366 10th Avenue (Steven Holl)

[antinimby]

According to this news story, the construction should commence in the near future.

Extell Moves To Get a Piece of a Hotspot in the Making


By ELIOT BROWN
Special to the Sun
May 25, 2007 (http://www.nysun.com/article/55231)

With a vision for the Hudson rail yards slowly taking shape, a top developer has plans to build a 600,000-square-foot mixed-use tower across the street, marking an early entry into the hotspot-to-be of Midtown West.

The Port Authority yesterday approved the sale of a 7,300-square-foot sliver of land to Extell Development for $17.1 million, moving the giant developer a step closer to construction on the site, which sits between 30th and 31st streets east of 10th Avenue.

A spokesman for Extell said the company is likely to soon begin construction work for the building, which will contain residential and commercial space and a hotel. Within the land transfer, Extell left a provision for a skyway that would run across the street to the High Line, the planned park to be built on elevated rail tracks.

The building would be one of the few early arrivals to the gradually transforming Hudson Yards district that runs on the West Side between about 28th and 42nd streets, an area that was rezoned to encourage new, denser development in 2004. Anchored by such city- and state-led projects as the planned development of an expanded Javits Center, a new train terminal by Pennsylvania Station, and the Hudson rail yards complex, the area promises to be almost unrecognizable in 15 years, and developers are slowly buying up land.

For Extell and the other few early developers that trickle in, real estate experts say being the first to build can be costly.

"The first project that goes up always takes a hit because you're taking the most risks — you have unestablished market rents," an analyst at Real Capital Analytics, Daniel Fasulo, said. "There's a lot of major developers acquiring land there right now, but it's basically a game of chicken between your neighbors."

Extell is said to be one of five firms planning a bid for development of the rail yards, which run between Tenth and Twelfth avenues. The city and state foresee a giant complex of residential and commercial towers atop the yards, with a spacious park running east to west envisioned for the center of the development.

The state, which owns the site, intends to issue a request for proposals in coming weeks for the development. The bid to complete the complex could go to a single or a team of developers, officials have said. They would be required to build an extremely costly platform over the rail yards before constructing the towers.

© 2007 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC

[lofter1]

Not sure why The Sun is reporting this like it's new news ...

WNY Post (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showpost.php?p=69393&postcount=262) from October 2005

WNY Post (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showpost.php?p=124670&postcount=1121) from October 2006

WNY Post (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showpost.php?p=129429&postcount=1146) Follow-Up from November 2006

[antinimby]

I'm guessing it's because the transaction was approved by the PA board and made official yesterday.

Anyway, I'm very confused by all this.

According to Cityrealty.com, which also came out with a new entry today (below) for this story, it looks like the transaction yesterday is for another 7300 sf parcel adjacent to the Dean site, which Extell had bought earlier.

I checked the map, and I can't figure out where this adjacent 7300 empty lot is at. Could it be the low-rise building with the smoke stack directly behind the Dean site? (But it is only 4500 sf)

Here's the whole site from the air, facing east:

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/9356/extellhudsonyardsrj9.jpg





Port Authority sells Extell land and easements on Tenth Avenue

25-MAY-07

The board of directors of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey authorized the sale of about 7,300 square feet of vacant land on Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st Streets to the Extell Development company, which is headed by Gary Barnett, for $17,155,000.

The board also authorized granting Extell a perpetual light-and-air easement over an adjacent parcel of land of about 4,300 square feet for $500,000 and another easement for the construction and maintenance of a pedestrian skyway over an adjacent parcel owned by the authority for an amount to be negotiated of not less than $500,000.

Extell is developing a mixed-use commercial and residential high-rise building of 600,000 to 650,000 square feet on the adjacent lot and as part of the transaction authorized yesterday Extell would be granted a 30-foot-wide light-and-air easement over a portion of the Lincoln Tunnell Access road, and a sliver of land between the property and such access road, for $500,000.

The Extell site is adjacent to the new High Line Park.

Extell Development had acquired the low-rise building occupied by Stuart Dean, the building facade restorers, at 366 Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st Street for $23 million.

The site lies within the Hudson Yards district.

The city rezoned much of the Hell's Kitchen area to accommodate a plan by the Bloomberg Administration to build a new football stadium over the exposed train yards that run into Penn Station. The plan, which was promoted by Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, was designed to tie into an expansion of the No. 7 subway line, an expansion of the nearby Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and the creation of a new north-south boulevard with high density development of both offices and apartments.

The stadium plan fell through, but the rezoning was enacted and it permits the highest development FARs (floor-to-area ratios) in the city: 21.6. (In contrast much of the development on the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side is limited to a maximum of FAR of about 10 and in downtown areas like Chelsea and TriBeCa FARs are considerably lower.

Extell has become one of the city's most aggressive acquirers of property in recent years. It is converting the former Stanhope Hotel at 995 Fifth Avenue to residential condominiums and nearing completion of the 60-story condo tower known as the Orion on West 42nd Street and two high-rise towers on Broadway at 99th Street and it has several projects along Riverside Boulevard and a couple on West 57th Street.

© 1994-2007 CITY REALTY.COM INC.

[antinimby]

I think I've got it all figured out now.

- The Stuart Dean site Extell had already owned (12565 sf)
- The plot that Extell just purchased from the PA (7300 sf)
- The Lincoln Tunnel access road (yellow highlight)
- The proposed skybridge to connect to the Highline

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/3314/extellhudsonyards1ef4.jpg

[lofter1]

Seems that assessment ^^^ is pretty much correct -- and is outlned in a NYC Department of Finance document ("MORTGAGE SPREADER AGREEMENT") dated May 7, 2007 (13 pages: "EXTELL 31/10 LLC" and "BARCLAYS CAPITAL REAL ESTATE INC."; the property is listed under Block 728 / Lot 67) which specifies the property outlines for the four Parcels that make up the Extell site (including a very lengthy and convoluted description of Parcel #4 regarding the access road to the Lincoln Tunnel.

