Construction is coming to a close on 111 West 57th Street, a 1,428-foot supertall residential skyscraper in Midtown, Manhattan and number three on YIMBY’s December countdown of the tallest buildings being built in New York City. Designed by SHoP Architects and developed by JDS Development, Property Markets Group, and Spruce Capital Partners, 111 West 57th Street will yield just 60 condominiums with interiors designed by Studio Sofield and marketed by Douglas Elliman Development Marketing. The project is located on Billionaires’ Row between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, and is almost perfectly aligned with the centerline of Central Park.
Recent photos show the tower’s distinct architectural design and remarkably thin profile that has earned it the title of the world’s most slender building, with a height-to-width ratio of 24:1.
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 West 57th Street continues to dominate the skyline over Billionaires’ Row along with other equally and uniquely impressive feats of engineering like Central Park Tower, 53 West 53rd Street, and 432 Park Avenue.
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
Homes are tucked between two massive concrete shear walls on the eastern and western sides of the building. This is where we see the signature feathered profile design that was inspired by New York City’s early 20th century use of the wedding cake tiered massing. 111 West 57th Street utilizes this key architectural element in a more elegant approach, with a softened upward curve of setbacks on the southern elevation, culminating in an open-air crown holding one of several tuned mass dampers to counteract lateral sway.
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
The final major parts awaiting completion are around the podium along West 57th Street and the motor entrance on West 58th Street. There are also a handful of floor-to-ceiling glass panels on the upper sections of 111 West 57th Street’s southern wall that need to be filled in where the supporting beams for the construction tower crane were once attached.
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
111 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young
YIMBY expects the total completion of 111 West 57th Street to happen next year.
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The raising of supertall in big city, it may be safe when you see it from street level. Hopefully you could learn to see, and fit its height on your view; so high: Thanks to Michael Young.
More ugly stick buildings
Please go away.
7th image. On top of the middle fin of Foster’s 425 Park Ave. What is that? Looks like Mickey Mouse!
That’s the window-washing equipment.
Though it took a long time to get to this point, the result is pure gold. The beautiful terra-cotta pattern with the stunning setbacks is simply iconic. The inclusion of the Steinway Building is almost perfect. And, 111 West 57th Street has an undeniably impressive impact on the City That Never Sleeps itself.
Kudos to Michael Young for the great photos, as always. 😉
This building is an absolute work of art. Design, materials, design. Gorgeous.
Magnificent. Well-done, SHoP.
It’s a beautiful building, sure, but what a colossal waste of resources used for a few people to be able to park their money in the sky.
A lot of us peasants with more humble incomes put food on our families’ tables constructing this building. Bashing the wealthy makes it easier for them to justify their greed.
In the end, a triumph of engineering and construction management organization even if it does give off a whiff of capitalism run amok.
It will be interesting to see the nighttime effect assuming the LED lighting is installed as proposed in the fluting of the terracotta panels on the east and west elevations.
As per the building’s structural engineer, the mass dampers are also designed to reduce the rate of acceleration and deceleration of the sway to below that of human perception.
A small issue, and it might actually be an image artifact, but does the frieze with the Greek Key motif above the Steinway sign on the landmarked building, still require cleaning?
Yet another spike to skyline. I hate them all . They’re an eyesore to everyone walking thru Central Park now . City planning should be ashamed of what they have wrought
Good for you. I hate when people claim “everyone” when it reality, you are in the vast minority. Especially for this building of all on 57th.
Just curious what’s up with the scaffolding on The Plaza? 🤔
An incredible engineering feat. And beautiful. Great photos
The incomparable Manhattan skyline has added a totally new dimension with these “super-talls” It adds to the dream! Nothing comparable anywhere on this planet……new buildings can be built in China and the middle east; but nothing will ever rival the glory of Manhattan!
Michael Young, I genuinely hope and pray you’re assembling all of your NYYimby photos for that coffee table book I keep dreaming of.
That’d be awesome.
How come this building took about 10 used to be built??? What a joke lol
What? Are you talking about the timeframe? It’s because it’s extremely hard to build the thinnest skyscraper on the planet, assemble the air rights, destroy buildings currently there, infrastructure, etc.
A real feat of engineering. The materials used are stunning. So hats off to the architecture team. It is almost a beautiful building. I just hate that so many of these ‘slivers’ these ‘stick buildings’ are taking over the NYC skyline. It saddens me that the incredible amount of money, time, talent, space used to build something for the benefit of so few – an extremely privileged few. Sixty condominiums- that’s the sum total of the homes in this building that will be dominant on our skyline. That makes me sad. I have lived most of my life, nearly 50 years in this city that I love. There was a time that the wealthy lived among us – now the super rich seem to want to live far above us.
“There was a time that the wealthy lived among us – now the super rich seem to want to live far above us.” Ah yes, they were so close in their super expensive neighborhoods, behind walls and gates in their mansions.
Great project and happy to see the completion soon.
Terrific pictures as usual – Michael Young