The View at Bryant Park - 14 West 40th St

[londonlawyer]

From Cityrealty.com's Nov. 1, 2006 edition:
http://www.cityrealty.com/graphics/uploads/1162415733_40w14c.jpg

"New mixed-use tower planned for Bryant Park"

The landmarks committee of Community Board 5 last night approved by a vote of 6 to 2 a resolution that, pending research into prior plans involving the site, that endorses a plan, which must be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, for a 31-story, mixed-use tower designed by Morris Adjmi at 14 West 40th Street facing Bryant Park.
The limestone-and-glass tower will have about 150 hotel rooms and about 64 residential condominium apartments.

The proposal seeks to use a restoration plan for the former Knox Hat Building that had been approved in 1994 when the Republic National Bank intended to develop this long-vacant site, which extends through to 39th Street. The bank had developed the large office tower directly south of the Knox Hat Building in 1981 and at that time received a building bonus for agreeing to maintain the Knox Hat Building, which was incorporated into its new building program at the site, in good condition. The 1994 plan would have permitted the bank to seek various building waivers, but not increases in bulk, for the new building in return for a major restoration program for the Knox Hart Building, but the bank, which is now part of HSBC, decided not to proceed with the new building and therefore did not start the restoration program.

Joyce Matz, co-chair of the landmarks committee of Board 5, suggested that the 1981 new building benefited from its incorporation of the Knox Hat Building by being able to build a larger structure and she questioned whether the new owner of the undeveloped site, 40th St. Partners LLC, was trying to reuse the same benefits.

Historical preservation consultant William Higgins assured Ms. Matz that was not the case, but the committee passed its resolution conditioned on verifying that claim.

The new building would continue the “saw-tooth” street-wall of 40th Street between Fifth Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas, which is punctuated by several tall buildings. Mr. Adjmi said he designed a small west wing of the new-foot-high tower to continue that up-and-down geometry of the street-wall. The new building, which is directly south of the New York Public Library would have a frontage of 20 feet on 39th Street, but 102 feet on 40th Street. Mr. Adjmi said that the new, 338-foot-high tower will have the same square footage as the 220-foot-high plan in 1991. The top of the new tower, Mr. Adjmi, whose other projects include 345 West 14th Street, 450 West 14th Street, and 40 Ganesvoort Street, said, would be illuminated at night and have its rooftop mechanical spaces enclosed in glass behind a loggia.

The new tower would be a couple of doors to the west of the 29-story tower at 450 Fifth Avenue that was erected by the Republic National Bank in 1985 and designed by Eli Attia with a staggered north façade that wraps around the former Knox Hat Building. The Knox building was designed by John H. Duncan in 1902 and sensitively remodeled into a bank building by Kahn & Jacobs in 1965.

Mr. Higgins said that the restoration of the former Knox building will recreate a curved glass entrance marquee on Fifth Avenue, replace a missing cast-iron railing on a cornice, replace non-original multi-pane windows with single-pane windows, make various needed repairs, but retain the non-original storefront configuration on 40th Street because, he said, it is bettered centered to the upper façade.

Recently, a plan to convert the former Rogers Peet Building on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 41st Street to condominiums was abandoned and the property sold to Global Hyatt, which plans to convert it to a hotel and some condominium apartments, and the Durst Organization is currently building a major new skyscraper on the northwest corner of 42nd Street and the Avenue of the Americas.

[antinimby]

More mediocrity for New York! :(

[pianoman11686]

Horrible rendering, but it sounds promising in the article. What's there now? An empty lot?

[londonlawyer]

... What's there now? An empty lot?

I believe that this will be built on the empty lot on that block.

[pianoman11686]

Good. Adjmi's done some quality work. The proportions look fine, and limestone/glass is very appropriate here. Looks like an acceptable filler.

[londonlawyer]

Good. Adjmi's done some quality work. The proportions look fine, and limestone/glass is very appropriate here. Looks like an acceptable filler.

I'm not familiar with his other projects. Can you post images?

[pianoman11686]

450 West 14th Street

http://www.ma.com/projects/images/450-Perspective2.jpg

408 Greenwich Street

http://www.ma.com/projects/images/408-perspective.jpg

345 West 14th Street

http://www.ma.com/projects/images/345-dusk2.jpg

254 Front Street

http://www.ma.com/projects/images/Front-St-Montage-Final.jpg

40 Gansevoort Street

http://www.ma.com/projects/images/gansevoort-c.jpg

[sfenn1117]

I think it's good. I like how he decided a narrower, taller tower would be better on this block....and he's right, the block is a great looking streetscape. I'm sure the details will be good as well.

I had no idea there was an empty lot facing the park!

