Street view of 341-347 Madison Avenue; Map data © 2020 Google

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and New York City reached an agreement to redevelop the agency’s former headquarters in Midtown as part of a revenue-generating plan, officials announced on Thursday. The redevelopment of the site at 341-347 Madison Avenue is expected to create more than $1 billion for the cash-strapped agency’s capital program. The deal, delayed due to a prior dispute between city and state officials, comes nearly a decade after the MTA first announced plans to sell or lease its three-building complex.

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Rendering by Noë & Associates/The Boundary

Residential condo sales have launched at the newly-imagined Waldorf Astoria, which has been closed for renovations since 2017. The launch, complete with a new website offering a sneak peek inside the iconic building, comes at a time when ultra-luxe apartments have become a tougher sell in a market loaded with competition and unsold units, as The Real Deal reports. The residential portion of the building sits above the renovated hotel, with 375 condos and 50,000 square feet of amenities including private bars, a 25-meter pool and a fitness center.

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Image credit: Noe & Associates/The Boundary

The Waldorf Astoria is still closed for a major renovation, but it appears on track to becoming more luxurious than ever. The latest rendering to be released (which we spotted over on The Post) shows the skylit pool that will be available to residents of the recently branded Towers of the Waldorf Astoria, where 375 condos will be sold for the first time in the history of the storied property.

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Aerial rendering of Vanderbilt Plaza courtesy of SL Green

A car-free public space will open this summer between Grand Central Terminal and Midtown’s newest, tallest office building, One Vanderbilt. Renderings released this week, which were first spotted by the New York Post, show a new plaza on a strip of Vanderbilt Avenue between East 42nd Street to East 43rd Street, situated at the southern end of the iconic terminal. The open space, dubbed “Vanderbilt Plaza,” is part of SL Green’s commitment to invest $220 million in transit improvements in exchange for zoning changes agreed to by the city in 2014.

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View from the catwalk, photo via Wikimedia Commons

Grand Central Terminal’s upcoming 107th anniversary isn’t the round number typical of big celebrations, but nevertheless, the NYC icon is marking the occasion with a “major treat” that will appeal to all architecture and history buffs. The catwalk above the Main Concourse—normally closed off to the public—will be opened up for one day only on Sunday, February 2. To take advantage of the rare bird’s eye perspective, you’ll have to register for one of three showings that will take place that day. If this piques your interest, you’ll want to hurry: only 45 spots are available and registration ends at 5 p.m. today.

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Photos of Bergamo’s by Rachel Vanni

Busy but relatively dry Midtown East got a new cocktail bar last week with Bergamo’s at 26 Vanderbilt Avenue. Located on the ground floor of the Company building—a tech incubator designed by SHoP Architects—the sprawling 8,530-square-foot lounge was inspired by old New York glamour and features a vaulted ceiling with custom tiles that nod to the historic Guastavino vaults at nearby Grand Central Terminal.

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Listing images by Bernadett Pava; courtesy of Compass

This Midtown East condo ticks all the (right) boxes: it’s located in a Rosario Candela-designed building at 135 East 54th Street, comes with an expansive roof terrace bigger than most people’s apartments, and is only a short walk away from the Museum of Modern Art and Central Park. The approximately 1,200-square-foot, two-bedroom is now on the market seeking $1.895 million.

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Photo of One Vanderbilt on December 11, 2019 © 6sqft

After attending a presentation by One Vanderbilt‘s developer SL Green, the Post was able to share some juicy new details on the office building’s observation deck, which will be the second-highest outdoor deck in the city and is being designed by Snøhetta. Now known as The Summit at One Vanderbilt, the 59th-floor deck will have “two step-out, glass floor ledges that overhang Madison Avenue.” Also on this floor will be food and beverage options, and on the floor below will be an “‘infinity room’ with 40-foot-high ceilings.” The building is set to open in August 2020, while the Summit will begin welcoming guests (who will pay $35 for the experience) at the end of 2021.

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Photo by Evan Joseph for Empire State Realty Trust

With the opening of the 80th-floor observatory last week, the $165 million, four-year redevelopment of the Empire State Building is now complete. In partnership with the city’s tourism agency, NYC & Company, Empire State Realty Trust created an interactive, visitor-focused experience, which includes personalized digital itineraries, the building’s classic viewfinders, film, original artwork, and more. The Trust unveiled the 102nd-floor observatory to the public in October, with the second-floor museum opening earlier in the summer.

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Rendering courtesy of Stantec

The creation of the East Midtown Greenway (EMG), a 1.5-acre public space stretching from East 53rd to 61st Streets along the waterfront, got underway Friday. The project, to be completed by 2022, is part of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway initiative to wrap the entire perimeter of Manhattan with accessible public spaces and safe bicycle paths. The midtown space will close one of the largest remaining gaps in the $250 million city initiative, announced by Mayor de Blasio in 2018, to connect 32 miles of Manhattan waterfront esplanade.

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