NEW YORK | New York by Gehry | 870 FT / 265 M | 76 FLOORS | T/O

[JACKinBeantown]

Yuck...

Here�s 10 Barclay Street:

http://galleries.soaringtowers.org/albums/Derek2k3/6_12_Barclay_Street_7_Costas_Kondylis_Partners.jpg

Design changed???

[FerrariEnzo]

I know.

[FerrariEnzo]

Ratner on Gehry

Developer Bruce Ratner said he expects to release renderings of Frank Gehry�s tower design for NYU Downtown Hospital�s parking lot site by the end of the year and he hopes the building will be seen as comparable to Lower Manhattan�s landmark Woolworth Building.

Community Board 1 and nearby residents at Southbridge Towers and on Nassau St. have raised objections to the building�s 700-foot height and the lack of proposed community space in the building. The building between Beekman and Spruce Sts. will have apartments as well as facilities for the hospital and Pace University.

Ratner described Gehry�s proposal as spectacular and beautiful. �The issue is design, not height,� Ratner told Downtown Express at a fundraising gala for the hospital Wednesday.

He said the building will not be reminiscent of Gehry�s most famous design, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, but will be similar to an idea Gehry had for the New York Times� headquarters Ratner is developing at Times Square (Renzo Piano was ultimately selected as the Times building�s architect.) Ratner said the Downtown tower will curve in and out and he gestured in the shape of a woman to illustrate his point.

Hospital officials say their existing building will get a facelift to match the Gehry design and there will also be green space added as part of the project.

[FerrariEnzo]

I think 700feet is a severe miscalculation but the part about how the HOSPITAL will get a facelift to MATCH gehrys design is very cool indeed!

[Fabb]

Hopefully, it is a miscalculation. But since the 700-750ft range seems to be the standard height in NY, I'm afraid it's the sad reality.

[NYguy]

Hopefully, it is a miscalculation. But since the 700-750ft range seems to be the standard height in NY, I'm afraid it's the sad reality.

I don't think so. That probably was the estimated height of the original 50 to 55-story tower. But given that this is to be Downtown's second tallest (after Freedom Tower), that 700 ft range doesn't cut it. The only possible scenario is if the tower has been reduced. It could also depend on how recent the article FerrariEnzo posted is, but I would still look higher.

[NYguy]

A quote from the article concerning the new hotel in Harlem is a good example of how height estimates often go wrong:

Civitas sent the City Council a letter of protest after learning last week the tower would soar way past what 38 stories represents in the minds of New Yorkers. Civitas members had assumed these were 10-foot floors, like in residential buildings, which would have meant 380 feet. They were wrong.


Someone could have assumed a 70 to 75 story residential tower would rise about 700 to 750 ft. In the new age of Trump math, the opposite has sometimes been the case (calling a 72-story tower a 90-story tower), but its been clear that Ratner has multiple floor uses for his tower...

[STERNyc]

I think 700feet is a severe miscalculation but the part about how the HOSPITAL will get a facelift to MATCH gehrys design is very cool indeed!

I think 700 feet is for the tower that will top a ~25 storey base, making this building a comfortable 900 something feet.

[NYguy]

We'll have to see now how things play out...

NY TIMES

Pace Pulls Out of Expansion Project, Citing Builder's Price Increase

By DAVID W. DUNLAP
November 4, 2004

Pace University withdrew from an enormous building project in Lower Manhattan yesterday, charging that the developer had changed the lease terms at the last moment and was seeking so much money that academic programs might be jeopardized.

In response, the developer, Forest City Ratner Companies, said the higher price reflected the costs of constructing specialized space for the university.

Pace was to have occupied a large part of a 1-million-square-foot apartment tower, designed by Frank Gehry, that Forest City Ratner is planning on Beekman Street. The site adjoins N.Y.U. Downtown Hospital on Gold Street and sits on Spruce Street opposite the main building of Pace's Lower Manhattan campus.

At one time, the university planned to lease 330,000 square feet in the tower, where it would have housed 600 students, the Lubin School of Business, classrooms, an art gallery, the admissions office and dining areas.

But late yesterday afternoon, David A. Caputo, the president of Pace, issued a statement saying that the university was ending its talks with the developer.

"As we were negotiating the final lease terms," Dr. Caputo said, "we were informed by Forest City that the financial agreement we had reached had been substantially changed, and Forest City now has asked for a significant increase in Pace's financial obligation to the project. This occurred despite a signed term sheet specifying basic concepts and details, and after 11 months of good-faith negotiation."

Though he pledged not to abandon Lower Manhattan, Dr. Caputo said that "neither will we financially jeopardize academic programs and scholarships for this project."

He concluded, "We are disappointed that Forest City Ratner cannot see its way clear to fostering higher education as a lever for renewal and change."

Neither Pace nor the developer would give specific costs, though more than $370 million in tax-exempt financing has been sought for the project. The hospital, which owns the site, is to have an ambulatory care center in the tower.

Forest City Ratner is the development partner of The New York Times Company in building a new headquarters on Eighth Avenue opposite the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Michele de Milly, a spokeswoman for Forest City Ratner, said the projected cost of the Beekman Street project had "dramatically increased" as the program for Pace became better defined. The added costs, she said, were due in part to longer construction schedules.