[TonyO]

Within the land transfer, Extell left a provision for a skyway that would run across the street to the High Line, the planned park to be built on elevated rail tracks.

This is big in my opinion and speaks to the likelihood that the full length of the high line will remain.

[lofter1]

That long-term existence of the stub of the High Line at the east end of 30th St. hasn't been in question -- its' the section west of 10th Avenue that goes west towards the River front, then north to 33rd and then east that is in danger of coming down.

[lofter1]

Architect Steven Holl was on Charlie Rose (http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2007/07/23/3/a-conversation-with-architect-steven-holl) tonight (no vid yet ont he Rose website) and he talked about this project. His firm has designed the TOWER for Extell at this site and he said it is a definite GO.

His plan is to have a very strong VERTICAL terminus for the north <> south run of the High Line. THe tower will be fairly simple, and yet it will mimic vertically the run of the High Line (there will be slight bows in the tower as it rises).

Holl showed some renders of the tower -- it looks FANTASTIC. And BIG. It will be mixed use with commercial below, reisdential above and the previously mentioned bridge which will cross over and connect to the High Line at Tentn Avenue / 30th Street.

Nothing yet on Holl's website: http://www.stevenholl.com/

And can't yet find anything on the web about the building.

And DOB is still not showing any New Building Applications for the site at 358-366 Tenth Avenue (aka 460-462 W. 31st)

[kz1000ps]

I caught it, but by the time I got my camera ready I missed the (first) overall shot of the building.

There's at least another 5-10 stories to the tower that this image cuts off
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/6061/img8061xy8.jpg

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/8003/img8058tw5.jpg

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2447/img8059ab3.jpg

[lofter1]

Excellent ^^^ Good screen grab :D

[kz1000ps]

Thanks --- I think this is the first time I can say I've been a part of a WNY scoop of any kind, and all I had to do was unwittingly watch the wonderful Charlie Rose :p

[lofter1]

Fun to get a scoop, eh ;) ?

Did you happen to catch how many floors Holl said it would be?

In your photo I think I'm seeing 22 visible floors plus 4 double height floors up top.

[londonlawyer]

That's A Great Building!!!

[kz1000ps]

Did you happen to catch how many floors Holl said it would be?

I don't believe it was said -- otherwise I would've remembered it without fail. But from what I remember, it looked to be somewhere around 400 feet, maybe approaching 500.

[fioco]

Great capture, kz100ops! I was fortunate to see the same program. Steven Holl described it as a vertical expression of the high line itself. The slender tower snaked into the sky (see kz1000ps' capture of the top). Holl wanted a sentinel to mark the northern terminus of the high line, acknowledging that developers weren't too eager to incorporate the final loop into their plans. As anti-nimby expertly mapped out for us earlier, the plot is quite small; yet the tower looks deceptively (and exquisitely) tall. Can't wait for the official renderings.

[Stern]

Great looking building! I was disheartened that Holl's 505 Fifth Avenue wasn't built, but this one is just as good. Extell knows how to get things built and major props to them for hiring A-List architects as of late.

[ASchwarz]

This is a relatively small site and will be built to 650,000 square feet, so I think we will be getting something quite tall, which is fantastic news!

The design looks very promising.

[Scraperfannyc]

I caught it, but by the time I got my camera ready I missed the (first) overall shot of the building.

There's at least another 5-10 stories to the tower that this image cuts off
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/6061/img8061xy8.jpg

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/8003/img8058tw5.jpg

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2447/img8059ab3.jpg

To think that Bloomberg when out of his way to preserve abandoned railroad tracks sounds pretty bad. Who cares about those parisian townhouses in midtown, save the abandoned train tracks. However, the best part about the highline is that it spurred development projects all around it, which does say alot. Perhaps Bloomberg had it all figured out then?

[sfenn1117]

Steven Holl designs major mixed-use tower on Tenth Avenue

http://www.cityrealty.com/graphics/uploads/1185317419_extelholl2.jpg

The Extell Development Company, which is headed by Gary Burnett, has commissioned Steven Holl to design a major, mixed-use tower at 366 Tenth Avenue at the northern terminus of the High Line Park at 31st Street.

Mr. Holl showed a rendering of the planned tower last night on the Charlie Rose television program and said it would contain about 200,000 square feet of residential space, about 400 hotel rooms and art gallery and retail spaces.

The rendering seemed to indicate that it would be more than 50 stories tall and that it would rise in three major setbacks and that the silhouette of the slender tower would somewhat resemble an elongated, angled "S."

Mr. Holl said he had been worked on the project for about 18 months but contracts had only just been signed.

Mr. Holl is famous for his collaboration with Perry Dean Rogers Partners Architects on the very impressive design of the Simmons Hall student residence building at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That project is distinguished by its 18-inch deep windows and cut-out forms.

Mr. Holl has also won widespread praise for his recent major, luminous expansion of the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum in Kansas City, Missouri and a huge residential complex nearing completion in Beijing in which eight towers are connected by bridges at about the 20th floor, one of which contains a swimming pool.

Another major Holl design is Sail Hybrid, an expansion of a resort casino in Knokke-Hirst, Belgium.

In 1993, he collaborated with Vito Acconci on the clever flip-out design of the Storefront for Art and Architecture on Kenmare Street in SoHo, and more recently he designed the Higgins Hall Center at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

In May, the board of directors of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey authorized the sale of about 7,300 square feet of vacant land on Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st Streets to the Extell for $17,155,000.

