Across from Piers 25 & 26, 388-390 Greenwich Street has stood for nearly 30 years as one of the tallest skyscrapers in Tribeca. Located just north of the Borough of Manhattan Community College, it is has been home to Citigroup’s New York headquarters since their repurchase of the building in 2016, after selling to SL Green for $1.6 billion back in 2007. The 39-story tower at 388 Greenwich Street sits connected to an adjacent nine-story building at 390 Greenwich Street, which Citigroup has also leased. Both components are in the midst of a major renovation of the lower exterior facades, led by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, with interior architecture by Gensler.
Rendering of the new glass facade along West Street, via the Tribeca Citizen
The revamp was announced in early 2015. The old and original concrete exterior of 390 Greenwich Street will have its entire facade covered in glass while the main tower will have only its first 14 stories redone.
The architectural goal is to have the glass create a smooth transition between the two building sections and read as one whole, without the sharp contrast in material and design seen before the renovations. There will be a new main entrance for both parts as opposed to the two separate entrances today, as well as a new cafeteria, a revamped and landscaped plaza on the eastern side of the property, and a rooftop terrace on the nine-story component.
Completed facades of 388-390 Greenwich St. surrounding the newly redesigned plaza,. photo by Michael Young
A new retail section will also be present facing Greenwich Street next to the plaza, which is now open after being closed off for over a year. Not much has been said about the landscape in front of the building facing West Street, but it will most likely receive the same treatment and makeover as the plaza.
The timeline of the renovation calls for the project to progress around the two buildings in a counter-clockwise direction starting with the facades facing the revamped plaza space and wrapping up with the restoration of the south facing wall. As of right now, the facades surrounding the newly updated plaza and Hubert Street to the north are now complete, while the western side facing the Hudson River is progressing at a fast rate with glass catching up and moving its way across to the main tower. A telescopic crane is being used to disassemble each section of the wall. The southern facade of the building will be preserved and eventually restored in the near future once all the glass is put into place.
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Please pardon me for using your space: Law of details must have beautiful developments.
*how to make a building looks worse