The Upper West Side isn’t home to much new development, but that hasn’t stopped the rise of 1865 Broadway, the most substantial structure currently nearing completion in the neighborhood. Now, the 33-story residential tower is finally starting to see its SOM-designed concrete paneling installed along the lower floors, and the result is proving an increasingly attractive addition to the cityscape.
Façade installation is coming to an end for Waterline Square, a five-acre project overlooking the Hudson River. The three towers are being constructed simultaneously so that residents will have the benefit of moving into a finished mini-neighborhood inside the Upper West Side. Once complete, a lush public space will unite the residential buildings and retail center, containing several eateries. GID Development Group is responsible for the venture.
An existing four-floor townhouse at 250 West 71st Street on the Upper West Side is hoping to grow a floor. Located two blocks away from the 72nd Street Broadway subway station, serviced by 1, 2, and 3 trains, and three avenues away from Central Park, the project would be nicely positioned on a quiet street with access to transit and the best amenities anyone in the neighborhood could ask for. The design has been submitted to the Landmark Preservation Commission for consideration.
Construction is progressing quickly at 200 Amsterdam Avenue, where a 51-story, 668-foot tall skyscraper will soon rise. When first announced, the building was to become the tallest skyscraper on the Upper West Side. That title was lost when Extell announced plans for 50 West 66th Street, a particularly striking 775-foot tall residential building designed by Snøhetta. But even the area’s second-tallest is too much for local NIMBYs, and with excavation work on the project now making rapid headway, opponents have begun engaging in increasingly deranged efforts to hoist a wall of red-tape around the southern blocks of the Upper West Side.
One of the more interesting new designs coming to Manhattan will be at 50 West 66th Street, where Extell will soon be adding yet another punctuation mark to the city’s skyline. The site is just six blocks away from Columbus Circle, and down the block from Central Park. The building was last on our radar in late 2017, with the news that the project would dramatically increase in size to become the tallest tower on the Upper West Side, taking away the title from 200 Amsterdam Avenue before it could even begin rising. Now, demolition has officially begun on the assemblage’s last structural occupant, while excavation continues apace across the land that has already been cleared.