The board also authorized granting Extell a perpetual light-and-air easement over an adjacent parcel of land of about 4,300 square feet for $500,000 and another easement for the construction and maintenance of a pedestrian skyway over an adjacent parcel owned by the authority for an amount to be negotiated of not less than $500,000.

Extell Development had acquired the low-rise building occupied by Stuart Dean, the building facade restorers, at 366 Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st Street for $23 million.

The site lies within the Hudson Yards district.

Mr. Holl told Mr. Rose that Extell plans to erect a $2 million bridge to connect it with the cross-town section of the elevated railway that is part of the west and east sections of the rail yards for which the Metropolitan Transportation Authority recently put out a request for development proposals.

Extell has become one of the city's most aggressive acquirers of property in recent years.

It is converting the former Stanhope Hotel at 995 Fifth Avenue to residential condominiums and nearing completion of the 60-story condo tower known as the Orion on West 42nd Street and two high-rise towers on Broadway at 99th Street. It and The Carlyle Group agreed to acquire three apartments buildings designed by Costas Kondylis and land between 59th and 65th Streets near the Hudson River from a consortium of Hong Kong investors and Donald Trump for $1.76 billion and a recent report in the press indicated that Extell has commissioned Christian de Portzamparc to design the next three major apartment buildings in that complex facing the Hudson River.

In addition, Extell has a couple of development sites on West 57th Street.

http://www.cityrealty.com/new_developments/

[sfenn1117]

Also, the video link lofter posted is now up and running. This project is mentioned towards the end but if you have time watch it all.

So if we want to speculate about size...I don't know about floor count but it looks to be 700-800 feet tall. The first Hudson Yards tower and it's a stunner....a good prelude to future development.

[stache]

Looks good!

[londonlawyer]

WOW! IT LOOKS EVEN BETTER IN THE FULL RENDERING!!!

Notwithstanding Ariel East and West, I must credit Barnett for trying to build great towers. I speculate that he will create masterpieces on his 57th Street sites and that his Portzamparc towers will be amazing.

I hope that the idiots running NYS select his nearly 1,000 foot convention center hotel proposal. I'll bet it looks amazing.

P.S.: The jerk Schwartz from Sherwood Equities should consult Barnett on how to properly create great buildings for Hudson Yards. Barnett's great tower really makes Sherwood's box look ludicrous.

[Derek2k3]

Look how tall it is compared to 450 West 33rd.

[matteofi]

When Start The Construction?

[NYatKNIGHT]

I caught that Charlie Rose interview too, nice job kz100ops. The rendering of the tower looks dramatic, but I'm almost as excited about the bridge to connect the northern High Line.

[Stern]

Look how tall it is compared to 450 West 33rd.

450 West 33rd is 218 feet. This building is almost four times its height, so its safe to guess that it'll be around 800 feet tall. This building reminds alot of Fosters original WTC proposal, only the design is much stronger, probably because its grounded on a rectilinear plan.

http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn3203/dn3203-1_370.jpg

[antinimby]

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw that was the sneak peak of the Beekman tower from a couple of years ago...

http://img27.echo.cx/img27/3467/bm14xy.jpg

...and they're both similar in height as well.

[Stern]

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw that was the sneak peak of the Beekman tower from a couple of years ago...

http://img27.echo.cx/img27/3467/bm14xy.jpg

...and they're both similar in height as well.

The poor quality of the rendering is the similarity there, Gehry is very fluid using curves, Moss is very angular using basic geometries, these buildings will not look similar if realized.

[antinimby]

Moss? You mean Holl, right? ;)

Anyway, I know it's hard to tell from that blurry cityrealty.com graphic above but this tower's got curves as well.

[Stern]

Moss? You mean Holl, right? ;)

Anyway, I know it's hard to tell from that blurry cityrealty.com graphic above but this tower's got curves as well.

Oh yeah, woops, I've been really bad with architect names recently.

[alonzo-ny]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1243/934659428_4bbc990449_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1098/934659422_579fe5facb_o.jpg

The Extell Development Company, which is headed by Gary Burnett, has commissioned Steven Holl to design a major, mixed-use tower at 366 Tenth Avenue at the northern terminus of the High Line Park at 31st Street.

Mr. Holl showed a rendering of the planned tower last night on the Charlie Rose television program and said it would contain about 200,000 square feet of residential space, about 400 hotel rooms and art gallery and retail spaces.

The rendering seemed to indicate that it would be more than 50 stories tall and that it would rise in three major setbacks and that the silhouette of the slender tower would somewhat resemble an elongated, angled "S."

Mr. Holl said he had been worked on the project for about 18 months but contracts had only just been signed.

Mr. Holl is famous for his collaboration with Perry Dean Rogers Partners Architects on the very impressive design of the Simmons Hall student residence building at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That project is distinguished by its 18-inch deep windows and cut-out forms.

Mr. Holl has also won widespread praise for his recent major, luminous expansion of the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum in Kansas City, Missouri and a huge residential complex nearing completion in Beijing in which eight towers are connected by bridges at about the 20th floor, one of which contains a swimming pool.

Another major Holl design is Sail Hybrid, an expansion of a resort casino in Knokke-Hirst, Belgium.

In 1993, he collaborated with Vito Acconci on the clever flip-out design of the Storefront for Art and Architecture on Kenmare Street in SoHo, and more recently he designed the Higgins Hall Center at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

In May, the board of directors of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey authorized the sale of about 7,300 square feet of vacant land on Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st Streets to the Extell for $17,155,000.

The board also authorized granting Extell a perpetual light-and-air easement over an adjacent parcel of land of about 4,300 square feet for $500,000 and another easement for the construction and maintenance of a pedestrian skyway over an adjacent parcel owned by the authority for an amount to be negotiated of not less than $500,000.

Extell Development had acquired the low-rise building occupied by Stuart Dean, the building facade restorers, at 366 Tenth Avenue between 30th and 31st Street for $23 million.

