 18 floors
Mixed Use residential - 162 residences - Senior Living Facility_














































Source


----------



## cuartango

NYC is really booming!!!


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Chelsea - 555 West 22nd St*
26 floors - 300 feet
Residential - 141 units_









































































JC_Heights
source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Aerial Photos Showcase One Wall Street’s Residential Conversion*


*Financial District - One Wall Street*
_654 feet 
Mixed Use Residential - 560 condos_





































View attachment 545447

View attachment 545448




















Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 141 Willoughby Street*
_24 floors
Mixed Use - retail, office, residential _

*















*



















Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - Brooklyn Point - 1 City Point*
_68 floors - 720ft/219m
Mixed Use Residential_


*Brookyln's current tallest -- very soon, future 2nd tallest*







































































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Greenpoint, Brooklyn - Greenpoint Landing - 221 West Street*
30 & 40 floors
Residential_











































































































































































































































































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper West Side - 2505 Broadway*
19 floors - 210 feet
Mixed Use Residential - 44 units_























































Field Condition
Yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Meatpacking District - Pier 55 - Little island*


_*Opens tomorrow*_





























































































































































































Source
Source
@nyclovesnyc
@ginavergel
@ebesdorf


----------



## crazyevildude

The Renders always made it look good but I'm stil really impressed with how Pier 55 turned out, it looks stunning.


----------



## heymikey1981

streetscapeer said:


> *Meatpacking District - Pier 55 - Little island*
> 
> 
> _*Opens tomorrow*_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 1527790
> 
> View attachment 1527793
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> 
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> View attachment 1527829
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> 
> View attachment 1527779
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> View attachment 1527781
> View attachment 1527832
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> View attachment 1527783
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> View attachment 1527784
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> View attachment 1527785
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> View attachment 1527787
> 
> View attachment 1527797
> 
> 
> Source
> Source
> @nyclovesnyc
> @ginavergel
> @ebesdorf


Do you know if this is ticketed like the Vessel? I will be visiting NYC next weekend and looking forward to this.

EDIT: The venue is ticketed. Luckily, thanks to your post, I was able to book the only timeslot available during my entire Memorial Day weekend trip to NYC. Thanks!


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Another gorgeous work by Heatherwick


----------



## streetscapeer

heymikey1981 said:


> Do you know if this is ticketed like the Vessel? I will be visiting NYC next weekend and looking forward to this.
> 
> EDIT: The venue is ticketed. Luckily, thanks to your post, I was able to book the only timeslot available during my entire Memorial Day weekend trip to NYC. Thanks!


I'm happy my post was of some real service, hope you enjoy! I will wait a few weeks till the desire for slots calm down to visit it.


----------



## Hudson11

*DUMBO, Brooklyn | Olympia | 26 floors | 76 units*









Olympia Passes Halfway Mark at 30 Front Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


Construction has passed the halfway mark on Olympia, a 26-story project from Hill West and Fortis Property Group at 30 Front Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Downtown Brooklyn - 625 Fulton Street*
942ft (287m)
Mixed Use -Office/Residential_


































Source


----------



## blackinthecore

LITTLE ISLAND NYC WALK: All You Need To See In JUST 15 MINUTES! | NEW FLOATING PARK






Hey guys, I went over to Little Island on opening day and made this walk-through video. A lot of people are saying it’s hard to tell from photos what it’s really like there and this will show you.

I spliced together the most impressive parts so you could get the general idea in just 15 minutes.


----------



## towerpower123

The Little Island Park is open every day from 6 am to 1 am. Free timed reservations are needed from 12 Noon on through the whole night, no longer ending at 8 PM. Timed Entry Reservations | Little Island @Pier55


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - One Clinton - 280 Cadman Plaza*
_36-story
409ft/125m_



























































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper East Side - The Benson - 1045 Madison Ave*
18 floors - 210 feet
Mixed Use Residential
































_



























colrain
Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*East Side Access

New tunnels and platforms to bring LIRR access to Grand Central*












*Major Construction Completed At East Side Access, Still On Schedule For 2022*

*


































































 https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1398021459436519425*


----------



## streetscapeer

streetscapeer said:


> _*Downtown Brooklyn - 625 Fulton Street*
> 942ft (287m)
> Mixed Use -Office/Residential_
> 
> View attachment 1549289
> 
> View attachment 1549290
> 
> View attachment 1549292


Extra renderings of this project:


__
http://instagr.am/p/CPam1QqriGo/


----------



## JohnDee

A good building at last for Brooklyn. Something with some imagination that doesn't look like it wants to ape 1930.. Too much heavy facade material though. Prefer all glass to heavy window frames and small windows that harken back to brutalist designs.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 470 Columbus Ave*
_Residential_
























































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - Rose Hill - 30 East 29th Street*
_41 floors - 639ft
Residential_






































*Wrapping up*


























































Waymond_Womano
Source
Source
Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Midtown East - 115 East 55th Street*
18 floors - 185 feet
Residential_

View attachment 1297454











Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Gowanus, Brooklyn - 272 4th Avenue*
14 floors
Mixed Use Residential - 130,000-square-foot_


Construction is expected to break ground in the fourth quarter of 2021, with an estimated completion in 2024.









Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 101 West 14th Street*
_14 floors
Mixed Use Residential_


















































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Little Italy - 185 Grand Street*
_Mixed Use Residential - 20 residential units_





















































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library *


The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) is New York’s new central circulating library. Built within the 1914 shell and steel frame of the Mid-Manhattan Library which it replaces, the 16,722 m2 (180,000 sq. ft.) building is topped with a spectacular angular roof and public rooftop amenities to make a new urban icon on Fifth Avenue. 

































































































































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson River tunnel project receives federal green light and $11.6B in funding*
*The massive project is expected to be completed in eight years*




















After a long delay, the construction of a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River just received approval for $11.6 billion in federal funding. The construction of the new rail tunnel under the Hudson River will include new railroad infrastructure in New Jersey and New York that will connect the new rail tunnel to the existing Northeast Corridor and rehabilitate the existing NEC tunnel beneath the Hudson River accessible to both Amtrak and NJ Transit.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Morningside Heights - 100 Claremont St*
41 floors - 471 feet
Residential_ 





































































Source
Source
Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Gowanus, Brooklyn*
8,500 new housing units_

*New Renderings Reveal Gowanus Canal Waterfront Redevelopment*









*



































*


----------



## JohnDee

It’s about time Nyc started using its canals as a destination, a wasted asset thus far. 
now they need to turn the docks and industrial lands into new devs.


----------



## Shanghainese

How much Canals has New York ?


----------



## GandyNewWorld

Shanghainese said:


> How much Canals has New York ?


Erie Canal. Thru upstate New York is one canal NY has.


----------



## storms991

Shanghainese said:


> How much Canals has New York ?


at least in new york city proper, the major ones are the gowanus canal & newtown creek


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper East Side - 1228 Madison Ave*
20 floors
Residential_























































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Harlem - Columbia University Business School - Manhattanville Campus*
_450,000 square feet of classrooms, faculty offices, and lounge areas_



























































*The Henry R. Kravis Building*
































































































































































































*The Perelman Center for Business Innovation*


































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper East Side - 150 East 78th Street*
17 floors - 205 feet
Residential_
























































Source[/QUOTE]


----------



## streetscapeer

None of this is Manhattan









Source


----------



## Ecopolisia

Yeah,and, that's so WILD and unprecedented at the same time to even think of in the first place^^
So,good for you, the still capital of the world, NYC, particularly for its other non-Manhattan boroughs. What a relief and refreshing to witness that the others get the full attention they always needed. So, damn nice💪✌🤘😉👌👍💎🌈


----------



## hkskyline

streetscapeer said:


> *Nomad - AC Hotel - 842 Sixth Ave
> 
> World's Tallest Modular Hotel Coming to 842 Sixth Avenue in NoMad*


Is this the one?









A Supertall Modular Hotel Is Going Up in Manhattan, if the Rooms Ever Leave Brooklyn


The world’s tallest modular construction hotel was created to rise 26 stories over Manhattan. Instead, more than 100 premade hotel rooms have spent months marooned on a dock in Brooklyn.




www.wsj.com


----------



## streetscapeer

hkskyline said:


> Is this the one?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A Supertall Modular Hotel Is Going Up in Manhattan, if the Rooms Ever Leave Brooklyn
> 
> 
> The world’s tallest modular construction hotel was created to rise 26 stories over Manhattan. Instead, more than 100 premade hotel rooms have spent months marooned on a dock in Brooklyn.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.wsj.com


The article is behind a paywall, so not sure.


