Images by QuallsBenson

A 15,000-square-foot park—the latest component of Essex Crossing to open to the public—is now complete on the Lower East Side, right in time for summer. Designed by landscape architecture firm West 8 (best known for designing the Hills at Governors Island), the park is a welcome addition to the neighborhood, where the ambitious Essex Crossing project is still in full swing, with seven of its nine sites now open or under construction.

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A rendering of the front façade of the Gilder Center (L) by Studio Gang, 2019; Center interior (R) by MIR and Studio Gang, 2019.

Following delays caused by a lawsuit aimed at protecting the adjacent, city-owned Theodore Roosevelt Park, a groundbreaking ceremony on June 12 officially kicked off construction of the American Museum of Natural History’s new Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation. Designed by architect Jeanne Gang—who was initially brought on board the project seven years ago—the $383 million Center will add new galleries, classrooms, a theatre, and an expanded library while linking 10 museum buildings for better circulation throughout the campus. Originally slated to open in 2020, the construction process is expected to last three years.

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Rendering courtesy of DBOX

The anticipated 805-foot condo tower currently rising in Nomad at 15 East 30th Street—dubbed Madison House—has just unveiled a teaser website and new renderings to give us a peek of the project, inside and out. The 62-story building was designed by Handel Architects, and Gachot Studios will be helming the interior design. Having already topped out, sales are expected to launch in September, including a range of one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom residences and an expansive duplex penthouse with a private terrace and elevator entry.

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Photo by Timothy Schenck, courtesy of the High Line.

The High Line’s newest section, the Spur, opened to the public last week following a ribbon-cutting celebration on Tuesday. Elected officials, artists, advocates, supporters, community members, and architects involved in the project were on hand for a speaking program that welcomed visitors to the new space. The Spur–the last section of the original elevated rail to be converted into public space–extends east along West 30th Street and ends above 10th Avenue; it’s also home to the High Line Plinth, the first site on the High Line dedicated to a rotating series of contemporary art commissions. Simone Leigh’s “Brick House” is the first Plinth commission.

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Photo by Laurian Ghinitoiu.

The new L-shaped residential building at 121 East 22nd Street represents Rem Koolhaas‘s architecture firm OMA‘s first ground-up Manhattan project; developers Toll Brothers City Living have released new photos of the eye-catching structure on the border between the Gramercy and Madison Square Park neighborhoods, highlighting its unique design. The new condominium residence is comprised of two blocks that straddle an existing tower, the 11-story School of the Future, constructed in 1915. The building’s north tower has two interlocking planes that meet to form a distinct, three-dimensional corner. The 13-story south tower features an “undulating grid of punched windows” overlooking 22nd Street.

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Rendering by Darc Studio.
In designing a Crown Heights girls’ school seeking an addition to their current campus, design and architecture firm ODA New York challenged the traditional American school building model, taking the future of urban density into account. The resulting design introduces a sixth facade, giving the structure a new set of faces to apply materials and create openings.

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Conceptual rendering by AKRF and W Architecture and Landscape Architecture

The city announced on Thursday that plans to make Hudson Street between Canal and West Houston Streets in Hudson Square into a grand boulevard with wider sidewalks, parking-protected bike lanes and small outdoor “living rooms” with seating surrounded by greenery are moving forward with design and construction teams on board. Prima Paving Corporation, Sam Schwartz Engineering, and Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects have been chosen as design-build consultants for the project according to the city’s Economic Development Corporation and Department of Transportation, as well as the Hudson Square BID. The design-build concept means that contracting both the design and construction components to the firms, which will act as a team, can streamline the process.

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Photo by Max Touhey

Williamsburg officially has a new tallest tower. One South First, formerly 260 Kent Avenue, topped out this week at the Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment along the waterfront. Designed by COOKFOX Architects, the 435-foot-tall tower features two interlocking buildings with white precast concrete facades inspired by the molecular pattern and forms of sugar crystals, a reference to the former factory site.

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In March, Rockefeller Group, the famous developers behind their eponymous Rockefeller Center, announced that they’d be building their first residential project in their 90-year history. Dubbed Rose Hill for the historic area that once occupied today’s Nomad, the 600-foot tower at 30 East 29th Street is a uniquely modern interpretation of the Art Deco style. Now we have an even better look at this striking bronze facade, as well as the expansive amenity spaces and luxury condo interiors. The new views coincide with sales launching; prices will start at $1.195 million for a studio.

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Audible, the audiobook company owned by Amazon, opened new offices on Friday in a restored historic cathedral in Newark. The company, which has been located in New Jersey’s largest city since 2007, restored an 80,000-square-foot 1913 church and modernized it with open workspace, a four-lane bowling alley, and cafes. Dubbed the Innovation Cathedral, the new offices on Washington Street will hold 400 employees.

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