"We're extremely disappointed that the revised proposal was not approved by the Pace board of directors," Ms. de Milly said, "and we remain committed to the development of this important site."

[NYguy]

NY POST

RATNER FAILS TO KEEP PACE DEAL

By STEVE CUOZZO

November 4, 2004 -- A widely publicized development deal between Bruce Ratner and Pace University has collapsed, threatening to scuttle or delay a planned Frank Gehry-designed skyscraper near City Hall.

Pace balked over Ratner's demand that it accept 30 percent less space in the glamorous tower than was originally agreed to, but for the same cost � around $180 million, sources said.

"Pace University is ending discussions" with Ratner, the school's president David A. Caputo said regarding its participation in the ambitious scheme, which was also to include luxury condo apartments, affordable rental units, stores, and an ambulatory-care facility for NYU Downtown Hospital.

Caputo said the school was in the final stage of lease negotiations when Ratner told officials that "the financial agreement we had reached had been substantially changed, and Forest City now has asked for a significant increase in Pace's financial obligation."

Caputo said this occurred "despite a signed term sheet" and "after 11 months of good faith negotiations" that involved state and city officials. "This decision will force Pace to reconsider its plans for downtown expansion," he said.

Ratner, in a statement, said it had recently become clear that "the overall costs of the project had dramatically increased," owing to escalating construction costs and the complexity of a multi-use project.

It said Ratner "worked closely with Pace" to try to "re-establish an appropriate price for Pace's portion of the building. We are disappointed that this revised proposal was not aproved by Pace's board of directors."

City and state officials had agreed to allocate $370 million in tax-exempt Liberty Bonds to the project, but their approval was contingent in part on Pace's participation.

A Ratner spokesperson said there was now "no expectation" of Liberty Bonds and that the developer instead would seek low-interest financing from the city and state available for residential projects that reserve 20 percent of their units for affordable rentals.


Calls to the city's Economic Development Corp. to clarify the matter were not returned by press time.

The scheme is one of several high-profile enterprises of Ratner, who is also the partner of the New York Times in its Eighth Avenue headquarters and the would-be developer of a Nets arena at Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn.

Although it has never been stated exactly how big the Gehry-designed building might be, sources said it might rise to 70 stories and hold 1 million square feet.

Pace was supposed to occupy over 300,000 square feet on the lower floors � 205,000 square feet for dormitories and 125,000 feet for its business school.

Sources said Ratner was poised to close on a contract to buy the land from NYU Downtown Hospital for about $85 million. At the same time, Pace, whose campus is across the street, was to sign a long-term lease with Ratner with an option to buy the space after several years.

But then, insiders said, Ratner said he would only go ahead if the university agreed to take 25-30 percent less space for the same price.

That made the deal too costly for Pace, which told Ratner it would not do the dormitories but still wanted the business school. Ratner is said to have responded that a business school-alone deal would cost Pace 30 percent more to buy or lease on a per-square-foot basis.

"[Deputy Mayor] Dan Doctoroff had shepherded this thing along," one insider said. "And then Ratner reneged."

[FerrariEnzo]

Ratner is really pissing me off.

[NYguy]

Ratner is really pissing me off.

Why?

[FerrariEnzo]

I know the entire family in Cleveland and have met Bruce, these people are shady gangsters.

[Daquan13]

This is typical NIMBY blackmail. They'll whine about the height until the developer throws in something for them.

The alternative is that the developer has been overstating what he really wants (say 55 instead of 75 floors) just so he can give in to the NIMBYs.



Sounds very familiar don't it? Case in point; the Freedom Tower.

Isn't this what went on with the Freedom Tower? We were all pissing & moaning about the floor height, saying that it should be higher!

Silverstein set the limit to 70 instead.

[Daquan13]

While it is too early to show renderings for the Gehry proposal, demolition has begun at the site.

Here�s some of the many buildings mentioned in the article:

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/09/02/arts/skyscraper.slidetwo.jpg

Enrique Norton; Harlem Park, 125th Street and Park Avenue

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/09/02/arts/skyscraper.slidethree.jpg

Cesar Pelli; Beacon Court, 731 Lexington Avenue at 58th Street

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/09/02/arts/skyscraper.slidefour.jpg

Richard Meier; 165 Charles Street at West Street

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/09/02/arts/skyscraper.slidefive.jpg

Harry Cobb; Goldman Sachs headquarters, West and Vesey Streets

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/09/02/arts/skyscraper.slidesix.jpg

Santiago Calatrava; 80 South Street at Fletcher Street

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/09/05/arts/skyskraper.slideseven.jpg

Arquitectonica's proposal for Queens West is a 22-acre mixed-use project that includes 45-story residential towers along a waterfront esplanade facing Manhattan.

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/09/05/arts/skyskraper.slideeight.jpg

A housing development in Queens being designed by Morphosis Architects of Los Angeles would trace the East River shoreline.

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/09/05/arts/skyscraper.slidenine.jpg

The Morphosis housing development, at left, was originally conceived as part of New York's bid for the 2012 Olympics.




Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!

The tower in the top pic looks like it has two giant bulging burn marks on it!!!

The one in the second pic looks very tall, majestic & elegant!! I like that one!!!