----------



## streetscapeer

Another slender supertall proposed for Billionaire's Row

*Another slender supertall proposed for Billionaire's Row*
*Turkish developer Sedesco is seeking a zoning authorization to construct a 1,100-foot mixed-use tower designed by OMA*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Midtown East - 141 East 47th Street*
35 Floors -
Mixed Use Residential_



























colrain


----------



## streetscapeer

_Chelsea - 76 9th Ave_

*Google’s first retail store opened last week in Chelsea*









*















































*


----------



## JohnDee

streetscapeer said:


> Another slender supertall proposed for Billionaire's Row
> 
> *Another slender supertall proposed for Billionaire's Row*
> *Turkish developer Sedesco is seeking a zoning authorization to construct a 1,100-foot mixed-use tower designed by OMA*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 1662495


this slanting tower is rather interesting. Build it.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Nomad - 1245 Broadway*
_23 floors - 318ft
Mixed Use Residential - 200,000 sqft_
































































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Downtown Brooklyn - 200 Montague Street*
20 floors - 255 feet
Residential_



























*Previously



















*
Source


----------



## gravesVpelli

Love the way RAMSA continues to design what I can only describe as New York 'pre-war' heritage styles, with so much attention to detail, craft stone and brick and extraordinary crowns. They look as if they have always belonged in Manhattan. No other city manages this - perhaps due to one's assumption that they are pastiche, uncontemporary and somewhat twee? Stern has to be my favourite of architects and only in NYC does one see these designs drawn from the past.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Morningside Heights - 100 Claremont St*
41 floors - 471 feet
Residential_





















































Skyalign on yimby









colrain on yimby

















*@flownbynik*


----------



## droneriot

It's funny, I really loved seeing the Vandewater rise in that otherwise lowrise area, and then this one came along being even taller, it's gonna be a little skyline of its own. Makes me wonder if this is the last of it or if there's any other project in the area.


----------



## hateman

One more skyscraper in that area by Renzo Piano:


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 28 & 7 - 322-326 Seventh Avenue*
_12 floors
Mixed Use Office_













































Source


----------



## ThatOneGuy

I wish this one was taller. The cladding is so nice.


----------



## gravesVpelli

Simple, smart, like a bespoke suit. A building doesn't need to be fancy to be elegant. SOM conquers again.


----------



## PsyLock

Terracota is something I don't mind seeing more of in NYC


----------



## JohnDee

gravesVpelli said:


> Simple, smart, like a bespoke suit. A building doesn't need to be fancy to be elegant. SOM conquers again.


It's typical NY style.. that's why it's a bore.. NY needs to increase its appetite for adventurous style and buildings that look more like Milan or Paris rather than another snoozy reinvention of an industrial warehouse from days gone by. Fancy is what NY needs more of.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper West Side - 212 West 93rd Street*
14 floors
Mixed Use Residential_




















































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper West Side - Era - 251 West 91st Street *_
_19 floors_
_Mixed Use Residential - 57 units _






















































































Source


----------



## MikeVegas

Can't believe this thread was half way down on the 2nd page. NYC for Christ's sake. Nothing posted for 10 days. I guess it fell off the map.


----------



## droneriot

Well the past year has been a bit on autopilot due to external circumstances, and since Hudson Yards phase 1 is mostly done there's not much in terms of really spectacular projects aside from 9 Dekalb. I think activity will increase a lot when the new Midtown East supertalls really get going and work on HY phase 2 begins. There's a lot of other stuff I'm waiting for, like that near supertall close to 9 Dekalb, a whole bunch of proposed towers on the Williamsburg waterfront, 247 Cherry Street, that highrise in New Rochelle. Not much hope for amazing projects in Downtown at the moment, there's already a whole bunch of stalled ones.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Lower East Side - 167 Chrystie Street*
16 floors - 170 feet
Mixed Use Residential_

























































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Flatiron District - One Madison Tower - 1 Madison Ave*
27 floors
Mixed Use Office - 1.4 million sqft_





























































































@onemadisontower


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Downtown Brooklyn - 100 Flatbush ave (Phase I)*
482 feet
Mixed Use Residential - 440 units - 30k sqft retail_

*New Renderings Released For The Alloy Block At 100 Flatbush Avenue*

*



























































































*


DTBKFan


----------



## ZeusUpsistos

> *ODA Designs New York's Largest Residential Cantilever in Manhattan*
> 
> ODA New York have released images of their newest project "Era", Manhattan's largest residential cantilever building. Located in the Upper West Side, the 20-storey condo features a striking 50-foot cantilever structure and the neighborhood's only rooftop pool. The project’s unique cantilever design allows for more expansive views as it ascends, wide common spaces, grand residences, and a rooftop recreational space [...]


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper East Side - 1165 Madison Ave.*
13 floors - 210 ft
Mixed Use Residential - 62,700-square-foot













































Source_


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Morningside Heights - 100 Claremont St*
41 floors - 471 feet
Residential_




































































































Source









teacherscollege


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Long Island City, Queens -- 41-05 29th Street*
290ft/88m - 24floors
Mixed Use Residential









































Source_


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Greenpoint, Brooklyn - Greenpoint Landing - 221 West Street*
30 & 40 floors
Residential_








































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_
*Chelsea - Terminal Warehouse Complex - between 11th and 12th Avenues and 27th to 28th Street*
1.2million sqft_



*$1.25B Financing Package Secured To Complete Terminal Warehouse Redevelopment In Chelsea, Manhattan*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Hudson Square - 561 Greenwich Street*
19 floors
260K sqft - Office_



















































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Jersey City, NJ -- 26-28 Van Reipen Avenue & 26 Cottage Street*
27 floors & 27 floors
Residential_


*See the tall residential towers coming to Jersey City’s low-rise Journal Square*


_*26 Cottage Street










26-28 Van Reipen Avenue







*_


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Noho - 40 Bleecker Street*
Residential_


*Complete*

































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - One Clinton - 280 Cadman Plaza*
_36-story
409ft/125m_

























































Source









@onclintonbk









@onclintonbk


----------



## hateman

That tower is a good illustration of why the Chicago School idea of tripartite skyscraper design worked. This facade is too monotonous, too undifferentiated, too repetitive, with nothing for the eyes to grasp.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Hudson Yards District - 450 11th Avenue*
51 floors - 642ft
Hotel_




















































Source









marion.miner


----------



## Fenix1981




----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - West End Collegiate Church - 378 West End Avenue*
_18 floors - 234 feet
Mixed Use Residential_

*Facadectomy and New Building Construction*












































West End Collegiate Church To Create New Residential Presence At 378 West End Avenue, Upper West Side - New York YIMBY














Source


----------



## Troopchina

The Lantern and how it interacts with the Highline is just fantastic


----------



## MarciuSky2

*840 ATLANTIC AVENUE
City Council Approves 18-Story Mixed-Use Building At 840 Atlantic Avenue In Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.*

*

















City Council Approves 18-Story Mixed-Use Building at 840 Atlantic Avenue in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


The New York City Council has approved proposals to construct a new 18-story mixed-use building at 840 Atlantic Avenue in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## droneriot

And on the opposite side of the street there will be a prozac vending machine for the people walking by.


----------



## MarciuSky2

*260 Gold Street Completes Construction In Downtown Brooklyn.








*























































More information and Pictures here : 260 Gold Street Completes Construction in Downtown Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Developers Reveal Large-Scale Public Art Installation In Downtown Jersey City.








*









Developers Reveal Large-Scale Public Art Installation in Downtown Jersey City - New York YIMBY


Downtown Jersey City will soon be home to a massive outdoor sculpture commissioned by Le Frak and Simon titled “Water’s Soul.”



newyorkyimby.com













80-foot tall sculpture "Water's Soul" debuts on Jersey City pier - Jersey City Upfront


Newport sculpture Water's Soul recently made its debut in Jersey City. For Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, it's his tallest work of art to date.




www.google.com


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 9 Dekalb Avenue *
_1,099 FT (335m) | 73 FLOORS
Mixed Use - Residential_

*Brooklyn's New Tallest*












































View attachment 1865375









@sinievart











Source









Michael Young via NYY

































Source



__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1437866525864697858




































Brian Aronson

















@skyler_qf









NYMAN2010









@frophoto


----------



## MarciuSky2

Two Bridges Associates Files Permits for 71-Story Skyscraper at 265 South Street on the Lower East Side - New York YIMBY


Permits have been filed for a 71-story mixed-use skyscraper with affordable Housing at 265 South Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## redcode

RIU Plaza Hotel Nears Completion at 145 West 47th Street in Times Square, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Work is nearing completion on the RIU Plaza Hotel, a 630-room project from Berg + Moss and Tribeach Holdings at 145 West 47th Street in Times Square.



www.newyorkyimby.com






> Work is nearing completion on the RIU Plaza Hotel, a 48-story tower at 145 West 47th Street in Times Square. Designed by Berg + Moss Architects and developed by Tribeach Holdings, the 353,000-square-foot reinforced concrete edifice stands between Sixth and Seventh Avenues and will soon open its 630 rooms to guests. Transom Builders Group is the general contractor for the building.
> 
> Since our last update in April, the remainder of façade work has all but concluded on the tower and podium, which now bears a large advertisement for the property. The main area awaiting completion is the ground floor, which is in the process of wrapping up.


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Developers Secure $65.9M For 165-Unit Building At 26-25 Fourth Street In Astoria, Queens.



















Developers Secure $65.9M for 165-Unit Building at 26-25 Fourth Street in Astoria, Queens - New York YIMBY


SCALE Lending recently provided $65.9 million in financing to complete a new 19-story building at 26-25 Fourth Street in Astoria, Queens.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Hopson Development Holdings, Silverback submit $320M Midtown East condo plan.*









Hopson Development Holdings, Silverback Submit $320M Condo Plan


Plans for 131-141 East 47th Street include 35-story building with 191 condo units and one commercial unit.




therealdeal.com


----------



## droneriot

The RIU Plaza update should have shown a bit more of the Doom Patrol ad. Maybe next time.


