Construction is rising on 18 West 55th Street, a 26-story residential building in Midtown, Manhattan. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects and developed and built by Skyline Developers, which purchased the property for $83 million in 2017 under the 18 West 55th Street LLC, the 289-foot-tall structure will span 152,084 square feet and yield 97 rental units with an average scope of 1,319 square feet, as well as 6,380 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a 10,343-square-foot cellar level. The project is located on a formerly vacant interior lot situated next to the Peninsula Hotel between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
Work has moved along steadily since our last update in early December, when crews had finished building the foundations up to street level. Recent photos show the reinforced concrete superstructure standing five stories high, with a telescopic boom parked along West 55th Street hoisting bundles of steel rebar and concrete formwork to the newly formed levels. Progress should begin to accelerate in the coming weeks as the building passes the first setback in the stepped massing.
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
No renderings have been released apart from the below elevation diagrams posted on the Department of Buildings website. The tower begins with a six-story podium standing 73 feet high along West 55th Street, followed by a stack of two- to five-story volumes with setbacks ranging in depth from 3.5 to 17 feet that will provide space for private terraces. The building culminates in a four-story pinnacle that will hold two residential levels and two mechanical floors.
18 West 55th Street. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects
18 West 55th Street. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects
18 West 55th Street. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects
Residential amenities are planned to occupy the cellar level and floors two through eight.
The closest subways from the property are the E and F trains at the 5th Avenue-53rd Street station to the southeast.
18 West 55th Street’s anticipated completion date is slated for October 2025, as noted on site.
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Why all the setbacks in midtown?
Balconies
DOB zoning sky-plane setback requirements.
To prevent a city of Equitable Buildings
Looks like this new tower will be built up to the lot line on the right side (covering the adjacent building’s windows), but provide a setback on the left side next to
The Pennisula Hotel. Is that correct? Kind of difficult to understand the drawings? 🤔
It will be built to the lot line against the Peninsula annex up until the sixth floor and then it will pull back to the west away from the adjoining annex building creating air space.
A formerly vacant lot on 55th Street steps from Fifth Avenue? Surely there’s more to its history than that. Or maybe nobody ever noticed this vacant lot smack in the middle of Midtown Manhattan.
Just hope the Peninsula doesn’t become a migrant shelter.
No renderings even? If you have noting to say or show me, please just skip it.
Hi Russell… I had no idea that YIMBY was just for you. Thanks for allowing the rest of us to also read your private eNews.
And for the record, I find the update full of pictures of the construction in progress and the drawings to be of interest, even if you didn’t fully approve this.
Thanks again!
‘Nothing to say or show me’
Sounds very self-centered, uncouth, and arrogant of you to say. As if Yimby should only cater to your needs like some greedy dictator 😒
Create more space and reduce density from façade, air rights should help the building build to its peak: Thanks to Michael Young.
Being a long time NJ transit bus commuter, I definietly think it’s about time they fixed the terminal. The current way to line up and get into the bus is horrendous. I’ve seen countless confusion and arguments bc of this.
However, there are still major problems to be met. This does not solve traffic issues at the tunnel or buses just being consistently reliable in terms of capacity and timeliness. Through out my life, I’ve moved around a lot in NJ, many places along the river front and farther inward, and it’s a constant problem. And lets just say I’m not looking forward to commuting while this construction is in process for however many years…
As much as I want to agree with this project, I’d rather see them expand infrastructure and train lines. I’d rather have them rebuild the bus terminal in NJ with a big parking structure for those who wants to drive there and have an extended path or S line that crosses the river into the city.
Sorry somehow clicked into a different article when I was typingbthis. Please disregard