Vornado Realty Trust recently completed work on Plaza33, a new pedestrian plaza in Midtown, Manhattan. Developed through a public-private partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation, Plaza33 features mature trees, landscaping, stone benches, and colorful chairs and tables. It aims to beautify the neighborhood and provide a connection to transit, amenities, nearby office buildings, and over 70 new food and beverage offerings. The plaza is located at the intersection of 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue.
Vornado and NYC DOT initially launched Plaza33 as a seasonal pilot program, with Vornado now having completed the permanent plaza designed by Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects. The 34th Street Partnership has developed free public entertainment programming for the plaza, including music, dance, and educational series.
Photograph of Plaza33, via Vornado Realty Trust
Plaza33 is the central outdoor feature of Vornado’s $2.7 billion investment in the PENN District, which includes over $100 million in public realm improvements. The renovation of PENN 1 and PENN 2, comprising nearly 5 million square feet of office space, is complete. Vornado has also partnered with the NYC DOT to replace existing sidewalks with granite stone pavers and double the width of the Seventh Avenue sidewalks.
“As we continue to break jobs records and drive down crime, we are embarking on a new chapter of our city’s economic recovery by advancing projects that will make life in New York City even better,” said New York City mayor Eric Adams. “This transformative project will deliver new, dynamic public space and bolster an already vibrant Midtown Manhattan, which is bustling with working New Yorkers, new and growing companies, and tourists visiting from every corner of the world.”
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I wish they used the 1200 feet version of the tower
Features mature trees, landscaping, stone benches, and colorful chairs and tables—as well as junkies, crazies, homeless and many other undesirables that suck the life out of anything nice.
This is really great and we need more of these. What’s the plan for maintenance? We do a great job of building new public spaces in NYC, but without plans to keep them looking good. Look at the new entrance to Penn Station with the impressive glass dome. The glass is already so filthy, you almost can’t see out of it.
This is an issue not completely unique to New York but it is undeniably a major problem here. This city absolutely sucks at maintenance. You get the impression emptying the trash cans is the extent of it. It doesn’t take long for things to start getting filthy and extremely minor maintenence tasks like touching up paint etc is treated like line items in the next major capital plan.
I agree with the comment above. You can’t enjoy any park now days without some ugly scenes of crazy, homeless and ghetto people ruining the environment. The quality of life is just down. And now with all those immigrants it will be only getting worse.
The comments on here are so depressing. Criticizing this project because there are “ghetto people” and “crazy, homeless” going to ruin it for you? Pessimistic about who’s going to maintain it so it doesn’t get “filthy?” You guys realize it’s replacing a stretch of already-disgusting midtown street, right?