Wrapping up the year and YIMBY’s construction countdown, it comes as no surprise that Extell‘s Central Park Tower tops the list. The supertall will soon become New York City’s tallest residential building, and it will also have the highest roof of any structure in the Five Boroughs. The 1,550-foot-tall tower is being designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. The site has previously gone by its address, 217 West 57th Street. The building has now surpassed its 90th floor, and currently stands over 1,300 feet atop 57th Street.
Central Park Tower and One57 stand by each other along Billionaire’s Row. Photo by Michael Young
Close up of the facade rising. Photo by Michael Young
Looking south from Central Park, north from Lower Manhattan, or across either river from New Jersey and Queens, the building is now very prominent, and imminently set to surpass Harry Macklowe’s 1,396 foot tower at 432 Park Avenue. Although plans for a proposed spire that would’ve brought the total height to 1,775 feet have been scrapped, the additional 154 feet of residential and mechanical floors compared to 432 Park will still ensure Central Park Tower’s absolute dominance atop 57th Street.
Central Park Tower rising above 220 Central Park South. Photo by Michael Young
Central Park Tower from the World Trade Center. Photo by Michael Young
Central Park Tower will dominate the back half of the Midtown skyline thoroughly, as seen from the World Trade Center. Inside the retail base, Nordstrom is planning on opening its flagship department store early next year. Up above, work will continue apace. The base is covered in a translucent wave of frosted wavy glass on 57th and 58th Streets. At night, a soft warm glow illuminates the radiant exterior. Entrances to the future 320,000-square-foot Nordstrom are found on 57th Street, and also along Broadway.
The facade for the Nordstrom retail base along 57th street. Photo by Michael Young
Above the Nordstrom flagship, amenities for residents will be located on floors eight through 18. Condominiums begin on the 32nd floor, and culminate with the reported 17,000-square foot triplex on the top three residential floors. That residence will have its own private ballroom, and the highest outdoor terrace in New York City, with 360 degree views of the tri-state area.
The noteworthy, protruding cantilevered section over the Art Students League of New York can be seen when looking up in front of the tower, from street level. A layer of light gray-colored panels cover the thick concrete shear perimeter walls before the glass begins to enclose the tower all the way towards the top. As of the end of 2018, all the glass panels are still sealed and protected with a blue plastic film which will later come off, and visually lighten the dark blue hue that is currently seen.
The cantilever on the eastern elevation. temporary supports are in place to support it for the time being. Photo by Michael Young
Sales for the 179 condominiums launched a couple months ago, and are being handled by Extell’s in-house team. The projected sellout for the project is to be just over $4 billion. Once the final concrete floors and shear walls are formed, a steel structure will be assembled on the top that forms the building’s glass crown on all four sides.
With One57 standing across Seventh Avenue as Extell’s first residential supertall on 57th Street and in New York City, Central Park Tower may be the last title-taking tower in the neighborhood for quite some time. It will most likely hold the crown of the tallest building by roof height for at least an additional several years, with no proposals currently on the boards to challenge the new mark.
Central Park Tower will soon rise higher than 432 Park Avenue in the coming weeks and become the tallest on 57th Street and New York City by roof height. Photo by Jerome Poirier
Central Park Tower close to surpassing 432 Park Avenue in the next several weeks. Photo by Michael Young
Central Park Tower is set to be completed in 2020.
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A stupendous exercise in vacuity and vulgarity.
At least it’s not as ugly as the JDS monstrosity
According to my own floor count, there is 7 Retail Floors, 11 floors of Amenities, and then 16 floors of residential, 2 mechanical floors, then next two sections, 19 floors of each, 2 of them are mechanical floors, then another almost finished section of 19 floors, 2 of them are mechanical, so with that this represents, 7+11+18+19+19+19=93 total floors already, last section of them, currently 17 floors built of 19. Means 91 actual floors already built. Very top section of that tower probably will have 11 floors incl mechanical making stop this floor count at 104. 130 floors for marketing purposes. So far 91 floors out 104 already built, over 70 floors already in glass. This a true 100 story building, first one in NY who actually have all this floors constructed. Great tower, skinny yes, but majestic base for Nordstrom. And 1550 feet tall true of construction, not a fake “1776” feet of OneWTC what is actually have a rooftop ending at 1368!!! Yes, this could happened once per several decades, we already doubled amount of supertall buildings, 984 feet and taller, in our Everchanged City what’s never sleep!!! With all new towers over 800 feet tall existing Midtown Plato, the 432 Park sole sore stick is already blended with another 6-7 new towers of this height(over 800 feet). And with that, there is no other American city exist with such majestic corridor of supertall collection of buildings, 432 Park, 111West57 Street, One57, 53West53, and this “Nordstrom Tower”, or Central Park Tower. All of them being constructed in this decade!!!
