Proposed: 57 Reade Street a.k.a. 281 Broadway - 20 story tower (TriBeCa) - By SLCE

[krulltime]

New condo tower planned on Broadway near City Hall





30-MAR-06

The John Buck Company of Chicago has commissioned SLCE Architects to design a residential condominium building at 57 Reade Street in TriBeCa that will have a major mid-block frontage on Broadway between Chambers and Reade Streets.

According to a March 6, 2006 easement document on file with the city, the developer, officially known as 281 Broadway Holdings LLC, “intends to demolish the existing buildings and construct, or cause to be constructed on the Development Site a building of between 19 and 21 stories…containing…approximately 11,372 square feet of commercial/retail area on the first and second floors of the building, together with a cellar floor of approximately 5,000 square feet….and…approximately 120,731 square feet of residence space….”

The Broadway façade will be a sleek, blue-tinted glass with one bay of balconies at its south end. The narrow mid-block facade at 57 Reade Street will also be blue-tinted glass with one bay of balconies but the western portion of the north façade will be a light-colored grid.

The building is just to the north of the landmark Broadway Chambers Building at 277 Broadway that was designed by Cass Gilbert, the architect also of the great Woolworth Building a couple of blocks to the south at 233 Broadway. The Broadway Chambers Building, which is very ornate with colorful terracotta ornamentation and a rich architectural vocabulary, is at the northwest corner of City Hall Park.

The John Buck Company last year completed a 32-story rental apartment building with Madison Equities at 400 East 92nd Street on the southeast corner at First Avenue. The 192-unit building was also designed by SLCE architects.

The John Buck Company is a major developer in Chicago where it completed the 40-story apartment tower at Two East Erie in 2002, designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, the 50-story Plaza 440 in 1991 at 440 North Wabash, designed by Solomon, Cordwell & Buenz, and the 24-story Park Evanston in 1997 at 1630 Chicago Avenue, designed by Harry Weese Associates.

Its major office towers in Chicago include the 51-story, 111 South Wacker Drive, designed by Lohan Caprile Goettsch and completed last year, the 50-story One North Wacker Drive, designed by Lohan Associates and completed in 2001, the 50-story, 35 West Wacker Drive building, which is known as the Leo Burnett Building and was designed by Kevin Roche and completed in 1989. the 30-story 515 North State Street Building, which is known as the AMA Building and was designed by Kenzo Tange and completed in 1990, and the 40-story 190 South Lasalle Building, designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee and completed in 1987.

Calls by CityRealty to the John Buck Company and to SLCE Architects today were not returned.


Copyright © 1994-2006 CITY REALTY

[krulltime]

The tower looks very promising. I am glad that developers are finally sprucing up that area around City Hall.


It will be close to that City Hall park. Here is the location...

[londonlawyer]

I like it too. It will be situated among some really beautiful old buildings.

I wonder when the rundown low rises on B'Way just north of Liberty Tower will be razed. I presume that they're owned by four different families and assembling the site is as difficult as curing cancer.

[lofter1]

My two + cents (reposts from the "Residential" thread):

That one going up on Broadway and Reade has one BIG problem as far as I'm concerned:

The beautiful building immediately to the south of it is "The Broadway Chambers Building" (aka 273 Broadway @ NW corner of Broadway / Chambers).

The architect of this building was Cass Gilbert. Built in 1899 - 1900, this was Gilbert's first building in New York -- before the Customs House, before the Woolworth Building

The way the new building is to be constructed will obscure the upper floors of the north facade of the Gilbert building -- admittedly not the most "important" facade, but even that side of the building has some very nice work that will now be obliterated.

It will be interesting to see how this develops.

Info on this building from nyc-architecture.com ( http://www.nyc-architecture.com/SOH/SOH028.htm ) :
Quote:

Cass Gilbert's first building in New York was this boldly designed tower. Gilbert's design juxtaposes the grandly ornamented pink granite clad base with the plain red and blue brick clad shaft. The tower culminates in a highly ornamented colonnade, attic story and projecting cornice. At the time, this design was hailed by architectural critic Montgomery Schuyler as "the last word" in the period’s dominant skyscraper style, which looked to the classical three-part column for inspiration. The building also features the first large scale use of polychrome terra-cotta architectural ornament in New York, a material that Gilbert would use extensively in later buildings.

Here are some images of 273 Broadway:

Rendering of the Cass Gilbert Broadway Tower:


From the Tweed Courthouse Steps (the NY Sun building to the right):

The upper floors showing the polychromatic ornamentation:


Detail:


*************

I should also add that from the rendering of the Broadway / Reade building (here: http://www.slcearch.com/ ) it appears that the upper portion of the north facade of Broadway / Chambers will be obscured, but hopefully the angle of the rendering is misleading.

The developer / architect would be smart to realize that a view of that part of the Gilbert building through the windows of their new building could be worth a big wad to a smart buyer.

[Fabrizio]

Oh God, it´s horrible. Cheesy glass covered balconies sticking out on two sides. An apartment building in this dignified area should be in an office building style.... this one tries to do it both ways and it doesn´t work. Balconies have no place next to these noble buildings. Awfull that the facade of the Gilbert building will be forever covered up. I agree with Lofter. If there isn´t a good space between the two buildings the developer should be hanged. Judging from the rendering it looks like there´s no space at all. Such an important corner should only be touched by a top architect.

What I´d like to see next to all of that ornamentation? Something cool, sleek and sure of it´s self. Adult. Timeless. Something that would showcase rather than try to compete. A facade like this would be nice....put a facade like this next to the Gilbert building and no one loses:

(thanks Zippy)

http://www.pbase.com/zippythechimp/image/15986519

[vc10]

That area needs redevelopment, but 57 Reade, as depicted, sucks.

Originally Posted by Fabrizio

Oh God, it´s horrible...

[londonlawyer]

I respect the developer for preserving the cast-iron building on the north corner of this project. If Gershon Barnett, Abbey Rosen or Macklowe were the developer, they would have bought and razed that gem.

[lofter1]

No can do ^^ ... that building (51 - 55 Reade) is individually Landmarked.

The western 2/3 of this block is located within the Tribeca South Historic District; the first address on Reade within the District is 59. So this new one will be the only lot on that side of Reade in that block not controlled by Landmarking regulations.

[ablarc]

Tragic.

[lofter1]

What an opportunity for a developer / architect: a site surrounded by incredible buildings, a hot market, a city going ga-ga for good architecture...

And they come up with this ????

Seems we need to SHAME the John Buck Company / SLCE Architects -- in the worst possible way.

Maybe they'll get a clue. (Doubt it)

[lofter1]

Here's what this gang put up on E. 92nd:

(Go HERE for photo to see how it really looks)

[vc10]

I've seen worse -- why is this, in your mind, so hideous?

Originally Posted by lofter1

Here's what this gang put up on E. 92nd:

[lofter1]

Where did I say it was hideous? Banal definitely. Hideous? nahhh.

[Fabrizio]

I agree not hideous. Sort of OK.

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BTW: take another look at the Reade street rendering.... ok, no great fan of Ghery, but wouldn´t that be an interesting place for him to squeeze in a building... imagine him doing a building that would be one big beaux-arts flourish...

[MidtownGuy]

Well, the rendering wasn't so bad, then when I saw the actual building my whole face dropped. I think banal is too kind here...

The glass sucks. The detailing is clumsy and doesn't look anything like the rendering, neither does the base. Computer renderings of buildings are getting more and more misleading it seems.

There oughta be a law. They seduce us with artwork that has the glass looking clear and expensive, and then build with cheap, dark glass and plastic looking details.