The site lies within the Hudson Yards district.

Mr. Holl told Mr. Rose that Extell plans to erect a $2 million bridge to connect it with the cross-town section of the elevated railway that is part of the west and east sections of the rail yards for which the Metropolitan Transportation Authority recently put out a request for development proposals.


Extell has become one of the city's most aggressive acquirers of property in recent years.

It is converting the former Stanhope Hotel at 995 Fifth Avenue to residential condominiums and nearing completion of the 60-story condo tower known as the Orion on West 42nd Street and two high-rise towers on Broadway at 99th Street. It and The Carlyle Group agreed to acquire three apartments buildings designed by Costas Kondylis and land between 59th and 65th Streets near the Hudson River from a consortium of Hong Kong investors and Donald Trump for $1.76 billion and a recent report in the press indicated that Extell has commissioned Christian de Portzamparc to design the next three major apartment buildings in that complex facing the Hudson River.

In addition, Extell has a couple of development sites on West 57th Street.

http://www.cityrealty.com/new_developments/

Found on SSC, video interview with steven holl by charlie rose here > http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2007/07/23/3/a-conversation-with-architect-steven-holl

I searched but couldnt see a thread for this. Seems like it could be interesting.

[Derek2k3]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1341/935309619_b0f50487fa_b.jpg


Taken about a month and a half ago.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1386/936145800_3eb5b248ba.jpg


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1408/936145718_e407f854a8.jpg


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1238/936145762_e2a750de93.jpg


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1269/936145742_b0d8538d25.jpg

[ablarc]

Mr. Holl is famous for his collaboration with Perry Dean Rogers Partners Architects on the very impressive design of the Simmons Hall student residence building at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That project is distinguished by its 18-inch deep windows and cut-out forms.
Not so impressive, if you've seen it. Helps if you like brutalism.

[alonzo-ny]

Exactly what i was thinking. Holl's is an interesting site some good projects in there.

[Derek2k3]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/42/97252428_4e92a6d61f.jpg
bitpuddle/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bitpuddle/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/85/275565223_f59dc1936c_o.jpg
attilamag (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55353120@N00/)

[Derek2k3]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1150/1111302230_828e8c31c2_o.jpg
Insert 800' tower here...


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1415/1111302170_1343bdbdba_o.jpg


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1366/1111302156_c8a2d3dda1_o.jpg


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1004/1111302132_b30a54e181_o.jpg


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1174/1111301824_f1a9567769_o.jpg

[Derek2k3]

61 stories, 774 feet, 780,435 Sq. Ft.

http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobDetailsServlet?requestid=3&allisn=0001421127&allboroughname=&allnumbhous=&allstrt=

[lofter1]

Nice ^^^ :d

[macreator]

61 stories, 774 feet, 780,435 Sq. Ft.

http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobDetailsServlet?requestid=3&allisn=0001421127&allboroughname=&allnumbhous=&allstrt=
This is fantastic news! :)

A creative, well proportioned, well designed tower with a solid height. News like this certainly helps on a day where the Con Ed site on the East River turns into a NIMBY love child.

[MidtownGuy]

Woo Hoo!:D, this design is interesting and attractive.

[krulltime]

Nice news after the big dissapointment with the Con Ed site. Is this under construction already?

[scumonkey]

NO...I was there today and it looks the same as it does in the above photos.

[TREPYE]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1243/934659428_4bbc990449_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1098/934659422_579fe5facb_o.jpg


If this is the design then it is awesome!! The complete antithesis of the Con Ed site.

[BPC]

Did Holl dig this out of Gehry's dust bin?

[lofter1]

Gehry wishes he had ever designed a skyscraper as simple and elegant as Holl's proposal for this site.

[BrooklynRider]

This project is real. There's lots of activity going on behind the scenes.

[...CREATE]

In Steven Holl latest book of current works, there is a thumbnail rendering of this building with the skyline from NJ, in the project appendix. Hopefully larger renderings will be released soon.

[MidtownGuy]

Gehry wishes he had ever designed a skyscraper as simple and elegant as Holl's proposal for this site.

Certainly not Miss Brooklyn. Even I could come up with something better than that messy pile.

[Optimus Prime]

Hopefully larger renderings will be released soon.

I hope so too. This looks like it has great potential.

[brianac]

Extell Closes on 10th Avenue Parcel for Holl's Wacky Tower


by Eliot Brown (http://www.observer.com/2007/author/eliot-brown) Published: November 9, 2007


Maverick developer Gary Barnett and his Extell Development Company (http://www.extelldev.com/) have closed on a sliver of Port Authority-owned land at 31st Street and 10th Avenue for about $17 million, property records show. The 7,500-square-foot piece of land was the final parcel needed by Extell in preparation for its planned 61-story, 780,000-square-foot mixed-use tower (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobDetailsServlet?requestid=2&allisn=0001421127&allboroughname=&allnumbhous=&allstrt=) set to rise, as the company had been assembling a lot around a former Stuart Dean-owned building for years.

The developers have been reticent to release any renderings of their skinny tower, though their offbeat architect, Steven Holl (http://www.stevenholl.com/), revealed a decidedly un-detailed, blurry image of the wavy structure on the Charlie Rose show earlier this year, providing fodder for the blogosphere (http://www.curbed.com/archives/2007/07/25/steven_holls_towering_s_revealed.php).

The planned tower, which could connect to the High Line viaduct-turned-parkland, sits just across the street from the Western rail yards where Extell has submitted a bid to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to develop the 26-acre site.

While designs of the bids have yet to be shown to the public, perhaps Extell is planning something to match the 31st Street tower. Their architect for the massive complex: Steven Holl (http://www.observer.com/2007/architects-new-west-side).

The New York Observer.

