Construction on Super Skinny New York Tower to Begin Next Year

About a month ago, developers JDS Development Group and Property Markets Group received approval from Landmarks Preservation Commission for a slender residential tower in Midtown New York, which will stand 100 feet taller than the Empire State Building.

Designed by SHoP Architects, the tower dubbed “111 West 57th Street” will stand 1,350 feet. To put that into perspective, it will be about 450 feet shorter than the CN Tower. The crazy part about the design is that it will only be 60 feet wide. That’s pretty skinny, considering many Greater Toronto Area low-rise communities offer 60’ lots for single detached homes.

“The façade is designed to read at multiple scales and vantage points; the shaping of the Terra Cotta that clads the east and west façades creates a sweeping play on shadow and light from the city scale, as the texture provides richness up close.  A glass curtain wall along the North façade will take full advantage of the tower’s sweeping views of Central Park. At its base the tower is nestled into a courtyard wrapped by the existing landmarked Steinway Building.  Set back from the street, the tower maintains visibility to the Steinway Building’s front façade and preserves the Rotunda space of Steinway’s main showroom.” - SHoP Architects.

The developers had to purchase Steinway Hall in order for the approval to go through, otherwise the maximum height would have been just under 700 feet.

Although 111 West 57th Street will stand 1,350 feet, it will only feature somewhere near 100 units. That means that each floor will only have one unit, or there will be many micro-units and a few large multi-floor units. Either way, you can bet it will cost a pretty penny to live there.

Construction is scheduled to begin in Spring 2014, and completion is scheduled for 2016.

Images via SHoP Architects