It’s been over five years since groundbreaking occurred for the Hudson Yards mega-development. Today, phase one appears all but complete, and is increasingly hard to miss on the overall Manhattan skyline. Stretching over 26 acres and costing $25 billion, the full site will become the largest planned development in the country’s history.
The Vessel, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson
At street level, the gardens will open up to the public later next year. The buildings will follow suit soon after. Not much time is left before the freshly minted neighborhood begins to buzz with pedestrian activity, and last week, YIMBY toured 15 Hudson Yards and the public square to see the progress made on-site.
Art on the Plaza piece by Jon Burgerman
We visited on a pleasant day, and found several art installations around 10 Hudson Yards to have engaged and attracted plenty of foot traffic.
Art on the Plaza piece by Yoko Ono
That includes the “Prelude To The Shed”, and an “Art on the Plaza” program that currently exhibits two interactive pieces by Yoko Ono and Jon Burgerman.
Image from the rooftop of 15 Hudson Yards, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson
After years of waiting for the historic development to rise, it’s exciting to get to visit the top of 15 Hudson Yards. Amazingly, only the first phase of the site is nearing completion. The train yard to its west will soon host seven additional buildings spanning another 6.22 million square feet, along with an expansion to the public gardens.
Hudson Yards’ Master Plan
Phase one consists of six towers, the Shed, and a five-acre public square.
10 Hudson Yards seen from 15 Hudson Yards, image by Andrew Campbell Nelson
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Please pardon me for using your space: Chic views on high progress by Andrew Nelson. (Thanks to you)
“public landmark that has not been value-engineered” is the most timely quote of our time, relating to the built environment, today.
Hudson Yards is kind of mind-blowing.
Yes, the views from the higher floors will be jaw dropping…and yes, the Vessel, Shed, the shopping mall, the High Line Park, and even the street level park all appear to offer a spectacular and welcome addition to the city.
But yowsa…is the overall architecture (apart from the Vessel and Shed, of course) not just disappointing, it’s pretty much downright awful when compared to what’s seen in 21st supertalls elsewhere around the world.
Oh, sure the exteriors on a couple of buildings turned out better than feared, especially when compared to the appallingly (F)ugly 30 Hudson Yards, but still when taken together in terms of architectural grace and beauty, one cannot be helped but wondering “is that all there is?”
Sorry, YIMBY, but if this is the best we can do for NEW YORK CITY, which likes to bill itself as the “Capital of the World”, then our best days in terms of architecture are surely, and sadly, behind us. 🙁
That’s “21st century supertalls” in the above!