New York YIMBY: Plans unfold in Midtown, Murray Hill, NoMad and the Financial District.

Extell’s 131-Story Central Park Tower Set to Break Records

Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill and developed by Extell, Central Park Tower at 217 West 57th Street in Midtown (ELEVATOR WORLD, March 2015) is set to break records, including the tallest residential skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. In October, work had surpassed the 100th floor. The development will house 179 residences, including a three-story penthouse with its own outdoor pool and terrace. At US$4 billion, sales are expected to be the most expensive sellout for any residential building. Extell launched sales in October with the highest price thus far: a 53rd-floor unit at US$95 million. Topping off is expected by early spring 2019.

TSX in Times Square an Ambitious, Experiential Project

L&L Holding Co., Maefield Development and Fortress Investment Group are undertaking the US$2.5-billion redevelopment of a Hilton Hotel site at 1568 Broadway in New York City’s (NYC) Times Square that involves a 46-story, 550,000-sq.-ft. skyscraper and restoration of the 105-year-old Palace Theater. With upper floors housing “Ball-Drop Suites” from which to view the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop, TSX Broadway will involve lifting the Palace Theater 30 ft. above street level and constructing a 15,000-sq.-ft. retail space at ground level. Retail will continue for another nine floors, and there will be a separate entrance to TSX Broadway’s 30,000-sq.-ft. dining area boasting a 90-ft. exterior sign. A third-floor, permanent public platform will cantilever 30 ft. over 7th Avenue. A 10-story podium will be wrapped in an 18,000-sq.-ft. LED screen and topped with a 10,000-sq.-ft. outdoor terrace, the largest of its kind in Times Square. Demolition of the Hilton was anticipated several months ago, and the project is to be complete “sometime after 2020.”

Minimalist Murray Hill Skyscraper Almost Complete

In October, a 42-story, 460-ft.-tall skyscraper at 685 First Avenue in Murray Hill designed by Richard Meier & Partners Architects and developed by Solow Building Co. (EW, August 2016) looked to be complete by the end of the year, with its black, minimalist façade in place and sales launched. The architecture firm told EW Schindler provided the elevators. The building will contain 556 residences within 800,000 sq. ft., with 10,000 sq. ft. for ground-level retail. There will be 408 rental units on floors three through 27, and nearly 150 for-sale condominiums above. Duplex condominiums on floors 28 and 29 will have private balconies.

Gothic Architecture-Inspired Condo Tower Tops Out in NoMad

A 40-story, 479-ft.-tall condominium tower with a crisscross façade by Morris Adjmi Architects inspired by nearby Gothic architecture (EW, December 2017) topped out in October at 30 East 31st Street in NoMad. The 88,000-sq.-ft. structure will house 42 spacious condominiums and 1,600 sq. ft. of ground-level retail. Resident amenities will be on the cellar, ground and second levels. Ekstein Development and Pinnacle Real Estate are the developers, and Douglas Elliman Development Marketing is handling sales of the units that start at approximately US$1.65 million. Completion is anticipated in 2019.

Developer: Elevators as Terrorism Risk an “Absurd” Claim

Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant subway elevators that are part of the 1,127-ft.-tall 45 Broad Street residential supertall project by Madison Equities (EW, October 2016) drew criticism from some who claimed they presented a terrorism risk, a claim Madison Equities CEO Robert Gladstone called “absurd” in an October interview. Greenlit by the city earlier this year (EW, July 2018), the elevators will provide much-needed access for people with mobility issues who “want to work and pay their taxes,” Gladstone said, stating:

“If someone wanted to maximize damage, blowing up an elevator would be the last place that they would make such an attempt. The design and construction of the elevators will absorb the energy of an explosive device.”