250 West 55th is nearing completion, with the crane almost entirely removed from the structure. Besides a little more glass, the structure is just about finished on the exterior. It’s a simple glass box that is unassuming on the skyline. The one aspect that’s slightly interesting is how light interacts with the glass, giving it extra character at sunrise & sunset while making the building look like a tomb when the weather is overcast.
237 West 54th continues to progress, with one fortunate outcome of the hotel’s rise being the end of the blank western wall of 1715 Broadway. The unfortunate part is that the new Kaufman-designed hotel could potentially much worse than a blank wall. Given the buildings’ similar size, it would have been nice if the developers had hired the architects of the Willow Hotel, which looks stellar for an infill development.