[lofter1]

DOB has issued both an Excavation PERMIT (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobDetailsServlet?requestid=7&allisn=0001421157&allboroughname=&allnumbhous=&allstrt=) (10.23.07):
EXCAVATE SITE IN PREPERATION FOR NEW BUILDING # AS PER PLANS FILED.
Stories; 61
Height: 699
and Approved the Plans for Underpinning / Shoring (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobDetailsServlet?requestid=7&allisn=0001430092&allboroughname=&allnumbhous=&allstrt=) for the site (10.18.07):
SHEETING/SHORING AND UNDERPINNING FOR PROPOSED NEW BUILDING

[Stern]

Awesome news!

But now I'm curious as to with the arrival of high rents where the trendy new clubbing district will move, I'm guessing this might be the first time it will move to Queens or Brooklyn.

[antinimby]

Looks like the height has been reduced by a whopping 75 feet! So much for making a bold statement.

[ASchwarz]

Looks like the height has been reduced by a whopping 75 feet! So much for making a bold statement.

I don't think that number is right. Notice the floors didn't change.

Heights don't just randomly go up and down. You'll notice with most DOB permits that the heights are all over the map. There must be at least a half dozen heights listed for the Gehry project on Beekman Street.

I'm guessing this is a mistake, or the number is the allowable height and square footage under a certain zoning scenario (often, permits are issued for the allowable size under a current framework, rather than the final framework once all air rights and zoning allowances have been finalized).

[lofter1]

The NEW BUILDING PERMIT (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobDetailsServlet?requestid=11&allisn=0001421127&allboroughname=&allnumbhous=&allstrt=) (Pre-Filed 9.07.07; Plan Exam Disapproved @ 10.05.07) shows:

Stories: 61
Height: 774
Units: 153

Go figure ...

[...CREATE]

Here is the High Hybrid Tower cropped out of Holl's proposal for Hudson Yards. It is the first I've seen of the entire massing. Even if Extell Development is not chosen for Hudson yards, it seems that at least this piece will be built.

[NYguy]

it seems that at least this piece will be built.

This one will definitely get built. Extell has developments all over Manhattan and the west side.

[...CREATE]

I took these images today when I went to the Hudson Yards exhibit.

[Derek2k3]

Thanks!

[antinimby]

The chiseled base looks sexy in the second pic. The flat top, though, could use some rework.

[...CREATE]

I was pleasantly surprised that the tower's lines are a lot cleaner than they appeared to be in the Charlie Rose images. I like how the bridge to the Highline has been incorparated into the facade design. I would like to see one of the conceptual watercolors and massing models, in order to better understand the project's development.

[hey19932]

wow! I really hope this starts soon!

[LeCom]

Here's the whole site from the air, facing east:

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/9356/extellhudsonyardsrj9.jpg
I really hope they keep that old building to the east of the site. This will be one of the few districts in Manhattan where historical architecture is relatively lacking, and efforts should be made to keep what's already there (unless the building is structurally/architecturally worthless and stands in the way of massive development).

[Derek2k3]

Completely agree, I fear this area will turn into some cold sterile Amercian downtown.

[scumonkey]

I was just by that site......i could be wrong but, after no movement for some time I believe
they replaced the blue plywood construction perimeter wall & mesh covered entrance doors,
With a new - twice as tall- blue construction perimeter wall. The entrance gates are
now wood as well, no peek holes anywhere to be found.

[Derek2k3]

Yup, they did.

[antinimby]

I really hope they keep that old building to the east of the site. This will be one of the few districts in Manhattan where historical architecture is relatively lacking, and efforts should be made to keep what's already there (unless the building is structurally/architecturally worthless and stands in the way of massive development).I agree. By the way, I was saying the same thing (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2957&p=197322) (< click on link to the thread ) except it was about a different building.

That building (below) is in even better condition than the one above and there were still businesses in them when the city recently kicked them out, all so they can raze it and build the greenway/boulevard over it as part of the Hudson Yards/west side project.


http://www.therealdeal.net//issues/November_2007/images/1194216929.jpg

[hey19932]

has this started yet?

[NYatKNIGHT]

What you see in this thread is the latest information anyone here has. That goes for all the threads where you ask, "has it started yet?"

[Skylimitone]

Wasn't sure where to ask this but this thread seems closest by location. Last week I noticed some construction on 10th between 38th - 36th I think, a huge pit on the west side and a structure going up about 4 floors so far on the east side. Can anyone identify these projects?:confused:

[Skylimitone]

Ok here's a picture its 10th between 38th and 37th. The pit is across the street, very deep and takes up almost the entire block.

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/3461/dsc05404bgp2.th.jpg (http://img180.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc05404bgp2.jpg)

[DKNY617]

Thanks for the picture, its appreciated.

[scumonkey]

505 W 37th St - 43/24 story towers (37th @ 10th)
here's a link to the thread about the buildings:
http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14749

[londonlawyer]

This amazing image was posted on sotawall.com
http://sotawall.com/proj_thumbs/US_HHT_02_sm.jpg

[Stern]

Here's another from his website:

http://www.stevenholl.com/media/files/390/M-2-WPROJECTHORIZONTAL.jpg

His Hudson Yards page:

http://www.stevenholl.com/project-detail.php?type=mixeduse&id=97&page=0

I have to say the architecture of his buildings are quite dramatic/creative/beautiful. I just wish I could say the same about his siteplan.

[Skylimitone]

Interesting indeed...

[alonzo-ny]

I saw a few images of the base at his Cooper Union lecture last week, it looked very good. After seeing the projects he is doing in China his site plan is very uninspired.

[spyguy999]

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/194/holl1mj1.jpg

[philvia]

hey a decent rendering!

it reminds me a lot of the bloomberg tower o_O

[JCMAN320]

Also looks a little like the Comcast Center in Philly along with Bloomberg.

