Façade installation has resumed at 611 West 56th Street, aka 823 Eleventh Avenue, a 450-foot-tall condominium tower in Hell’s Kitchen. Designed by Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza with SLCE as the architect of record, and developed by Sumaida + Khurana and LENY, the 37-story tower will yield 80 units designed by Gabellini Sheppard Associates.
Recent photos show the bright limestone curtain wall surpassing the halfway point of the slender tower. At the time of our last update in late August, the façade only covered the seven-story podium and work appeared stalled.
611 West 56th Street. Photo by Michael Young
611 West 56th Street. Photo by Michael Young
611 West 56th Street. Photo by Michael Young
611 West 56th Street. Photo by Michael Young
Scaffolding rigs on the wide southern elevation mark the transition point of the different layers of the exterior assembly.
611 West 56th Street. Photo by Michael Young
611 West 56th Street. Photo by Michael Young
611 West 56th Street. Photo by Michael Young
The rear northern wall is largely blank, but retains the same pattern of a parquet floor tiling depicted in previous renderings that show the extended mechanical portion above the last habitable floor. This can be seen in the next several images below.
611 West 56th Street. Photo by Michael Young
611 West 56th Street, designed by Alvaro Siza
611 West 56th Street. Photo by Michael Young
The concrete and cinder block walls have been painted black and await the rest of the metal framework that will hold up the limestone.
611 West 56th Street. Photo by Michael Young
A formal completion date for 611 West 56th Street has not been announced, though sometime in the second half of 2021 is possible.
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There are persons that make me feel, excited on their work in organized groups: Thanks to Michael Young.
I’m happy to see 611 West 56th Street resume construction. I LOVE the glass on this skyscraper. I even sort of like the roof section. What I don’t like though is that the concrete and cinder walls were PAINTED black. This scheme really doesn’t fit at all with the rest of the very premium skyscraper. But apart from that, I really like this one.
The limestone cladding is relatively thin. Limestone is inherently porous. In sustained precipitation, moisture could migrate through the stone and it’s likely that the black coating is a water-resistant membrane. This kind of detail is not uncommon in construction and can be applied in sheet form and as a coating.
The summit is a handsome tour-de-force. Fabulous.