Work on the site of Extell’s 225 West 57th Street continues, and demolition of the remaining buildings – the old 225 West 57th and 1780 Broadway – is now in full swing. Permits have been approved for some time, and the major issue holding up the site was a lease held by the now relocated Morton Williams. The building now appears to be completely gutted, with enormous holes through several walls, and de-construction is imminent.
Demolition of 1780 Broadway is slightly more complicated, as that tower’s facade will be integrated into the new Nordstrom Tower. The Landmarks Preservation Commission allowed for the building’s historic frontage to remain intact as a compromise with Extell – the LPC had originally insisted that both 1780 Broadway and 225 West 57th be designated landmarks.
Plans filed for the tower’s foundation indicate that it will be up to 80 feet deep, and excavation will take a total of twenty months – understandable given the building’s on-file height of 1,550 feet, which will make it the tallest in New York, surpassing the roof-heights of the 1,368-foot One World Trade Center and the 1,398-foot 432 Park Avenue.
Completion is tentatively scheduled for 2018, which is also when the Nordstrom flagship store – set to occupy 280,000 square feet in the tower’s lower levels – will open. With Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill the architects on record, the design will likely be magnificent, and given the projected height it will be the defining icon of the Midtown skyline.
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