[lofter1]

I'm not so sure about this new version ... it looks to have grown shoulders and a head.

The earlier verison was more abstract ...

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1243/934659428_4bbc990449_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1098/934659422_579fe5facb_o.jpg

[Stroika]

A huge step down. Hopefully they'll dust off the original. It's still early days for this one, isn't it?

[londonlawyer]

I went by this site recently, and nothing was happening. I think that Barnett has run out of funding from the Israeli mob. (Perhaps they're directing their contributions to Olmert's defense fund.)

This, site, along with Gershon's mega-prime sites across from Carnegie Hall and at the Hard Rock (not to mention the 45th Street hotel), have no activity.

I am shocked that the Israeli mob loaned Extell money -- in this market -- for a speculative (and crappy) office tower on 47th St. It appears, however, that even the mob has its limits since the aforementioned, prime sites lay fallow. I believe that nothing will happen here any time in the near future.

[BrooklynRider]

If BoA is Popeye, this is Olive Oyl.

[NYguy]

http://chelseanow.com/cn_88/bridgingthegap.html

Bridging the gap, from Hud. Yds. to the High Line

http://chelseanow.com/cn_88/yards.gif

Extell founder and architect Steven Holl gestures to his firm’s vision of the Hudson Yards during the bidding process in December. The tower seen at the far left of the rendering appears similar to Extell’s plans for a “hybrid tower” seeking to adjoin the High Line.


By Chris Lombardi
May 30 - June 5, 2008

While details of the newly announced Hudson Yards development remain swathed in mystery, one project at the northeast corner of the site is moving forward—and not at the hands of winning bidder The Related Companies.

While financial schemes for the rail yards rise and fall, a project conceived by runner-up yards bidder Extell Development Corp., consisting of a 62-story “hybrid tower” with bridge connectivity to the High Line, recently saw the light of day at the local community board.

On May 19, Board Four’s Chelsea Preservation and Planning Committee got its first look at that bridge, an undulating glass link to the currently under-construction High Line. Extell co-founder Chris McVoy described the mixed-use tower and bridge in architect’s poetry—which includes residences, office space, a hotel and gallery space—but still had to weather inquiries from the committee about the project’s glass-and-steel design.

The reason for the early glimpse was the building’s proposed connection to the High Line itself, the 1.45-mile former elevated railway stretching from Gansevoort St. and 12th Ave. to 30th St. and 10th Ave., which is now being converted into a public park. Any connection to the former rail line requires consent from the city Department of Transportation, which was the only reason Extell approached Board 4 about the building to be located at 30th St. and 10th Ave. It otherwise fits well within the 2005 Hudson Yards rezoning.

In particular, the new building was designed to complement the much-debated northern section of the High Line, far from the planned new Downtown Whitney Museum and the High Line Ballroom farther south. Built to run freight directly into former warehouses and factories, the line swerves east and loops around the Hudson Yards between 10th and 12th Ave., from 30th to 33rd Streets, in a formation referred to as “the spur.” Now, nearly three decades after trains stopped running, “the line comes out and… just ends,” Peter Mullan, director of planning for Friends of the High Line, told Chelsea Now. “We’d been thinking about what to do there… about having stairs, elevator access to that section of the park.”

Another person with similar thoughts about this portion was Extell founder and architect Steven Holl, whose office sits nearby on W. 30th St., less than a block from the new project. After the last boxcar on the railroad went across 28 years ago, Holl told an audience at Cooper Union in December, he began to sketch possible uses, including one drawing that envisioned apartment houses built atop the line. Now, after the 2005 rezoning, “we see that everything in Chelsea is going to be built up,” Holl said.

Those December remarks were made as Holl and McVoy presented Extell’s bid for the Hudson Yards, a surreal-looking plan that proposed bridge-suspension technology to support eight towers over 15 miles of green space. That plan preserved the “spur,” and proposed a mixed-use tower for the yards’ northeastern point.

A similar tower was already in the works long before Extell’s bid for the yards, Mullan said. He added that Holl had approached Friends of the High Line in early 2007 to propose a direct connection between their new tower and the High Line. At a time when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was still considering demolition of the northern “spur,” FHL was pleased with a project that embraced the northern end, Mullan said. He worked with McVoy as Extell developed its proposal for a bridge across 10th Ave. to the spur. Mullan was also at McVoy’s side on May 19 as the Extell exec met with the Board 4 committee to explain the bridge.

After recapping his company’s long romance with the High Line, McVoy began to point to renderings showing the details, including stairs to the High Line and a bridge giving full, second-floor access to the park. While the bridge is made of I-beams, he said, it will have “glass phalanges [and] canopies that dance with the light.” On the first floor, he noted, an outdoor cafe, restaurant and gallery would all be open to the public.

Even the building itself, McVoy added, is shaped in a “sinuous” way that mirrors the twisting route of the High Line. “There’s a great dialogue between them,” he added.

However, the committee expressed two main concerns with the plan: public access and whether the bridge would be contextual with its surroundings.

“It’s great to have a Holl building anchoring the High Line,” committee member Bret Fifer said. “I see the second-floor access to the park. What about first-floor use?”

McVoy responded that that the first floor would act exclusively for the gallery space and lobbies for the residences, office space and hotel. “They’ll feel full of life,” he said.

Fifer persisted, saying that given the High Line’s emphasis on developing second-level space, his concerns were focused more on the ground floor. “What about life on the sidewalk?” he asked. Another board member shook his head, telling Fifer, “Hey, around here if you walk on 30th Street, you take your life and your lungs in your hands. Second-floor access is crucial.”