[londonlawyer]

408 Greenwich Street

http://www.ma.com/projects/images/408-perspective.jpg



Thanks. I really like this one.

[krulltime]

Yeah I am so happy that empty lot will totally be gone! Finally!

It will drive me crazy everytime I passed by this location! I always though it had such a potential. But yet I never heard anyting about some development here. Till now!

Well about the desing I don't think is going to look too memorable. Hoepfully I see a better rendering.

[LeCom]

A disappointing design for such a prominent site. Build something much taller, or much more elaborately designed, or leave the site until better ideas/developers come along.

[kliq6]

agreed nothing special here

[krulltime]

Landmarks studies mixed-use tower at Bryant Park


http://www.cityrealty.com/graphics/uploads/1168556919_40w14g.jpg


11-JAN-07

The Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing Tuesday night on the design of a proposed, 31-story, mixed-use tower at 14 West 40th Street.

The proposal seeks to use a restoration plan for the former Knox Hat Building that had been approved in 1994 when the Republic National Bank intended to develop this long-vacant site, which extends through to 39th Street. The bank had developed the large office tower directly south of the Knox Hat Building in 1981 and at that time received a building bonus for agreeing to maintain the Knox Hat Building, which was incorporated into its new building program at the site, in good condition.

The 1994 plan would have permitted the bank to seek various building waivers, but not increases in bulk, for the new building in return for a major restoration program for the Knox Hart Building, but the bank, which is now part of HSBC, decided not to proceed with the new building and therefore did not start the restoration program.

Morris Adjmi, the project's architect, told the commission that the proposed building is a transition between the taller HSBC (formerly Republic Bank of New York) tower that wraps around the Knox Building, and the American Radiator Building, now the Bryant Park Hotel, further west on 40th Street.

Tthe proposed building is across 40th Street from the landmark New York Public Library.

Commissioner Stephen Byrns noted that the proposed tower is mostly "free-standing," which he said was "one of the best aspects" of the building on this "up-and-down" block, "one of the more remarkable streets in New York," but he said he was "a little underwhelmed" by the design, which he felt was "a little tall" and "could be more elegant."

Jan Pokorny, another commissioner, however, said he felt "good" about the design, which he described as "elegant" and "first-rate."

Commissioner Margery Perlmutter said that the proposed building was "not too tall."

The proposed, limestone-clad building has a "punched" fenestration pattern that recesses windows more than a foot and the window openings are framed in stainless steel on the lower floors and aluminum on the upper floors. The bulkhead at the top of the building is surrounded by a wide "fence."

A statement from the Historic Districts Council maintained that the design was inappropriate and not harmonious with the nearby Knox Building or other Beaux Arts buildings on the block.

Commission chairman Robert Tierney asked the applicant to work with the commission's staff to refine the design and then return.

The tower, which would have some corner windows, will have 150 hotel rooms and 64 residential condominium apartments. The top of the new tower, Mr. Adjmi, whose other projects include 345 West 14th Street, 450 West 14th Street, and 40 Ganesvoort Street, said, would be illuminated at nigh.

The new tower would be a couple of doors to the west of the 29-story tower at 450 Fifth Avenue that was erected by the Republic National Bank in 1985 and designed by Eli Attia with a staggered north fa¿ade that wraps around the former Knox Hat Building. The Knox building was designed by John H. Duncan in 1902 and sensitively remodeled into a bank building by Kahn & Jacobs in 1965.

The proposed restoration of the former Knox building will recreate a curved glass entrance marquee on Fifth Avenue, replace a missing cast-iron railing on a cornice, replace non-original multi-pane windows with single-pane windows, make various needed repairs, but retain the non-original storefront configuration on 40th Street because, he said, it is bettered centered to the upper fa¿ade. Several commissioners agreed retaining the anon-aligned storefront facades was preferable.

The new tower will be known as "The View at Bryant Park" and is a project of the 40th Street Development LLC, which is in contract to purchase the property from HSBC Bank.


Copyright © 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.COM INC.

[antinimby]

I thought of these ladies when I saw the thread title.

http://image.com.com/tv/images/processed/photo_viewer/8d/62/54104.jpg

[antinimby]

Here's what the site looks like (from above the Library):

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/3498/14w40ea7.jpg

[ramvid01]

Are my eyes decieving me? Is that a parking lot :eek:

On a sidenote, this one looks to be the cousin of that POS hotel down the block, I think it's a Marriot.

[lofter1]

Hope they refine this one somewhat -- a tiered top would be better ...

The fact that it will hide the black glass west facade of the HSBC building is a plus.

[ablarc]

They gotta lose that Attia building. Screws it all up.

