400 Park Avenue South - by Christian de Portzamparc

[Merry]

Park Avenue South's Fortress of Glassitude Actually Happening?

June 3, 2010, by Joey




(click to enlarge)

The totally bonkers 40-story apartment tower planned at 400 Park Avenue South has been kicking around since the first half of the last decade, and in recent years has been tossed onto the pile of fantastical renderings that will never see the light of day. That was then! Now New York is enmeshed in the biggest Christian invasion since the Crusades, and French starchitect Christian de Portzamparc's glassy giant might actually have a pulse. (C-deP also has Carnegie 57 and Riverside Center on the boards.)
The site is a parking lot at 28th Street and the adjacent eight-story building at 396 Park Avenue South. Developers Albert and Roy Kalimian bought up mucho air rights along Madison Avenue to set the stage for the 436-unit building (which would also have retail and a new 6 train entrance) before the project went into hibernation. Now the parking lot is closed and a demolition permit has been approved for 396 Park Ave. South. There's oodles more evidence that the Fortress of Glassitude (working title; we're open to suggestions!) is on the way.

A Curbed tipster dropped by the site and did a bit of snooping:

Spoke to a Owner Rep at the location (wouldn't give his name) says existing 8 story building to be fully demolished by late fall. New Residential Development to be built in its place. Parking lot by 28th Street is closed (Sign says it will reopen in December, but owner rep says new building to be entire block).

Of course a cheaper, non-Frenchie building might be the new plan, but interestingly the original building permit—filed in 2005 by architect-of-record Handel Architects—was disapproved only this past October, indicating fresh filing action (and maybe some imminent fine-tuning). A Wired New York contributor also noticed that 400 Park Avenue South, which has been on Portzamparc's website forever, now mentions a 2010 start and a 2012 completion. Kaboom! With the Gansevoort Park hotel opening one block up, this stretch of Park Avenue South is getting interesting in a hurry. Anyone else got intel?

Projects: 400 Park Avenue South [Atlelier Christian de Portzamparc]

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2010/0..._happening.php

[Tectonic]

I'm expecting another Chelsea Stratus quality of architecture.

[GordonGecko]

maybe they'll decide to get creative

[londonlawyer]

Does anyone have any recent photos that show at what stage demolition has progressed?

[vanshnookenraggen]

I walked by the site the other day. They have the blue plywood up around the site but there isn't any activity, no machines even.

[londonlawyer]

Thanks. Considering the strength of the rental market, one would assume that financing for this is available.

[BrooklynLove]

Credit markets for something like this are still tighter than your avatar.

[londonlawyer]

That's pretty tight.

[Derek2k3]

This building's days are numbered. Was elated to see that the parking lot is boarded up too.

[londonlawyer]

This is great news. This site will attract very high-end apartments and perhaps an really nice hotel. It's good to see something worthy rise among these beautiful old buildings.

[Tectonic]

Anybody been by here recently?

[Derek2k3]

From The NY Post
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busines...M73dlLqoBVPhIP

A super-prime development site, gift-wrapped with city approval for a daring design by Christian de Portzamparc and Handel Architects, is going on the market via Studley.

Developers A & R Kalimian assembled the 20,000-square-foot corner at 400 Park Ave. So. at 28th Street, which can support a 420,000-square-foot project as of right. They planned a dramatic residential building that required Planning Commission blessing for design features outside zoning rules and was said to be a favorite of planning chief Amanda Burden.

They cleared most of the site, closely watched by real-estate bloggers for years. But the Kalimians have now decided to sell via the Studley team of Woody Heller, Will Silverman and Eric Negrin. Heller noted that "the appeal of a shovel-ready site is very strong" in a market "reflecting increasing ebullience," but wouldn't say how much the offering might fetch.

One industry source estimated it would draw "well into the $400s per square foot," pointing out that the project could incorpo rate retail and offer virtually any combination of residential, hotel and office use.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busines...#ixzz1NJ8V8FlV

[londonlawyer]

Hopefully, this stunning tower will still be constructed.

[Derek2k3]

[antinimby]

There's talk that Toll Brothers has taken over ownership of this project.I guess we can kiss this sexy Portzamparc design goodbye because Toll Brothers build only garbage.How unfortunate for us.