The one that's in the third pic looks too short.

And the last two pics look like Ground Zero right after the terror attacks!!!!

[NYRican]

That morphisis building looks ugly! Hopefully Arquitectonica's plan will be built, then Queens will have a nice looking skyline, with those tall buildings.

[NYguy]

I know the entire family in Cleveland and have met Bruce, these people are shady gangsters.

Well, we know the brother's a loon. (OH sorry, that's the Durst family)

But I don't see anything about this particular development that would point to any shady practices. Ratner isn't going to give the space for free...

[FerrariEnzo]

Yeah but Ratner always pulls shit like this. I have worked and spoken to people who have dealt with them and they say they will try to change percentages by .01% points everytime a contract is revised which might seem insignifigant to some of you but A) it adds up in billion dollar deals and B) thats just plain shady business practice. I dont know anything about this particular project and maybe Pace simply couldnt pay the cost for what it would cost Ratner to build, but all to often these people pull things like this at the last moment.

[NYguy]

DOWNTOWN EXPRESS

K-8 school may join Ratner project

By Ronda Kaysen

Bruce Ratner�s planned 75-story Beekman St. tower may soon be home to a new East Side elementary school, if the developer and city officials can hammer out an agreement.

With Pace University no longer a player in the 1-million-square-foot apartment building � the school pulled out of the deal on Nov. 3 � community and city leaders are eyeing the 330,000 square feet of unclaimed space as a possible site for a new K-8 school and a community center.

The previously favored spot for the school � 250 Water St. � is owned by Milstein Properties and comes fraught with its own complications. The city would likely have to acquire the site, now a parking lot, through eminent domain, which would in all likelihood involve a lengthy legal battle. City Councilmember Alan Gerson told the Downtown Express in September that the city is obligated to try and find a location for the school that is east of Broadway and south of the Brooklyn Bridge. A failure to do so may derail other development plans for Tribeca.

Pace�s sudden withdrawal from the Ratner deal � on the grounds that Forest City Ratner, Bruce Ratner�s company, dramatically raised the cost of the lease � may be more of a windfall for the community than a setback.

�A school would be done faster on the hospital site and we�re looking to expedite this as fast as possible,� said Madelyn Wils, Community Board 1�s chairperson.

A community center, also a high-ranking desire of the community, is less likely to occur since it lacks the funding that the school has already secured. The $69 million school will be funded with $44 million from the city�s capital budget and the remainder is expected to come from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. The community center, on the other hand, has no funding secured at this point.

�The rec center is more of a long shot,� said assistant district manager Judy Duffy at a C.B. 1 South Street Seaport/Civic Center committee meeting this week. Before the Pace announcement, community officials had been hoping to secure 50,000 square feet of community space in the tower for a pool and health center.

Without a large commercial tenant like Pace, the Ratner tower will no longer be eligible for $350 million in Liberty bonds, although 25,000 square feet is still allotted for an NYU Downtown Hospital outpatient facility. According to a recent article in the New York Post, Ratner may instead use an 80-20 tax abatement residential financing program for his project.

By all accounts, Ratner seems interested in the idea of a school in his Frank Gehry-designed tower. �This is a recent development and one that is certainly under consideration that is being reviewed very carefully,� said Michele DeMilly, a spokesperson for Forest City Ratner.

According to board member Paul Hovitz, Ratner�s office recently asked to see the plans for P.S. 89/I.S. 89 in Battery Park City, an elementary school that shares its space with a residential building. �How many schools do you know that were built from scratch in a residential building?� said Hovitz. �P.S. 89 is a good example of how architects worked a school into a residential building.�

Offering the community a school in return for a 75-story tower � the tallest building in Lower Manhattan after the planned Freedom Tower � may make an unpopular project more tolerable for residents.

�Let�s say you don�t put a school there, that gives the community all of the downside with no givebacks,� said Hovitz. �It behooves us to do the best we can to try to provide the future tenants and the community residents with a needed amenity.�

[FerrariEnzo]

You know, this whoel PAce backing out would work out alright after all. If the city and the residents have something "invested" in this project that could make sure it clears planning hurdles more readily.

[knarfor]

Excellent. If the school deal woeks out, the tower's future will be a lot more certain.

[Fabb]

Won't that be the first skyscraper/elementary school ?

[Gulcrapek]

Probably not. Citylights in Queens has an elementary school, and a building in BPC has one too.

[NYguy]

Pace�s sudden withdrawal from the Ratner deal � on the grounds that Forest City Ratner, Bruce Ratner�s company, dramatically raised the cost of the lease � may be more of a windfall for the community than a setback.

�A school would be done faster on the hospital site and we�re looking to expedite this as fast as possible,� said Madelyn Wils, Community Board 1�s chairperson.

Offering the community a school in return for a 75-story tower � the tallest building in Lower Manhattan after the planned Freedom Tower � may make an unpopular project more tolerable for residents.

The best quotes of the article. Maybe if a deal is reached soon we'll finally get to see what the tower looks like...

[NYguy]

A little more on the school/tower....

TRIBECA TRIB

Push for School in Tower Planned for Site Next to Hospital

by Etta Sanders

In a pair of surprising developments, Pace University pulled out of a deal to occupy part of a towering residential building planned for the parking lot of NYU Downtown Hospital, and talks have begun about putting a new K-8th grade school there.