Trouble is, it's the biggest one! :eek:

[Fabrizio]

"A statement from the Historic Districts Council maintained that the design was inappropriate and not harmonious with the nearby Knox Building or other Beaux Arts buildings on the block.

Commission chairman Robert Tierney asked the applicant to work with the commission's staff to refine the design and then return. "


Lets hope they work further on this design. This is one of the prettiest blocks in Manhattan.... with its own skyline. What a great place for a dome... a spire... some interesting set-backs.

[ramvid01]

As I said in the other thread, this render looks very similar to POS Marriot on 41st. Ick.

[pianoman11686]

I know it's not easy to tell from the renderings we have, but I have a feeling this design is very good. Maybe not interesting in its overall composition, but I see signs of quality materials and a highly contextual curtain wall. This architect's done some good previous work with some more traditional materials and colors, and I don't think we should knock this design until we know more about it.

[ablarc]

I know it's not easy to tell from the renderings we have, but I have a feeling this design is very good. Maybe not interesting in its overall composition, but I see signs of quality materials and a highly contextual curtain wall. This architect's done some good previous work ...
A modest but possibly winsome design.

[antinimby]

Landmarks studies revised tower design on Bryant Park


http://www.cityrealty.com/graphics/uploads/1173820757_40w20a.jpg


13-MAR-07

A revised design for a proposed, 31-story, mixed-use tower at 20 West 40th Street was presented this afternoon to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which had held a hearing on the prior design in January.

The proposal requires some building waivers and seeks to use a restoration plan for the former Knox Hat Building that had been approved in 1994 when the Republic National Bank intended to develop this long-vacant site, which extends through to 39th Street. The bank had developed the large office tower directly south of the Knox Hat Building in 1981 and at that time received a building bonus for agreeing to maintain the Knox Hat Building, which was incorporated into its new building program at the site, in good condition.

The bank, which is now part of HSBC, decided not to proceed with the new building and therefore did not start the restoration program.

According to Morris Adjmi, the project's architect, the proposed building is a transition between the taller HSBC (formerly Republic Bank of New York) tower that wraps around the Knox Building, and the landmark American Radiator Building, now the Bryant Park Hotel, further west on 40th Street.

The proposed building is across 40th Street from the landmark New York Public Library.

The tower will have 150 hotel rooms and 64 residential condominium apartments.

The new tower would be a couple of doors to the west of the 29-story tower at 450 Fifth Avenue that was erected by the Republic National Bank in 1985 and designed by Eli Attia with a staggered north facade that wraps around the former Knox Hat Building.

The Knox building was designed by John H. Duncan in 1902 and sensitively remodeled into a bank building by Kahn & Jacobs in 1965. While it would have more floors, the proposed new tower would, in fact, be shorter than the tower at 450 Fifth Avenue.

The proposed restoration of the former Knox building will recreate a curved glass entrance marquee on Fifth Avenue, replace a missing cast-iron railing on a cornice, replace non-original multi-pane windows with single-pane windows, make various needed repairs, but retain the non-original storefront configuration on 40th Street because it is bettered centered to the upper facade. Several commissioners agreed retaining the non-aligned storefront facades was preferable.

The new tower will be known as "The View at Bryant Park" and is a project of the 40th Street Development LLC, which is in contract to purchase the property from HSBC Bank.

The major change in the revised design occurred at the top where a colonnade has been replaced with greenery.

A "sidecar" low-rise wing of the building on 40th Street was reduced two floors in height in the new design.

The building's residential entrance would be closest to Fifth Avenue and the hotel's entrance would be in the middle of the 40th Street facade while a restaurant will occupy the ground-floor space to the west. The main hotel lobby will be on the second floor, which will have broad windows. The hotel will occupy floors 2 through 16.

Several commissioners said that the new design was an improvement, and most said they had no problem with the tower's height.

The tower will have a dark gray limestone cladding at its base and a clear-glass facade above with a light-gray-limestone "punched" grid that would protrude about a foot from the windows, which will have aluminum spandrels.

Commission chairman Robert Tierney remarked that the "top needs to the re-thought and more attention given to the harmonious refinement of the base" and he asked the applicant to return at a future date.

Copyright © 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.COM INC.

[antinimby]

Hmmm...not sure if it's an improvement.

Before LPC butted in...
http://www.cityrealty.com/graphics/uploads/1168556919_40w14g.jpg


Now...
http://www.cityrealty.com/graphics/uploads/1173820757_40w20a.jpg

[lofter1]

It's worse -- garish and glassy when it should sit back and shut up ...

This is where the classic NYC "wedding cake" set-back style should come into play -- let it go taller at the mid-block (the southern) side and ease it's way up to that high point from 40th Street opposite Bryant Park.

