YIMBY has a new batch of renderings that depict a full re-cladding of the 39-story 660 Fifth Avenue, a commercial building located between West 52nd Street and West 53rd Street. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and developed by Brookfield Properties, the $400 million project includes a 21st century facelift as well as the renovation of 1.5 million square feet of office space. Work is planned to commence once the ten remaining leases are completed and tenants vacate, some 12 to 18 months from now, as reported in a previous Wall Street Journal story.
The below renderings show the old aluminum façade and glass removed to make way for rectangular floor-to-ceiling windows measuring 11 by 19 feet, the largest single-pane units ever used in a New York City building, according to Brookfield. The renovation also includes revamped landscaped outdoor terraces across several of the lower floors on the bottom half of the tower. The number 660 will be hung on the upper corner of the southern elevation under the flat roof parapet. Overall, this new envelope system will allow a far greater amount of natural light to enter the interior spaces and give office workers better views.
660 Fifth Avenue with the new exterior designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox for Brookfield Properties.
660 Fifth Avenue with the new exterior designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox for Brookfield Properties.
660 Fifth Avenue with the new exterior designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox for Brookfield Properties.
Originally designed by Carson & Lundin and completed in 1957, the mid-century building was addressed as 666 Fifth Avenue. A few years ago the site previously saw a supertall proposal from Zaha Hadid Architects that called for the entire demolition of the structure for a 1,400-foot-tall replacement, though plans for the ambitious slender design never came to fruition. This proposal would have housed condominiums, a hotel, and a shopping mall.
The nearest subway stop is the 5th Avenue-53rd Street station, which is serviced by the E and M trains and located directly across Fifth Avenue on the northern side of the Rolex Building. The B, D, and F trains can be found underneath the nearby Rockefeller Center to the south of the property.
660 Fifth Avenue is predicted to be completed in 2022, as noted on the project’s main website.
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Wow! What a transformation! I think 660 Fifth Avenue really needed it though. The views from this building are excellent and this reclad will certainly enhance that. And the prime location of this building is key too so looking at a more respectable design is really good. This building’s exterior was also really starting to age so I think a nice new refreshing facade is just great. This is really good work here of Khon Pedersen Fox.
What??..has the famous address, 666 Fifth Ave been deemed now by the developers to be too Satanic, and changed to 660?
It was announced years ago they intended to rebrand the building as 660 for marketing purposes.
Well that explains everything..
The nearest E/M entrance is actually directly west of the 53rd street entrance.
I’ve never liked the aluminum panels on the current (666) building. Just personal taste. The re-clad looks very nice. Note: there’s a 21 minute documentary on the building of 666 on YouTube. Search “skyscraper 1959 documentary”.
This project is already underway, new cladding already being put up. I have a picture posted on YIMBY forums
Would it have been so hard to include a photo of the current state? Took me about 3 seconds to google it, but shouldn’t you do that for all your readers?
Since we’re on the subject, YIMBY Chicago, Philly and SF all provide much more detail and photos about project than the original NEW YORK YIMBY, why is that? Philly seems to provide the most, which is great considering I live in NYC and don’t know that city as well.
Love your content, but there’s always room for improvement, right?
Do you pay for this service. Last I checked, there aren’t even ads on this site.
Uh there is most definitely a ton of ads.
Zaha is rolling in her grave.
You mean because the Kushners were never able to develop that site and build that horrible looking building she designed for it? It looked like a giant tampon applicator.
I’m 72 years old and haven’t lived in the City for 16 years. Although I know that the F train no longer is under 53rd St., I vividly recall (unless I am mistaken)that the IND stop at 5th and 53rd had a entrance/exit built into 666 Fifth. I was a messenger boy at Rockefeller center during my teens and used it everyday during the week. I suppose it has been removed.
Correct that the 5th Ave stop on the E and M exits there, and it’s highly improbable that the MTA has given up that easement. If anything the developer will upgrade the exit as well. That is the usual pattern in these cases.
Yes!!..The E and M trains have an entrance right in 666. l worked at Simon and Schuster down the street and. I would get off there all the time..
So now it’s 660, not 666, and it’s “Brookfield” not “kushner.” Well that’s a relief, right?
Actually, it’s “Brookfield – Qatar,” with the money for the Kushner bailout coming after a certain blackmail job done by a couple of people about to leave Washington DC.
After Qatar refused the initial request for a loan they were accused of financing terrorism. Then they bought a big condo and took a phantom office in an office building (multi million buildout, never really occupied) and did this deal and all of a sudden Qatar wasn’t financing terrorism any more.
Poignant observation of the most corrupt administration in the history of the country.
For quite a while there was a Zenith Television showroom in the uptown corner of 666, For most of the second half of the last century the great events, both terrible and wonderful were watched by thousands thru those showroom windows.
Methinks a lot of NYC mid-centurys will be either razed or reclad. Those metal panels aren’t aging so well unless they’ve been pampered with loving maintenance (highly unlikely).
Yes it is that am i now going in understadns what has been done becuase you never can do it after it is allready finishde cooking tmoro will bring another sunrise to only become windows over the bridges
To think that this was once the epicenter of Vanderbilt Row. Sic transit gloria. At least the new facade job is less mediocre than the existing snore