Last year, Related Companies chairman Stephen Ross promised New York Times reporter Charles Bagli that the firm would install an iconic sculpture at Hudson Yards that would rival the Eiffel Tower. Ross unveiled the design for the $150 million structure this morning, at an event hosted by Anderson Cooper next to the entrance to the year-old Hudson Yards 7 train station.
In May, the Landmarks Preservation Commission added seven new sites to their calendar of items under consideration for designation within the Greater East Midtown Initiative area. That brought the total number under consideration to 12. In July, public hearings were held for the previously calendared five items. On Tuesday, a hearing was held for those seven items added in May.
Construction appears to be nearly done on the 19-story redevelopment project underway at 444 Park Avenue South, located on the corner of East 30th Street in Midtown South. The construction progress can be seen thanks to photos snapped by Tectonic. The former 13-story office building has been expanded by six stories and redeveloped into a 190-key SLS Hotel. It contains 86,973 square feet of commercial space, which means the hotel suites should average 458 square feet apiece. Hotel amenities include a restaurant on the ground floor, a fitness center, meeting rooms, and an outdoor lounge on the 14th floor. Moin Development and SBE are the developers. Nobutaka Ashihara’s Financial District-based architecture firm is behind the design. Opening is expected next spring.
Construction has reached the third floor on the 20-story, 290-key four-star AC Hotel under development at 252 West 40th Street, in the Garment District section of Midtown. The construction progress can be seen thanks to photos posted to the YIMBY Forums. The latest building permits describe a structure that will eventually measure 120,489 square feet and rise 230 feet above street level. The hotel rooms will be located on the second through 18th floors and should average 415 square feet apiece. Amenities include a fitness center, a library, storage for 12 bikes, a restaurant on the ground floor, and a second restaurant on the 20th floor. OTO Development is the developer and Helpern Architects is behind the architecture. Completion can probably be expected in 2017.
The entirety of Hudson Yards is buzzing with activity. Each week seems to bring additional superlative announcements from the various corners of the neighborhood, with One Manhattan West, 35 Hudson Yards, and 15 Hudson Yards all rising above ground level over the past month. YIMBY now has fresh renderings of the last building thanks to Related, and the Diller Scofidio + Renfro/Rockwell Group-designed tower is now on its way to a 910-foot pinnacle.