I don’t know whether it’s more pathetic or more painfully amusing to read this ecstatically childish Trumpian prose & gushing commentary with regard to whose erection is more prominent and dominant, and which phallic edifice is bigger and taller.
Rather than being symbols of genuine civic pride and true social accomplishment by and for the people of this City, the buildings of billionaires row are nothing but shameful exclamation points in the sky – arrogantly flipping the bird as they emphasize the gross inequalities and misplaced priorities of both this society and its twisted economy.
Indeed, now the elite will be better able to practice their trickle-down economic scams as they gleefully relieve themselves on the rest of us from their super-tall gilded penthouses in the sky. Ah yes, Trump’s most favorite pastime … no tapes please.
In the far distant future, perhaps another version of cinematic Charles Heston will once again come galloping down some desolate former NYC landscape — only to exclaim in disgust “Oh my God, those manics, what have they done!” — as he comes upon the broken ruins of these garish symbols of social injustice and unchecked wealth, power & privilege, buried in the all-consuming sands of time.
Firstful, why you mix politics with architecture. NYC was never socialist, and never had socialist utopia culture, except only Robert Moses poor vision what cost now billions of dollars to fix and erase!!! Hudson Yards and New West 57th Street, New Times Square, Renowned and Rebuilt WTC Complex, is a true Architectural Marvels what maje Our Historical Skyline light refreshmment for entering in 21st Century, they are not destroying Skyline, but show the rest of the World that NYC and USA is still open for business, and offering rich entrepreneurs and worldwide investment good and safe opportunities for their investment!!! We can’t be more attractive with outdated rusted out Robert Moses dull housing projects and rundown highway viaduct, bridges or out of capacity airport terminals and railway stations, such eyesore as Penn Station, La Guardia, PABT, or rundown housing in East Harlem!!! Excuse me, that scare future investors. And Investors will choose Schanhai over NYC, or even Moscow!!! Building have a life term, and beyond that, some may be renovated and preserved, while the most must be replaced with new modern architecture!!!
You probably prefer that here is a new housing for illegal restaurant dishwashers will be built instead…
Macklowe and this guy are clearly in a pissing contest.
Zelda Fitzgerald once commented, on the not dissimilar rivalry between her husband Scott and fellow author Hemingway:
“Why don’t they just compare c*cks and get it over with?”
Other than its height, I find nothing remarkable about CPT. In fact, it makes 220 CPS look even better!
Extell starts and finishes Billionaire’s Row. What a shame compelling design has nothing to do with it.
Ok, what happened to the earlier comments when this article was posted??
What you talking about, this article was posted just today, and shows most recent update by YIMBY journalist!!! This article about Central Park Tower, tallest building under construction in NYC, you may be referring to yesterday’s article of 111West57, what is a second tallest tower under construction in our city. Before that it was article about OneVanderbuilt, 58 story, 1401 feet tall(1301′ for rooftop), what is tallest office tower and third tallest building under construction in our city. Number 4 is 30 Hudson Yards, 73 story mammoth at 1296 foot!!!
You commented on the older article loaded below this one.
Why, and what you mean a “social accomplishment”, stop using a socialist term, United States Of America is born as Capitalist, period!!! And billionaires investing in our city brought health environment to our city, as a good and safe investment, that’s why NYC have jobs, and those who can’t afford to live in this city, is free to go!!!
Leave your comment up to you, written in your mom’s basement!!! NYC is Capital Of World’s Wealth, and I don’t see anything wrong with that!!! Or you prefer Ocacio Cortez City full of nonworking welfare immigrants with “medicaid and medicare for all” scam with price tag of 34 trillion dollars!!! Btw, tell me when and in what time of NYC history this area of West 57th Street, Central Park West/East/South were affordable for ordinary workers!????? So, just shut up, and go pray to your demons mom!!!!
If you don’t like Our Billionaire made and built Great City, then go to live in California “social justice heaven” in Skid Row!!!
Billionaires and Multi millionaires made our City Iconic Skyline, who live in area of Upper West Side, restaurant dishwashers, who live in Battery Park City, same is applied for Midtown, Our Busiest Business District in Western Hemisphere, Our Crossroad of The World!!! Still iconic landmark who made our Skyline alive and refreshed, mean ESB, Chrysler Building, Times Square Tower, Carnegie Hall, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Station, Central Library, along with eyesores such as UN Headquarters, PABT, Penn Station/Madison Garden Complex, and what’s wrong that Our Worldscale Skyline is little bit refreshed with new Hudson Yards/Manhattan West, or new supertall skinny towers of Iconic 57th Street!!! My thumps up for this new towers, especially if you remind me what was in place of these towers before!??? What architectural marvels we missed, except Drake Hotel, what his original owners abandoned and that rundown building was on the corner of Park Avenue!!! Here Central Park Tower are replaced and partially utilized building where neighborhood supermarket was and long time terraces of wooden green scaffolding what were attracted rats and homeless people!!! Glad that see this area now in midst of new construction of tallest building in Our Great City, who is a major industry is being as a Financial Center of Global Capitalism!!!
