The US Open 
is just three months away.
I hope they have enough time to install the tennis courts. 
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Several months ago there was a tree (what looked like a fake tree) in a planter inside the fence closer to the side up against the Gimbels building and it was there for the longest time and then recently, I’m not sure where I saw it whether here or another forum, the tree and its planter just randomly popped up infront of 2 Penn. But i dont think its there anymore, I havent been in the area recently.
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I mean they could in theory plan Tennis on the site as is, it just might result in a lot of broken ankles. Tennis with obstacles in the way. Biggest sponsor, the Law firm of Moe, Larry and Curly.
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I believe the Three Stooges usually employed the law firm named Dewey, Cheatem and Howe.
Speaking of which, maybe the best use of this location for now is a giant billboard for a personal-injury law firm. Maybe the billboard can bring in enough revenue to be classified as a “taxpayer”?
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Eyeballs probably second only to Times Sq.
NYguy on SSP found an update to this tower, it’s been shortened, “flattened” and the core has shifted to not be offset anymore, still a complete eyesore to me though.
NYguy - Another modified design (likely not the last), and a height cut. Also, we’ve moved away from the side core.
[/QUOTE]
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How unfortunate, all around
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Looks like a 100 foot height cut. But seriously, what is this entire project lol
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It’s not the best form, but I like it more for the simple fact that the core is not exposed anymore.
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Never been a fan of the massing, but at least the previous iterations had interesting industrial-looking structural details. This latest version is by far the worst yet, the details flattened or eliminated and the massing is somehow even more offensively ugly now that it’s shorter and squatter.
Throw this mess of a design in the trash and start over with a new architecture firm.
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Honestly I was hoping it would be shortened even more. What an ugly building.
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Pics by Mulan M.
Perhaps a 10 to 20-storey tower block could be built here, which could later be extended (1200 feet) if the market permits. Would it be possible to construct even the lower floors in a four-ender frame system?
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Thats possible but feasibly it doesnt make sense, because to add that much more volume to an already built portion would require tenants in the already built portion to vacate because the elevators would have to be put out of commission. The entire thing would turn into another construction site, and the market probably would not permit that anyways in the long run.
If one plans enough it is certainly possible to have the building still occupied while construction or renovations are happening to it for much smaller scale buildings, it wouldnt make sense at this scale.
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I didn’t think of it straight away.
But would it be conceivable for Penn 15 to be built in the four-ender frame (structure)?
I’ve never heard of this terminology and google doesnt show anything relevant to construction methodology.
The building would just be built with a conventional steel frame, theres no need for trusses anymore as in the previous iteration because the cantilevers aren’t significant enough anymore.
Vierendell frame, Or is that my own translation from German into English (see Commerzbank Tower Frankfurt am Main).
Vierendellrahmen (German)
Theres no reason to use any type of truss here at all anymore. The columns just go straight up on the N/S sides now since there are no terraces. The E/W sides will just be cantilevered.
Interesting, I feel like most/all of the industrial-looking details are still there in the new design.
Reminder for folks of the north-facing exposed core of the previous design… yuck!
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The trusses that were on the N/S sides and the overal blankness of the north side are what made the design “industrial”, the 2 giant frames on the E/W sides less so.
I find It more attractive now.
The crowning does look more impressive in my opinion. Moreover it looks chunkier but more elegant at the same time. I find it more visually pleasing.
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