The discussions took place in a meeting on Nov. 3 between elected officials and representatives of the community, the hospital, and the site's developer, Forest City Ratner, to explore a possible contribution by the developer to a community amenity.

Within minutes of the beginning of the meeting, the news came that Pace had just withdrawn from a pending lease agreement with Ratner for 300,000 square feet of the proposed 75-story building, saying the developer had significantly increased the price.

Community representatives quickly jumped in to suggest a school.
"Immediately after that announcement, they launched into, 'Alright, you don't have Pace, we need a school,'" said Paul Epstein, a resident of 140 Nassau Street, a building that borders the site.

According to Epstein and others at the meeting, the developers were open to the idea, but expressed reservations about the delays that could be caused by bringing the historically slow moving Department of Education into the process. Community representatives pointed to the relatively speedy creation of P.S. 234, P.S./I.S. 89 and the Millennium high school as a demonstration of the neighborhood's record for fast tracking schools.

"We do have a precedent of circumventing the DOE," said Paul Goldstein, CB1 district manager.

After the meeting, Ratner requested the plans for P.S./I.S. 89, which had been cited at the meeting as an example of how a school could successfully be worked into a residential building. Those plans have been given to the project's architect, Gehry and Partners. Another meeting is scheduled for Nov. 23r.

"All in all a pretty positive development," said Marc Donenfeld chair of CB1's Seaport and Civic Center Committee.
Madelyn Wils, chairwoman of CB1, said there were several incentives that could make the school an attractive option for Ratner.

"The good neighbor incentive is that he's putting 1,000 people on that site and if they choose to go to public school they won't have public school," said Madelyn Wils. "The second incentive is that the school can pay for itself."

The city has committed $44 million dollars in the School Construction Authority budget toward the creation of a new school. Wils said putting in a school could help the developer qualify for the millions of dollars in tax-free Liberty Bonds they have sought. "There would be no reason for them to get Liberty Bonds if they don't do anything that's good for the public."

It is unclear how the changes could affect the eventual size of the project. Pace was expected to move its business school and student dorms into 300,000 square feet of the new facility. A K-8th grade school would likely need only about 100,000 square feet. The hospital will get 25,000 square feet for outpatient facilities in the building.

The financially strapped hospital sold the development rights for the lot to Forest City Ratner in December 2003. Finalization of that sale is currently impeded by a lawsuit brought by residents who are contesting the city's determination that the site can be built on without going through a public approval process. Through that process, the height of the building could be limited.

The building was originally proposed to be 50 stories high, but after complaints from Nassau Street residents that their light and air would be cut off, the plans were amended to set it back on the lot and create a plaza. In order to do that, Ratner said, they would need to increase the height of the building to 75 stories. That would make it the second tallest Downtown structure after the Freedom Tower, now planned for the World Trade Center site.

In recent months, a parking lot at 250 Water Street near the South Street Seaport, owned by Milstein Properties, has been seen as the likely location for a new school. But that site is also encumbered with a lawsuit, this one brought by the owner against the city over zoning issues.

The hospital parking lot was long favored by the community board as a location for a public school. The Department of Education (DOE), however, had reservations about school buses competing with fire trucks and ambulances on Beekman and Spruce Streets.

"DOE was concerned about the very narrow streets surrounding the NYU/Beekman hospital," a spokeswoman for the department said in March.

When Ratner entered into the deal with Pace last spring, the hopes for a school at the site died. Now they have been resuscitated. Said Goldstein, "We've gone a very circuitous route."

[NYguy]

DOWNTOWN EXPRESS

Gehry stays mum on Beekman tower project

http://downtownexpress.com/de_82/ghery.jpg

Architect Frank Gehry spoke at Parsons School of Design Nov. 29.


By Ronda Kaysen

New York is intense, even for famed architect Frank Gehry. During a Nov. 29 discussion with Parsons School of Design Dean Paul Goldberger, Gehry confirmed, among other things, that New York City is a very different town than his current place of residence � sprawling Los Angeles.

�It�s an intense kind of urbanity that�s different from L.A. It�s different from any city,� he told a packed audience at the New School University�s Tishman Auditorium. Dressed in a faded blue sports jacket and crumpled khakis, Gehry chatted with Goldberger, architecture critic for The New Yorker, about all things architectural. The interview marked the first of a new series on design and architecture dubbed �At the Parsons Table.� �I just kind of go with the flow,� Gehry said about working in New York.

For Gehry, the flow is substantial. The 75-year-old architect du jour is currently immersed in three New York City projects � the theater performance space in the new World Trade Center and two Bruce Ratner projects: the New Jersey Nets� new Brooklyn Stadium and a 75-story residential tower on Beekman St. in Lower Manhattan.

�We put in our name and lo and behold we got it,� he said of his bid for the W.T.C. performance space. The first round of designs is due by February, Gehry said. �It�s complicated, we�re just studying the program,� he said. The performance space will house the Joyce dance theater and the Signature Theater.