Long Live Capitalism!!! NYC is again Centerpiece of Global Capitalism and Democracy!!!
I read somewhere that it’s wise to live close to the ground.
I don’t know exactly what that means, but I have a feeling that it is valid.
A view like that from such a staggering height is fine for a restaurant, wedding, or some special event.
I hope they don’t leave out sprinklers like Trump did in his tower, causing someone to die in a fire.
This also reminds me of a “Real Housewives” participant who had a glamorous apartment.
It was on about the 25th floor looking out over the east river, an excellent view.
Yet, a couple of years later, another high-rise went up right in front of hers, totally blocking the view.
None of this matters, not skyscraper designs, not Mexican walls, not DACA, not abortion, not gay rights – none of it – IF it’s 105 degrees outside and you’re standing in three feet of water in your living room.
This apartments start on floor count 32, actually floor 19th built. Over 290 feet over the ground, what you are talking about “3 feet of water in apartment” where in these Supertalls, they don’t have apartments below 200 feet!!! One57, have 24 floors of hotels, residential starts on floor 26th, count as 35th.
I don’t think we will see another supertall or simular height nearby within one mile, for next decade or two. Not anything close in pipes, so, these supertalls currently in construction in this area may
be last supertall in next quarter century or at least until 2040!!! Now about construction progress, according building data this building have 130 floors for marketing purposes. How many floors are actually be constructed, at least 95 up to 104. Currently built with concrete frame, 7 floors for major retail (Nordstrom department store), pretty big box luxury store with total retail space of 295,000 feet, plus other space of 25,000 feet. This is a base, then will be 11 floors of Amenities, residential start from floor#32, what is in fact constructed floor 19th. Then I was not lazy to count floor slabs, 18 floors, then mechanical floor, then another 18 floors of residential, another mechanical, then 20 floors of living space and highrise amenities, plus 2 floor space of mechanicals, then I see already 16 floor slabs. Now simple math,
7+11+18+1+18+1+20+2+18(I see it in the rendering as 18. So, we have 19+19+19+22+18, this mean 97 actual floors of built space, 95 floors are already in concrete, more than half in glass already. I believe at least one floor slab of mechanical and 3 floor slabs for penthouse. Mean at least 101 actual floors already count. What is represent only 6 floors to the top occupied floor left.
95 floors already constructed.
This tower is already have more actual floor count than any tower in 5 borough. ESB is actually 88 floors count as 102, OneWTC is slightly over 90 floors actually built, count as 104. 3 WTC is have only 68 floors but count as 80 story tower. Same for 4 WTC, 66 floors but count as 74. One57 supertall have 76 floors, but count as 90 story for marketing purposes. So height is more important than floor count for any Skyscraper over 492′ and taller. NYC have now over 240 Skycrapers of such height. And at least 20 of them in outer boroughs. With real cream of the top, Central Park Tower at fully built 1550′ height to the rooftop!!!
And yes, even these Billioner’s Alley Skyscrapers are for only 0.001% of US population they are still powerful message for the rest of the World, that NYC still have Everchanging Iconic Skyline with new supertall towers and fully opens for safe investment in our Economy, including Real Estate!!!
And those who doesn’t understand this, simple doesn’t understand basic principles of Modern Global Capitalism, and if we became a socialist country we probably lost all foreign investment and unemployment will be new normal above 20%!!!!
Sorry for my long comment, but here I see Ocacio Cortez Bernie Sanders supporters who still believe that spending 34 TRILLION Dollars for Welfare and Medicare For All Scam is good for Our Country who was born as true model of successful Democracy what must be base on Capitalism not Socialist Utopia.
We don’t need Soviet Socialist State Of America replaced Our Republic!!!
You should be very sorry for your comment, especially that about Cortez and Sanders. You sound like a shallow, angry person who knows little about the art of architecture, and that sir is sad. Perhaps your expertise would be better put on our new “lovely” wall.
Why I’m not sorry, since I have right to say about socialist what they are deserving!!! I lived in Communist “paradise” Soviet Union before 1989, it was true “paradise” life, with long lines to buy bare necessities for life, with government antisemitism and racism, anticatholic, antimuslim, antibaptist politics!!! And fake propaganda spread over the World about “how paradise life is built in Soviet Union”, or you thinking that Socialism is something else!!! Better Shut Up!!!
Oh yeah, In China or Russia they are know a lot. Yes, I prefer R.