----------



## MarciuSky2

*270 Park Avenue’s First Office Levels Begin Formation In Midtown East, Manhattan.








*









270 Park Avenue's First Office Levels Begin Formation in Midtown East, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Construction is rising on JP Morgan Chase‘s new 1,425-foot supertall headquarters at 270 Park Avenue in Midtown East, Manhattan.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Curtain Wall Installation Progresses On 125 West End Avenue On Manhattan’s Upper West Side.








*









Curtain Wall Installation Progresses on 125 West End Avenue on Manhattan's Upper West Side - New York YIMBY


Construction continues at 125 West End Avenue on the Upper West Side, converting the eight-story building into a life sciences and research laboratory.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Total downgrade from its original Art Deco design. Why is it so hard for developers to leave heritage assets alone? Like, I thought we were past this…


----------



## Ecopolisia

ThatOneGuy said:


> Total downgrade from its original Art Deco design. Why is it so hard for developers to leave heritage assets alone? Like, I thought we were past this…


I would rather conclude for saying,also taken into acount for the ((almost)) pure glass building, that it's in fact a slightest of a downgrade we got ourselves,instead,though..tbh..I was kinda neat at the top with the Art-deco grooves atop,but that's about it,I suppose..Tbh again,I have witnessed way way more daring, opaque and extraordinary art deco and neo-gothic facades turn to "dust" after a total renovation,lookwise..I'm just saying..lol..🤷‍♂️😅🙃👍🌈💎


----------



## ZeusUpsistos

Gensler unveils redesigned lobby in Philip Johnson's AT&T building


New York studio Gensler has completed a redesign of the lobby inside the postmodernist AT&T building in Midtown Manhattan that aims to pay homage to the existing structure.




www.dezeen.com




















































© James Ewing


----------



## MarciuSky2

*7 DEY NYC 

















*





















https://7deynyc.com/


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Lower East Side - 232 East Broadway*
26 floors 
Residential_


























































Source


----------



## MarciuSky2

*New Renderings Revealed For The Cortland At 555 West 22nd Street In West Chelsea, Manhattan.


















New Renderings Revealed for The Cortland at 555 West 22nd Street in West Chelsea, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Related Companies released new renderings of The Cortland, Robert A. M. Stern's 26-story 144-unit development at 555 West 22nd Street in West Chelsea.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## redcode

Gotham Point











 

 











Gotham Point's 57-Story 'Parcel F' Tops Out in Hunters Point South, Queens - New York YIMBY


Construction has topped out on Parcel F, a 57-story skyscraper from Handel Architects and Gotham Organization in Hunters Point South, Queens.



www.newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*227 West Street’s Façade Reaches Both Pinnacles In Greenpoint, Brooklyn.



























227 West Street's Façade Reaches Both Pinnacles in Greenpoint, Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


Façade work is progressing on 227 West Street, a two-tower development form OMA, Beyer Blinder Bell, Brookfield, and Park Tower Group in Greenpoint.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*55 Suffolk Street’s Superstructure Rises Above Street Level On Manhattan’s Lower East Side.



























55 Suffolk Street's Superstructure Rises Above Street Level on Manhattan's Lower East Side - New York YIMBY


Work is progressing on 55 Suffolk and 64 Norfolk Street, a mixed-use development from Dattner Architects and Gotham Organization on the Lower East Side.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Hoboken Zoning Board Approves Mixed-Use Development At 50 Harrison Street In Hoboken, New Jersey.


















Hoboken Zoning Board Approves Mixed-Use Development at 50 Harrison Street in Hoboken, New Jersey - New York YIMBY


The Hoboken Zoning Board of Adjustment has approved The Boundary, a 500,000-square-foot mixed-use development at 50 Harrison Street in New Jersey.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Affordable Housing Lottery Launches For 1510 Gates Avenue In Bushwick, Brooklyn.


















Affordable Housing Lottery Launches for 1510 Gates Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


The affordable housing lottery has launched for 1510 Gates Avenue, an 11-story residential building in Bushwick, Brooklyn.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## BoulderGrad

MarciuSky2 said:


> *227 West Street’s Façade Reaches Both Pinnacles In Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
> 
> View attachment 2168854
> 
> 
> View attachment 2168856
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 227 West Street's Façade Reaches Both Pinnacles in Greenpoint, Brooklyn - New York YIMBY
> 
> 
> Façade work is progressing on 227 West Street, a two-tower development form OMA, Beyer Blinder Bell, Brookfield, and Park Tower Group in Greenpoint.
> 
> 
> 
> newyorkyimby.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *


Am I the only one who's not a fan of the overhang buildings? I feel like it's human nature to enjoy more sturdy looking structures. The cantilever buildings and pencil thin supertalls make my skin crawl sometimes.


----------



## SOG

Is there any map on this forum or skyscraperpage with all tha nyc projects- the important ones- just like the zeusupsistos Paris one or the Downtown LA in skyscraperpage please?


----------



## ThatOneGuy

BoulderGrad said:


> Am I the only one who's not a fan of the overhang buildings? I feel like it's human nature to enjoy more sturdy looking structures. The cantilever buildings and pencil thin supertalls make my skin crawl sometimes.


I like cantilevered architecture, guess I'm not a part of "human nature"


----------



## redcode

Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center's Marble Façade Begins Installation in Financial District, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


The first marble panels for REX and Davis Brody Bond's Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center are being installed at the World Trade Center.



www.newyorkyimby.com





*Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center*


----------



## droneriot

I feel like despite the extreme simplicity of this design (or maybe because of it) this is going to end up looking absolutely incredible. And that right next to the mirror pools and the Calatrava oculus, what a combo.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Midtown - 295 Fifth Avenue*
16 floors
700,000 square feet of updated office space._


*Textile Building’s Addition And Gut Renovation Progresses*

*


















































































































































































*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Midtown - H Hotel W39 - 58-60 West 39th Street*
_29 floors - 450 feet
Hotel_

































































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - 28 & 7 - 322-326 Seventh Avenue*
_12 floors
Mixed Use Office_














































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Hell's Kitchen - 550 Tenth Ave*
45 floors - 520 feet
453-unit Mixed-Use Residential_

Gotham Organization's symbiotic Midtown project to bring 450 mixed-income apartments and new Covenant House


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Hudson Yards District - 451 Tenth Ave*
45 floors - 587 feet
Mixed Use Residential_

























_


















_
*@mamallama.llama
















*
JC_Heights on yimby


----------



## MarciuSky2

*NEW SUPERTALL BEING PROPOSED IN NEW YORK.



































*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Mott Haven, The Bronx - Bankside - 101 Lincoln Ave and 2401 Third Ave*
_Seven towers - including a 25, 25, and 17 stories
Mixed Use Residential_


*The South Bronx gets a new skyline *

















































View attachment 1928988




































Source









Skyalign

















Source

























@highburyconcreteinc


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 56 Leonard Street

Anish Kapoor Bean Sculpure at 56 Leonard*




















































































Field Condition


----------



## Ecopolisia

Extraordinary and finally😉👌💎


----------



## BoulderGrad

streetscapeer said:


> *LaGuardia Airport Renovation*
> http://www.giacomotinari.com/Documentation_LGA.html
> 
> View attachment 2227651
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Delta is months away from debuting its new $3.9 billion terminal at New York's LaGuardia Airport with 37 gates and its largest lounge ever*
> 
> 
> View attachment 2227649
> 
> 
> Source


So little behind on this one, but wasn't the Delta terminal supposed to look like the new main terminal? With the L-shaped satellite concourses?:










Did Delta decide that wasn't enough room for them?


----------



## Rossandro Alex

And about JFK, is there any information?


----------



## erbse

Probably someone's written about it here - but how is NYC going to handle rising sea levels?
Are there any serious large projects under way?

I mean, all this new construction, but what you gonna do when it all just starts to sink into the Ocean / Hudson...


----------



## derzberb

You mean the proposed rising sea level of 1 meter? Will this seriously be a problem?


----------



## streetscapeer

Rossandro Alex said:


> And about JFK, is there any information?


I think the pandemic put a hold or severely reduced the renovation plans for JFK, but someone with more knowledge can maybe chime in.


----------



## streetscapeer

erbse said:


> Probably someone's written about it here - but how is NYC going to handle rising sea levels?
> Are there any serious large projects under way?
> 
> I mean, all this new construction, but what you gonna do when it all just starts to sink into the Ocean / Hudson...


