NEW YORK | Bank Of America Tower | 1,200' Pinnacle / 945' Roof | 53 FLOORS

[antinimby]

Oh Fabb, you were in the city! You take exceptional pictures.

[pattali]

:worship:

Thanks Fabb ,

glad to see you spent some time in NYC ... for Holiday ?

[10023]

People bemoaning the fact that it's time to move in - hopefully the facilities are nice at least (FYI, BofA's investment bank is currently at 9 W. 57th, a much nicer location).

[lakegz]

is this gonna have any crown lighting? being a platinum rated building, i doubt they'd do it but im just wonderin.

[Dac150]

Why exactly was this thread moved here?

[M II A II R II K]

Why exactly was this thread moved here?

We now subscribe to CTUBH standards for what constitutes official heights. All supertall New York projects whether under construction or proposed will now be in this section.

[NYC2ATX]

Seriously, thank you! I have been wondering for god knows how long, why this thread wasn't in the supertalls section.

[JACKinBeantown]

We now subscribe to CTUBH standards for what constitutes official heights. All supertall New York projects whether under construction or proposed will now be in this section.

Boooo!

[Fabb]

glad to see you spent some time in NYC ... for Holiday ?

I sure did.
One happy week of wandering through the familiar, the new and the unknown.

A few details of BofA :

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/3741/dscn4023px6.jpg

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/1289/dscn3924hx4.jpg

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6767/dscn3966gh0.jpg

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/8215/dscn3965cs5.jpg

[Sandy]

Fabb, your pics are amazing, my turn to be jealous, I've been going to NY each April since 3 years and the BofA is my favorite project. Except since September when I found this forum and subscribed to this thread, I had no news so I was checking myself the construction site to see its evolution each time I was in NY.

After seeing here Carlos pics, which are really fantastic too, I was thinking OK this year, the building is almost completed I will take nice photo too! unfortunately, they're not, I'm not satisfied of them, but yours are great :tup: same level that the Carlos' ones, you did a very good job :worship:
Mines, definitely don't worth to be posted!!...

[Fabb]

Except since September when I found this forum and subscribed to this thread, I had no news so I was checking myself the construction site to see its evolution each time I was in NY.

That's what I did in the mid-90s, before this forum existed. What took you so long to join our community ? During all these years, your contribution would have been appreciated.

One more photo taken last week :

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/3162/dscn3345jz8.jpg

[Sandy]

What took you so long to join our community ?

:( an old computer and no DSL before...

Nice forest of spires! from where did you take this last one?

[Fabb]

Nice forest of spires! from where did you take this last one?

41st street & 10th Ave. I'm not sure though.
Here's another one from the same area.

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/6153/dscn3327ck9.jpg

[NYguy]

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6767/dscn3966gh0.jpg

That's the best thing that ever happened to that building...

[NYC2ATX]

I dunno if this have ever been asked, but is there going to be a Bank of America logo at the top of this building?

[FRED]

Awesome pics man !! I love this tower !!!

[America 117]

from sertan sides the building looks very fat
but other sides it looks a little skinny:hmmm:

[kznyc2k]

kz was in the city today for the first time since November, so I hope you don't mind a ton of pics!

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2393/img7799xt0.jpg

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/792/img7805bc2.jpg

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/2866/img7806ei4.jpg

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/117/img7807zq2.jpg

http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/668/img7809my8.jpg

http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/2015/img7810ya1.jpg

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5043/img7841lu3.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/4997/img7842iu2.jpg

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/4109/img7843mu2.jpg

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/6696/img7847py8.jpg

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/5114/img7846uk7.jpg

http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/9774/img7848lf8.jpg

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/6112/img7849tt0.jpg

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/1337/img7851km2.jpg

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/8586/img7850ft9.jpg

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/7641/img7853fj8.jpg

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/2532/img7856ej9.jpg

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/108/img7857kv9.jpg

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/1496/img7859dj2.jpg

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/8843/img7860us1.jpg

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6454/img7861eq5.jpg

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/6668/img7865ht5.jpg

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/1673/img7869eb9.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/7042/img7874tz8.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/8566/img7876pg1.jpg

these last two are redundant, but I couldn't decide which I like more:

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/1268/img7879gm0.jpg

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/3248/img7889lz1.jpg

[aluminum]

^ Thanks, kznyc2k ! Those pictures are awesome !

[Fabb]

these last two are redundant, but I couldn't decide which I like more:

The first one emphasizes the spire, but I prefer the second one.