Gehry bowed out of the 2002 design competition for the W.T.C. site master plan. At the time, he said the nominal compensation offered to the applicants was insufficient. His explanation at Monday night�s discussion took a more sentimental approach. �I tried to stay out of that. It�s just too emotional. I didn�t know how to relate to it,� he told Goldberger, author of a book about the rebuilding of the W.T.C., �Up from Zero: Politics, Architecture, and the Rebuilding of New York� (Random House, 2004).

Gehry made no mention of developer Bruce Ratner�s 75-story Beekman St. tower on a site owned by NYU Downtown Hospital. When Downtown Express later requested details, a spokesperson for the architect declined to comment on the project. Ratner said in October that Gehry�s renderings of the Beekman building are spectacular.

[NYguy]

DOWNTOWN EXPRESS

C.B. 1 discusses school sites

While talks continue about the future site of a new K-8 school for Lower Manhattan, some members of Community Board 1�s Youth and Education committee wondered at last week�s meeting whether or not the school should be one K-8, or two separate elementary and middle schools.

Committee chairperson Paul Hovitz said the committee had already supported the K-8 model and that he hadn�t heard anything from the Department of Education to indicate that they were considering anything other than the K-8 model.

�That is the direction that the pendulum is swinging to make up for the middle schools� failure across the country,� Hovitz said. The details and logistics of the type of school it will eventually be will be decided after a site is chosen, he added.

The committee is hoping the school will be included in the tower to be designed by Frank Gehry at Beekman St. Although a meeting this week at Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver�s office and developer Forest City Ratner was postponed, elected officials are working to get the school included in the NYU Downtown Hospital site at Beekman St., Hovitz said. The hospital, which owns the land that Ratner wants to build the 75-story Gehry tower, plans to have a facility in the new building.

If that site falls through, the committee is open to the 250 Water St. site that has also been under consideration.

�- Ted Phillips

[FerrariEnzo]

Hopefully talks will not fall through.

[NYguy]

From today's DAILY NEWS, not much change...


Seeking school at Ratner site

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/604-ratner_bruce.JPG

Bruce Ratner


http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/245-silver_sheldon.JPG

Assemblyman Sheldon Silver


http://www.nydailynews.com/images/columnists/croghan_l.jpg


In the wake of Pace University's withdrawal from Bruce Ratner's big development in lower Manhattan, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is negotiating with him about including a city school in the project.

Silver (D-Manhattan) is championing a combined public school and intermediate school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Ratner's site near City Hall. The location is a parking lot between Beekman and Spruce streets that belonged to NYU Downtown Hospital.

"I would love to achieve this goal of building a school - and I'm working hard on it," Silver said.

A spokeswoman for the developer confirmed that talks are taking place, but didn't elaborate on their progress.

"We're in ongoing discussions," she said.

Downtown desperately needs a new public school, many feel, because thousands of apartments are being built there, and existing schools are getting crowded. The city has money in its budget for the construction of a school east of Broadway.

"The city is encouraging residential development downtown, and we support it," said Paul Goldstein, district manager of Community Board 1. "But they need to supply basic services."

Ratner plans to build a glamorous 75-story skyscraper at the Beekman Street site, with residential condos in the top of the tower and rental apartments in the middle. Celebrity architect Frank Gehry is the designer.

Pace was planning dorms for 600 students and its Lubin School of Business on the lower floors of the project. But at the 11th hour, Ratner ratcheted up Pace's rent - and raised hackles among neighborhood residents and real estate execs.

If Ratner were to build a public school, he'd gain political capital that could come in handy as he seeks approval for his plan to build a $2.5 billion Nets arena and real estate project in Downtown Brooklyn.

If he said yes to a school, there'd be another positive consequence - for Edward Minskoff and his development site on West and Warren streets in Tribeca South.

Because of an agreement made last fall by City Councilman Alan Gerson (D-Manhattan), Community Board 1 chairwoman Madelyn Wils and Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, Minskoff isn't allowed to start construction at his site until a location east of Broadway is found to build a public school.

[Lecom]

What the hell, if they need a school let em build it. New schools in NYC are never extran considering the crap buildings many schools occupy right now.

[NYguy]

Finally!!!

DOWNTOWN EXPRESS

Silver says school deal has been reached

By Josh Rogers

Mayor Bloomberg and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver reached a deal Wednesday night to build a new K-8 school on Lower Manhattan�s East Side, Silver told Downtown Express.

�It�s a great thing for the Downtown community,� Silver said in a telephone interview Wednesday night.

The school will be built on the parking lot behind NYU Downtown Hospital, between Beekman and Spruce Sts. The hospital recently sold the site to developer Bruce Ratner, who plans to build a Frank Gehry-designed residential tower with hospital facilities on the lower floors. Pace University was also slated to move into the 1 million-square-foot building, but the university dropped out of the deal in November, opening the door for an elementary and middle school.

Silver said Bloomberg had been concerned about the costs of the school, but the mayor called Wednesday to say the school will be built on the site. The city has $44 million in its capital budget for the school and the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., a state-city agency, may be asked to pay as much as $25 million to help pay any additional costs.

Silver, whose district includes the World Trade Center site, said Bloomberg did not discuss any financing specifics and the speaker expected to learn more details Thursday. I

It is not clear when construction on the school will start and finish. An announcement ceremony with Bloomberg, Silver and Ratner is being scheduled for Friday, Feb. 4.