[antinimby]

I agree.

So much for LPC's input. :rolleyes:

[pianoman11686]

Last updated: June 4, 2007 12:02pm

City To See First Green Luxury Hotel

By Katie Hinderer
GlobeSt.com (http://www.globest.com/news/920_920/newyork/161153-1.html)

Bryant Park NEW YORK CITY-Starwood Capital Group has plans to introduce green luxury to Manhattan. The company will open a “1” Hotel and Residences at 14-20 W. 40th St., as part of its eco-friendly global hotel brand.

The “1” Hotel and Residences at Bryant Park will form part of a 31-story mixed-use development that is being constructed by 40th Street Development LLC, an affiliate of New York City-based Ascent Real Estate Advisors LLC. The project will take the place of a parking lot.

The property will be constructed according to LEED standards and was designed by architect Morris Adjmi. The Natural Resources Defense Council will act as an advisor on the project and will help Starwood solidify its environmental goals and standards.

“Today marks an important step in the development of what I believe will truly become a revolutionary force for change in the hospitality industry," says Starwood chairman and CEO Barry Sternlicht, in a statement. "When we announced the creation of ‘1,’ we promised it would combine a truly luxurious living experience with a commitment to environmental standards and responsibility, and there is no better place to implement such a vision in New York than across from one of the city's most adored parks.”

Starwood plans to make the hotel at least 30% more energy efficient than requires by state law through day lighting, occupancy sensors, lighting control systems and Energy Star appliances. Additionally, high recycled-content and locally made materials will be incorporated into the building; and 50% of the energy used will be sourced by wind, hydro and biomass.

The hotel is slated to open in 2010, and will contain both hotel units as condominium spaces. In addition restaurateur Stephen Hanson is creating a dining component for the project. "Guests and residents of the Bryant Park ‘1’ will quickly come to expect nothing less than a premier hotel and dining experience that appeals to each of their senses and promotes a sense of tranquility amid the otherwise bustling streets of Midtown,” Hanson says. “Our kitchens will use organic and other fine local ingredients to prepare extraordinary meals that are completely in tune with the building's environmental conscience."

The “1” Hotel and Residences brand is also being attempted in Seattle; Scottsdale, AZ; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Mammoth Lakes, CA; Washington, DC; and Paris.

Copyright © 2007 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.

[investordude]

It sounds like people are talking about this as though its been approved, yet the last article in the thread suggests landmarks hasn't signed off on it.

[lofter1]

Landmarks has no control over this site.

On the south side of that block of W. 40 (between Fifth / Sixth) there are onlytwo Landmarked buildings:

452 Fifth (http://www.facademd.com/projects/fmd_projects_16.htm) [aka 4 W 40th] -- HSBC Building

38 - 40 W 40th (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Radiator_Building) -- Radiator Building

[Fahzee]

Interesting factoid (and londonlawyer et all - this is going to break your hearts) - the masonry & iron fence that surrounds this parking lot is the last bit of the former "Wilkie Memorial Building"

From the City Review...
The New York Times said this parking lot, across 40th Street from the New York Public Library, is "perhaps the most elegant one in Manhattan." The reassuring iron fence and stone wall force drivers to use the back entrance (where they belong), save the pedestrians on the near side from having to dodge out of the way of moving vehicles, and partially hide the view of the parked cars. But the fence exists only because it was required by the City Planning Commission, and still, it borders a parking lot — the most wasteful and inappropriate use of space in the city center. The story of how this lot came to replace a much beloved and heavily used building is a sad tale of a city deteriorating and a preservation apparatus that didn't reach a building in time to save it.

A nine-story Flemish-style clubhouse designed by Henry J. Hardenbergh was built here in 1907 as the home for the New York Club. The building had a limestone base on the ground floors and a brick facade with carved stonework on the upper floors. Arched windows were framed by four pairs of Doric columns between the second and fifth floors. The club, adjacent to the Republican Club and the Engineers Club, formed a little row of clubs across the street from Bryant Park. When the New York Club withered, the building was purchased in 1945 by supporters of Freedom House (http://www.freedomhouse.org/), a nonprofit organization "devoted to strenghtening free societies," in The Times's words. Freedom House named the building in honor of the 1940 Republican presidential candidate, Wendell Willkie, and used the building for its offices and to provide low-cost space to numerous other nonprofit organizations. By the mid-1980s, ownership of the building been handed down to the Willkie Foundation, which shared all its directors with Freedom House. Late in 1984 or early in 1985, the Willkie Foundation sold the building to the Republic National Bank of New York for $5.7 million with the understanding that the bank would assume ownership on July 1, 1985. The organization sold its building in part, it said, because it could not keep up with the costs imposed by Local Law 10, a law passed by the City Council in 1980 after a Barnard College student was killed by falling masonry. The law required owners of buildings more than six stories high to have their buildings inspected every five years and make prompt repairs if needed.