Thanks for the update !

[NYguy]

^ Thanks, kznyc2k ! Those pictures are awesome !

Those are great. I'll be glad when the crown is finally complete, mission accomplished.

[NYC4Life]

This tower is just massive. Hopefully that crown will be completed soon, it seems it has sat uncompleted for a while now.

[Dac150]

Yes, it is quite a massive tower, especially looking at it from Bryant Park.

[NYguy]

http://www.observer.com/2008/al-gores-firm-clinches-lease-dursts-one-bryant-park

Al Gore's Firm Clinches Lease in Durst's One Bryant Park

http://www.observer.com/files/imagecache/article/files/algore.jpg


by Tom Acitelli
May 27, 2008

Al Gore's Generation Investment Management has finalized its lease inside Douglas Durst's One Bryant Park, the new office tower in Midtown that's among the nation's most environmentally friendly commercial buildings. (My colleague Eliot Brown broke the news of the pending lease in November.)

Generation, of which Mr. Gore is chairman, will relocate from Washington, D.C., into 5,500 square feet under the 10-year lease.

The Durst Organization was represented internally by Tom Bow and Eric Englehardt. Ken Rapp, Sally Wilson and Ramsey Fehrer of CB Richard Ellis represented Generation Investment.

Release below:

__________________________________

MAJOR SUSTAINABILITY INVESTOR SIGNS LEASE
AT BANK OF AMERICA TOWER
CBRE Arranges Deal for Generation Investment Management


May 27, 2008

CB Richard Ellis announced today that it arranged a 10-year, 5,500-square-foot lease in the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park for Generation Investment Management, an investment management firm co-founded and chaired by former United States vice president Al Gore.

“New York City is the nation’s investment capital and The Bank of America Tower is a premiere building with a bold environmental and sustainable vision,” said David Blood, Generation Investment Management’s senior partner. “We are proud to be in New York City and in this spectacular building

Relocating from Washington, D.C., Generation Investment Management selected Bank of America Tower, as the under-construction building, set to deliver later this year, is not only one of the pre-eminent office towers in the world, but is slated to become New York City’s first skyscraper to achieve the Platinum level of LEED certification. Platinum is the highest level attainable under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System.

“The former vice president is a leading voice in promoting the environmental well-being of our planet,” said Ken Rapp, executive vice president, CBRE, who negotiated the lease on Generation Investment Management’s behalf, along with Sally Wilson, global director of environmental strategy, and Ramsey Feher, vice president. Generation Investment Management is focused on a new approach to sustainable investing. “Given the amount of environmental consideration that went into designing Bank of America Tower, it is a fitting location for Generation Investment Management, and represents the kind of innovation the firm is trying to advance,” Rapp added.

Developed by the Durst Organization and designed by Cook + Fox Architects, the 52-story, 2.1-msf Bank of America Tower is located on the west side of Sixth Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Streets opposite Bryant Park. The building’s anchor tenant and namesake, Bank of America, will take 1.1 msf in the building as its headquarters.

Made largely of recycled and recyclable materials, Bank of America Tower employs numerous environmentally-friendly elements, including floor-to-ceiling insulating glass to contain heat and maximize natural light, a greywater system and an air filtering-system that will clean and filter air as it enters and is exhausted from the building.

The Durst Organization was represented internally by Tom Bow and Eric Englehardt.

[chex]

very nice pix kz, love the ones with the lifts... i think the icey efect on the glass will shine when its finished and clean, i think it will look very cool...
thanx..

[America 117]

Its one of the FATTEST nyc skycrapers, maybe not extremely tall, but sure is pretty FAT. And I'm not really impressed with the facade, especially when compared to the gorgeous newly built times square skyscrapers nearby such as Times Square Tower and 5 Times Square.

you said it
it is REALLY FAT:eek:
why did they make it sooo fat:shrug:

[Swede]

why did they make it sooo fat:shrug:
That's a ver simple thing to answer: floorspace combined with a wish for large floors. That's how office towers usually are, and at this site they could assemble plenty of development rights so fat it got.

[Fabb]

That's a ver simple thing to answer: floorspace combined with a wish for large floors. That's how office towers usually are, and at this site they could assemble plenty of development rights so fat it got.

Hej! ;)

Yes, I agree.
But BofA is actually not the fattest in midtown.
The fact that it's often photographed from Bryant park gives a wrong impression.
Those views emphasize the bulk of the tower.
Give it a distance and change the angle slightly, and it's not a fat tower.