Not much is happening on a whole scale level right now... but currently the Lower East Side already gets flooded rather regularly with major storms (once a year, or once every few years), so the city has already initiated a resiliency project to shore that up:


*New York Embarks on a Massive Climate Resiliency Project to Protect Manhattan’s Lower East Side From Sea Level Rise*
*Some residents are wary of the $1.45 billion system of seawalls and floodgates that will elevate the East River Park and protect 110,000 New Yorkers from coastal storms and flooding.*


----------



## mike1115

This is Manhattan with 3ft/1meter of sea level rise. Anything underwater would appear light blue. Not much of an issue.
Not being anti science of sea level rise, just pointing out that there are plenty of places at much greater risk


----------



## MarshallKnight

erbse said:


> Probably someone's written about it here - but how is NYC going to handle rising sea levels?
> Are there any serious large projects under way?
> I mean, all this new construction, but what you gonna do when it all just starts to sink into the Ocean / Hudson...





streetscapeer said:


> Not much is happening on a whole scale level right now... but currently the Lower East Side already gets flooded rather regularly with major storms (once a year, or once every few years), so the city has already initiated a residency project to shore that up:
> *New York Embarks on a Massive Climate Resiliency Project to Protect Manhattan’s Lower East Side From Sea Level Rise*


After Hurricane Sandy, the NYC government began seeking and developing proposals for multipurpose seawalls/levees around lower Manhattan. In 2015, the Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded funds from their Rebuild by Design competition to start work on the first of these resiliency projects. BIG designed the overall framework of the levee system that was first called the Big U, and later rebranded to the "Dryline." 🙄 









(BIG via The Guardian)







(BIG)

I haven't heard much about the project lately though. Have any locals noticed construction or demolition along the waterfront that might coincide with this project?


----------



## MarshallKnight

mike1115 said:


> View attachment 2236369
> 
> This is Manhattan with 3ft/1meter of sea level rise. Anything underwater would appear light blue. Not much of an issue.
> Not being anti science of sea level rise, just pointing out that there are plenty of places at much greater risk


You're missing the point. It's not about where the daily average sea level is, it's about storm surges that can flood and disable entire swaths of the city, as it did with Hurricane Sandy. As sea level rises, it takes less powerful storms to flood the streets, basements and underground infrastructure. It has taken years to repair the damage done by Sandy -- in the case of the subway river crossings, the better part of a decade. Now imagine that kind of damage was an annual occurrence. That's what these resiliency projects are about.


----------



## SOG

SOG said:


> Is there any map on this forum or skyscraperpage with all tha nyc projects- the important ones- just like the zeusupsistos Paris one or the Downtown LA in skyscraperpage please?


Well , nobody had intention even to answer back this useful question.
If somebody knows any map and is polite enough to answer back, thanks in advance.


----------



## streetscapeer

SOG said:


> Well , nobody had intention even to answer back this useful question.
> If somebody knows any map and is polite enough to answer back, thanks in advance.


I don't know of any.


----------



## droneriot

derzberb said:


> You mean the proposed rising sea level of 1 meter? Will this seriously be a problem?


Not if one's only idea of a coast is the white cliffs of Dover. For a shallow coast, like pretty much all coast on the planet, yeah higher waters are quite an inconvenience.


----------



## MarshallKnight

SOG said:


> Well , nobody had intention even to answer back this useful question.
> If somebody knows any map and is polite enough to answer back, thanks in advance.





streetscapeer said:


> I don't know of any.


Keeping an NYC project map up-to-date would be a full-time job. There might be some kind of resource out there for real estate professionals, although I wouldn't expect it to be free.


----------



## KillerKowalski

Is the city still building new skinny supertalls after the disaster that was 423 Park?


----------



## MarshallKnight

KillerKowalski said:


> Is the city still building new skinny supertalls after the disaster that was 423 Park?


There are a couple in the pipeline, such as 262 Fifth Ave and 520 Fifth Ave, which are both around 1000 ft., but nothing the magnitude of 432, CPT or Steinway as far as I know. The bad press about 432's poor quality of life presumably hasn't helped the market for such towers.


----------



## derzberb

droneriot said:


> Not if one's only idea of a coast is the white cliffs of Dover. For a shallow coast, like pretty much all coast on the planet, yeah higher waters are quite an inconvenience.


That is obviously true.

I meant if this would be a serious problem for New York City - i should have made that clear.

I know it will be a huge problem most probably e.g. for New Orleans.


----------



## MalachaiAC

derzberb said:


> That is obviously true.
> 
> I meant if this would be a serious problem for New York City - i should have made that clear.
> 
> I know it will be a huge problem most probably e.g. for New Orleans.


New Orleans is in such a terrible place. I mean it's literally in a bowl with a lake on one side, a huge river on the other with the oceans not far away, and it gets hit with hurricanes regularly. If it wasn't in such a strategic location they wouldn't keep rebuilding it.


----------



## gravesVpelli

Art Deco opulence at its finest. If this had been the only building of note in this city, it would be outstanding. Still one of my top favourites anywhere.


----------



## streetscapeer

*Long Island City, Queens - Hunter's Point South Phase 2*
_56 & 46 Floors - 587 & 475ft
Mixed use Residential_



































JC_Heights









*@skyalign*


































amonelam


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 141 Willoughby Street*
_24 floors
Mixed Use - retail, office, residential _

*















*













































Source
Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - Walt Disney HQ - 4 Hudson Square*
_22 floors - 338 ft
1.2 million sqft_























































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Nomad - 262 Fifth Avenue*
1011ft (308m) - 60 floors
Mixed Use Residential_


*Activity Resumes On 1,011-Foot Supertall*

*















*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Morningside Heights - 100 Claremont St*
41 floors - 471 feet
Residential_




































































Source



















Source


----------



## droneriot

That is just gorgeous. Not just the tower but the whole composition with everything surrounding it.


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center’s Marble Cladding More Than Halfway Installed In Financial District, Manhattan.













































Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center's Marble Cladding More Than Halfway Installed in Financial District, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Façade work is progressing on Davis Brody Bond and REX Architecture's Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center in the Financial District.



newyorkyimby.com





*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Times Square - TSX Broadway - 1568 Broadway*
_46 floors - 470 feet
Mixed Use Retail/Hotel/Theatre
550k sqft_


































































*TSX Broadway’s New Superstructure Nears Halfway Mark*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 86 Warren St*
_11 floors
Mixed Use Hotel_





















Source


----------



## JohnFlint1985

streetscapeer said:


> _*Morningside Heights - 100 Claremont St*
> 41 floors - 471 feet
> Residential_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> View attachment 2410946
> 
> View attachment 2410948
> 
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> 
> View attachment 2410951
> 
> Source
> 
> 
> View attachment 2410957
> 
> 
> View attachment 2410955
> 
> Source



Truly a very wrong place for this... ((


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Jersey City, NJ - 351 Marin Boulevard*
38 floors - 406 ft
Mixed Use Residential_



*
View attachment 717104








*











Source


----------



## Maya Pinion

streetscapeer said:


> _*Morningside Heights - 100 Claremont St*
> 41 floors - 471 feet
> Residential_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> View attachment 2410946
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> 
> View attachment 2410951
> 
> Source
> 
> 
> View attachment 2410957
> 
> 
> View attachment 2410955
> 
> Source





streetscapeer said:


> _*Morningside Heights - 100 Claremont St*
> 41 floors - 471 feet
> Residential_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> View attachment 2410946
> 
> View attachment 2410948
> 
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> 
> View attachment 2410951
> 
> Source
> 
> 
> View attachment 2410957
> 
> 
> View attachment 2410955
> 
> Source


If only Toronto developers and architects had the notion that residential architecture of this style is timeless and adds so much to the urban fabric. man, I love New York.


----------



## Atadritaata

Those contrasting bricks look awful though. Cheap theme park vibes.


----------



## Ecopolisia

Atadritaata said:


> Those contrasting bricks look awful though. Cheap theme park vibes.


Hmm?In some extent, now when I've seen it multiple times,tbh.But, not the worst of its kinds as the typically Xi-chinese lookalikes in term of façade quality, would have look like..I'm just saying.Let that be said as well...😅🙃🙂😉👍


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Hudson Yards District - 606 West 30th St*
42 floors - 545 feet
Mixed Use Residential_





















































Source


----------



## FelixMadero

No shortage of blue glass!


----------



## Troopchina

Hudson Yards area needs some Stern designed towers


----------



## streetscapeer

*Financial District - Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center - World Trade Center*
_138ft_









































































































































































































































































































Field Condition
michael.lee.pics.nyc
laurianghinitoiu


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper East Side - 200 East 83rd Street*
36 floors - 489 ft (149m)
250,000sqft Mixed Use Residential_











































































































































Skyalign
*newyork_daily_photo*
Source
paulanandnyc
Source


----------



## Rossandro Alex

Does anyone know any information about the african civil rights museum that would be built in nyc?


----------



## droneriot

Did you read about it in a news article you can find? Don't worry if it's in Portuguese. The term you use is so general that unfortunately Google searches are pretty useless because they lead you to all the ones that already exist.


----------



## Rossandro Alex

droneriot said:


> I read on a website that the mayor's signature was missing for the project to start. But the last news I have is from 2020.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NYC May Get an African American Civil Rights History Museum
> 
> 
> Following the passage of a new local law, NYC Council is establishing a task force to evaluate the creation of a museum on African American civil rights history in the city.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hyperallergic.com


----------



## glksc

cuartango said:


> I really like stone facades    (more classy than glass)


100% agree.

Stone facades are way more classy and beautiful than soulless glass.


----------



## MarciuSky2

*YIMBY Scopes Views From One Essex Crossing At 202 Broome Street On Manhattan’s Lower East Side.



























