One Times Square’s New Façade Begins Installation in Times Square, Manhattan

One Times Square. Rendering courtesy of Jamestown

Façade installation has begun on One Times Square, a 26-story commercial tower undergoing an extensive interior and exterior overhaul at 1475 Broadway in Times Square. Designed by S9 Architecture with SLCE as the architect of record and developed by Jamestown, the $500 million project involves the full gut renovation and re-cladding of the 120-year-old, 395-foot-tall steel-framed structure, along with the addition of new LED displays and public viewing decks with platforms that will overlook the district. R&R Scaffolding Companies will supply the BMU and Turner Construction Company is the general contractor for the property, which is located on a trapezoidal plot bound by West 43rd Street to the north, West 42nd Street to the south, Broadway to the east, and Seventh Avenue to the west.

The new glass curtain wall has begun to enclose the western face of the building since our last update in early December, when a ceremony was held to celebrate the topping out of the structural additions. Since then, the upper LED screen was also activated in time for the New Years Eve ball drop.

Photo by Michael Young

Recent photographs show the look of the new façade, which features black metal paneling with dual-chamfered edges surrounding a grid of wide rectangular windows. There are also some horizontal slits for mechanical ventilation grilles.

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Black netting and metal scaffolding continue to shroud most of the southern and eastern elevations.

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

The cantilevering walkway for the new public observatory is now almost fully built out and hovers above the tall LED screen attached to the northern side. This trapezoidal catwalk will eventually connect to another overhanging outdoor platform going around the other three sides to create a continuous pathway, as seen in the below aerial renderings that also show a wraparound glass floor surrounding the top of the elevator bulkhead, stepped outdoor terraces in the uppermost part of the observatory, and a trapezoidal cutout above the main setback with tall glass walls along all the edges.

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

One Times Square. Rendering courtesy of Jamestown

One Times Square. Rendering courtesy of Jamestown

A new pavilion with a wraparound LED ticker-style screen will be built directly next to the Times Square-42nd Street subway entrance along Broadway.

One Times Square. Rendering courtesy of Jamestown

YIMBY last announced that One Times Square’s transformation is expected to be finished sometime in 2025.

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19 Comments on "One Times Square’s New Façade Begins Installation in Times Square, Manhattan"

  1. Although still really ugly, this is a huge improvement.

  2. Let’s get it done! Too important a location to be moving slowly – but understand it is probably technically complex.

    • I think you just answered your “slow-moving” critique. These guys are literally overhauling everything from the inside out

    • Thankfully not too slow to make you think it went dormant. Hopefully your PTSD from Yimby’s 450 11th Avenue coverage doesn’t settle in

  3. It looks like they eliminated the gap on the Southern LED billboard that accounted for a viewing terrace.

  4. Looks more sleek than the dingy Allied Chemical marble facade and rusted windows

  5. Wonder how much tickets to go up will cost. Hopefully not as much as the other observatories in Manhattan

  6. Pauline Sherman | January 23, 2024 at 11:08 am | Reply

    Can wait to see the views from up there!

  7. I had no idea that the frame was still the old original one–after 120 years! That is fantastic. It means someday, a more responsible city might put back up the original, luxurious stone facade that was destroyed by the real estate vandals so wantonly. I thought, like the Penn Station, they had razed the old historic one completely. Now I can look at that building with a hope.

  8. You tell the whole story without mentioning that this building was originally the Times Tower, the anchor of Times Square. It had the wonderful ”ticker,” a completely analog display of moving headlines. The newspaper wrote the copy, long after they moved nearby to a much larger building on West 43rd Street.

  9. Yes, better than Allied Chemical

    • The old stone facade made it look like a mausoleum. It would be nice if this new facade can adjust for different billboard dimensions using the grid pattern on the outside too

  10. Open in January 2025

  11. David : Sent From Heaven. | January 24, 2024 at 10:06 am | Reply

    The size of the LED screen has a huge impact on the building, when it shines: Thanks to Michael Young.

  12. shouldv’e put a pool up there NY never learns

  13. Am still amazed this cost
    1/2 a BILLION to renovate?!😳

    • This Times Tower was virtually rebuilt from scratch (steel frame excluded). $500M is a lot of money, but considering all of the variables, not that surprising.

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