[America 117]

That's a ver simple thing to answer: floorspace combined with a wish for large floors. That's how office towers usually are, and at this site they could assemble plenty of development rights so fat it got.

oh
i get it now. i was thinking that they just wanted it to be fat:haha: :rolleyes:

[NYC4Life]

Fattest Midtown tower is probably the Metlife Building


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Walter_Gropius_photo_MetLife_Building_fassade_New_York_USA_2005-10-03.jpg/450px-Walter_Gropius_photo_MetLife_Building_fassade_New_York_USA_2005-10-03.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/MetLife_Building_side.jpg/450px-MetLife_Building_side.jpg

[Jibba]

The facade is looking pretty damn sweet according to those above pictures. It is bulky, but it carries it well.

[gttx]

Fattest Midtown tower is probably the Metlife Building


The Metlife / PanAm building is only "fat" on one side, though - the other side is pretty thin, actually. My vote for fattest would be One Worldwide Plaza. That thing is massive from any angle!

[CHAPINM1]

The GE Building/30 Rock has to rank as one of the fattest as well... The same kind of fat as the Met Life Building, fat from one side and skinny from the other, lol...

[Dac150]

If you want to talk about massive towers then 55 Water Street is your answer, among others.

The BofA Tower is indeed a massive building, but that is more of an optical illusion when looking at it from Bryant Park. There are many angles that I've seen this building from where it doesn't appear as bulky as it does when looking at it from Bryant Park. It really just depends how and from where you look at it. Regardless though, it is a big building.

[aluminum]

Fattest Midtown tower is probably the Metlife Building

Don't want to go offtopic, but because of two reasons Metlife Building is not fatter than BoA.

1. It looks fat only from two directions not all four. Its looks quite skinny from other two.
2. There are NO setbacks. The top of the building is equally big as the base, makes it look 'large', not 'fat'. BoA is really wide from all angles near the bottom, but as it goes up, it becomes very small. All the mass is concentrated on the bottom and THAT eradicates much of an impact a 2 msf office skyscraper can have on the skyline.

Although, BoA's measured height is greater, Metlife Building appears taller because of no setbacks and balanced massing.

[America 117]

met life tower is not really fat at all

[NYguy]

met life tower is not really fat at all

The MetLife towers is wider, and it also terminates the view both north and south on Park Avenue which pushes home that point. The BofA would dominate that location as well, but not in the way MetLife does.

[Lecom]

Turns out my Godfather's daughter will be working in the building. She said she'll probably hook me up with a visit.

[weezmen]

Some pics I made last week when visiting NY:

http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/2343/p1020802en9.th.jpg (http://img107.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1020802en9.jpg)
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/7494/p1030276vg9.th.jpg (http://img159.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1030276vg9.jpg)
http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/6167/p1030275yp5.th.jpg (http://img92.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1030275yp5.jpg)
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/9992/p1020679my7.th.jpg (http://img374.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1020679my7.jpg)
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/6264/p1030321du9.th.jpg (http://img72.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1030321du9.jpg)
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/1498/p1030322ap1.th.jpg (http://img511.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1030322ap1.jpg)

[colemonkee]

Nice shots, weezman. Diggin' the reflections in that last one.

[NYguy]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/nyregion/05bryant.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin

Bryant Park Braces for a Tidal Wave of Traffic


By GLENN COLLINS
June 5, 2008


Bryant Park in Midtown may soon confront a fate that only Yogi Berra could have described: It will be so crowded, nobody will go there anymore.

Two vast neighboring office buildings (one with a spire that will make it second only to the height of the Empire State Building) will soon be adding an estimated 13,600 new workers to the streets around the park, already the city’s most densely populated.

Those towers, with their 3.4 million square feet of office space across Avenue of the Americas from the park, which is between 40th and 42nd Streets at the backyard of the New York Public Library, are in the process of being occupied. But another 40-story building rising in the neighborhood and a new hotel under construction are putting the park staff of 120 on notice: The invasions of recent summers will soon seem paltry.

Defenses are being put in place, and changes are coming to the park’s appearance. Workers for the Bryant Park Corporation, the nonprofit manager of the six-acre park, are making plans to remove some ivy beds to accommodate more tables and chairs. Five hundred new green chairs and 100 more tables have been ordered, and there are plans to order several hundred more chairs.