YIMBY Scopes Views from One Essex Crossing at 202 Broome Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side - New York YIMBY


YIMBY toured One Essex Crossing, a 14-story mixed-use building from CetraRuddy for Delancey Street Associates at 202 Broome Street on the Lower East Side.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*55 Suffolk Street Reaches Pinnacle Over Manhattan’s Lower East Side.



























55 Suffolk Street Reaches Pinnacle Over Manhattan's Lower East Side - New York YIMBY


Construction has topped out on 55 Suffolk Street, a 30-story, 488-unit tower from Dattner Architects and Gotham Organization on the Lower East Side.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## Ecopolisia

glksc said:


> 100% agree.
> 
> Stone facades are way more classy and beautiful than soulless glass.


Agree in some extent(the quality of them are of course almost harder to found than with compared to other type of facade materials).But , you just have to widen your horizon as well in term of that and also be more elaborated in your findings to witness some exceptions within that type of façade material. You see it all depends how the glass façade is manufactured in term of its quality,too.

For instance, the Pendry Manhattan West is a really nice and utterly acceptable example of exceptional and top/hyper quality-like glass façade/or façade quality with glass facade materials.

It aren't your average quickly manufactured glass façade material you have here, which you ((on average)) would have on the tall buildings in Dubai(UAE) and Xi-china for instance. I'm just saying🙄🙃🙂✌👍💎🌈


----------



## droneriot

I'm not too well versed in druidic alchemy so I'm curious as to how stone has more of a soul than glass.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Midtown - 520 Fifth Avenue*
76 floors - 995ft (303m)
Mixed use residential _

*Excavation Underway For Kohn Pedersen Fox’s 520 Fifth Avenue Supertall*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Renderings Reveal 3,000-Unit ‘West Side Crossing’ Complex In Jersey City.



























Renderings Reveal 3,000-Unit 'West Side Crossing' Complex in Jersey City - New York YIMBY


The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency is reviewing proposals to construct West Side Crossing, a four-tower complex with more than 3,000 residential units.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## droneriot

Interesting, it's kinda in the middle of nowhere at least in terms of other highrises.


----------



## hateman

It looks like it's right by a light rail station. 30 minutes into lower Manhattan.


----------



## droneriot

On Google Maps it looks more like the light rail station is right by it, as in it still has to be built. There's parts of bridges across the water to the West, someone who reads the news from the area would have to post something about NJtransit plans for that area.










Could also be the whole thing going into a tunnel of course.


----------



## hateman

Very interesting. It looks like the light rail uses old railroad easements. The old destroyed rail line went elevated in that proposed construction area and continued on to Newark Penn Station or rail yards on the rivers. If they eventually extend the light rail across the river into Newark it would open up the entire waterfront to development. This could be another high rise area of Jersey City if development succeeds. Look at those huge empty tracts of land right on the water.


----------



## MarshallKnight

West Side Crossing is one long block away from the West Side Ave station. According to Google Maps it's a 5-minute walk from the east end of the site, and a 10-minute walk from the west end. It would be nice if the development was literally on top of a new station, but a 5-10 minute walk hardly puts it in a transit desert.

But for the areas further away that Hateman is describing -- to the west of Rte 440 and of course the Newark riverfront -- an extension could absolutely reap huge benefits.


----------



## ledmonkey96

droneriot said:


> On Google Maps it looks more like the light rail station is right by it, as in it still has to be built. There's parts of bridges across the water to the West, someone who reads the news from the area would have to post something about NJtransit plans for that area.
> 
> View attachment 2933587
> 
> 
> Could also be the whole thing going into a tunnel of course.


Those are the remains of an older bridge, i.e. Google Earth shows them on Imagery from the 90's


----------



## WA

That whole area is pretty much up for redevelopment. Light rail, to be extended across 440 and that green wasteland a whole new neighborhood New Renderings and Details Emerge as Jersey City’s Bayfront Moves Forward | Jersey Digs


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Hoboken Connnect - Hoboken, New Jersey*
Mixed Use Office/Residential_


After 16 years of deliberation, plans to revitalize Hoboken’s waterfront are moving forward. New Jersey Transit, the City of Hoboken, and developer LCOR on Wednesday released new renderings of Hoboken Connect, a mixed-use transit project that aims to bring major investments to the city. The development will include a 20-story office building with retail, a 389-unit residential property with 20 percent of the units affordable, public open space, and the renovation of transit infrastructure and buildings like the historic Lackawanna Terminal. The project is currently under review by the city and is pending redevelopment agreement approvals, which could be decided next month.



















































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

_*1 Park Row - Financial District*
23 floors
Mixed Use Office/Residential_

*1 Park Row’s Demolition Nears Street Level*

*






































*


----------



## el palmesano

^^

sad that it don't reachs the same haight...


----------



## Josedc

so, will this new building block the windows of the older one next to it?


----------



## droneriot

Yes. There are probably dozens of millions of blocked party wall windows all over Manhattan. It's how it is.


----------



## WillBuild

*Le Meridien Hotel Completes Construction At 292 Fifth Avenue In NoMad, Manhattan*

*


  




*

More photos over at the source at newyorkyimby.com

This is surprisingly contextual and decent for a Gene Kaufman McSam collaboration.

Kaufman recently completed a couple of fine buildings for other developers, such as 11 Greene Street and 76 8th Ave.

Which made me think that it might be Sam Chang who has the fondness for cheapest cladding, ugly patterns, hideous colors and tearing up the street wall (open links at your peril).

Hopefully we've seen the end of that trend. It always felt like cashing in on the exceptional urban area while simultaneously taking a huge dump on it.


----------



## Eric Offereins

2 lovely midrises almost completed: 









RAMSA's 150 East 78th Street Nears Completion on Manhattan's Upper East Side - New York YIMBY


Work is nearing completion on 150 East 78th Street, a 16-story project from RAMSA, Midwood Investment & Development, and EJS Group on the Upper East Side.



newyorkyimby.com













The Benson Completes Construction at 1045 Madison Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side - New York YIMBY


Exterior work is complete on The Benson, an 18-story project from Peter Pennoyer and Naftali Group at 1045 Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## towerpower123

WillBuild said:


> *Le Meridien Hotel Completes Construction At 292 Fifth Avenue In NoMad, Manhattan*
> 
> 
> More photos over at the source at newyorkyimby.com
> 
> This is surprisingly contextual and decent for a Gene Kaufman McSam collaboration.
> 
> Kaufman recently completed a couple of fine buildings for other developers, such as 11 Greene Street and 76 8th Ave.
> 
> Which made me think that it might be Sam Chang who has the fondness for cheapest cladding, ugly patterns, hideous colors and tearing up the street wall (open links at your peril).
> 
> Hopefully we've seen the end of that trend. It always felt like cashing in on the exceptional urban area while simultaneously taking a huge dump on it.


Kaufman's work has seriously improved in quality recently, especially when he gets a client who cares.


----------



## ZeusUpsistos

World's skinniest skyscraper by SHoP Architects completes in Manhattan


The final exterior cladding elements have been added to SHoP Architects' 111 West 57th Street in New York City, a supertall skyscraper that is both the world's skinniest and the second tallest in the Western Hemisphere.




www.dezeen.com


----------



## gravesVpelli

Oh God, I'd hate to be forced to live in the upper floors in that thing !


----------



## cuartango

when reality exceeds expectations, so awesome!!!


----------



## Mansa Musa

Not a fan of skinny scrapers but I'll give this one a pass.


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Demolition Begins For Rolex Headquarters At 665 Fifth Avenue In Midtown, Manhattan.



















*








Demolition Begins for Rolex Headquarters at 665 Fifth Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Demolition has begun at 665 Fifth Avenue in Midtown, site of Rolex's new 25-story headquarters designed by David Chipperfield Architects.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## WillBuild

Looking forward to seeing how this will turn out.

It reminds me somewhat of the modernist pinstripe buildings, with their wedding cake setbacks and vertical fins.

Like 250 Broadway, or the old 425 Park.




  






This type is increasingly endangered. Many examples are in poor shape. But I hope we don't lose all of them. This new construction fits right in, in any case. And seemingly with much higher quality cladding. Excited to see the result.


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Foster + Partners’ New Manhattan Skyscraper Is Powered Entirely by Renewable Energy.









Foster + Partners’ New Manhattan Skyscraper Is Powered Entirely by Renewable Energy


The JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s incoming Park Avenue headquarters will be a sustainable marvel




www.architecturaldigest.com




*


----------



## cur10s1ty

im liking JPM's latest modern take


----------



## MarciuSky2

*New York's Plan To Defend Itself From Rising Seas - Cheddar Explains.





*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Demolition Complete For 45-Story Tower At 570 Fulton Street In Fort Greene, Brooklyn.


















*


















Demolition Complete for 45-Story Tower at 570 Fulton Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


Demolition is complete at 570 Avenue, site of a 45-story, 123-unit tower from Hill West Architects and The Davis Companies in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*One Boerum Place Opens For Occupancy In Downtown Brooklyn.








*



























One Boerum Place Opens for Occupancy in Downtown Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


Work is wrapping up on One Boerum Place, a 22-story, 96-unit project from SLCE, Avery Hall Investments, Allegra Holdings, and Aria Development Group.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Demolition For A New 43-Story Tower Nears Completion At 356 Fulton Street In Downtown Brooklyn.








