Times Square Tower - 7 Times Square / 42nd @ B'way & 7th Ave - by S.O.M.

[Edward]

I am going to update all references to Times Square Tower from 10 Times Square to 7 Times Square.

[NYguy]

TS Tower and neighbors...

[NYguy]

Looking up, July 5

[Kommissar]

I hate to admit it but the height of a building is part of it's aesthetic and I'm a sucker for anything tall. Still, it would have been nice if it complimented 1840 Bway (my favorite building) a bit.

[Eugenius]

Quote: from Kommissar on 3:52 pm on July 7, 2003
I hate to admit it but the height of a building is part of it's aesthetic and I'm a sucker for anything tall. Still, it would have been nice if it complimented 1840 Bway (my favorite building) a bit.

You sure that you don't mean 1540 Bway (Bertelsmann Building)?

[Kommissar]

Doh. 1540. You are correct. I snuck up there right after it was built in the early 90s to check out the interior. It had the tightest high-tech security I've ever seen in an office building (because of the music biz).

[DougGold]

I have what could be a silly question--why is it that photos of buildings such as this one, and the AOL Time/Warner towers, seem to show a few windows that aren't installed yet? There's always a few panes of glass missing at random. Is that because in any construction process, glass can break or problems can arise, or do they do that on purpose for some reason?

[Fabb]

Interesting question.
Maybe it's a natural cooling system before the installation of the air conditioning.

[TLOZ Link5]

But the missing windows on TWC are covered with plywood.

[dbhstockton]

This happens on all curtainwall construction that I've ever seen. *I really don't know why. *Just a quick anecdote: *

Shortly after the attacks of 2001, I was visiting the Trade Center *site. *The Ritz-Carleton was still under construction at the time. *Its curtain wall was complete, but it had the missing windows and plywood that we've been talking about. *Looking north from Battery Park (which was about as close as you could get at the time), I overheard a man say to his companion (in a mid-western accent, of course), "Look, the force of the blast must have blown out the windows all the way over here." *I didn't say anything.

[NYguy]

photos taken 7/27/03

[Gulcrapek]

Looks good. Not sure about that sign though.

[Fabb]

I don't know what sign you're talking about. But the building looks good for sure.
Its skin is surprising by night.

[billyblancoNYC]

Clarendon Takes 83,000 SF at Times Square Tower
By Barbara Jarvie
Last updated: Jul 29, 2003 *11:31AM

NEW YORK CITY-Clarendon Insurance Group Inc. has taken three full floors comprising 83,000 sf at Boston Properties’ Times Square Tower. The lease, which was brokered by Studley, includes a five-year delayed possession on approximately 27,000 sf of that space. Financial details of the lease were not released, however according to Studley's second quarter office market and space data report, class A office space in Midtown is averaging $55.44 per sf.
Clarendon will nearly double its space when it moves from its present location at 1177 Avenue of the Americas, where the firm occupies multiple floors, into its new Times Square headquarters. The company, a US-based property and casualty insurance company whose parent company is Hannover Re, the fifth largest reinsurer in the world, will take possession of its new facilities in September. According to a Studley spokesperson, Clarendon’s projected growth required a larger facility and being in a new building with increased efficiencies was very desirable.

Clarendon was in the market for approximately one year and during that time briefly considered options Downtown and areas outside of the city, the Studley spokesperson adds. However, many of the firm’s employees live in the tri-state area and, as an employee retention measure, keeping commuting time to a minimum was a key objective. Therefore, the firm decided a Midtown address was the best fit for its needs.

The 47-story, 1.2 million sf skyscraper, which is also known as 7 Times Square, is currently under construction on an entire block bounded by Broadway and Seventh Avenue, between 42nd and 41st Street. It is scheduled to open in 2004. Clarendon joins O'Melveny & Myers LLP, one of the 20th largest law firms in the country, which will occupy 206,958 sf on the third and the 27th through 33rd floors of the tower. The firm inked a deal for the space this past January. The tower is the second Boston Properties project in Times Square. The other is 5 Times Square, a 37-story, 1.1 million-sf office building which opened in May 2002 and is 100% leased to Ernst & Young.

Bruce Rothman, corporate managing director of Studley’s local office, represented Clarendon in the 20-year leasing transaction. Insignia/ESG represented Boston Properties. “Times Square Tower’s exceptional design, state-of-the-art technology, central location and competitive rental rates ideally suited Clarendon’s office space requirements,” explains Rothman. “In addition, the building’s floor plates are much larger than at its present address, which offers significant operational efficiencies.” The building enjoys a special 20-year tax program that offered benefits for Clarendon.

[Gulcrapek]

Fabb, I was referring to the steel framing around the 34th floor where a permanent advertisement sign will be placed.