In May the park spent $10,000 to upgrade its WiFi system, which tended to be slow at peak times for more than 61,000 users last year. Managers say that the projected visitorship may also require the addition of five new sanitation workers to the 11 hired in the last five years. If the need arises, managers may also add another public restroom. “Our chance of getting these new people is high, since they are so close to the park,” said Daniel A. Biederman, president of the Bryant Park Corporation.

Not everyone is pleased. Midtown Manhattan “doesn’t have a lot of green space, and the city keeps giving permits to build enormous buildings that are putting pressure on all of New York’s infrastructure, especially the parks,” said Maxine Teitler, chairwoman of the parks committee of Community Board 5.

In a city where public spaces have been made increasingly less hospitable in the service of maximizing traffic flow, Bryant Park’s philosophy has been contrarian. Managers have steadily increased visitors’ “dwell time” over the last decade thanks to movable seating, so that patrons can group their chairs, or move out of the sun in the summer or into the sun in the winter.

Recent studies have shown that the park’s 4.2 million yearly visitors spend anywhere from a few minutes to three hours in the park; the median stay is 35 minutes. Park amenities include a bathroom that was recently restored for $200,000, concession kiosks and restaurant pavilions, a custom-built carousel and an alfresco library, as well as seasonal events like film-festival shows and ice skating.

Will it all be overrun when the hordes descend? “We don’t envision that we’ll be in a Yogi Berra situation,” Mr. Biederman said.

But it may already be happening. Even early in the peak season, “this is about as dense as it should be,” said Tony Barnes, a Manhattan lawyer who was meeting a client in the park on a recent afternoon. “I’ve never seen it this crowded.”

Although some city swimming pools and playgrounds may have greater numbers of people per square foot, “as far as parks, I can’t imagine one that is more heavily used,” said Adrian Benepe, the city’s parks commissioner.

The park, he added, is “in some sense a victim of its own success, since decades ago nobody went to Bryant Park unless you were looking to buy drugs.” The park was once so shunned and overrun by undesirables that it was considered a symbol of the fall of the city.

Now, the total number of days when the park had more than 3,000 patrons at lunchtime has increased fivefold since 1998 to 78 days last summer, according to the park’s best estimates. There were more than 30 days with 4,000 visitors and a few with 5,000.

The park’s carrying capacity — its total number of visitors — can exceed 1,000 people an acre on nonevent days, “and we have knowledge of no other public park in the world that is as densely populated," Mr. Biederman said. And so, in peak lunch hours, there are lines not only at the women’s restroom but also at the men’s room.

“Sometimes people are standing and waiting for chairs now,” Mr. Biederman said of the signature green chairs imported from Lyons, France, to enhance the park’s European formality. There are 4,417 of them, along with an additional 292 green “lunch chairs” with writing surfaces.

Park statisticians estimate that within a two-block radius of Bryant Park there are 187,600 office workers, residential tenants, hotel guests, shoppers and visitors to cultural amenities like the New York Public Library. The completion of the new buildings is expected to bring hundreds more people to the park during lunchtime, Mr. Biederman said.

The most immediate new threat looms to the north: the $1 billion Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park, a beveled 54-story, 2.1 million-square-foot office building on the northwest corner of Avenue of the Americas and 42nd Street. Several hundred workers have moved in already, and full occupancy of more than 10,000 people is expected by next winter.

Directly to the south, 1095 Avenue of the Americas at Bryant Park, the 45-story tower between 41st and 42nd Streets, already accommodates 550 workers and will have more than 2,500 when fully occupied in December.

And 485 Fifth Avenue, at the northeast corner of 41st Street opposite the New York Public Library, is being converted into a Hyatt hotel.

Already completed and occupied are a brace of two-year-old skyscrapers: the CIT building at 505 Fifth Avenue (a 27-story office tower at the northeast corner of 42nd Street) and the 46-story Marriott Residence Inn, with a full guest occupancy of 1,000, at the southwest corner of 39th Street and Avenue of the Americas.

To the west is the 1.1 million-square-foot, 40-story 11 Times Square building, scheduled to open in the fall of 2009 at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue.

“In Midtown, all the land is developed, and it isn’t clear what the long-term solution is,” Mr. Benepe said of creating more green space.

“If we improve our other parks, we can pick off some of the people in Bryant Park and reduce the density there,” he said, referring to other Manhattan oases like Madison Square Park and Union Square Park.

Instead of turning away visitors, Mr. Biederman said, Bryant Park will continue to put out the welcome mat, since “visitorship is our measure of success.”