As early as 1979, it had been suggested in a citywide survey that the building be put on the list of buildings under consideration for landmark status. It is forbidden to alter the structure or facade of any landmarked building, or even one on the list to be considered a landmark. Owning a landmarked building is often viewed as a burden by landlords, who must comply with heightened upkeep regulations and most importantly, are generally unable to build a larger building on site or enlarge the landmark. Contrary to what one might think, landlords often lobby strenuously against landmark status for their own buildings. Perpetual preservation loomed over the Willkie Memorial Building in early 1985, when, shortly after completing the deal to buy the building, but before even taking ownership, Republic National Bank offered to perform the work necessary to, er, keep the building up to code. In 1983, the bank had completed construction of its new $55 million skyscraper headquarters (http://www.thecityreview.com/repub.html) at 452 Fifth Avenue, two doors down from the Willkie Memorial Building. The bank had plans for this nearby site that didn't include preserving a 1907 clubhouse, no matter how architecturally meritorious.

On the frigid evening of Feb. 15, 1985, a crew of workers took jackhammers to the facade, stripping balustrades and stone carvings around the windows and chipping into the four pairs of Doric columns. A spokeswoman for Freedom House said the work was needed to comply with Local Law 10, but the City Building Commissioner, Charles M. Smith Jr., said the work on the facade "had gone beyond safety-compliance procedures," as The Times paraphrased. But they had a permit for daytime work, so there was nothing the commissioner could do aside from temporarily halting nighttime work. The Landmarks Preservation Commission hadn't acted quickly enough, and preservationists were furious that the building hadn't formally been listed. "We have a small staff of 50 persons, and we're not able to move quickly to protect all buildings identified as significant," Lenore Norman, the commission's executive director, told The Times.

Preservationists noted that by vandalizing the facade, the workers had ruined the chances that the building would be landmarked. Perhaps that was the point of all that haste. Even before the destruction of the facade, Freedom House had asked tenants in the building, which included the Public Education Association, the New York City School Volunteer Program, the Citizen's Housing and Planning Council (http://www.chpcny.org/) and American Movement for World Government (http://www.americanmovementforworldgovernment.org/), to vacate by mid-June. The tenants sued Freedom House later that year. The suit was settled out of court, probably with Freedom House putting money into a housing fund for the nonprofits it made homeless. Meanwhile, the building stood vacant and shrouded by scaffolding. Not long afterward, it was demolished, leaving only the parking lot and a nine-story outline where it had stood against the adjacent building.

Public word of Republic National Bank's plans for the lot first surfaced in 1991. Eventually, we learned that they intended to build a 16- or 17-story tower that would have been connected to the building at the rear, which is or was the bank's data center at 1 West 39th Street. The tower, to cost a reported $2.6 million in 1994, was to have been desiged by Fox & Fowle (http://www.fxfowle.com/) and have had "a limestone facade, recessed flanks, a two-story entry and a pyramid top," as The Times described it. But the effort to build that tower seems to have stalled before December 1999, when Edmond Safra, the 67-year-old billionaire owner of Republic National Bank, was killed in a fire set by his nurse, and Republic was bought by HSBC (http://www.hsbcusa.com/) for $9.8 bllion. The parking lot's new corporate owner seems not to be in a hurry to develop this site, as a temporary permit for the parking lot has been extended for some years now. The Willkie Building will never return, but one would be happy to see something fill this void in the city's fabric.

see photos: (maybe someone who knows how could post a photo?)
http://www.startsandfits.com/hardenbergh/willkie.html

[lofter1]

Here we go ...

http://www.startsandfits.com/hardenbergh/images/willkie_old.jpg

[Fahzee]

^ many thanks - it certainly was a good looking building

[MidtownGuy]

:( that was so beautiful, and reading the article about it's shameful demise was truly sad. The new buildings around Bryant should be gorgeous, not that mediocre bore they're planning to erect.

[sfenn1117]

Landmarks has no control over this site.

On the south side of that block of W. 40 (between Fifth / Sixth) there are onlytwo Landmarked buildings:

452 Fifth (http://www.facademd.com/projects/fmd_projects_16.htm) [aka 4 W 40th] -- HSBC Building

38 - 40 W 40th (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Radiator_Building) -- Radiator Building

Yes, it does need landmarks approval; it has already been presented to them twice.

