Construction is wrapping up on Extell’s new project at 131-139 West 45th Street in Midtown. The building, future home to the Hyatt Times Square, rises 50 stories and 600 feet, and lies just a block southwest of the International Gem Tower.
The only redeeming thing about the tower is its location. Luckily–and this seems to have affected the design–the density of the surrounding neighborhood means that at only 600 feet, the tower goes unnoticed from most anywhere in New York. The third photo (below) shows how the tower is surrounded, even on its own block.
The angle from directly below the tower shows a building that’s bland but not dreadful. Pivot to either side however, and the new Hyatt turns into a concrete bunker. The building features not one, but two completely blank walls facing east and west.
The Hyatt Times Square may only rise 600 feet, but that’s still 600 feet of blank nothingness on two out of the buildings four sides. It’s understandable for the developers to eliminate windows from the east and west facing sides of the building given the project is already boxed in and future neighbors will likely further hamper views, but the complete lack of effort with regard to aesthetics is unforgivable.
The latest photos show the concrete either being covered or smoothed out, but at this point it’s putting lipstick on an extremely ugly pig. Unless you stare at the pig from straight-on, in which case it’s only mediocre-looking. Luckily, since it’s a Hyatt, it’ll probably be pretty nice on the inside and will be open in 2013.
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| Hyatt Times Square |
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| Hyatt Times Square |
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| Hyatt Times Square |
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