And not everyone minds the crowds. “We come to chat, eat lunch and look at people,” said Anke Bivens, a software developer who was picking at her chopped salad on a recent afternoon in the park. “If you come to look at people, you like a lot of people to look at.”

In the end, though, Bryant Park may be protected by “a self-limiting factor,” Mr. Benepe said. “If it’s too crowded, people just won’t go in.”

As Yogi Berra has said.

[kznyc2k]

"You can observa a lot just by watching."

"It was impossible to get a conversation going; everybody was talking too much."

"If the fans don't come out to the (ball)park, you can't stop them."

"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."

-- The inimitable Yogi Berra

[antinimby]

That NY Times article certainly has an anti-development tone to it quoting that CB5 NIMBY and using words like "immediate new threat looms..."

The whole point of the article is stupid. Just like anything in life, it something becomes crowded, additional people will just decide not to go in.

If you see a place is very crowded, wouldn't logic tell you to not go in?

[kznyc2k]

Well, hopefully the gullible will interpret the article as saying "don't go anywhere near Bryant Park!", leaving it somewhere below super-saturated for the rest of us ;)

Either way I still plan on visiting the place next time I'm in the city, just as I have the last three times I was in town.

[NYguy]

Well, hopefully the gullible will interpret the article as saying "don't go anywhere near Bryant Park!", leaving it somewhere below super-saturated for the rest of us ;)

Either way I still plan on visiting the place next time I'm in the city, just as I have the last three times I was in town.

Well, its like the crowded streets of Manhattan. After a certain point, you won't notice any additional people. So it's no big deal. It's certainly better than having a park no one wants to go into. I think it's a healthy sign for the city.

[trist_p]

Solution: sky parks. That, or the city should leverage donations of green space, public art, open space etc. when awarding building permits.

[CoolCzech]

That NY Times article certainly has an anti-development tone to it quoting that CB5 NIMBY and using words like "immediate new threat looms..."

The whole point of the article is stupid. Just like anything in life, it something becomes crowded, additional people will just decide not to go in.

If you see a place is very crowded, wouldn't logic tell you to not go in?

Yeah, really. What does the Times suggest we do? This is silliness.

[NYguy]

Bryant Park on a good day...from conrad d (http://flickr.com/photos/33474543@N00/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3122/2546000508_36da6c36bf_b.jpg

[solaris]

To respond to the Times article, it's great how they get to bash buildings like the Bank of America tower and all the other development in the area, but naturally their new shiny tower is completely above reproach. What is their tower, like 2 blocks from the park? It would seem they would share just as complacent in the 'down fall' of Bryant Park.

However, I think most of us would agree that the BOA tower is the culmination of the revitalization of that area of Manhattan. It might be crowded, but it's also possibly one of the most beautiful city park in the world. If anything, all the development will create some nice shade for all the people on their lunch breaks, instead of sweltering in the summer sun.

[NYC4Life]

Hahahaha, i find this NY Times article quite hilarious :haha: In their list of buildings threatning Bryant Park , they failed to mentioned their own NY Times Tower, which just happens to be across from 11 Times Square, and at 1,047 feet with spire included, is tied for 3rd tallest in the city. Besides Bryant Park is crowded on any given day and serves as an oasis to the people that work and visit the area. After all, it wouldn't be a vibrant park were not for its location and the current boom taking place all around Midtown. The area is a canyon of skyscrapers and the last thing Midtown will lose is the canyon itself, Who knows, maybe 1 day demand for office space will be so great that the park itself may be built on.

[NYguy]

^ I hope not, but as both of you pointed out, you can see just how close the Times tower is here:

Bryant Park on a good day...from conrad d (http://flickr.com/photos/33474543@N00/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3122/2546000508_36da6c36bf_b.jpg


I do a lot of walking in the area, and often cut behind the library, which is often filled with those chairs from the park. In a sense, its part of the park itself.
But that restroom comes in handy (there are so few public restrooms in the area), and I never have to wait (as was mentioned in the article).
Still, I only see a growing number of people using the park as a good thing.

[America 117]

thats alot of people!

[Lecom]

In a decade or so, hopefully the park usage congestion from the abovementioned NYTT and pretty much every other building on/west of 8th Avenue and south of 44th or so street will be relieved by the new Hudson Boulevard park. Why drag yourself out to lunch to the crowded Bryant Park when you have a larger, spanking new park in the vicinity?

[CoolCzech]

^ I hope not, but as both of you pointed out, you can see just how close the Times tower is here.