*





































Demolition for a New 43-Story Tower Nears Completion at 356 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


Demolition is almost complete at 356 Fulton Street, site of a 43-story, 363-unit tower from MdeAS Architects and SLCE in Downtown Brooklyn.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## Greedy Sheedy

Always blown away by the scale, ambition and quality of development in New York. It's completely unparalleled.


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Foundations Underway For Journal Squared Tower 3 In Jersey City.




































*


























Foundations Underway for Journal Squared Tower 3 in Jersey City - New York YIMBY


Foundations are progressing for Journal Squared Tower 3, a 60-story, 600-unit project from Handel, HWKN, and Kushner Real Estate Group in Jersey City.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*The Willoughby Completes Construction At 196 Willoughby Street In Downtown Brooklyn.






















































The Willoughby Completes Construction at 196 Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


Construction is complete on The Willoughby, a 34-story mixed-use project from Perkins Eastman and RXR Realty at 196 Willougby Street in Downtown Brooklyn.



newyorkyimby.com





*


----------



## streetscapeer

*LaGuardia Airport's New $4 Billion Terminal C Opens to the Public*

The Expansive New Terminal C, Nearly Double in Size to The Two Terminals It Replaces, Sports Soaring Floor-to-Ceiling Windows, 21st Century Technology and Locally-Inspired Concessions


----------



## PsyLock

LGA looks so sleek but... wished there were some space for landscaping. It looks a bit cold from GCP.


----------



## streetscapeer

Some more photos of LaGuardia









































Source


----------



## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - Domino Park Factory Redevelopment*
_Mixed Use Office_






















































































me









bkheights on yimby









@selvon.nef


----------



## droneriot

I had no idea it was making this much progress (guess it's understandable when a building is built inside the shell of a previous building) and there seems to be piling on the tall twins, too.


----------



## glksc

*As the Waldorf Astoria prepares for new chapter, revisit the legendary history of Manhattan's greatest Art Deco hotel*
























































































































The original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel







































































> Ask an average New Yorker to name the city’s most famous hotel and they would likely point either to The Plaza on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street or to the *Waldorf Astoria* on Park Avenue and 50th Street. Fewer, however, may know that since 1897, the original Waldorf-Astoria (or 1893 of counting the original Waldorf) on Fifth Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets reigned supreme among the city’s high society and well-heeled visitors alike. The once-hyphenated hotel has jockeyed with the Plaza for the title of the city’s most famous hotel ever since, even after its successor opened on Park Avenue in 1931, with an Art Deco sumptuousness that outshone the hulking extravaganza for its predecessor.
> The Towers at Waldorf Astoria is a crown jewel of New York’s ongoing golden era of condominium conversions stands at the corner of Park Avenue and East 50th Street, where the upper floors of the legendary Waldorf-Astoria Hotel are being renovated into 375 opulent apartments.
> The ongoing refurbishment is a major interior make-over that will not alter its green Mayan-style roof-top turrets nor do away from its famous lobby clock tower that was commissioned by Queen Victoria for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. As the development approaches its target sales date, now is a perfect time to delve into the storied history of the storied hotel and its once equally-famed predecessor, the original Waldorf-Astoria now replaced by the Empire State Building.
> ​


​


----------



## MikeVegas

The Waldorf will look awesome.


----------



## Atmosphere

Absolutely stunning indeed. Would love to stay a few nights there but I guess I would need to save up.


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Long Island City - The Green House -- 10-25 Jackson Ave*
Mixed Use Residential_

























Source


----------



## MarciuSky2

*606 West 30th Street Passes Halfway Mark In Hudson Yards, Manhattan.*


















606 West 30th Street Passes Halfway Mark in Hudson Yards, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Construction has passed the halfway mark on 606 West 30th Street, a 42-story project from Ismael Leyva and Lalezarian Properties in Hudson Yards.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*One Madison Avenue’s Concrete Core Begins Ascent In Flatiron District, Manhattan.*












































One Madison Avenue's Concrete Core Begins Ascent in Flatiron District, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Construction is progressing on One Madison Avenue, a 27-story office expansion from Kohn Pedersen Fox and Hines in the Flatiron Distinct in Midtown.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Excavation Begins For 220 Eleventh Avenue In West Chelsea, Manhattan.*
































































Excavation Begins for 220 Eleventh Avenue in West Chelsea, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Excavation is underway for 220 Eleventh Avenue, a ten-story commercial project from STUDIOS Architecture and The Moinian Group in West Chelsea, Manhattan.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Two Manhattan West’s Glass Façade Nears Completion In Midtown West, Manhattan.































































Two Manhattan West's Glass Façade Nears Completion in Midtown West, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Façade installation is nearing completion on Two Manhattan West, a 58-story, 935-foot-tall skyscraper from SOM and Brookfield in Midtown West, Manhattan.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*270 Park Avenue’s Steel Superstructure Approaches First Setback In Midtown East, Manhattan.































































270 Park Avenue's Steel Superstructure Approaches First Setback in Midtown East, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


The steel superstructure for the new 60-story, 1,388-foot tall headquarters for JP Morgan Chase rises at 270 Park Avenue in Midtown East, Manhattan.



newyorkyimby.com





*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*The Spiral’s Glass Façade Nears Completion At 66 Hudson Boulevard In Hudson Yards, Manhattan.






















































The Spiral's Glass Façade Nears Completion at 66 Hudson Boulevard in Hudson Yards, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Façade work is wrapping up on The Spiral, a 66-story commercial supertall from Bjarke Ingels and Tishman Speyer at 66 Hudson Boulevard in Hudson Yards.



newyorkyimby.com





*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Renderings Revealed Of Sutton Tower At 430 East 58th Street In Manhattan’s Sutton Place.*




























Renderings Revealed of Sutton Tower at 430 East 58th Street in Manhattan's Sutton Place - New York YIMBY


New renderings have been revealed for Sutton Tower, a 67-story new construction residential tower at 430 East 58th Street in Midtown East's Sutton Place.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## droneriot

Who in the world needs renders for a nearly completed tower?


----------



## Munwon

^ I was thinking the same thing


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Billboard Removal And Transformation Of One Times Square Progresses In Midtown, Manhattan.*










































































Billboard Removal and Transformation of One Times Square Progresses in Midtown, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


S9 Architecture and Jamestowns' transformation of One Times Square, aka 1475 Broadway, is underway in Midtown, Manhattan.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Alloy Block’s 100 Flatbush Avenue Begins Ascent In Downtown Brooklyn.































































Alloy Block's 100 Flatbush Avenue Begins Ascent in Downtown Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


Construction is rising on 100 Flatbush Avenue, a 44-story, 441-unit project from Alloy Development in the Alloy Block complex in Downtown Brooklyn.



newyorkyimby.com







*


----------



## PsyLock

^ One of the better projects going up in Brooklyn and will further densify the DoBro skyline


----------



## Fabio1976

YIMBY’s 2022 Q1 Report Shows 19,337 New Residential and Hotel Units Filed From January Through March in New York City - New York YIMBY


Statistics for permit filings for New York City for the first quarter of 2022 are in, and YIMBY has exciting news to share.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*High Line Moynihan Connector’s Superstructure Begins To Take Shape In Midtown West, Manhattan.































































High Line Moynihan Connector's Superstructure Begins to Take Shape in Midtown West, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Work is progressing on SOM and James Corner Field's High Line Moynihan Connector for Empire State Development, Friends of the High Line, and Brookfield.



newyorkyimby.com








*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Kushner Breaks Ground On One Journal Square In Downtown Jersey City.













































Kushner Breaks Ground on One Journal Square in Downtown Jersey City - New York YIMBY


Kushner has officially broken ground on One Journal Square, a dual-skyscraper mixed-use development in downtown Jersey City.



newyorkyimby.com






*


----------



## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 50 West 66th St*
_69 floors - 775ft (236m)
Mixed Use Residential_














































bleak on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

*Hudson Square - Walt Disney HQ - 4 Hudson Square*
_22 floors - 338 ft
1.2 million sqft_





































































































































Field Condition


----------



## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 141 Willoughby Street*
_24 floors
Mixed Use - retail, office, residential _

*















*



























































Field Condition









rbrome on yimby


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Turtle Bay - 500 East 58th Street*
23 floors
Mixed use Residential (194 units)









source_


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Brooklyn Tower’s Crown Cladding Underway At 9 DeKalb Avenue In Downtown Brooklyn.*






























































Brooklyn Tower's Crown Cladding Underway at 9 DeKalb Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


The final curtain wall panels are being installed on the Brooklyn Tower, a 93-story supertall from SHoP and JDS at 9 DeKalb Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## droneriot

Thanks streetscapeer, I did not know 50 West 66 St was back alive. I love projects that have such a huge impact on the skyline & expand it in new directions.