The New York Times and Daily News had previously reported that the school negotiations had been linked to Bloomberg�s efforts to convince Silver to back a Jets stadium on the West Side but Silver said Wednesday that the stadium was �never discussed� during the school negotiations. �The mayor�s an honorable man,� Silver added.

Lower Manhattan is the fastest growing part of the city and a new school particularly on the East Side has been the top priority of Community Board 1 and local political leaders.

[Lecom]

Lower Manhattan is the fastest growing part of the city
Bullshit. It may be revitalizing but it is NOT the fastest growing part of the city.

Good news about the school though.

[JACKinBeantown]

What is? 42nd st?

[FerrariEnzo]

Friday February 4th, why thats today.

[Fabb]

Hopefully, the announcement will come with a nice rendering. Or half a dozen.

[NYguy]

February 4, 2005

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG, ASSEMBLY SPEAKER SHELDON SILVER SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR JOEL I. KLEIN AND FOREST CITY RATNER PRESIDENT AND CEO BRUCE RATNER ANNOUNCE CREATION OF NEW ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL IN LOWER MANHATTAN

New School to Create 600 Seats Through New Innovative Public-Private Partnership

http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/gif/2005a/top_feature_020405.jpg


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein and Forest City Ratner Companies President and CEO Bruce Ratner today announced the creation of a new elementary/middle school to serve students in Lower Manhattan through a new innovative public-private partnership.

The $65 million, five-story school will cover approximately 100,000 square feet and create 600 seats for students in a neighborhood identified as having a high need for seats in Department of Education's (DOE) five-year capital plan.

The school will be part of a 1 million square foot, mixed-use building which will be built on land adjacent to NYU Downtown Hospital bound by Beekman, William and Spruce Streets. It will also include ground floor retail space, market-rate rental apartments and residential condominium units. The school is the first to be built on privately-owned land and will engage the expertise of a private developer.

Construction is expected to begin in February, 2006, and should be completed by September 2008. The announcement was made at the Tweed Courthouse.

"We have made enormous progress in the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan through strong public and private partnerships, and the new school we are announcing today is an important step in the process," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Building this new school fulfills a promise we have made to the residents of Lower Manhattan and support our goal of establishing Lower Manhattan as a family-friendly neighborhood. I would like to thank Speaker Silver and Bruce Ratner for their leadership in this project and look forward to seeing it completed."

"This public school answers the immediate need to educate the children of our community in a neighborhood school," said Silver, who represents most of Lower Manhattan. "I thank Mayor Bloomberg and Bruce Ratner for working with all of us in Lower Manhattan to ensure the school bell rings as part of Downtown's rebirth as a 24-hour community."

"This project is the latest example of the Department delivering on its pledge to place the interests of our children first," said Chancellor Klein. "In announcing our City's most ambitious school capital plan ever, we identified where additional seats were needed most and today we are helping to meet the need by providing 600 seats here in lower Manhattan where the community continues to expand. More schools, more seats, and more opportunities are all key elements in our overall reform effort."

"Educating young people is one of the most important jobs any city or state can undertake," said Bruce C. Ratner, President and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies. "We are very pleased to offer 600 of Lower Manhattan's youngest residents a new school in which to begin their educational journeys and we are extremely grateful for the leadership of Mayor Bloomberg, Assembly Speaker Silver and Schools Chancellor Klein in making this new school possible."

This project expands the ability of the DOE to deliver on its promise to provide new school seats through alternative development methods. While DOE has previously engaged in mixed-use projects on City-owned land, this new school project is the first of its kind, as this much-needed new school will be built on privately-owned land and will engage the expertise and efficiencies of a private developer. Newly built schools have previously been constructed on public land only.

Lower Manhattan has become a 24/7 neighborhood. Student enrollment is projected to grow by approximately 3,400 students over the next five years and by 4,700 students over the next ten years in large part due to the expansion of housing units in the area. Since 2000, 5,500 new housing units have been built in Lower Manhattan and another 15,000 will be built by 2008. Schools in Lower Manhattan are dealing with the effects of this community expansion, and the DOE's Five-Year Capital Plan projects that in order to meet the need of the communities in the area, four new schools are needed.

The entire building will be an approximately 1,000,000 square foot mixed-use building. In addition to the new school, it will include 2 levels of below-grade parking, ground floor retail space, an ambulatory care facility for the NYU hospital, market-rate rental apartments and residential condominium units and 13,000 square feet of open public space in a plaza to the west of the building.

The architect for the overall building project will be world-renowned architect Frank Gehry.
Mr. Gehry, a Pritzker Prize recipient, has completed such masterpieces as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain and the Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles and is designing the new Brooklyn Nets Arena. It is currently in the Schematic Design phase.

[igzaklee]

fantastic news! thnx NYguy :)


btw isn't all of gehry's work in a permanent schematic-design faze?? ;)

[Fabb]

The article doesn't confirm the number of floors...

[buildup]

Unless the tower portion is fairly thin, it doesn't sound like it will be unusally tall. One million sq. ft. isn't alot of space. Would only be forty to fifty floors, not the 75 floor that was proposed.

