50 West 66th Street’s Crown Progresses on Manhattan’s Upper West Side

Rendering courtesy of Recent Spaces.

Construction is closing in on the pinnacle of 50 West 66th Street, a 69-story residential skyscraper on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Designed by Snøhetta with SLCE Architects as the executive architect and developed by Extell and Tennor Holding, the 775-foot-tall structure will yield 127 condominium units and claim the title of the tallest building in the neighborhood. Lendlease is the general contractor for the project, which is located on an interior lot between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West with frontage on both West 65th and West 66th Streets.

The final floors of the reinforced concrete superstructure were formed since our last update at the end of December, and crews are now in the process of constructing the slanting steel-framed crown. Work has also moved along steadily on the glass curtain wall, which is now approaching the parapet. Additional cladding also covers the chamfered, angled corners of the podium by the edges of the outdoor amenity space. There is a set of transparent glass walls on the underside of the main tower’s curtain wall extrusion, allowing for more natural light to enter the interior amenities.

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

Photo by Michael Young

The following new renderings from Recent Spaces showcase the skyscraper with aerial views, close-ups of façade details, and architectural components including the stack of corner balconies lined with glass railings, the window mullions, the porte-cochere and main entrance, the amenity deck atop the podium, and examples of typical interiors with sleek finishes.

Rendering courtesy of Recent Spaces.

Rendering courtesy of Recent Spaces.

Rendering courtesy of Recent Spaces.

Rendering courtesy of Recent Spaces.

Rendering courtesy of Recent Spaces.

Rendering courtesy of Recent Spaces.

Rendering courtesy of Recent Spaces.

Rendering courtesy of Recent Spaces.

Rendering courtesy of Recent Spaces.

Rendering courtesy of Recent Spaces.

Amenities at 50 West 66th Street will include an indoor swimming pool, a full-size basketball court, a squash court, and an indoor bowling alley. The 20th floor will house a residential lounge, a business center, a spa, and a landscaped terrace with fire pits.

The nearest subway from the property is the 1 train at the 66th Street-Lincoln Center station to the west at the intersection of Broadway and Columbus Avenue.

YIMBY anticipates 50 West 66th Street will complete construction toward the end of 2024 or early 2025 at the very latest.

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45 Comments on "50 West 66th Street’s Crown Progresses on Manhattan’s Upper West Side"

  1. Epic Bird Killer
    Great Views.. but God help the Birds

    • Why do people always dwell on the negatives? This is a beautiful building. Period. Keep in mind that the owl died as a result of rat poison ingestion, not shiny glass.

      • Owls have died because of glass. This building specifically because of location and design will murdered 1000s. I think the numbers reach 200000 just in NY alone every year. But why would you care.. you only care about shiny glass..

        This a negative that kills for self human reasons. But bless you rotten soul anyway.. go blind looking at the rays. How long do you look at these glass buildings and admire the fanatisic computer aided design?

  2. Beautiful building.

  3. Beautiful. Plus I always thought it strange the sudden drop in density north of Columbus circle. This adds a nice extension of the skyline around the park

    • Agreed. And love the slanted roof lines this building will have and not be flat like every other building around it

  4. The Upper West Side zoning and architectural culture eschews skyscrapers to maintain the character of the neighborhood. There was a long battle forged by Landmarks West regarding this tower because the developer put a very tall mechanical space at the base of the tower to lift the total height, using a loophole in the zoning to create more valuable tower apartments, hence, longer afternoon shadows in Central Park. Also, curious that the article did not mention Congregation Habonim Synagogue which sold their building in order for the tower to be built, and will be relocated in the base.

    • Cheesemaster200 | April 11, 2024 at 6:22 pm | Reply

      It’s in Manhattan. On 66th street.

      The upper west side has to be the worst NIMBY neighborhood in the city.

      • Upper west siders love their neighborhood – the history, the scale, the light and air, the richness of architectural styles and details, streets to stroll and a boulevard to shop on, and, we love living in a neighborhood 5 blocks wide with two amazing parks on both edges the length of the neighborhood….and, we love new buildings, new shops and restaurants and our cultural institutions from Lincoln Center to Symphony Space. We love the romantic skyscrapers that NY is famous for. We just don’t want the Upper West Side to become anonymous Third Avenue, and we have an institution: Landmarks West, a group that has worked tirelessly to help preserve the special charm of the neighborhood. There is a here here.

