The new glass curtain wall has begun installation on 660 Fifth Avenue, a 39-story commercial building in Midtown, Manhattan. Formerly addressed as 666 Fifth Avenue, the office tower is in the process of having its mid-century façade replaced with a modern envelope in a project designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and developed by Brookfield Properties. The 1.5-million-square-foot property is located between West 52nd and 53rd Streets.
Since our last update March, most of the old façade has been stripped away and the new curtain wall is now rising on all four sides of the tower.
660 Fifth Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
660 Fifth Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
660 Fifth Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
Recent photographs show the former and new skin of the edifice, while portions of the steel superstructure are temporarily exposed. Kohn Pedersen Fox’s design approach aims to utilize the full span between each perimeter column as opposed to the compact grid of rectangular windows and decorative reflective aluminum panels that once fully covered the office tower.
660 Fifth Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
660 Fifth Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
660 Fifth Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
660 Fifth Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
660 Fifth Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
Tall sidewalk scaffolding still wraps around the storefronts of Zara, Hollister, Tissot, and Uniqlo along Fifth Avenue, while black netting remains around the podium levels. The new floor-to-ceiling windows measure 11 feet tall by 19 feet wide and are currently protected with thin plastic sheets on the inside.
660 Fifth Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
660 Fifth Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
660 Fifth Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
660 Fifth Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
660 Fifth Avenue and 111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
Renderings below offer a glimpse of the views from the top floors looking north toward Central Park. The modern fenestration will allow for optimal daylight exposure and create a much sleeker finish. The setbacks on the lower half of the tower will be topped with numerous landscaped outdoor terraces for occupants.
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.
Access to the 5th Avenue-53rd Street station, which is serviced by the E and M trains, lies directly below the site, while the B, D, and F trains can be found underneath the nearby Rockefeller Center to the south.
660 Fifth Avenue is predicted to be completed in 2022, as noted on the project’s main website.
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That glass is looking pretty sharp. Nice.
Into the size of a city and onto a long street, I’d been amazing about looking constructed by design. It needed to get filled with beautiful facade by a massive glass: Thanks to Michael Young.
Now if only they could give the Saucony-Mobile building the same treatment then this area would actually be pretty upgraded.
Love these kinds of retrofits, many buildings across the city are undergoing these changes, and in this case, replacing an outdated 1950’s facade with insulated, floor-ceiling glass is a needed move at this time.
I remember stopping off at the Zenith TV showroom here at the uptown corner of 666 Fifth Ave, on my way to the library….On a busy news day the place was packed.
Don’t forget the Top of the Sixes of yore. I guess 666 has joined 13 as forbidden numbers in real estate. Mexico avoids 41 for even birthdays owing to a drag ball held in 1901.
I’m more interested in that S Cabrio in picture 7
Total waste of money. The original facade was just find, and a lot more interesting than yet another glass wall.
Completely disagree – this is a vast improvement.
I would agree that the original facade was more interesting, but if tenants expect full window walls today, places have little choice.