I wonder if, in the interest of Saving the Park, the NY Times staff will refrain from visiting it for their lunch breaks?

I'll bet that thought has never occurred to them...

[NYguy]

I wonder if, in the interest of Saving the Park, the NY Times staff will refrain from visiting it for their lunch breaks?

I'll bet that thought has never occurred to them...

Maybe the Times should have kept that roof garden. There are some new towers that build amenities for tenants and the general public alike, indoor plazas, etc. I don't remember exactly what the BofA has, but there are some public features.

[NYguy]

From Moxie Star (http://flickr.com/photos/moxiestar/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/2560396812_9919fbdfb7_o.jpg

[NYguy]

From jenniferrt66 (http://flickr.com/photos/roadtripmemories/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3255/2560798989_92ca802faa_o.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3092/2561622356_039103e354_o.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/2560799259_cc7631edc2_o.jpg

[colemonkee]

It makes a significant impact in those aerial shots. Good find, NYguy.

[Lecom]

It makes a significant impact in those aerial shots. Good find, NYguy.

Agreed.

[AnotherPunter]

I don't see why you all are interpreting that NYT article as being NIMBY or anti-building. You all sound like Hillary Clinton supporters reading sexism into any and every criticism. I read it as simply saying they need to figure out a way to add park space or better utilize existing park space or improve funding for infrastructure given the heavy usage of park space. Does anyone here disagree with any of that?

[Fabb]

It seems to have a greater impact than MetLife... I wouldn't have thought so before I saw tha aerials.

[Gulcrapek]

Looking a little skeletal with that spire...

[Fabb]

Well, they're taking their sweet time to finish the crown.
It looked the same when I visited NY at the end of April.

[CoolCzech]

Same thing happened with the crown of the NY Times tower. Is that because some internal work has to be finished before the top of the tower can be sealed with the facade?

[Lecom]

Probably. Technical floors always take a while to finish, especially on the top levels.

[NYguy]

It seems to have a greater impact than MetLife... I wouldn't have thought so before I saw tha aerials.

The spire is balanced well with the large spire/antenna of the ESB, easily more dominant
than the Chrysler. Midtown needs another large spire, higher than the ESB.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3092/2561622356_039103e354_o.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/2560799259_cc7631edc2_o.jpg

[Dac150]

I think the Tower Verre will accomplish that as far as balance goes.

[CoolCzech]

It's a pity the NY Times tower's spire isn't more robust. You can hardly make it out at all in some of those views.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/2560799259_cc7631edc2_o.jpg[/QUOTE]

[NYC4Life]

Midtown's density is more concentrated along the east side and east river. The Times tower gets easily lost when viewing from the east. However when viewed from jersey, it's a standout because its located in an area where only recently has seen a sizable amount of high-rise construction.

[aluminum]

Midtown looks really awesome and dense from the east side. I love the presence of the 262m Trump Tower and the 279m Citigroup Center in the last picture.

[NYguy]

I think the Tower Verre will accomplish that as far as balance goes.

For balance, yes. But for a new, dominating presence, a spire a couple of hundred feet above the ESB.

[NYguy]

From sandrus10009 (http://flickr.com/photos/stephenandrusphotographs/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/2562745759_8c9f223a05_b.jpg

[CoolCzech]

^Everytime I see a photo of this tower from this angle, I think of Godzilla

http://www.tomsgames.com/us/fringedrinking/godzilla_bw.jpg
tomsgames.com

[NYC4Life]

^it is indeed huge and to think what was there before (mcdonald's, sprint store, remington building)

[nygirl1]

^^ Prontos

[NYguy]

From jimdavidson (http://flickr.com/photos/jimdavidson/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/2573936671_14f4b764d3_b.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3119/2573944125_e40a4ab791_b.jpg

[photoLith]

Did they create a law that all those buildings in that area were required to have spires? haha no but seriously, why must those 3 buildings have spires, they look out of place and I have never liked it like that.

[Fabb]

That's the least costly solution to add spikes to the plateau of the Midtown skyline. There were endless complaints about that three/four years ago.
A cheap and fast solution before the real thing happens : occupied space above 1000 ft. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

[NYC4Life]

Did they create a law that all those buildings in that area were required to have spires? haha no but seriously, why must those 3 buildings have spires, they look out of place and I have never liked it like that.


Only the Times Building and BOA have spires. The Conde Nast building is an antenna mast that was added after 9/11 to broadcast signals from displaced media outlets that originally had their transmitters at 1WTC.