Others were concerned about the bridge blocking the potential of the spur as a public space. Committee chairperson and former board chairperson Lee Compton said that uses of the space have already been covered. “Now you’re talking about a thoroughfare,” he said. “There’s no question that the High Line is good for the building, but is the building good for the High Line?”

Mullan responded that the spur is the widest piece of the High Line. “We’d envisioned something more programmatically intense for the area,” he said, “but that’s still not impossible.”

McVoy quickly agreed, adding somewhat merrily, “If someone wants to have an event catered by the café, it’s not incompatible!”

The committee’s discussion grew more heated concerning the designs—both of the bridge and the building itself. When reminded that Extell’s building needs no variances and thus little approval, committee member Corey Johnson sighed. “That slab of glass, that needs approval, no?” he asked. “I don’t find it that attractive, I don’t think it’s contextual, I think it’s very clunky.”

McVoy smiled. “Context is being sensitive to the space and the material around it,” he said. “The High Line is an important industrial artifact of its time. We think it’s important to build something that is of our time.”

Mullan then chimed it, saying that the building and bridge “have the potential to make a terrific contribution,” he said. “In terms of proportion, basic strategy, I’m basically supportive of the design, including the glass.”

Other committee members pitched in with their suggestions, to McVoy and Mullan’s evident relief. “I would like the transition move from modernity to something resembling the High Line,” said committee member Eugene Glaberman.

McVoy replied that they were hoping to complement the planned new Whitney Museum further south in the Meatpacking District. “Maybe we can use similar materials,” he added.

“How about using one of the original locomotives as an element?” asked committee member Robert Trentlyon. “I love that idea!” Mullan said.

Ultimately, despite the desire of some members to stall the advance of all that glass, the committee agreed to approve the bridge. They askend, though, that the city and Extell provide public bathrooms, agree on maintenance of the public/private spaces, and consider the possible loss of “programmatic space.”

Asked about the meeting this week, Mullan told Chelsea Now that while people may have concerns about such massive, modernist projects, the Friends of the High Line’s principles are the same as Extell’s. “The High Line is a marvel of its time. Just as with the Guggenheim, we can match it with marvels of our time,” he said. As for the scale, Mullan said it wasn’t much bigger than the other 35 to 50 building projects in what FHL calls “the High Line District.”

In any event, “we will develop the park whether or not the bridge gets built,” Mullan added. “One of the things that’s interesting about the High Line is these spurs,” including the larger one at 30th Street and two to the south. “It has these fingers that essentially reach out into the neighborhoods. So it’s totally appropriate that the neighborhood reach back.”

[londonlawyer]

What's going on with this project?

When I checked the Buildings Dept.'s database, the following appeared:

NYC Department of Buildings
Property Profile Overview
THIS ADDRESS IS NOT IN PROPERTY FILE--CHECK ITS OTHER ADDRESS IF ANY

366 TENTH AVENUE MANHATTAN 10001 BIN# 1000000

[lofter1]

DOB is kind of screwy on this one, but it's listed under 358 Tenth Avenue:

Property Profile (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/PropertyProfileOverviewServlet?bin=1012838&requestid=2&restore=1)

Job Overview (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobsQueryByLocationServlet?requestid=3&allbin=1012838&allstrt=10+AVENUE&allnumbhous=358)

New Building Application (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobsQueryByNumberServlet?requestid=4&passjobnumber=104893616&passdocnumber=01)

***

The site is quiet -- excavating equipment has been parked there awhile, but weeds are growing up around them ...

End of September:

*

[macreator]

A victim of the credit crunch? I hope not.

[londonlawyer]

DOB is kind of screwy on this one, but it's listed under 358 Tenth Avenue...*

Thanks, Lofter.

[lofter1]

A victim of the credit crunch?

Hudson Yards might find itself surrounded by fallow building sites. This one, Atelier 2 and 440 W 42 seem to have ground to a halt.

One site could conceivably become a surface parking lot, but the other two are 40' deep concrete-lined holes. In that state there aren't too many viable uses.

[ablarc]

^ Mice and men.

[Derek2k3]

I noticed they removed the construction trailer a few months back, so not surprised by the delay. I still think a boarded up site is a lot more promising than a parking lot. At least we know construction will begin eventually.

Hudson Yards might find itself surrounded by fallow building sites. This one, Atelier 2 and 440 W 42 seem to have ground to a halt.

One site could conceivably become a surface parking lot, but the other two are 40' deep concrete-lined holes. In that state there aren't too many viable uses.

You don't mean a Hudson Yards with buildings on it right'?
I don't think these sites are going to sit here empty for the next 6 years. I doubt Hudson Yards will even start on time.

[brianac]

It's strange for the contractor Civetta Cousins JV to leave the equipment there for so long. You would think they would need it on another site.

They are from the Bronx and are supposed to employ 10 to 15 people so you wouldn't think they had equipment to spare.

[BrooklynRider]

A victim of the credit crunch? I hope not.

This likely the case. Credit - even on funded projects - is drying up. I am aware of a number of projects that are grinding to a halt. This is going to be a mirror of the depression, when projects were abruptly stopped and capped off.

[lofter1]

So glad that some demo crews were able to take down a number of old NYC gems just in time for the building projects to be cancelled. NYC will be much better off with those plywood enclosed lots -- perfect for graffiti and street art (which soon may become the only mass entertainment that many will be able to afford).

But how does one cap off a 200' x 400' concrete lined 40' deep pit?

[lofter1]

The coming months could be just like the 70s -- but without the sex and cocaine :cool:

[Derek2k3]

The abandoned factory that stood at this site, the run down buildings at 440 West 42nd, and the gas station/eyesores that stood at the site of Atelier II were hardly gems.

855 Sixth Avenue & The Drake Hotel site are the only sites I see that could fit that criteria.
I think things are going to be bad but these doomsday scenarios for the city are a bit ridiculous.

