By Michelle Cohen, Wed, June 19, 2019 The Library After Hours. Image courtesy of NYPL.
Celebrate Pride Month at the library! As part of the New York Public Library‘s “Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50” exhibition, the doors at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building are staying open on Friday, June 21 for the “city’s most cerebral happy hour.” The after-hours event offers access to the Rose Main Reading Room and other gorgeous library spaces, artist and curator talks, readings from the archives by special guests, a literary drag show with Drag Queen Story Hour, music, food, drinks and more.
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By Michelle Cohen, Tue, June 11, 2019 Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft.
The redeveloped Waldorf Astoria residences have a new teaser website, and according to an announcement by the historic hotel’s owner, Beijing-based Anbang Insurance Group Co., the new condos will be called The Towers of the Waldorf Astoria. The Wall Street Journal reports that sales of 375 private residences at the storied hotel will begin in the fall.
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By Devin Gannon, Mon, June 10, 2019 Photo via Wikimedia
Less than a year after moving out of the historic Seagram Building and reopening a new space, the famed Four Seasons Restaurant will close Tuesday, the New York Times reported. The news comes after the restaurant reopened last year on East 52nd Street with a $40 million renovation. And last December, former managing partner Julian Niccolini resigned after pleading guilty to sexual assault in 2016.
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By Devin Gannon, Thu, May 9, 2019 Via Flickr
The New York City Council on Wednesday approved the first supertall to be constructed under the Midtown East rezoning. JPMorgan Chase will build a new 70-story headquarters at the site of its current offices at 270 Park Avenue. The rezoning, adopted by the city in 2017, affects more than 70 blocks around Grand Central Terminal and encourages the construction of taller, more modern office towers in the neighborhood. Designed by Norman Foster’s Foster + Partners, the 1,400-foot building is set to become one of the tallest structures in the city and the tallest office building by roof height. More here
By Devin Gannon, Mon, May 6, 2019 Via Vornado Realty Trust and Rudin Management Company
A tentative joint venture between two developers could bring another supertall to Midtown East. Vornado Realty Trust and Rudin Management Company may team up to develop a 1,450-foot office tower at 350 Park Avenue, the Real Deal reported Friday. A leaked brochure for the potential project includes renderings of the proposed tower, revealing a glassy building with a series of setbacks that would allow for outdoor terraces and floorplates of various sizes.
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By Alexandra Alexa, Mon, April 15, 2019 Rendering courtesy of Gensler
Just one month after closing on 5 East 51st Street, a six-floor rental across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, developer Harry Macklowe has filed demolition permits with the city, as CityRealty reported. This move brings Macklowe one step closer to realizing his vision for Tower Fifth, a 1,556-foot office tower that, if approved, will become the second-tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, surpassing Macklowe’s own 432 Park Avenue and coming in just short of One World Trade Center. (Tower Fifth’s roofline would actually be 216 feet above One World Trade Center’s but since its mast brings the building’s official height to 1,776 feet it would retain the title of the city’s tallest building.)
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By Dana Schulz, Wed, April 3, 2019 Photo via Max Pixel
“I see the building as a Sleeping Beauty: It needs to be woken up and revitalized,” developer Aby Rosen told the Post about his plans for the Chrysler Building. His firm RFR Realty, in partnership with Signa Holding, bought the landmark for $150 million last month . His plans include restoring the 1930s Art Deco interiors by way of a series of restaurants that will take inspiration from Chrysler’s original Cloud Club, as well as adding a ‘”fashionable food hall” (of course) and retail spaces. The biggest news, though, is that he also wants to incorporate a new observation deck, joining the ranks of 30 Hudson Yards, One Vanderbilt, and Chrysler’s one-time rival the Empire State Building.
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By Dana Schulz, Thu, March 28, 2019 To the dismay of many New Yorkers, the Waldorf Astoria closed its doors in 2017 for a huge renovation project that will ultimately create larger hotel rooms and add a new set of luxury condos. After the plans were announced, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the hotel’s first three floors as an interior landmark, meaning the new owners will need to preserve the 1931 Art Deco spaces. But after a four-year hiatus (the hotel will reopen in 2021) and a completely new vibe, it’s not clear if those interiors will have the same glamorous, old-school New York vibe that they were once famous for. Luckily, photographers James and Karla Murray captured the Waldorf in all its glory before it closed its doors. Ahead, take a tour of the old Waldorf, from its iconic, two-ton lobby clock to the three-tiered grand ballroom.
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By Michelle Cohen, Mon, February 25, 2019 Image: Wikimedia commons.
NYC Parks has announced that Mayor Bill de Blasio has allocated $75 million in additional funding for ongoing East River Esplanade reconstruction projects underway from East Midtown through East Harlem. The new funding has been allocated to three distinct esplanade projects: East Harlem from 114th to East 117th Streets, the Upper East Side from East 90th to East 94th Streets and Midtown East from East 62nd to East 63rd Streets.
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By Alexandra Alexa, Fri, February 15, 2019 Image via Flickr
In response to pushback, JPMorgan Chase will be redesigning its planned 1,400-foot office tower at 270 Park Avenue with additional open public space, as Crain’s first reported. Under the East Midtown rezoning, new developments are required to provide 10,000 square feet of public space, but because two-thirds of the site sits above the Grand Central Terminal train shed, architects for the project argued they could only come up with 7,000 square feet. This notion was challenged by members of Manhattan Community Board 5 and elected officials. JPMorgan has now agreed to submit new designs increasing the size of the public space to 10,000 square feet and making it an open-air area instead of enclosed as it was in the initial design proposal.
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