Construction is rising steadily on The Torch, a 52-story supertall skyscraper at 740 Eighth Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan. Designed by ODA and developed by Extell, the 1,067-foot-tall structure will span 875,372 square feet and yield an 825-room hotel topped by a public outdoor observation deck with a drop ride attraction in its signature stemlike column. The mixed-use project is also slated to include lower-level retail space, a restaurant on two of the upper floors, a VIP lounge, and a pool deck for hotel guests. SLCE Architects is the architect of record for the development, which is located along Eighth Avenue between West 45th and 46th Streets on the border of Times Square and Hell’s Kitchen.
The massive reinforced concrete superstructure has continued to ascend since our last update, when construction had just begun to rise above street level. Formwork and shoring cover the newly formed levels, which have reached the height of the low-rise holdouts on the parcel along Eighth Avenue, and crews are tying together enormous bundles of rebar for the tower’s columns.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The following photos give a closer look at the column formation. Crews are assembling the bundles of steel rebar with the help of a mobile crane, and a dense array of scaffolding and shoring is holding up the newly poured floor plates along the southern end of the property. A concrete pumping rig has also been installed around the center of the project.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch. Photo by Michael Young.
The Torch’s first six floors will consist of a wraparound podium, followed by the main tower rising uninterrupted up to the stem-like protrusion, which will begin roughly 600 feet above street level. The uppermost levels then widen with angled cantilevers, leading up to the sloped crown.
The rendering below highlights The Torch’s prominent position on the Midtown skyline when viewed from across the Hudson River in New Jersey. According to ODA, the upper half of the building’s 500-foot-tall protrusion is intended to evoke the Statue of Liberty’s torch, hence the project’s name.
The Torch at 740 Eighth Avenue. Rendering courtesy of ODA New York.
The spiraling crown will be clad in a pleated glass curtain wall with angular open-air cutouts. These voids will feature green walls surrounded by outdoor staircases spiraling up the building. The observatory will also feature cantilevering glass-clad boxes that will allow visitors to look down at the street below.
The Torch’s signature attraction is an Intamin-designed drop ride in the tower’s stem. Riders will traverse its 300-foot-tall transparent tubes over a 90-second experience.
Rendering of The Torch at 740 Eighth Avenue by ODA and SLCE Architects. Photo by Michael Young
Rendering of The Torch at 740 Eighth Avenue by ODA and SLCE Architects. Photo by Michael Young
Rendering of The Torch at 740 Eighth Avenue by ODA and SLCE Architects. Photo by Michael Young
The Torch at 740 Eighth Avenue. Rendering courtesy of ODA New York.
The Torch was initially aiming for completion in 2027. A revised timeline has not been announced, but sometime in 2028 is likely.
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Abomination
I thought this site was YIMBY not NIMBY. I’m sure you would have complained about the Eiffel Tower too. “Far too much exposed metal for a city of stone. An abomination.”
Don’t speak for me nitwit.
Speaking for you would be to someone else on your behalf. He’s mocking you.
Speaking for you would be to someone else on your behalf. He’s mocking you.
Strangely beautiful. Perfect for Times Square
I agree. I really was concerned with the first renderings, but the updates show a level of style and finish that is elegant. The building is in the middle of one of the busiest tourist destinations in America, why not add some more attractions? I think this will be a unique addition. I am curious to see how the holdouts fit in with the finished projected- another interesting dimension.
Aside from the supertall height of the building, I don’t think a lot of people have fully grasped the gargantuan scale of this project until you stand across the street and realize the bottom half of the building will essentially be as bulky & massive as the Marriott Marquis.
The renderings suggest it’s taller than it actually will be, especially in the landscape rendering where it appears to be taller than the antenna on the Empire State Building, which is 1,450′, so 390′ higher than The Torch. It’s also rendered to exceed the height of Bank of America Tower’s spire, which is at 1,200′, or 143′ higher.
I was walking around the site two weeks ago and yes it has a massive footprint, but the impact on the skyline will be far different than what is being shown here.
Well, obviously since this building is on 8th Avenue, it will look taller when viewed from the west relative to many buildings further East, which are actually taller.