[lofter1]

A fan of plywood enclosed weed gardens ^ :confused:

Only those two?

How about the gem at Trinity Rector that Chang took down and now sits there as dirt enclosed in a plywood box.

The Atelier II site at 11th / 42nd actually had a great old brick stable building (since useda s a garage) that stood just to the west of teh gas station. And a sprawling brick garage along 43rd Street. But of course neither is as cool or useful as the fetid swamp of a hole that now sits on that corner (and which now has not one workman -- save for a lone security guy -- on the site).

440 West 42nd had a string of viable and always-full off-off-Broadway theaters. Not beauties by any means, but full of life and creativity. Which is the antithesis of what is in the concrete hole now on that site.

[lofter1]

... these doomsday scenarios for the city are a bit ridiculous.

I see you wrote that before all the world markets dropped precipitously over night.

But, Don't worry -- Be happy ... We're in good hands, both in Washington and on Wall Street.

I'd hate to think of where we might be heading if the professionals and MBA holders weren't in charge.

[lofter1]

And now at 9:38 AM the USA is following suit.

Dow drops 600+ and is now below 8,000 ...

[Derek2k3]

I didn't say things are going to be dandy but I don't expect...

25 percent of Americans will be unemployed

souplines stretching across city blocks

the stock market losing 89% of its value.

[...CREATE]

Sorry, Guys. I was just as excited about this project as everyone else. I spoke with someone very close to the project and they said that the project has been cancelled. At least for now.

[lofter1]

Alas.

It's been a fun few years, eh?

You can all tell your grandkids that you lived in NYC when they were building things.

[BrooklynRider]

Well, we're working with Holl on a project in Chengdu China, so things are still getting built (just not in America).

[lofter1]

... I spoke with someone very close to the project and they said that the project has been cancelled. At least for now.


The tussle has already led Extell to back out of its $11 million deal with the co-op and halt work next door on what was to become a nearly 700,000-foot, snazzy glass tower at 360 Tenth Ave. between West 30th and West 31st streets ... Designed by architect Steve Holl ...

Lois Weiss
NY POST (http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152008/business/nbc_eyeing_broadway_digs_133611.htm?page=0)
October 15, 2008

The site of James Gandolfini's wedding reception and the premiere party for the television series "Lipstick Jungle" is now fighting for its rights - air rights, that is.

Jim Brady, owner of the rooftop entertainment space, Studio 450 in Hudson Yards, is embroiled in a legal battle with his commercial co-op and Extell Development over who owns the penthouse unit's development rights.

The tussle has already led Extell to back out of its $11 million deal with the co-op and halt work next door on what was to become a nearly 700,000-foot, snazzy glass tower at 360 Tenth Ave. between West 30th and West 31st streets.

Designed by architect Steve Holl, the CoStar listing pitched by Newmark Knight Frank shows a sleek angular skyscraper hovering just south of the stubby 450 W. 33rd St. that houses the Daily News and the Associated Press.

Holl's offices, coincidentally, are located right under Studio 450.

The Extell building was to have a base of 140,000 feet of offices, a hotel and 155 luxury condominiums along with a connection to the hip and coming High Line.

The optimistic Web listing now says the ground-breaking will be in the first quarter of 2011.

Brady said that prior to declaring the co-op plan effective in 1980, the sponsor inserted into the second amendment of the offering plan a footnote to the schedule of units that read, "The 12th floor and roof unit shall have, in addition to the utilization of the roof, the right to construct or extend structures upon the roof or above the same to the extent that may from time to time be permitted under applicable law."

Additionally, Brady's formal co-op proprietary lease states that his block of shares gives him possession of the unit as described in the offering plan.

When he bought the unit for $5 million in 2005, the building was completely developed and the rights, other than to use the roof as is, were essentially worthless.

But when the Hudson Yards rezoning plan was finally instituted that year, the building ended up with 38,500 feet for as-of-right development.

Extell contracted with the co-op board to buy those rights along with the co-op's ability to purchase more development rights through a zoning lot merger.

That effectively permitted Extell to buy an additional 131,500 feet in bonus rights from the city to construct its tall building next door.
But Brady and his wife Jane stepped in and said, "Not so fast!"

Brady says the co-op corporation doesn't own the roof unit and has no right to sell the development rights conveyed to him through the offer ing plan and his proprietary lease.

"I'm sitting on a building lot that starts 13 stories up," Brady said. "I want to use these rights. This is a strong, commercial building and can support the construction. I don't want a huge towering building over me. Studio 450 is known for its views."

Last year, courts denied motions to stop the development and on July 2 State Supreme Court Justice Marcy Friedman gave a summary judgment to the co-op.

Brady hired a new attorney, John Siegal of Baker Hostetler, who will re-argue the case tomorrow while an Appellate Division conference is scheduled for Friday.

"Our position that this question can be determined from the plain language of the property description and the law," said Siegal. "If it cannot, then there should be discovery and the sponsor, and any other number of people may have testimony."

Meanwhile, because of the lawsuit, Extell could not close on the contract by June 30, 2008, to meet the old 421a tax program deadline, so it backed out of the project, and the co-op returned its deposit.

Extell still owns the land next door and has a $28 million mortgage from Barclay's.

Gary Barnett, Extell's CEO, couldn't be reached for comment.

Stuart Saft of Dewey & LeBoeuf, who represents many co-ops but is not involved in this matter, said Brady has a right to at least some of the new development rights and as a result the co-op should have at the very least obtained a waiver.

"The language is so broad it would cover any kind of addition to the top of the building, but I don't think it gives Brady the rights to take those development rights to trade them to an adjacent property," Saft said.

[I]Copyright 2008 NYP Holdings, Inc.

[NYC4Life]

We'll wait 3 years to see groundbreaking :rolleyes: