Excavation is progressing for Disney’s 1.2 million-square-foot headquarters at 137 Varick Street in Hudson Square. Alternately addressed as Four Hudson Square, the site will give rise to a 22-story, 320-foot-tall superstructure designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and developed in partnership with Silverstein Properties. Disney purchased the full-block parcel from Trinity Church Real Estate for $650 million, and Skanska completed demolition of the four structures on the site during the summer. Lendlease is in charge of constructing the new building.
Aerial rendering of 4 Hudson Square. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Ground floor rendering of 4 Hudson Square. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Recent photos show the state of excavation at the site, which is bound by Vandam Street to the north, Varick Street to the east, Spring Street to the south, and Hudson Street to the west. The perimeter is surrounded by a number of large warehouse buildings, most of them renovated into contemporary office space. There are several excavators working at different elevation points and we can see part of the retaining walls on the northern and southern ends exposed. Crews started to dig from the middle and are working toward the eastern and western edges of the land.
Looking east with excavation visible. Photo by Michael Young
Looking west at the excavated pit. Photo by Michael Young
Looking east. Photo by Michael Young
Looking south. Photo by Michael Young
Looking west. Photo by Michael Young
Looking north. Photo by Michael Young
Looking north. Photo by Michael Young
As rendered, the building will feature a symmetrical pair of 320-foot-tall towers connected by a large podium. A series of setbacks will provide outdoor terraces for occupants, while the exterior envelope is to be composed of pale green terracotta panels, bronze finishes, and floor-to-ceiling glass. Inside the mammoth building will be multiple film and production studios, office space, and ground-floor retail.
No official completion date has been announced.
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Remember they could easily just buy available space at 30% of the cost. Build in a empty city. Go for it.
Hopefully wont be an “empty city” for long. These new proposals especially by companies such as Disney signal strong faith in the city. Bill DiBlasio wont be ruinous mayor forever.
I am looking for a job like maintenance cleaning housekeeping residential building cleaning Porter position
It amazes me that the Disney Co.
has fired/furloughed over 10,000 employees, dealt with Disneyland in Anaheim being closed since March due to Convid, hasn’t released any movies to wide release, had all their cruise ships moored… while crying they are struggling financially, but yet has the MONEY to construct a new headquarters complex from the ground up?!
I wonder if they have the same accounting firm as the POS still calling himself “the greatest
PRESIDENT in our country”?!
Just wondering Disney is hiding in that “mouse hole”?
The “POS” you are referring to has done great things for NYC over the decades. What’s your partisan problem?
Guess, you and the rest of NY, will there to receive him in loving arms when he returns?!
Strange comments on here. The contracts were in place for this building to go up before the pandemic hit — Silverstein is developing the building for Disney, and the long-term lease with Trinity had already been signed. Not sure if any construction financing is involved, but that also would already have been signed–and interest rates were and are low anyway. Disney had already agreed to vacate its Columbus Circle-adjacent properties (where, for example, GMA is filmed looking out on Broadway). This looks like a calculated decision, similar to the ongoing Google and Facebook expansions on the west side, that office use will return in a year or so (I’m guessing this won’t even be completed until what–2022?), and that the benefits of having your team consolidated in a larger site with big floorplans is worth it. One note: this will not be Disney’s worldwide headquarters, but their headquarters for New York operations — they are and will continue to be headquartered at the Disney Studios in Los Angeles County.
What a beast!
Economicly, this is really good for NYC. But I don’t know if the design is good for NYC. I’m a little bit unsure about it.
You would never know Disney had a creative soul by looking at this structure. I would think they were a healthcare company.
They should stick mouse ears on it…
Pretty bland, but the whole area around it appears to be as well