[NYguy]

why must those 3 buildings have spires, they look out of place and I have never liked it like that.

On the contrary, spires on the New York skyline is the way it's supposed to be. After wave and wave of "flat box" complaints, spires have finally returned the skyline to where it should be, and it's just the beginning.

[CoolCzech]

bedWire: Henry Miller Theater Facade is Back, City Celebrates First Willets Point Deal

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/MillerTheatre.JPG
wikimedia.org

TIMES SQUARE—The facade of the Henry Miller Theater on W. 43 Street is seeing the light of day again with the removal of protective steel supports. The tipster who sent the photo notes that "the facade was one of the only things preserved on that block." [CurbedWire Inbox]

[Islander]

Did they create a law that all those buildings in that area were required to have spires? haha no but seriously, why must those 3 buildings have spires, they look out of place and I have never liked it like that.

It's just from that angle (and similar angles) that they look so close together. Conde and BOA are next to eachother, but NY Times is almost as far away as the Chrysler, and from most angles the five 1000+ foot pinnacles of midtown are pretty nicely spaced.

[Kamatzu]

A cheap and fast solution before the real thing happens : occupied space above 1000 ft. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Once upon a time...

Hopefully once upon another time as well.

[T-Mac]

On the contrary, spires on the New York skyline is the way it's supposed to be. After wave and wave of "flat box" complaints, spires have finally returned the skyline to where it should be, and it's just the beginning.

I too like the return to the spires. However, I wish that the architects would really create a spire that impresses. IMO, when you look at the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building; now there are spires. They look like they fit with the building. The building culminates at the top and it looks like there should be a spire to top it off. I think that the Bank of America building does pretty well with it's spire, not as good as the ESB or Chrysler but far better than the NY Times Bldg. The NY Times spire does not fit. It looks like a toothpick on a box. I do like the building but the top is lacking. I almost think that it would look better without the spire on that particular building. Just my opinion.

[JACKinBeantown]

So are there actually floors being occupied in BofA?

[Lecom]

Did they create a law that all those buildings in that area were required to have spires? haha no but seriously, why must those 3 buildings have spires, they look out of place and I have never liked it like that.

The spire on the left - NYTT - was proposed back in the 90's as an architectural element by Renzo Piano. The spire in the center - Conde Nast - was added to boost transmitting capacity in New York after 9/11. The spire on the right - BofA - was added by the architects for purely aesthetic purposes, and the tower's developers wanted to remove it at one point yet the architects convinced them to keep it in the design. These three just happened to be within the same couple of blocks with no preconceived collaboration, though both NYTT and BofA developers boasted about how their project would create a twin spire effect with Conde Nast.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3119/2573944125_e40a4ab791_b.jpg

[Fabb]

These three just happened to be within the same couple of blocks with no preconceived collaboration


I guess that they don't want to admit that, in a way, their designs are contextual.
You avoid the question of who's the leader, who's the follower if you claim that there was no collaboration.
It may be my imagination, but I don't buy the idea of a pure coincidence.

[antinimby]

So are there actually floors being occupied in BofA?Yes, the bank's employees have already moved into the lower floors several months ago (April I believe).

[NYguy]

JUNE 20, 2008

Skyline treatment...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98990133/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98990184/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98990218/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98990250/large.jpg


Notice the finishing touch on the western facade...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/98990250/original.jpg

[aluminum]

^^ Wow. Love those shots. To think, there was nothing much there 5-7 years ago

[NYguy]

^^ Wow. Love those shots. To think, there was nothing much there 5-7 years ago

A "flatter" looking skyline...

[NYC2ATX]

What's that building under construction in the foreground?

[antinimby]

200 Eleventh Ave. (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=127174)

[Zerton]

does anyone have photos of that huge tunnel at the base?

[Lecom]

I guess that they don't want to admit that, in a way, their designs are contextual.
You avoid the question of who's the leader, who's the follower if you claim that there was no collaboration.
It may be my imagination, but I don't buy the idea of a pure coincidence.

Well, either way, NYTT's spire proposal was the first of the three.

[Scruffy]

Does anyone know anything about the proposed connection of Bryant Park station and Times Sq station by underground tunnel via the Bank of America Tower?

[NYC4Life]

Does anyone know anything about the proposed connection of Bryant Park station and Times Sq station by underground tunnel via the Bank of America Tower?