[lofter1]

OK ... DOB does not list that address (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/PropertyProfileOverviewServlet?boro=1&houseno=20+&street=west+40th+street&requestid=0&s=A03C41B885B461E4F46BD08866A7430E) as a "Landmarked" lot (as it does for the two others on that block (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/PropertyBrowseByBBLServlet?requestid=1&allborough=1&allblock=841)).

Does anyone know the reason that LPC might have control over "The View" site?

[antinimby]

The Landmarks Preservation Commission hadn't acted quickly enough, and preservationists were furious that the building hadn't formally been listed. "We have a small staff of 50 persons, and we're not able to move quickly to protect all buildings identified as significant," Lenore Norman, the commission's executive director, told The Times.I see not much has changed with the LPC.

[Fahzee]

OK ... DOB does not list that address (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/PropertyProfileOverviewServlet?boro=1&houseno=20+&street=west+40th+street&requestid=0&s=A03C41B885B461E4F46BD08866A7430E) as a "Landmarked" lot (as it does for the two others on that block (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/PropertyBrowseByBBLServlet?requestid=1&allborough=1&allblock=841)).

Does anyone know the reason that LPC might have control over "The View" site?


This is a shot in the dark - but do you think it has anything to do with the landmarked Bryant Park / The Library? (In other words, shadows cast by the new building on a protected area gives landmarks the ability to review & comment on a new building, but not approval rights?)

[lofter1]

Don't think so.

That angle was tried years ago with the Safdie / Columbus Circle project in regards to shadows hitting Central Park. The theatrics got lots of press but it was the economy that killed that project, not LPC.

And if that shadow ruse worked then folks would have used it at Madison Square Park to stop the new One Madison tower rising there now.

[antinimby]

Perhaps this passage from an earlier cityrealty.com article will provide the answer.



The proposal requires some building waivers and seeks to use a restoration plan for the former Knox Hat Building that had been approved in 1994 when the Republic National Bank intended to develop this long-vacant site, which extends through to 39th Street.

The bank had developed the large office tower directly south of the Knox Hat Building in 1981 and at that time received a building bonus for agreeing to maintain the Knox Hat Building, which was incorporated into its new building program at the site, in good condition.

The bank, which is now part of HSBC, decided not to proceed with the new building and therefore did not start the restoration program.

[lofter1]

That ^ looks to be the LPC connection.

Thanks ...

[TREPYE]

http://www.startsandfits.com/hardenbergh/images/willkie_old.jpg
On the frigid evening of Feb. 15, 1985, a crew of workers took jackhammers to the facade, stripping balustrades and stone carvings around the windows and chipping into the four pairs of Doric columns. A spokeswoman for Freedom House said the work was needed to comply with Local Law 10, but the City Building Commissioner, Charles M. Smith Jr., said the work on the facade "had gone beyond safety-compliance procedures," as The Times paraphrased. But they had a permit for daytime work, so there was nothing the commissioner could do aside from temporarily halting nighttime work. The Landmarks Preservation Commission hadn't acted quickly enough, and preservationists were furious that the building hadn't formally been listed. "We have a small staff of 50 persons, and we're not able to move quickly to protect all buildings identified as significant," Lenore Norman, the commission's executive director, told The Times.http://www.startsandfits.com/hardenbergh/willkie.html
Owner demolished a beautiful historic building because the LMC did not have time to get to it. Meanwhile, nothing was ever built there anyways for over 20 years....what a sickening story.

[LeCom]

Good to see that the building aims to be very green. Finally, a fad that's actually good for the people and the planet. With 4TS and BofA right across the street, Bryant Park will become the centerpiece of green development in the city, at least for now. Any green stats on the reclad Verizon (besides the color)?

[bryant park neighbors]

Has anyone been following the 1 Hotel One & Residences proposed for 20 W 40 St. across from the Main Library and Bryant Park?

While claiming to be a “completely green” hotel and marketing the fact that the new tower will be “certified LEED Silver” the truth is that this REALLY big building (32 stories!!) will be wedged into a lot next to Bryant Park. The building would be on the east end of the block, across from the library but the shadows will stretch as far as the fountain in the park near 6th Ave. That is a shadow that stretches nearly a whole long block.

In order for this behemoth to be built, the developer will need a special permit because the daylight evaluation is well below the allowed zoning regulations.

What’s worse -- this “green” hotel did not even conduct a full environmental impact study to determine exactly how this new structure will impact the park and surrounding community.

This project is currently being reviewed by the Planning Commission. If you enjoy Bryant Park and don’t want to see the park “go dark”, please click on the link to the planning commission comment page below and let them know how you feel.
http://nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildcp.html

[sfenn1117]

^lol. It would be the third tallest building on the block. Give me a break.

[ASchwarz]

Unbelievable. Nothing shocks me any more.

Remind me, are we talking about Midtown?

