Construction is progressing on the new superstructure of TSX Broadway, a 470-foot-tall hotel at 1568 Broadway in Times Square. Designed by PBDW Architects, Mancini Duffy, and Perkins Eastman and developed by L&L Holding Company, Maefield Development, and Fortress Investment Group, the Midtown, Manhattan project required the partial demolition of the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton while preserving a portion of the original steel-framed podium that’s being repurposed, refurbished, and incorporated into the 21st century overhaul. The end result will be a new 550,000-square-foot tower that will include Kirchoff & Rose’s 108-year-old Palace Theater, which is being renovated and raised 30 feet to make way for ground-floor retail space. The site is located at the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 47th Street, to the east of the red TKTS stairs, and is slated to cost $2.5 billion.
Since our last update in April, a substantial amount of new steel has been added to the podium levels of the superstructure, though the overall height has remained the same.
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
We can also see a wide concrete perimeter wall lining the edge of the western elevation facing the pedestrian plazas and TKTS staircase. Several months ago, this was hidden as black netting and scaffolding covered much of the structure. Another integral aspect is diagonal steel beams spanning several floors on the same side of the building that were added as workers gradually progress upward.
The project is a complicated undertaking as it requires working within the remnants of the old DoubleTree Suites by Hilton. A similar scenario was seen in recent years with the construction of Ian Schrager’s EDITION hotel directly across West 47th Street. Both buildings include a tall podium, followed by a setback before a uniform main tower.
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
The uppermost floors are in the midst of being formed with reinforced concrete, where the wooden form work creates the mold for every floor, wall, and column.
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
Local 40 Ironworkers will likely proceed with erecting the next set of floors adjacent to the hoist on the western side of 1568 Broadway.
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
The image below offers an example of the level of complexity and different layers of the project as they carefully come together.
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
These outer edges will eventually be covered up by a continuous LED screen.
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
The construction crane is positioned on the northern side with its tower sitting directly next to the brick walls of the Palace Theater. The mechanical hoist faces Seventh Avenue.
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
TSX Broadway. Photo by Michael Young
When complete, TSX Broadway will yield 75,000 square feet of retail space including 15,000 square feet on the ground floor with 100 feet of frontage along Times Square. The remaining retail space will be spread over the next nine levels, all with a projected capacity to serve between 10-15 million shoppers and visitors annually. The building will also feature a 4,000-square-foot performance venue that is slated to have Times Square’s only permanent outdoor stage protruding above the sidewalks of Seventh Avenue; broadcast and streaming capabilities hardwired into the infrastructure; an 18,000-square-foot LED sign enveloping the western and northern sides of the podium; a smaller 3,000-square-foot LED sign on the southern tower wall; and three 420-square-foot signs on the crown. Also part of the programming is 30,000 square feet of food and beverage space with a 10,000-square-foot outdoor terrace, the largest of its kind in Times Square.
The Palace Theater behind black netting and scaffolding. Photo by Michael Young
TSX Broadway’s hotel component will feature 669 rooms with direct views of Times Square, and 30 “Ball Drop” suites for the annual New Year’s Eve celebration. TSX Broadway is also aiming to accommodate the most double queen rooms in Times Square. Guest amenities include a sky lobby with an outdoor terrace, a bar, and lounge.
Work on the Palace Theater is expected to cost $50 million and will feature the refurbishment of its ornate plaster, the addition of 10,000 square feet of back-of-house space, a brand-new lobby with a bar and box office, the installation of chandeliers in their original positions, doubling the number of restrooms, installing new seats, a new marquee and main entrance, and enhancing the interior theater acoustics.
YIMBY last reported that 1568 Broadway would finish sometime in 2022, perhaps in the latter half of next year.
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Looks good. When these new buildings go up, they should be required to replace the sidewalks and curbs, and street scapes in front of their entire properties.
The architecture is whatever….isn’t remarkable, but the signage is seriously tacky and tacked on……it’s Times Sq. TSX – demand better, the graphics are 1970’s….and affixing it onto the middle of a blank facade half-way up is thoughtless. Respect the urban environment you are investing in!
All for 2.5 Billion?
You don’t have to go to business school to understand that somebody is ‘getting the business’
I can see the sharpness in your photos, and make me see details of the points. That you have mentioned, after this crews were allowed to continue their duties: Thanks to Michael Young.
Let the games begin.