True, but it looks quite exaggerated in these renderings. Also, you need to account for the fact that the Bank of America Tower is sitting at a higher elevation than the Torch (6th Ave versus 8th Ave).
A good example is Hudson Yards, which is even more ‘Western’ than the Torch..viewed from Jersey, the tallest towers there seem to tower over buildings to the East, even some that are as tall, or taller..
I live close by on 45th and 10th ave, it’s amazing to to watch the construction rise around and over those beautiful little holdouts on 8th ave…
I love this, it will be a grand addition to the area…as the kids like to say: L-F-G!
I’m over 40, I don’t know what that means.
A horrible gimmick.
There’s two camps here. Ans I’m in yours.
Why do architects seem to create designs that are affectations of their egos? Who came up with this hideous design?
Yes, much better to have another soullesss glass box than a landmark. Call SOM or better yet Gene Kaufmann. Their egos, let alone their imaginations, never saw an interesting design they liked. (I thought this site was called YIMBY.)
Well said!
This translucent building is a death trap for the millions of birds who migrate through this area every year. Many newer towers feature bird-friendly glass to mitigate the high number of bird-building collision deaths, especially considering that NYC is a major hotspot for bird migration. Is this building planning for bird-friendly glass?
They don’t have a choice, it’s part of the building code now.
I don’t know if or how BIRD-FRIENDLY glass actually works….especially given this building’s massive amount of transparent glass exterior. Is there any realistic way that this structure can avoid being a collision slaughterhouse for birds ???
Bird friendly glazing is only required up to 75 feet above the building baseline. Other glazed items, such as railings, skylights, fins, etc, must be bird friendly no matter where they are located on a building. It is usually either a frit pattern, embedded mesh/insect screen or UV coating used on the glazing/in the IGU assembly to deter birds. Patterns must be spaced no more than 2″ x 4″ apart (the wingspan of a small bird) and meet threat factor considerations. Note that these products do not ensure bird safety 100%. For more info, refer to Local Law 15 of 2020 or the ABC (American Bird Conservancy)
In other news the 1,300 room Row NYC hotel, across 45th Street from this at 700 8th Avenue, is now closed. It was most recently used by the city as a shelter.
Yes, the immigrant shelter is now closed. I am sure it will turned into housing soon.
I love this building.
This will be a win for one of the nastiest blocks in the area. The closure of the Row and its hopeful rebirth will be yet another step forward in cleaning up what has been a very distressing situation. This is the gateway to the theater district and the conditions since the Row became a migrant shelter have been horrific.
I agree. I can’t wait for the streets and sidewalks to be cleaned up and revitalized. That area of 8th Avenue feels like no man’s land.
Just screams target. Concerning.
Brah, ANYTHING is a target today, with drones, bioweapons, cyber hacking, and of course, sidewalk blocking tourists. The worst!
I’m a 77 y/o retired NY trial lawyer now living in AZ. But my wife and I go back and forth to the City. I guess young people think this bldg is “cool.” So much for youth.
The building is so hideous that the developers should never have been granted a building permit because the “crown spire” is a reverse setback. As a result, the center of gravity is such that the structural steel had to have been designed to withstand the load. I’m guessing that all concerned “signed off” on it. But that assumes that nothing will deteriorate as the years go by. I remember well when the Pan Am bldg opened in ’64 w/the helicopter landing on the flat roof. Of course, it was another good idea until debris from a bad landing fell to the street, which ended the “Jetson” type service in the middle of the City.
I wasn’t aware that helicopters would be landing on top. Let’s make ‘fear’ the new building code and reduce heights to one story.
There is no helicopter landing pad on this building. And many of you are forgetting that building it creates and saves jobs.
I’m going to take your jobs.
I sincerely LOVE reading archly negative critiques such as yours because in my congested mind it sets up an imaginary challenge. Can the finished building change your mind? Start your wagering now… 🙂💰
It took me 45 minutes to drive crosstown in mid-town Manhattan today, a helicopter to the roof of the building l was headed to would have been great..yes, people tragically died in that crash on top the PanAm building, but they also die unfortunately (and much more frequently of course) in crashes at ground level..that’s not going to stop air travel.
Take that Weehawken!
Blue ribbon thread comment.