----------



## MarciuSky2

*1841 Broadway Tops Out On Manhattan’s Upper West Side.































































1841 Broadway Tops Out On Manhattan's Upper West Side - New York YIMBY


Construction has topped out on 1841 Broadway, a 25-story project from INC Architecture & Design and Global Holdings Management Group on the Upper West Side.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Excavation Underway For The Brook At 589 Fulton Street In Downtown Brooklyn.








































































Excavation Underway for The Brook at 589 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


Excavation is underway for The Brook, a 51-story tower from Beyer Blinder Belle, Witkoff, and Apollo Management at 589 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## streetscapeer

“Williamsburg? LIC? Nope, This is Port Morris, The Bronx, where 1,000s of luxury rental units are under construction or have already been completed.”

source


----------



## MarciuSky2

Bit off-topic but i found this very interesting...Times Square without all the ads.


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Tiffany & Co. Flagship Expansion Nears Completion At 727 Fifth Avenue In Midtown, Manhattan.








































































Tiffany & Co. Flagship Expansion Nears Completion at 727 Fifth Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Work is nearing completion on OMA's expansion design for Tiffany & Co.'s flagship building at 727 Fifth Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan.



newyorkyimby.com





*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Demolition, Excavation Continue For Extell’s Potential Supertall At 570 Fifth Avenue In Midtown, Manhattan.




































*


























Demolition, Excavation Continue for Extell's Potential Supertall at 570 Fifth Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Demolition and excavation are underway at 570 Fifth Avenue site of a potential 78-story, 1,100-foot supertall from Extell in Midtown, Manhattan.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*58 Saint Marks Place Completes Construction In Boerum Hill, Brooklyn.*

Renders : 



















Ended construction : 






















































58 Saint Marks Place Completes Construction in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


Construction is complete on 58 Saint Marks Place, a 12-story, 100-unit project from INC Architecture & Design and Avdoo & Partners in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Halo Three-Tower Development Breaks Ground At 289-301 Washington Street In Newark, New Jersey.




































Halo Three-Tower Development Breaks Ground at 289-301 Washington Street in Newark, New Jersey - New York YIMBY


Site excavation and foundation work is now underway for Halo, a three-tower high-rise development that will be the tallest buildings in Newark, New Jersey.



newyorkyimby.com





*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Olympia’s Façade Nears Completion At 30 Front Street In DUMBO, Brooklyn.


























































































Olympia's Façade Nears Completion at 30 Front Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


Exterior work is wrapping up on Olympia, a 33-story, 76-unit project Hill West Architects and Fortis Property Group at 30 Front Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn.



newyorkyimby.com




*


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Work Continues On Mandarin Oriental Residences Fifth Avenue At 685 Fifth Avenue In Midtown, Manhattan.













































Work Continues on Mandarin Oriental Residences Fifth Avenue at 685 Fifth Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Work is progressing on the Mandarin Oriental Residences Fifth Avenue by Marin Architects for SHVO progresses at 685 Fifth Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan.



newyorkyimby.com





*


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Upper East Side - 124 East 86th Street*
20 floors -210ft (64m)
Mixed Use Residential_










































Source


----------



## PsyLock

Talk about out of context... Beautiful building though.


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Finishing Touches Underway On Virgin Hotel At 1225 Broadway In NoMad, Manhattan.*

















































































Finishing Touches Underway on Virgin Hotel at 1225 Broadway in NoMad, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Work is wrapping up on the Virgin Hotel, a 38-story, 460-room hotel tower from Stantec and Lam Group at 1225 Broadway in NoMad, Manhattan.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Construction On 222 E. Broadway Nears Completion On Manhattan’s Lower East Side.








*


























































































Construction On 222 E. Broadway Nears Completion On Manhattan's Lower East Side - New York YIMBY


Exterior work is nearing completion on 222 E. Broadway, a 28-story, 51-unit project from SLCE and Optimum Asset Management on Manhattan's Lower East Side.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*55 Suffolk Street’s Brick Façade Nears Completion On Manhattan’s Lower East Side.








*



































ºº













































55 Suffolk Street's Brick Façade Nears Completion on Manhattan's Lower East Side - New York YIMBY


Exterior work is nearing completion on the 30-story 55 Suffolk Street and 16-story 64 Norfolk Street from Dattner and Gotham on the Lower East Side.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## streetscapeer

_*Morningside Heights - 100 Claremont St*
41 floors - 471 feet
Residential_










































































Source


----------



## gravesVpelli

^^^ They've certainly gone overboard to try to get it to relate to neighboring buildings in the contextuality of the brickwork panels and the various embellishments, plus the elegant setbacks. However, not sure it works completely. It looks too contrived. Stern is better at producing limestone exteriors in my view. But thumbs up that NYC appears to be the only city that creates these historicist styles in new condos and apartment towers.


----------



## airpix84

This is the biggest disgrace architecture has ever faced.
SSC should introduce the puke emoji reaction only for these 'designs'...


----------



## MarciuSky2

*TSX Broadway’s Glass Curtain Wall Nears Roof Parapet At 1568 Broadway In Times Square, Manhattan.








*













































TSX Broadway's Glass Curtain Wall Nears Roof Parapet at 1568 Broadway in Times Square, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Exterior work is progressing on TSX Broadway, a 47-story hotel tower from Perkins Eastman and Mancini Duffy at 1568 Broadway in Times Square, Manhattan.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center Nears Completion in the World Trade Center Complex.








*












































































































Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center Nears Completion in the World Trade Center Complex - New York YIMBY


Construction is nearing completion on The Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center progresses at the World Trade Center in the Financial District.



newyorkyimby.com


----------



## MarciuSky2

*Pace University Tower Tops Out at 15 Beekman Street in Financial District, Manhattan.



























*


























Pace University Tower Tops Out at 15 Beekman Street in Financial District, Manhattan - New York YIMBY


Construction has topped out on Pace University's 27-story expansion from Ismael Leyva and SL Green Realty at 15 Beekman Street in the Financial District.



newyorkyimby.com


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## streetscapeer

*Tribeca - 101 Franklin Street*
_16 floors
Commercial Renovation -235,000sqft_


*Old:*













*Reno:*
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## ThatOneGuy

I liked the original brick facade, they should have just restored it.


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## streetscapeer

_*Upper West Side - The Rockwell - 2686 Broadway*
13 floors
Mixed Use Residential_





































Source


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## TM_Germany

streetscapeer said:


> _*Morningside Heights - 100 Claremont St*
> 41 floors - 471 feet
> Residential_
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I really like this in principle, it's great how it interacts and extends it's context instead of purposefully diminishing it like modernist architecture would have. The lacking quality of the brick veneer is very disappointing, though.


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## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 50 West 66th St*
_69 floors - 775ft (236m)
Mixed Use Residential_























































Source


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## streetscapeer

_*Flatiron District - One Madison Tower - 1 Madison Ave*
27 floors
Mixed Use Office - 1.4 million sqft_







































































Source


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## streetscapeer

*Upper West Side - 2330 Broadway*
_230 feet - 18 floors
Mixed Use residential - 162 residences - Senior Living Facility_





























































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## MarciuSky2

*The Huron at 29 Huron Street.




























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Construction Update: The Huron at 29 Huron Street — FIELD CONDITION


Superstructure has topped out at Quadrum Global’s residential development The Huron on the Greenpoint waterfront in Brooklyn. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, the project features two 13-story residential towers with a two-story base of amenities. The towers will be clad in a gridded facade of




fieldcondition.com


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## MarciuSky2

*33 Park Row *






























































































































Tour: No. 33 Park Row — FIELD CONDITION


Construction has wrapped up on Urban Muse's No. 33 Park Row, a 25-Story, 95,000 square foot ground-up mixed-use residential development in New York’s City Hall Park district. The tower joins COOKFOX's 25 Park Row on the site of the former J & R Music and Computer World store.




fieldcondition.com


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## Amphibious Camel

ONE WILLOUGHBY SQUARE - Google Street View

151 m, Offices

FXCollaborative architects



















































































SOURCE


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## Amphibious Camel

22 CHAPEL STREET - Google Street View

Residential

Cetra Ruddy architects
























































SOURCE


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## Amphibious Camel

THE EDISON GRAMERCY - Google Street View

Residential

Isaac Stern architects






















































SOURCE


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## streetscapeer

_*Downtown Brooklyn - 23 Hanover Place*
29 floors - 463ft (141m)
Mixed Use Residential_


































Source


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## Amphibious Camel

LUNA APARTMENTS - Google Street View

Residential

Isaac Stern architects






































SOURCE


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## Amphibious Camel

THE HAZEL - Google Street View

Residential

Fogarty Finger architects

































































SOURCE


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## Amphibious Camel

THE GUILD - Google Street View

Residential

Fogarty Finger architects
























































SOURCE


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## Amphibious Camel

VIRGIN HOTEL NYC - Google Street View

145 m, Hotel

Stantec


















































































SOURCE


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## Amphibious Camel

505 STATE STREET - Google Street View

147 m, Residential

Alloy, ARC, Ismael Leyva architects

























































SOURCE


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## Amphibious Camel

200 EAST 83RD STREET - Google Street View

149 m, Residential

Robert A. M. Stern architects

























































SOURCE


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## Archinatic

Facade could've used more contrast imo. Dark window frames for example.


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## MarciuSky2

*Demolition Complete For 43-Story Skyscraper At 356 Fulton Street In Downtown Brooklyn.



