Wouldn't the trees create more shadows?

How about the much taller and more massive buildings on all sides? Wouldn't they create even more shadows?

[ramvid01]

If NIMBYs ruled the world, we would all live in one storey houses...









one storey underground. :p

[BrooklynRider]

Wouldn't the trees create more shadows?



That's my chuckle for today.

[alonzo-ny]

In nimbyland the sun never moves.

[ZippyTheChimp]

I don't usually respond to drive-by posts, but citing shadow studies in order to attach scientific credibility to an argument, and then drawing meaningless idiotic conclusions, really annoys me.
If you enjoy Bryant Park and don’t want to see the park “go dark”,So, by chance should the neighbors drop by, they can explain what go dark means.

All the time? Half the time?

In the meantime...

Let's see how this building (and those existing) will cast a shadow across the lawn. The photo was taken on March 2 at 10:00 AM. The sun is at 34° altitude, and is high enough to clear the buildings.

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8214/bryantparkahadows01csw6.jpg

Height of sun for the same view - entire year:

Jan 1 - 15°
Feb 1 - 21°
Mar 1 - 34°
Apr 1 - 48°
May 1 - 59.0°
Jun 1 - 67.0°
Jul 1 - 68°
Aug 1 - 62°
Sep 1 - 51°
Oct 1 - 37°
Nov 1 - 24°
Dec 1 - 16°

For 8 months of the year, it's not an issue at all.

[stache]

Yes but the other four months... ;)

[antinimby]

The other four months are mostly irrelevant, too. Here's why.

Look at that picture Zippy posted.

Where it's located, this building itself will be in the shadow of the HSBC-Knox building so it's not casting any more shadows than that would be there anyway.

The only time it will cast it's own shadow (when not overshadowed by the HSBC-Knox) is when the sun is directly over it but as we know, that would only be brief and momentary because the sun moves and does not stay still in one position for very long.

bryant park neighbors' overexaggerated claims can now be laid to rest.

[bryant park neighbors]

I would invite everyone to visit the park in the morning to inspect where people are sitting. If they are on the south side of the park they will be sitting near the Bryant Park Grill because that is where the sun is shining. During the winter months this proposed building will block a good portion of the sun light to the south side of the park. That is a loss of an amenity in the park. Just because the HSBC building already blocks some of the sunlight does not make it okay to block the rest. The HSBC building was a mistake in scale and design if you ask me but it is there to stay. Someone should learn from the mistakes of the past.
The developer is asking for a special permit relieving them of the zoning regulations for the overall daylight evaluation. A passing score for the overall daylight evaluation is 75% but this development scores somewhere in the low 20s.

Also tree shade in the winter is minimal because they don’t have “LEAFS”.

[ZippyTheChimp]

I would invite everyone to visit the park in the morning to inspect where people are sitting.First of all, let's be clear that this building will only impact the park during the winter months, and at no time will it cast a shadow on the park in the afternoon. When the sun is past 180°, the building's shadow will fall on the library roof.

During the winter months this proposed building will block a good portion of the sun light to the south side of the park.What do you mean by a good portion?

Just because the HSBC building already blocks some of the sunlight does not make it okay to block the rest.So how much extra will this building alone add to the shadows that are already there?

During Dec and Jan, the sun doesn't rise above 27°, and shadows are long. The Empire State Building is 2200 ft south of 42nd St. Here are some calculations of the shadow the ESB would cast during the winter.

Dec 21 - 2500 ft
Jan 1 - 2460
Jan 7 - 2400
Jan 14 - 2300
Jan 21 - 2160
Jan 28 - 2100

A typical distortion of shadow study data is using it on an empty landscape. During the winter, the sun is so low that even a modest 150 ft building will cast a shadow over 300 ft, blocking the sun on the south side of the park.

Are your two posts an accurate description of the impact of this building on Bryant Park? I don't think so.

The HSBC building was a mistake in scale and design if you ask me but it is there to stay. Someone should learn from the mistakes of the past.Was the Empire State Building a mistake?

[NYatKNIGHT]

Was the American Radiator Building a mistake? It too casts a shadow.

Anyway, the south half of Bryant park is shaded by trees already.

Sounds like another typical shadow complaint: usually incorrect, and just a ploy to halt development.

[LeCom]

Even the Empire State building, several blocks away, is large enough to cash a shadow. Was that a mistake as well?

If having completely unobstructed skies around the local park is really such an issue to the residents, then perhaps those residents should have chosen a different community with different zoning laws as their place of residence. This is Midtown Manhattan, the world's most single most expansive high-rise neighborhood. "Bryant park residents", your complaints about tall buildings in the area are akin to someone moving to Chinatown and then complaining about the prevalence of Chinese people in the area. Besides, your specific argument about the building casting a shadow has just been proven largely wrong.

