Façade work is nearing completion on 125 West End Avenue, an eight-story building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Designed by Taconic Partners, Jaros, Baum & Bolles (JB&B), and Perkins+Will, the project involves the re-cladding and interior renovation of the 400,000-square-foot structure into a life sciences and research laboratory. The 3.4-acre complex was originally constructed as an automotive facility for the Chrysler Motor Company and was later occupied by Walt Disney/ABC broadcasting company, but had sat vacant since early 2021. Taconic and Nuveen Real Estate purchased the building for $230 million in late 2019, and CBRE is in charge of marketing and leasing the commercial space. JRM Construction Management, LLC is the general contractor for the project, which sits at the corner of West 66th Street and West End Avenue, a very short walk from Riverside Park South.
At the time of our last update in November, the new glass curtain wall had just begun installation on the lower levels. Since then, the floor-to-ceiling windows have all been put in place and work has shifted to the vertical columns of metal paneling separating the glass.
125 West End Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
125 West End Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
125 West End Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
125 West End Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
125 West End Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
Almost all the exterior components are now in place on the main eastern elevation facing West End Avenue.
125 West End Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
125 West End Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
125 West End Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
125 West End Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
125 West End Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
125 West End Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
125 West End Avenue. Photo by Michael Young
The focal point of the 125 West End Avenue is its central automobile helix, which is being repurposed into collaboration space. The spiraling ramp will be fitted with a new winding staircase and provide numerous spaces for employees to work together. The building will also feature a new main lobby, ceiling heights ranging from 13′ 3″ to 16 feet tall, flexible 54,000-square-foot floor plates, purpose-built lab infrastructure, Hudson River views, a mechanical plant, and an outdoor roof terrace and a conference center. Other amenities include a grab-and-go coffee bar, a bike room, a locker room and shower room, private vehicular access, and drive-in, direct loading on multiple levels.
125 West End Avenue. Courtesy of Taconic Partners
125 West End Avenue. Courtesy of Taconic Partners
125 West End Avenue. Courtesy of Taconic Partners
125 West End Avenue. Courtesy of Taconic Partners
125 West End Avenue. Courtesy of Taconic Partners
The site is a short walk to the 66th Street station that services the local 1 train. A little further south is the 59th Street-Columbus Circle station with access to the A, B, C, and D trains. The 72nd Street station is also in close proximity and services the express 2 and 3 trains as well as the 1 train.
125 West End Avenue is slated to be finished in early 2023.
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Unfortunately it is far from Columbia, NYU, CUNY.
Let’s think of it as it’s accessible from Hunter Crosstown, Columbia and CUNY uptown, and NYU downtown, and one can bike up or down the river to the building – as well as subway/bus.
Accessibility and ease of movement within the building, from the look I notice that the glass wall is shiny but beautiful. With the whole structure being a straight line, not too much and not too little: Thanks to Michael Young.
Repurposed automobile helix?!? Nobody?!? The other great helix was FLW’s Mercedes showroom on Park Ave, destroyed for 432 Park Ave. Oh, and the Guggenheim!