Construction Update: Tribeca’s ‘Jenga Tower’ 56 Leonard Tops Out

July 24, 2015

Last January, 6sqft reported on the the progress of Alexico Group /Hines’ project 56 Leonard: The concrete structure was around 700 feet tall with little more than 100 feet to rise. Now, alas, the 821-foot Tribeca tower, playfully known as “the Jenga building” and designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, has finally topped out! With a delivery date expected sometime next year, all that remains for its wacky floor plate configurations and erratic cantilevered projections is the remainder of its exterior cladding, which we hear will now also progress from the top down, and the interior fit-out of its 145 residences.

56 Leonard, Herzog de Meuron, Tribeca, skyscrapers, Alexico, Hines, Luxury Condos, NYC Developments

56 Leonard, Herzog de Meuron, Tribeca, skyscrapers, Alexico, Hines, Luxury Condos, NYC Developments

56 Leonard’s framing is in itself a feat of innovative engineering. The structural engineers WSP reported that, “In order to accommodate varying apartment layouts, virtually all the columns had to be relocated at various intervals using a ‘walking columns’ system-a solution created by introducing one to three-story walls that transfer the load from one column location above to a different column location below.”

56 Leonard Street, 56 Leonard Street PH58, Herzog & de Meuron, NYC penthouses
Renderings of a penthouse at 56 Leonard

While still shrouded in construction netting, the eleven uppermost stories of the tower are composed of ten unparalleled penthouses that promise soaring 14-foot ceilings, east-to-west skyline galleries to maximize views, spacious cedar-lined closets, wood-burning fireplaces, grand entry galleries, and exercise rooms. Each of the building’s residences has a unique layout and on the uppermost levels, floor slabs cantilever as much as 25 feet, creating a sense of endless space when coupled with the floor-to-ceiling glass and outdoor balconies.

According to CityRealty, just two of these penthouse homes are still available: a $17.8 million four-bedroom on the 52nd floor and a $34.5 million five-bedroom on the 58th floor. If these sky villas fall out of your price range, 56 Leonard still provides us with plenty of eye-candy from the outside.

56 Leonard, Herzog de Meuron, Tribeca, skyscrapers, Alexico, Hines, Luxury Condos, NYC Developments

56 Leonard, Herzog de Meuron, Tribeca, skyscrapers, Alexico, Hines, Luxury Condos (7)

56 Leonard, Herzog de Meuron, Tribeca, skyscrapers, Alexico, Hines, Luxury Condos, NYC Developments

Read More about 56 Leonard at CityRealty and be sure to check out all of the construction photos in our gallery below.

Additional reporting contributed by Ondel Hylton

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All construction photos via CityRealty

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