[Islander]

It IS going to be thin. It was initially proposed to be about 50 floors, but residents complained it would be too fat and block too much light (or something like that), so the design was updated to be a thinner 75 floor tower. It's one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments when NIMBYs can be helpful.

[STERNyc]

Unless the tower portion is fairly thin, it doesn't sound like it will be unusally tall. One million sq. ft. isn't alot of space. Would only be forty to fifty floors, not the 75 floor that was proposed.

Where'd you get that from, don't confuse the base with the tower. The tower will still rise 75 floors.

[FerrariEnzo]

How do you figure? The article tags the building at 1million sqre feet. They said the school would take 5 floors for a total of 100,000 square feet. That makes 50 floors.

[STERNyc]

How do you figure? The article tags the building at 1million sqre feet. They said the school would take 5 floors for a total of 100,000 square feet. That makes 50 floors.

Goodamn, man. Base is not the same as the tower (period)

The bottom 5 floors will have 20,000 sqft. floorplates (the base)

The tower will have smaller floorplates, not only because it is a residential building, but for no other reason that zoning requirements.

Lastly it was confirmed last-night that the building will be 75 storeys (end of story)

[Crawford]

How do you figure? The article tags the building at 1million sqre feet. They said the school would take 5 floors for a total of 100,000 square feet. That makes 50 floors.

The base has a much larger footprint than the tower. The tower is 75 floors. It was again reported as 75 floors during yesterday's press conference.

[Islander]

The tower will have smaller floorplates, not only because it is a residential building, but for no other reason that zoning requirements. The bottom 20 or so floors of the tower (aside form the school) are still planned to house office space, right?

[NYguy]

Unless the tower portion is fairly thin, it doesn't sound like it will be unusally tall. One million sq. ft. isn't alot of space. Would only be forty to fifty floors, not the 75 floor that was proposed.

It's about the same size as it's always been. It's the mix that alternates. It will be a school/hospital/apartment/condo tower. Don't forget that there was a nearby proposal of another apartment tower at basically the same size. Only that one was for 90-stories.

[Lecom]

Which one is that?

[NYguy]

Which one is that?

Surely you remember that 1,050 ft, 90-story proposal from a couple of years back - 1 NY Place. The 1.3 msf of possible development there remains the last (other than the WTC) large buildable site Downtown. Whatever form that development takes, it will most likely be residential.

[TalB]

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_92/mayorsilver.html
Volume 17 � Issue 37 | February 11 - 17, 2005
Mayor, Silver and Ratner discuss new school�s details
By Josh Rogers

Downtown residents� long-term efforts to get a new school in Lower Manhattan moved closer to reality Friday when Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced the city would build a K-8 school as part of a 75-story residential tower to be designed by Frank Gehry.

The mayor�s decision, first reported in last week�s Downtown Express, will include room for 600 students and is scheduled to open Sept. 2008. Developer Bruce Ratner agreed to build a five-story school adjacent to the Gehry tower on the parking lot between Beekman, Spruce, Nassau and Gold Sts. At the end of last year, Forest City Ratner bought the site from NYU Downtown Hospital, which will also have an ambulatory care facility in the new building.

The school will cost about $65 million, with $45 million coming from the city and $20 million expected from the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. After the announcement, Ratner said that if there are cost overruns, he would be responsible for any added expenses.

Judy Trazino, who lives right near the site at Southbridge Towers, called the announcement �wonderful� news. The middle school will open too late to help her daughter in the third grade but she hopes the school will have a good, structured environment for her daughter in the first grade at P.S. 42 on the Lower East Side.

�At 11 years old, I think kids are too young to be going to school by public transportation,� she said in a telephone interview.

Many parents in Battery Park City feel the same way and recently sent a petition to Bloomberg asking him to turn I. S. 89 into a zoned middle school. The new school will undoubtedly relieve the Downtown overcrowding problems but may not solve the middle school zoning issues. B.P.C. parents now must apply for a place in I.S. 89 and are only guaranteed a slot at M.S. 104 on E. 21st St., almost an hour away from the neighborhood by public transportation.

Klein suggested Friday that the new East Side middle school primarily will be for students coming up through the elementary school, implying that there may not be much room for graduates of the West Side elementary schools, P.S. 89, P.S. 234 and P.S. 150.

�I think it will be a big, big thing to have that continuity through elementary and middle school,� Klein said at Tweed Courthouse, the Dept. of Education�s headquarters.

Councilmember Alan Gerson said he thinks the zoning for the Lower Manhattan schools should be reexamined and that he has raised the issue with Peter Heaney, superintendent of Region 9. Gerson had the sense that Heaney was taking the issue seriously, but Heaney did not return a call for comment.

Last fall, Gerson signed a letter with Dep. Mayor Dan Doctoroff in which the city agreed to make its best efforts to find a K- 8 school site on the East Side. When the site search appeared to stall, there was speculation that Bloomberg was dragging his feet in an effort to convince another school advocate, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, to support construction of a football stadium over the Hudson Rail Yards.

Both the mayor and Silver denied the stadium entered into the discussions. When Silver was asked if he now felt more inclined to support the stadium, the mayor jumped in to say, �boy I wish that were the case.�

For his part, Silver said: This is not about a stadium. This is about the future of Downtown Manhattan�.