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Demolition Nearly Complete for 43-Story Skyscraper at 356 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn - New York YIMBY


Demolition is complete at 356 Fulton Street, site of 43-story, 363-unit project from MdeAS, SLCE, and Extell in Downtown Brooklyn.



newyorkyimby.com


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## streetscapeer

NOTE: This is only one of six bids for a casino in various locations around NYC, this is the only bid in Times Square

*Jay-Z Partners With SL Green and Caesars Entertainment For Proposed Casino At 1515 Broadway in Times Square*


Caesars Palace Times Square would reportedly occupy the lower eight floors of the building, while an 800-key hotel would complement the casino and occupy the floors above. Additional components would include multiple restaurants and entertainment venues with programming provided by Roc Nation.

Caesars Palace Times Square is one of a half-dozen teams bidding for New York city’s first full-scale casino. The Real Deal reports that New York State is expected to issue a formal request for proposal for a New York City casino in January 2023.

...
In addition to SLG/Caesars/Roc Nation, wannabe operators are expected to include Related Companies and Wynn Resorts at Hudson Yards, Mets owner Steve Cohen and a casino partner near Citi Field in Queens, and Soloviev Building Company and a casino partner for a complex called Freedom Plaza on First Avenue in the East 30s.


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## A Chicagoan

streetscapeer said:


> Jay-Z Partners With SL Green and Caesars Entertainment For Proposed Casino At 1515 Broadway in Times Square


Is this a proposed renovation of One Astor Plaza?








© Marshall Gerometta/CTBUH


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## streetscapeer

A Chicagoan said:


> Is this a proposed renovation of One Astor Plaza?
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> © Marshall Gerometta/CTBUH


yes, and it needs a renovation as you can see


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## Amphibious Camel

THE PAXTON - Google Street View

156 m, Residential

Marvel architects
























































SOURCE


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## Amphibious Camel

4 HUDSON SQUARE - Google Street View

Offices

SOM architects
























































SOURCE


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## streetscapeer

*Calatrava’s St Nicholas Church at 9/11 site completed
























































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## Amphibious Camel

EAGLE + WEST - Google Street View

137 / 107 m, Residential

OMA










































































SOURCE


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## Amphibious Camel

11 HOYT STREET - Google Street View

189 m, Residential

Studio Gang architects

































































SOURCE


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## streetscapeer

*Mayor touts pedestrian plan to 'reimagine' Fifth Avenue in Manhattan















*


A proposal to "reimagine" stretches of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue between Bryant Park and Central Park could mean fewer cars and more space for pedestrians and cyclists along the busy commercial corridor.

Mayor Eric Adams announced what he referred to as a "major new visioning process" on Sunday with the goal of making Fifth Avenue safer to the public. Adams said he would be assembling a coalition of government officials and community leaders across Midtown Manhattan to make Fifth Avenue "more appealing to residents, workers and visitors with world-class public space."

“Fifth Avenue is an iconic corridor and an engine of our Midtown economy. But it is also an unmissable opportunity to show the city and the country how world-class public space can help create vibrant central business districts,” Adams said in a statement. “New York isn’t coming back, New York is back. But New Yorkers don’t sit on our hands — we will continue to bring everyone to the table, come up with innovative ideas together, and make our city safer, fairer, and more prosperous.”

The mayor said the Fifth Avenue plan would include "early action improvements" in 2023 along with a construction plan to be finished in two years. He outlined the plan's key goals as:



Transforming Fifth Avenue in Midtown between Bryant Park and Central Park into an "innovative pedestrian-focused space for the public to enjoy, with public realm improvements like expanded green space, new tree plantings, and enhanced lighting."
Prioritizing sustainable modes of transportation and mass transit, including speeding up bus travel.
Increasing pedestrian space.
Improving street safety, including for cycling.

Source


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## streetscapeer

_*Greenpoint, Brooklyn - Waterview At Greenpoint - 77-87 Commercial Street*
40, 30, and 7 floors - 429ft, 331ft, 80ft
Mixed Use Residential_

















sky align on yimby

















selvon.nef on instagram


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## Amphibious Camel

100 CLAREMONT AVENUE - Google Street View

142 m, Residential

Robert A. M. Stern architects

































































SOURCE


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## streetscapeer

_*Kips Bay - 609 Second Ave*
18 floors - 212ft
Residential




























JC_Heights on yimby

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## streetscapeer

*Williamsburg, Brooklyn - Domino Park Factory Redevelopment*
_Mixed Use Office_
































































































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## Amphibious Camel

TWO MANHATTAN WEST - Google Street View

285 m, Offices

SOM














































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## streetscapeer

_*Midtown - 520 Fifth Avenue*
76 floors - 995ft (303m)
Mixed use residential _















































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## streetscapeer

_*Jersey City, New Jersey - 80 Journal Square*
28 floors -340ft (104m)
Mixed Use Residential - 400 units_



*Jersey City Approves 400-Unit Tower at 80 Journal Square*


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## streetscapeer

_*Jersey City, NJ - Steel Tech - 417 Communipaw Avenue*
17 floors
Mixed Use Residential/Office/Retail - 420 units_


*Renderings Revealed for Steel Tech Redevelopment in Jersey City*

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## Amphibious Camel

THE SPIRAL - Google Street View

317 m, Offices

BIG
























































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## streetscapeer

*Downtown Brooklyn - 9 Dekalb Avenue *
_1,099 FT (335m) | 73 FLOORS
Mixed Use - Residential_




























@selvon.nef on insta
Source


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## streetscapeer

*44-54 Ninth Avenue’s Expansion Tops Out In Chelsea, Manhattan *


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## Amphibious Camel

PARK HOUSE CHELSEA - Google Street View

Residential

Selldorf architects















































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## Amphibious Camel

DOWNTOWN FAR ROCKAWAY VILLAGE - Google Street View

Residential

Marvel Design







































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## Tommy Boy




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## Amphibious Camel

270 PARK AVENUE - Google Street View

423 m, Offices

Foster + Partners
















































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## streetscapeer

*Chelsea - Hudson Arts Building - 220 11th Avenue *
_10 floors - 145 ft
Mixed Use Office_















































































SideStreet on yimby


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## Amphibious Camel

TSX BROADWAY - Google Street View

177 m, Hotel

Perkins Eastman, Mancini Duffy
















































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## Amphibious Camel

All in one 2.0










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## droneriot

Ironically that's not even half the city, but damn what an amazing picture.


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## Amphibious Camel

THE GREEN HOUSE - Google Street View

Residential

Studio V Architecture















































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## A Chicagoan

Hudson Yards








Midtown sunset by Juan Melli on 500px.com


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## Amphibious Camel

660 FIFTH AVENUE - Google Street View

Offices (Renovation)

Kohn Pedersen Fox
























































SOURCE


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## Amphibious Camel

101 WEST 14TH STREET - Google Street View

Residential

ODA Architecture













































SOURCE


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## MarciuSky2

*OMA completes Brooklyn resi towers.*

OMA has finished its first high-rise towers in New York with the completion of the 30- and 40-storey Eagle + West residential development on Brooklyn’s East River waterfront.

The ziggurat-inspired blocks lean both towards and away from each other. The taller tower widens towards the east as it rises, while the shorter one is broadest at its lowest levels.

The towers, at Greenpoint – which is Brooklyn’s northernmost neighbourhood, deliver 745 new homes and have two levels of outdoor terraces.


















































































OMA completes Brooklyn resi towers


Ziggurat-inspired waterfront blocks deliver 745 new homes




www.bdonline.co.uk


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## droneriot

Something I only noticed on second sight in the picture in post #12,259: Check out the barcode on the rivers. I didn't notice that the first time I saw the picture, but damn that's awesome.


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## Amphibious Camel

76 EIGHTH AVENUE - Google Street View

Offices

Gene Kaufman Architects

































































SOURCE


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## droneriot

Here's obviously someone who wants to clean up his reputation.


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## storms991

droneriot said:


> Here's obviously someone who wants to clean up his reputation.


I was thinking precisely the same thing!


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## _Hawk_

2200х1200































































Manhattan lower 3D model - TurboSquid 1385166


Royalty free 3D model Manhattan Lower for download as max on TurboSquid: 3D models for games, architecture, videos. (1385166)




www.turbosquid.com


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## _Hawk_

more








3D manhattan lower night - TurboSquid 1407361


Royalty free 3D model Manhattan Lower Night Low Poly for download as max on TurboSquid: 3D models for games, architecture, videos. (1407361)




www.turbosquid.com


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## _Hawk_

1440x2000















































































































































New york city manhattan model - TurboSquid 1592872


Royalty free 3D model New York City Manhattan Ultra HD for download as max, max, and obj on TurboSquid: 3D models for games, architecture, videos. (1592872)




www.turbosquid.com


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## Ecopolisia

_Hawk_ said:


> 1440x2000
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> New york city manhattan model - TurboSquid 1592872
> 
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> Royalty free 3D model New York City Manhattan Ultra HD for download as max, max, and obj on TurboSquid: 3D models for games, architecture, videos. (1592872)
> 
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Old,but still gold..🙃✌😅✌


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## ThatOneGuy

Those pics are massive, not sure this is the right thread for that.


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