The new Marriott Courtyard coming to 133 Greenwich Street is quickly rising, and the tower — designed by architect Danny Forster — is already at its fifth floor. Located directly across the street from the World Trade Center, the building will eventually stand 30 stories and 356 feet tall.
The area surrounding the World Trade Center will see rapid changes over the coming decade, as infill development sparked by the site’s re-opening should yield improvements to the neighborhood, which remains mostly deserted at night. Luckily this is starting to change, and several hotels have opened nearby in recent years, including the world’s tallest Holiday Inn at 99 Washington Street.
133 Greenwich Street and 150 Greenwich, aka 4 World Trade Center
Still, the trend in the vicinity is towards residential development, as it emerges as a place to both live and work. With access to nearly every subway line, including the PATH, the Financial District’s transit infrastructure could easily support apartment buildings with floor areas far greater than currently allowed. In fact, office to residential conversions can actually surpass the FAR limit on new construction, as the structures were pre-existing, showing there is no harm in denser and larger apartment buildings.
While residential is now the highest and best use across most of the Financial District, the zoning at 133 Greenwich Street is not all that generous, and owner Hidrock Realty opted for commercial development. Despite excellent access to nearly every subway line, the new hotel’s total FAR will only measure 13, with the structure spanning 133,000 square feet.
133 Greenwich Street — image from Danny Forster Design Studio
Danny Forster’s design for the project is nevertheless attractive, and uses several aesthetic tricks to conform to the zoning code. The end result will vastly improve a corner of the Financial
133 Greenwich Street, 125 Greenwich at rear
District that has long been forlorn, though pedestrians will have to wait until 125 Greenwich is completed before unfettered access is possible, as that site is directly across the street.
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