Stein architecture over these disformed masses of glass, but that’s why to built one R. Stein architecture piece cost as much money and time as built 2-3 glass towers like this one, with prices accordingly the same, 2-3 times higher!!! No wonder that Penthouse in 220 Central Park South will be cost as much as a Quarter of Billion Dollars!!! So, in fact we need modern Stations like New Moyninham Station what is cost 1,6 billion to built, everything expensive, in year 2000 prices our Dollar is already less than half, with real estate prices in NYC is like a quarter and with new construction cost is about just over a dime!!! We can built masterpiece, but in order to do this we must attract more foreign investors in Our City Economy!!!
And with Socialist policy of new politicians we probably let them consider invest safely in China or even in Russia. Don’t believe me, than Google for your help, just read about Moscow City Business Project, is a bigger than fully built Hudson Yards!!!
And about Billionaire’s Alley, in fact over 0.1% of US Population can afford these apartments, and these superb powerful message to our Enemies in Russia and China, and good ad for all potential foreign investors in Our Economy, including Finance and Real Estate, what make our Dollar stronger than ever before. I don’t see anything wrong with that, this true benefits full 100% of US legal residents, and I’m like hundred millions Americans absolutely don’t care about how this will affect affordability to live in America for dozens illegal immigrants, in fact they shouldn’t be here anyway!!!
Jack Liberman you are rude. This column is about architecture and Manhattan skyscrapers. It is NOT about a person’s political and draconian rantings, social or financial. I find that you are still revealing your anger and shallowness and that’s truly unfortunate. By the way, Cortez and Sanders should be out of bounds here despite their promising views.
The rather featureless midheight sections of these towers trigger much aesthetic dismay over the pure utility of height being built into most of these tall projects. See 15E30 for the clean rise and more comfortable scale sought by many of us urban enthusiasts.
A great thing about YIMBY these days is the photos from all sorts of unusual vantage points. Great work, Michael, and happy new year.
You guy’s might see Jack Liberman as a rude angry person but he speaks facts and the world we live in is full of powder puffs grow a pair, geez. You men sound like a bunch of women getting their feelings hurt.
Agreed, although I don’t understand how a person has the patience to type so much.
I truly enjoyed reading all the many diverging views and comments here. Both Pro and Con, regarding the many new Super Towers reaching into the Heavens in New York City.
Jack Liberman’s many Comments contain many Truths that automatically spring from having lived under Communism with all the egregious limits such a system places on the individual both physically, psychologically and financially.
There are so many reasons people such as my Father (RIP) moved Earth and Heaven to escape from places like Russia and arrive in America as did Jack Liberman, but long after my Father had reached these shores.
I agree that many of the new Super buildings may often lack in the dept. of Aesthetics, often bordering on the gaudy or just plain ostentatious.
But what they often lack in Aesthetic beauty they compensate for with their clear undeniable physical energy exploding ever higher into the sky above NY.
In that sense they embody much of the energy found in the Poems of Walt Whitman where he describes the never quitting, ever expanding energy of the “new America”.
Do we live in a Utopia in which every person succeeds in enjoying a perfect life of “Happiness” and “plenty” ? Of course not and such a place exists no where on Earth. But there is no place on Earth where a person has a better chance of rising from abject poverty as did my immigrant Father, Paul (Peretz) David Pakter from Slonim, Russia, in the beginning of the last century.
What person born in poverty in a far off land does not yearn to somehow make it to America and start at the bottom- even as a dishwasher.
All these new mega Towers should be seen for what they reflect about America just like the entire area in downtown Manhattan that has been rebuilt after 9/11.
To walk among those towering steel and glass edifices or stand atop the new One World Trade Center Tower and gaze down at the City far below is to feel a certain sense of pride that “Man” is non-stoppable and will always continue to rise even after experiencing the greatest Tragedy.
Perhaps what seems so “Tall” today will seem “small” tomorrow in future decades.
It does not matter. It is “the process of growth” that matters. The irrepressible nature of the Human Spirit is what counts as we witness New York’s ever changing skyline. May our wonderful New York City never stop building and growing in every way. As the great Poet, Robert Browning once said:
“Ah but a Man’s reach should exceed his grasp – or what’s a Heaven for”.
Mr. Jack Liberman- I would very much enjoy meeting you. Please contact me via my website http://www.OldMasterPortraits.com Many Thanks in advance, David Pakter
Judging by the amount of comments / time wasted Mr Lieberman leaves on this site he’s very far from being anything close to billionaires he admires so much. And obviously “hates” “socialism” while getting a social security checks and Medicare. Pathetic.
When the Chrysler building was first built everyone hated it. When the Transamerica Pyramid was built in San Fran everyone hated it. Give it time and people forget then completely change their view on what is accepted as art or architecture. Personally I like the tower!