Continuing the discussion from NEW YORK | 57th Street Corridor “Billionaires Row”:
Nordstrom Tower to Become World’s Tallest Residential Building at 1,775 Feet
BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON JULY 9TH 2014 AT 6:00 AM
Nordstrom Tower, 3D Model and architectural diagrams
YIMBY has the latest drawings of Nordstrom Tower, courtesy of an anonymous tipster close to the project. Scoping documents also include the actual height numbers: 225 West 57th Street‘s facade will top-out 1,479′ above street level, while a surprise spire on top will cap the tower at 1,775 feet. Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill are designing the building.
Diagram of the Nordstrom Tower’s roof and spire, 1,775′ up
New York City’s skyscraper boom is entering unparalleled territory, and 225 West 57th Street could very well represent the crest of the current wave, assuming the tower is financed. The new height details will result in several superlatives: Manhattan will finally retake the ‘tallest roof’ in the United States from Chicago’s Willis Tower, which stands 1,451′, and 225 West 57th Street will become the tallest residential building in the entire world, surpassing both 432 Park Avenue and Mumbai’s World One Tower.
Nordstrom Tower, south elevation along 57th Street
Structural drawings indicate the curtain wall will be accompanied by steel fins and aluminum louvers, and the result should become a contemporary icon on the Manhattan skyline. The talented Otie O’Daniel created 3D models of the tower based on the drawings and schematics, which give better insight into the building’s eventual appearance — though the images are not official renderings.
Nordstrom Tower — rendering by Otie O’Daniel
225 West 57th Street’s design has seen modifications since vague renderings were presented to Landmarks during the debate over the tower’s cantilever, which will rest over the historic Arts Students League. Additional protrusions have been eliminated, and the ultimate design appears to be far sleeker than the original proposal.
Even the cantilever appears to be well-integrated, adding additional heft to the stem of the actual tower, which rises after several setbacks in a style befitting the wedding cake-shape of Manhattan’s traditional skyscrapers. The result is aggressive, and the tower’s ultimate pinnacle will stand over 300 feet taller than any other manmade objects in Midtown, piercing the nascent plateau emerging around the 1,400-foot mark.
Nordstrom Tower — rendering by Otie O’Daniel
In terms of contemporary comparisons, the design looks to draw from Smith + Gill’s Trump International Tower in Chicago, which is also replete with setbacks and ends in a distinctive but far shorter spire; indeed, it almost looks like a merger between Trump and Willis, though the notched indentations at Nordstrom will be far less intrusive than the setbacks on the former Sears Tower.
Extell’s latest development will have a collection of superlative titles, but its (hopefully) imminent rise underscores the velocity of New York’s general ‘supertall’ boom, which is now the most impressive on the planet. In Midtown alone, other supertalls on the near-horizon include 111 West 57th Street, 432 Park Avenue, 53 West 53rd Street, 3 Hudson Boulevard, 30 Hudson Yards, and 35 Hudson Yards, all of which are already under construction or on their way.
Nordstrom Tower — rendering by Otie O’Daniel
While the Nordstrom Tower’s roof height will be the tallest in the Western Hemisphere, its pinnacle will fall one foot shy of One World Trade Center’s, which begs the question of whether Extell could simply add a few dozen feet to snatch the crown. Such a feat would not be unprecedented, and what ultimately signals resilience is continued progress; instead of deferring to the “Freedom Tower,” 225 West 57th Street should surpass it, returning the title of Manhattan’s tallest building to Midtown on a more permanent basis.
Completion of 225 West 57th Street is currently slated for 2018, and the most recent permits — which were partially approved on July 1st — reveal a total scope of over 1.2 million square feet.
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Construction Update: 217 West 57th Street
BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON MAY 2ND 2014 AT 1:00 PM
217 West 57th Street, photo by Andrew McKeon
Excavation is making major headway at 217 West 57th Street and 220 Central Park South, which are being developed by Extell and Vornado, respectively. The towers are situated across the street from one another, making for an impressive amount of construction in a very confined area. The Nordstrom Tower’s architects are Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill.
Besides the equipment on-site, blasting is also underway for 217 West 57th Street, with regular explosions carving out the bedrock underneath the site; given the tower’s pit will eventually reach 80 feet below street level, a significant amount of work remains before normalcy can resume. In the race to the bottom, it seems as though 220 Central Park South has the advantage, given its smaller overall scope.
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Blasting signs for 217 West 57th Street. photo by Andrew McKeon
Although my time (and I guess yours as well) is limited, I just need to follow this incredible boom. This is likely a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness NYC’s greatest (skyline) transformation, even bigger than the one in the 1920s/30s.