Horrendous. An “architectural” nightmare. And the beautiful Chrysler building being swallowed up in the background.
The Chrysler is nowhere near this building and has been blocked from most east facing views for years. In fact, One Vanderbilt completely blocks a direct view west of Chrysler, as will the future Commodore Project at 175 Park Ave. On the flip side, views of the Chrysler remain unobstructed from those looking west from Queens and Brooklyn.
Two completely different areas of Midtown, Manhattan Shelia.
Stop whining about ACTUAL architecture. I thought this site was called YIMBY.
Yonah, a person can be both pro-development and against bad design. The architect and unfortunate developer chose this ungainly, top-heavy pile of glass. Comparing this to the Eiffel Tower only further proves your tired argument is a complete hoax.
Yeah, what DiB said.
The name of this site is New Jersey Yucko, actually.
Hey, I resemble that remark! 😤😏
Would have been nice if they built a theatre inside like the marquee to contribute to the history of the block.
I think the building that ‘they’ are putting up now will contribute quite nicely to “history of the block”, you can’t put history on a leash, it goes where it wants to..
I think this building is a mistake. Maybe it’ll grow on me, but I doubt it.
FINAL DESTINATION: THE TORCH?!
Absolutely ugly. Yikes.
Yep, I think this bldg is a mistake as well.All is needed is ONE lives’-ending catastrophe,yrs down the line,& all the current cheerleaders for this..ridiculously tall bldg….would probably deny ever being in favor of its being built.Would fire fighters be able to save lives at top level
floors,from an external approach,to pple who can’t get down to lower
levels or ground level?
Can’t help thinking about the WTC,lives lost, pple jumping out windows,etc.It doesn’t have to be
planes crashing into the
bldg or implosion, there
merely needs to be an unexpected, large scale,uncontrollable,
Internal malfunction/situation that becomes unfixable due to….the ridiculous height of this bldg.
Might as well never build anything tall, then.
This Bldg takes us to the next level of Design. It will go through Value Engineering,to take out the nuances, thus cost
reductions. It will be a challenging Building process for All Trades contracted to complete the Project.
The first renderings were repellent, but later ones won me over, although it’s not nearly as tall as they’re making it appear. The business case for the attraction element seems somewhat questionable.
Actually the business case appears to be solid. I recently read that Empire State Building generates more revenue from their observation deck than it does from leasing commercial and retail space. And that includes offices leased to LinkedIn.
Hard to believe this was vacant for so long although I did enjoy being able to see the Hotel Paramount from 8 Av.
How about that empty lot over on 6th and 44th?
It’s a very interesting and unique design! It will be an exciting addition to the New York City skyline!
The design has been simplified by making the top square instead of spiral. Ask me how I know.
Good ol value engineering strikes again?
Ok, how do you know?
Taste for the tasteless
I commend the construction workers putting all this rebar, But this bldg is way too top heavy, hideous, and dangerous in the heart of times Square.
Who approved these permits,?
Plus a ride in the middle of the bldg?
More law suits when tragedy happens
This bldg. Belongs in DuBai.
The should have just built nothing. Left it as an empty lot. I agree with writer sal, Roy,.
This bldg. Will not clean up Times Square.
No one will rent until they clean up this area. A bldg. Built on pipe dreams.
They should build this building on top of your house.
Great entry …!👌
better write nothing more ..Lea-Lynn.
The main building is barely 600 feet, the rest is the torch. It will not look like anything in the renderings towering over everything.
This design is appallingly bad – even for Las Vegas!! My god, there is no elegance, no finesse, no integrity here, just an embarrassing joke. After completion, I’ll pray for a strong windstorm.
Would you at least give the people in this building advanced warning of your prayed for windstorm so they could all get out alive?
How many observation decks could we possibly need in manhattan?
Yikes!!
Kinda funny that NYC is about to become a San Francisco style hellhole once Mamdummy gets elected by the progressive imbeciles.
If it keeps you out, then it’ll be worth it.
Looks kinda like Epstein getting strangled / garrotted / scragged in his cell.
ok chuj z tym – but i got mixed feelings about that building in this city. what’s a project? What is all about madafaka?
Just because it can be built doesn’t mean it should be.