If you really want to make a case for your argument and pull people over to your site, give us some specific, and reliable data, and stay away from intimidating yet empty words like "it will cast a shadow over most of the park."

[TheBaker]

You are all overlooking a bigger problem than the size and shadows. Unless I am mistaken this is going to be another luxury residential building in mid-town with no middle-income or affordable housing. The developer should at least include 5 or 6 units in the plan. NYC is facing a real housing crisis. We need public officials to hold developers responsible for the people that make this city unique.

[Hamilton]

NYC is facing a housing crisis in part because of the hurdles that have to be jumped in order to get a project through the pipeline.

Developers are greedy. If you make them put an affordable housing component into a market rate project, they're not going to take a profit cut. Instead, they'll just raise the prices or rents on the market-rate apartments. While prices will be lower for the lucky few who win the lottery to get the subsidized apartments (or who have connections, etc.), those in the other apartments pay more in rent or in the housing price to make up, further exacerbating the housing crisis.

Additionally, it generally discourages developers from developing marginal projects that are just on the edge of profitability relative to smaller alternatives. If and when they know they'll be forced to make "affordable" housing concessions to build a larger project, they may choose to just scale it down and fly under the radar, doing nothing to improve the housing crunch.

Think of it this way: a dozen or so millionaires living in these luxury condos means a dozen or so less millionaires living in other buildings in the city, which means that those apartments are available to people of slightly lower means, and so on.

Any increase in supply helps drive prices down in the long run. That is why the reactionary anti-development attitudes of people like bryantparkneighbors are the worst enemy of affordable lower-middle and upper-middle-class housing in New York City. They've got their exclusive club and got in on the ground floor, and hypocritically fight any change and newcomers tooth an nail.

[ZippyTheChimp]

You are all overlooking a bigger problem than the size and shadows.I responded to the post entitled Bryant Park in Danger of Going Dark, and only addressed a false argument meant to augment opposition to a building. Shadow studies are easily manipulated, and a sure way to mobilize opposition.

If the building is a bad idea, the opposition should stand on legitimate reasons, without distortions.

The developer should at least include 5 or 6 units in the plan.Would that be acceptable to you, and has that been suggested to the developer?

[TheBaker]

Zippy - My understating is that Members of CB 5 proposed affordable housing but the developers and some of the neighbors said the area is not for people of “modest means”.
I just threw the number 5 or 6 out there. More units would be better.

Hamilton - It is not a bad idea to spread millionaires throughout the city. It would be good economic stimulus for more neighborhoods to have millionaires. Plus it is getting harder and harder for our Manhattan based EMS, NYPD, and FDNY to find housing in the borough. Diversifying the housing will be good for the city in the long run.

[econ_tim]

Plus it is getting harder and harder for our Manhattan based EMS, NYPD, and FDNY to find housing in the borough. Diversifying the housing will be good for the city in the long run.

People make this argument all the time often mentioning teachers as well. If the policy objective is to have these people live in Manhattan, I would rather the city raise their salaries than further interfere with the housing market. Even if we raised their salaries, they might choose to live in other boroughs, and who are we to force them to do otherwise?

[stache]

The city used to require cops to live in NYC, so the cops used to pool together and rent studios etc. and use that as a mailing address, and live in the burbs.

[antinimby]

Eco-Friendly Bryant Park Hotel to Break Ground This August

http://www.observer.com/files/imagecache/article/files/bryantparkhotel.jpg
Rendering of the View at Bryant Park, the blue building in
the middle.


by Dana Rubinstein | May 19, 2008 (http://www.observer.com/2008/eco-friendly-bryant-park-hotel-break-ground-august)

Finally, tourists will have a place to stay in Manhattan.

Developers filed plans on Friday for the View at Bryant Park, a good year after the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved designs for a 31-story cloud-buster at 20 West 40th Street. The site has since had to go through ULURP, the city's land-use review.

John Porges, one of the developers, said construction will begin this August on what is being billed as New York City's first, five-star green hotel.

The Starwood Capital 1 hotel, designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, will reportedly have 150 hotel rooms and 64 condos.

Starwood Capital announced plans last year to launch a new chain of LEED-certified hotels, dubbed "1," because one percent of all revenues will be donated to local environmental groups. The Natural Resources Defense Council is an adviser on the project.

© 2008 Observer Media Group

[antinimby]

I guess that ^ didn't happen. In the meantime, the lot is still serving cars...

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/9863/img0189nu1.jpg

It might as well since the design was subpar anyway.

[londonlawyer]

...

It might as well since the design was subpar anyway.

I agree.