The steel superstructure for JP Morgan Chase‘s new 1,425-foot supertall headquarters continues to rise on the western half of 270 Park Avenue‘s full-block parcel as work progresses on the demolition of the company’s 52-story former home on the opposite end of the Midtown East lot. Construction workers are busily lifting and welding new steelwork along Madison Avenue between East 47th and 48th Street, where the low-rise podium of the original 707-foot-tall skyscraper formerly known as the Union Carbide Building once stood.
Recent photos show the rapid progress on the superstructure of the 2.5-million-square-foot skyscraper since our last update a month ago, when the first steel beams began to emerge from the site. Numerous construction cranes are assembling the massive framework that will eventually culminate in one of the tallest buildings in the city.
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
Photos featuring construction workers reveal the scale of the colossal dimensions of the steel columns for the dramatic angular base, which will be a clear focal point in 270 Park Avenue’s design. Temporary metal scaffolding columns have been erected to support portions of the steel and will likely remain in place until more components are welded to bolster the frame’s integrity. Rectangular platforms with wooden floors have been built for crews to work closer to the joints in the steelwork.
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
Perhaps the most interesting section of the steel assembly features four long diagonal columns fanning out from a single point. This can be seen in the photographs below.
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
Meanwhile, the original building continues to be dismantled with light clouds of dust blowing across the top of the highest floors from multiple excavators tearing apart the old office levels. Only a handful of floors remain above the main lobby, and temporarily rest behind the black netting and scaffolding.
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
Other photographs below show the intricate steel connections rising from the ground in a complex matter.
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
270 Park Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
A final rendering and completion date for 270 Park Avenue have not been released.
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Can’t wait for the renderings! 🙂
A monument to waste and hubris.
A tear shed for every building in NYC David doesn’t like
Rotflmao- prolly loopback plays Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”…
You are referring to every comment you’ve ever made on this site, correct?
JPMorgan Chase is a private business. What they do with their money – as long as it’s legal, and shareholders approve – is none of your business.
Does this bank really need this new super tall headquarters? What was wrong with the older 52 story steel and glass tower that they couldn’t renovate and upgrade that structure which wasn’t all that old in the first place.
That’s the problem, they had recently renovated the building to LEED standards. The new building barely has much more square footage so it’s just for taller ceilings.
It’s all about workspace environment. Tech companies like Apple and Google have created large open spaces that people prefer. So if you want to attract the top talent, you need to do the same. If anything, COVID has made this an even bigger challenge as you now need to convince people to come to the office vs. working from home.
Lots of people absolutely hate open workspaces.
True, but I’m sure they’ve done the studies to determine if the people they are after like open spaces or not. What’s bizarre is people thinking this is about JP Morgan Chase, when it’s clearly about their workforce. The company’s shareholders could just pocket the profit and not build this if they thought it wasn’t beneficial in the long term.
I’m pretty sure they attract top talent because of generous stock options and $250,000+ salaries. Not because of 11′ ceilings and large open spaces.
Lots of people absolutely hate you too, but that hasn’t seemed to stop you.
I wouldn’t say it’s ALL about workspace environment. There’s almost certainly a strong infrastructure component here. At some point, I’m sure the JPMC brass sat down and came to the conclusion that the only way to get the proper infrastructure (IT/Power/Telecoms) they needed to run the bank in the 21st century was to start from scratch and build a new building rather than continue to retrofit a 20th century building.
Also, word on the street was that there were some EXTREMELY SERIOUS structural issues in the foundation due to water damage. If true, that probably played into the decision to knock down and rebuild as well.
Yes,they really need this new super tall headquarters,the old building was far from adequate for the number of employees they wanted to accommodate.
Enjoy the views and sunlight before they’re gone again!
Looks very challenging to have side by side demo and construction?
Will redefine the skyline.
I have never seen a skyscraper demolished that way before. I’m guessing it’s taking nearly as long as it took to build it? I also appreciate the photographer’s attention to sharing the close-up detail on the construction and the surrounding area. We’ve got a 25% commercial vacancy in Dallas and plenty of new stock under construction as well. All these projects were in the pipeline well before Covid hit, so we’re going to see a load of empty space for a while.
Cool! This is truly one of the most interesting construction processes I’ve ever seen. It has been quite a feat for the demolition of the original 270 Park Avenue, but yet now the new tower is being built simultaneously! And those four beams are very curious too. Big thanks to Michael Young for the amazing photos. And well, I suppose we better admire the last glimpses of the Union Carbide Building!
It will be a great addition to NYC!
Just crazy to see this much office space coming online in a few years! Who is going to use all this when most companies will never be 100% ever again??
Easy answer, JP Morgan Chase, that’s who. It’s not like this is a site looking for a tenant.
That’s a LOT of jpmc employees…
Great to see what a little extra ‘sunlight’ does, easy to forget!..Plus, I just got my second Covid vaccine shot today!
Congrats!
Great photos, an amazing project & a big improvement over UC bldg. NYC will surely be back soon, & the people involved in this project know it. If you want sunlight, move to Nevada.
Agreed!
Great addition to city
Is the steel imported or from the USA. Hopefully the latter.
The Iron Workers of Locals 40 and 361 are proud to add another building to the iconic NYC skyline we have been fortunate enough to build for over 100 years. We would like to thank Chase Bank for the opportunity and look forward to using our extensive training to rig, bolt and weld the steel structure together. We have professional CWI Welders, Licensed Riggers, Lift Directors and over 1,000 certified welders available to complete any steel project, no job is too big or too small.