Washington Heights will soon be home to a grand-scale realization of a Lego-block-styled tower offering class-A office space, retail, and hotel components. “Radio Tower & Hotel,” located at 2420 Amsterdam Ave, has officially broken ground, and represents the first significant mixed-use development in Washington Heights in almost 50 years.
Described by architects MVRDV as a vibrant, “vertical village,” Radio Tower & Hotel is the Dutch design firm’s premier development in the United States. Beyond the unique and playful massing of the structure, the 22-story tower will eventually stand as one of the tallest structures in the Washington Heights neighborhood.
“Radio Tower & Hotel, located at the thinnest part of Manhattan Island between the Hudson and the Harlem River, is a colorful new building which will strengthen an already wonderfully mixed and vibrant neighborhood”, said Winy Maas, Principal and Co-Founder of MVRDV. “The building forms a ‘vertical village’ with blocks that are the same size as the surrounding buildings, thus avoiding the common drawback of large developments in which new skyscrapers overwhelm the existing character of the city.”
Youngwoo & Associates filed permits to redevelop the property as a 22-story tower back in 2013. Marvel Architects was originally tapped for design of the building, but are no longer included in the development team.
Moving forward, the building will contain 145,000 square feet of office space with sweeping, loft-style floor plates. Retail positioned on the ground floor will occupy 8,000 square feet. The onsite hotel partner has not been confirmed, but that component will contain 221 guest rooms measuring a total 93,000 square feet. The building will also include an unspecified collection of amenities, an event space, a rooftop restaurant, landscaped terraces, and an interior, open-air courtyard.
Illustration depicts available square footage by floor
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Please pardon me for using your space: Imagination to cartoon but real with all its colors. Colorful from basement to rooftop.
Beautiful!
This could end up being one of the best or one of the worst buildings in New York.
Jeez.. this really isn’t that appealing.
Totally unnecessary and doesn’t fit the character of the neighborhood. I just see gentrification behind all of this. What’s the point of a hotel in Washington Heights? SMH
What’s the point of a hotel in Washington Heights?
For the same reason hotels are being built all over the Bronx and really anywhere for that matter… there is demand. This site is two blocks from one of the busiest highways in the country. So, yeah.
The Edge Hotel on W181 St does quite well – thanks to
demand from Yeshiva U and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
Take that downtown or something stop destroying the culture and community thing have change so much in the pass 10 year SMH
Could they at the very least just design the building to fit the character of the neighborhood. The colors are absolutely ridiculous…
gentrification all over!!
I am interested I’m looking for one bedroom apartment
This monstrosity now blocks the clear sky I used to see from my kitchen 6 blocks away!