Long Island City is seeing a boom in high-rise construction, but one plan may have undergone dramatic changes. The original plans for 10 Court Square showed an office building rising on site, with the building’s greatest advantage being Manhattan views. The project was stumpy and ugly, but luckily the design just may have changed.
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| The original plan for 10 Court Square, via LIQ City |
The latest renderings of the project show a mixed-use skyscraper rather than an office building, which seems prudent given the ongoing residential boom in both Long Island City and Brooklyn. Larger office buildings in Long Island City will eventually be necessary, but satiating the demand for residential in the neighborhood remains the most immediate priority.
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| 10 Court Square, New Design (on left, Linc LIC at center) From Cottages-Gardens |
If the new design is indeed built, it will be a dramatic improvement over the former design for the office building. The new project looks futuristic and sleek, contrasting nicely with the monolithic One Court Square, to the building’s left in the above render. The Link LIC is also an eyesore, randomly shedding its glass facade midway through the building’s rise, leaving the project looking unfinished and ugly.
No details on what seems to be the likely new building at 10 Court Square have been revealed yet, but at least the design is somewhat interesting. At the very least, it doesn’t inspire one’s gag-reflex, something atypical of the architecture across the East River these days. If Long Island City is to compete with Downtown Brooklyn as an ancillary hub of Manhattan, it will need to emulate Manhattan. 10 Court Square would certainly be much more beneficial to the neighborhood if it is indeed built as a residential tower.
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