:previous: Here you go Scruffy

http://www.eigroupllc.com/case/case004%20Bank%20of%20America%20at%20One%20Bryant%20Park.htm

Public Space
300% of the public circulation space mandated by as-of-right zoning regulations. Below-grade pedestrian walkway linking the B, D, F, and V subway lines to Times Square station. New glass-enclosed Subway entrance at 42nd Street and 6th Avenue. Through-block public passageway connecting 42nd and 43rd Streets featuring Broadway-inspired programming and interactive information kiosks. Mid-block Subway entrance located at 42nd Street and the through-block connection. Widened sidewalks. Public street furniture Urban Garden Room located at 43rd Street and 6th Avenue, serving as an inviting extension of Bryant Park and Grace Plaza.

[NYguy]

http://www.nysun.com/arts/at-one-bryant-park-scale-changes-everything/80783/

At One Bryant Park, Scale Changes Everything

http://www.nysun.com/pics/5187.jpg

RISING The all but completed One Bryant Park, a massive skyscraper designed by the firm of Cook + Fox, will also be known as the Bank of America Tower.


By JAMES GARDNER
June 27, 2008

One of the biggest banks to open in Manhattan in many years will be the Bank of America flagship that is promised for the all but completed One Bryant Park, a massive skyscraper designed by the firm of Cook + Fox. The building will also be known as the Bank of America Tower, in honor of its foremost tenant. Already the offices of the bank have been installed in this pale, Deconstructivist tower, and though we are still some months away from the project's completion, it is sufficiently far along that we can offer a preliminary assessment of its success.

One of the two principals of Cook + Fox is Richard Cook, whose firm has designed several estimable structures, among them the persistently exquisite 360 Madison Ave., as well as the nearly completed Lucida, on Lexington Avenue at 86th Street. The other principal is Robert Fox Jr., who, together with his former partner Bruce Fowle, was responsible, just west on 42nd Street, for the Condé Nast and Reuters buildings.

Though the newest project differs from these two neighbors, it shares with them an eagerness to embrace the defining style of the moment, or more precisely, what was the moment nearly three years ago, when the design was decided upon. Just as the constructed, jigsaw aesthetic of the two older buildings was all the rage at the end of the 1990s, so the faceted, deconstructed aesthetic of the new building, ultimately inspired by Daniel Libeskind's design for Tower 1 at the World Trade Center, seemed — if memory serves — daring at some point in the past five years. But now that a good 10 towers in Midtown embrace this aesthetic, it doesn't seem quite so daring anymore.

Because I have never been an admirer of the jagged asymmetries of this aesthetic, I did not take kindly, three years back, to the original design, which has been largely implemented. In addition to its facets, the building is primarily bone-white due to the fritted glass that sheathes it and telegraphs its environmental credentials.

But now that it is approaching completion, I find the whole thing a little more to my liking, and for an odd reason. At 54 stories tall and with a base that stretches from Sixth Avenue half the distance to Broadway, One Bryant Park is so immense that its built-in asymmetries seem to disappear or to fade into irrelevance. What one is left with is the striking, pharaonic boldness of the design's conception, and the fact that the exterior appears to be as well-made as one would expect from the architectural firm that brought us 360 Madison Ave.

And though, if the truth be told, there is little that is strikingly, importantly original in the formal aspects of this building's design, here, as in Minimalist art, scale changes everything. What might have been banal in a smaller, more timid building becomes thrilling in this instance. Its sheer, unapologetic massiveness means that, in very short order, New York City will have a new landmark to reckon with. As for the finer points of the details, such as the garden court intended to run along Sixth Avenue, we are still about eight months away from being able to render an accurate assessment.

http://www.nysun.com/arts/at-one-bryant-park-scale-changes-everything/80783/#

At 54 stories tall, the Bank of America Tower has a base that stretches from Sixth Avenue half the distance to Broadway.


http://www.nysun.com/arts/at-one-bryant-park-scale-changes-everything/80783/#

One Bryant Park is so immense that its built-in asymmetries seem to disappear.

[eMKay]

I was there for a business trip, so I went to the ESB (never been there) and took some pics, it was dark, and I didn't have a good low light camera (mine's dead, buying a Rebel soon :) ) this is from my wife's SD1100. I was quite shocked to see the spire ABOVE the ESB's observation deck, which is what, 1050' up? Then I re-read this thread and of course it is higher, I had just forgot :)

http://www.emkayusa.com/misc/boa01.jpg

[NYguy]

JULY 10, 2008

Getting there...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99997279/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/99997309/large.jpg