    • The “shadows harming the park” argument fortunately seems to have lost a lot of steam in recent years. As it should, because it’s one of the most idiotic, despicable pieces of pseudo-science rolled out by NIMBYs bent on turning our beautiful, dynamic city into a mausoleum.

  5. That glass facade is stunning and looks so good so far! Can’t wait to see the other facade elements around the crown and balconies next!

  6. Visually it does not appear approximately 100 ft taller than 200 Amsterdam. Watching the building progress I could not count nearly 69 floors. The podium rises 16 stories, with 35 stories above that plus perhaps 4 more for the upward sloping crown.

    • Mechanical floors that bump up the building height and are stacked between residential floors, like with 432 Park Avenue

  7. That glass looks much better than most new glass towers going up in the city. If only they can all have that quality, but alas…

  8. David : Sent From Heaven. | April 11, 2024 at 10:21 am | Reply

    The skyscraper is getting beautiful, that I thought it would only get the best from there. And I want to scream at its chamfered edge: Thanks to Michael Young.

  9. I wager this building will cast shade in Central Park, specifically in Sheep Meadow, when the sun rises higher in the summer. This already occurs with the towers to the south, and it’s shameful that the city doesn’t consider this when planning for the only real park NYC has.

  10. Another ugly skyscraper to go with 200 Amsterdam. All you guys who think its such a nice addition to the skyline probably live in the burbs….we have to live with this crap the rest of our lives. Thanks for nothing. NIMBY

    • A Manhattan resident for 34 years here.

      It would be ironic if you lived in New York City and hated the sight of construction. Why would you choose to live here if you oppose it? Get over it NIMBY and cut the baseless claim that only YIMBY’s live in the suburbs

    • Fully agree. This piece of crap makes 200 Amsterdam look like the Taj Mahal in comparison. These supertall glass and steel buildings belong in midtown not in the historic UWS.

  11. Great design, great project. But why the hell do they put the sink in the island!

    • My sink is in my kitchen island and I love it. The light is better and I can see the tv while I prep food and clean up. What’s the objection?

  12. The base and tower seem like two separate buildings.

  13. Pretty building but looks super out of place being a singular glass tower against a sea of pre-glass architecture

  14. David in Bushwick | April 11, 2024 at 11:54 am | Reply

    I have to agree that the base looks like its roof was chopped off and a new tower was planted on top. I suppose from the street below or from many blocks away, this won’t be visible. But it is a rather strange combination.

  15. I’d like to meet the lady with the grand piano.

  16. Look much worse than the rendering. This is a disappointment

  17. One of the most disgusting out-of-place buildings ever built on the UWS. Allowed by corruption from Albany down to City Hall.

    For all you people who love it, you can move to Hudson Yards. The UWS is a unique neighborhood with a wonderful group of buildings from the 1880’s to the 1930’s.

    Absolutely revolting. You want this? Go the to the “new” Jersey City for an entirely soul-less waterfront of these.

    • So hateful, Mark. What a shame. How about welcoming your new neighbors!

    • Not at all hateful, truthful.

    • Mark. This building is on 66th Street surrounded by tall buildings around Lincoln Sq. It’s not taking over the UWS. Not replacing the beautiful townhouses. With that said it’s very very tall for the area but only a couple blocks away from other skyscrapers

  18. Clearly it’s a quality glass box design if it needs to be one… How many years now have i been loling at the crazies who are scandalized by skyscrapers being constructed in the lower UWS? The blocks in its immediate vicinity aren’t all old or vernacular in my opinion either.

  19. Beautiful building, the top section reminds me of the Cira Center in Philadelphia.

  20. 67th Street John | April 12, 2024 at 9:28 am | Reply

    This shade myth has got to stop. I live a block from this building and am in Central Park several times a week for most of the year. Neither the Billionaires Row buildings or any of the Lincoln Center towers create any visible shade in the park.

  21. Joseph Shearin | April 12, 2024 at 11:17 pm | Reply

    Are these new skyscrapers earthquake resistant?

  22. Is it just me, or is this the only gold glass box skyscraper in NYC?

  23. David Achelis | August 1, 2024 at 5:16 pm | Reply

    Another example that the Real Estate Industry needs MORE zoning, not less! Say NO to “City of Yes”!

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