�There is no better sign that a community is safe and growing and a desirable place to live than when leaders come together to create new public school,� Silver said.

Lower Manhattan is the fastest growing part of the city and Madelyn Wils, Community Board 1 chairperson and a member of the L.M.D.C. board, said with all of the residential construction underway Downtown�s population is expected to reach 60,000 next year double from what it was in 2000.

Bloomberg said he was �comfortable we�ll get the [school] money from the L.M.D.C.�

The mayor appoints half the members to the L.M.D.C. and the man who appoints the other half, Gov. George Pataki, has previously expressed support for building a K-8 in Lower Manhattan.

The L.M.D.C. has about $820 million left in its funds for Downtown and is planning to release a plan for the rest of the money in March, at the conclusion of negotiations with the governor and mayor.

Carl Weisbrod, a Bloomberg appointee to the L.M.D.C. board, attended the school announcement and said a few days later about the requested $20 million, �If it�s needed, of course I will support it.�

Weisbrod, president of the Downtown Alliance, said schools increase real estate values. Weisbrod was formerly president of the Economic Development Corp., which made a deal to build P.S. 234 in 1988 with revenue from what was then called the Shearson tower on Greenwich St.

�One of the great economic development projects that E.D.C. did was the construction of P.S. 234,� Weisbrod said in a telephone interview. �It was one of the important factors that made Tribeca into the fabulous community that it is.�

Ratner said at the press conference that he thought of the school as an amenity but he was not sure exactly how much value it added to his project. Ratner said he is charging the city roughly the same rate he wanted from Pace University to join the project. Pace pulled out of the deal a few months ago because the price was too high. The city will own the 100,000-square-foot school and Bloomberg likened it to a condo in the development. It will be on the west side of the project. To the west of the school will be a 13,000 square foot plaza which will serve as a buffer for Nassau St. residents who had objected to the tower being too close to their buildings.

The $570 million tower will be to the east. Ratner had previously told Downtown Express that Gehry�s initial renderings showed a wavy tower and the developer motioned his hands in the shape of a woman to illustrate his point. Ratner said Friday he expects to see new renderings from the renowned architect in about a month, but he assumes the general shape will be the same.

Ratner plans to build 200-250 traditional condos on the upper floors and 450 � 500 rental apartments in the rest of the building.

Josh@DowntownExpress.com

[NYguy]

Tribeca Trib

Will New K-8 School Solve Crowding?

by Etta Sanders

The recent announcement of plans for a new 600-seat kindergarten through 8th grade school Downtown was welcome news for a community where classroom space is getting tighter as the residential population soars.

The 100,000-square-foot school, part of a planned 75-story residential tower next to NYU Downtown Hospital on Beekman Street, will open its doors in the fall of 2008.

Additionally, a 10,000-square-foot annex to P.S. 234, at Greenwich and Chambers Streets, is expected to be ready in the fall of 2007.

The new schools will help relieve crowding at P.S. 234, now more than 100 students over capacity. But with the many families expected to move Downtown in the next few years, will it be enough?

"In an immediate sense it will help," said Sandy Bridges, principal of P.S. 234, which is soon to be dwarfed on two sides by new apartment buildings. "I don't know what the growth is going to be. It is quite possible they could fill that up immediately."

Community Board 1 has projected that 13,000 new apartments will be built or under construction Downtown between 2000 and 2005.

The 75-story tower that will rise along side the east-side school will encompass 650 and 750 apartments, according to the developer, Bruce Ratner. If only one-third of those apartments have just a single child in public school, they alone would fill nearly one-third of the new school.

"Even with the annex built and the new school, there will not be a great many empty seats," said Paul Hovitz, chairman of the community board's Youth and Education Committee.

The new residential developments on the two lots adjacent to P.S. 234, Sites 5B and 5C, will add another 670 apartments that will likely be ready for occupancy before any new school space is ready. Scott Resnick, the developer of Site 5C, where construction has already begun, said he hopes to have the apartments occupied in 2006, a year before the P.S. 234 annex opens.

(rest of the article)
http://tribecatrib.com/newsmar05/school-crowding.htm

[buildup]

Any word on when there will be renderings of this tower?

[NYguy]

Any word on when there will be renderings of this tower?

Within a month...

[buildup]

Super! Well, until then . . .

[STERNyc]

A building mentioned in the first page article of this thread was recently again brought to attention by Gulcrapek at Wired New York.

To requote:

Such considerations no longer seem to matter. The celebrated French architect Christian Portzamparc and Gary Handel, of New York, are currently completing a design for a luxury residential tower farther north at 28th Street and Lexington Avenue, overlooking Madison Square. The tower's faceted glass form will have the sharp edges of a cut diamond.

400 Park Avenue South:
40 storeys; 475 feet

http://www.handelarchitects.com/project/400x300/400ParkLookNorth.jpg

http://www.handelarchitects.com/project/400x300/400parkelev.jpg

http://www.handelarchitects.com/project/400x300/400parkstreet.jpg

http://www.handelarchitects.com/project/400x300/400parkaerial.jpg

This residential tower on Manhattan’s East Side is currently in Design Development and recently won Department of City Planning and Community Board approval. The 40-story tower is comprised of 432 rental apartments ranging from studios to three-bedrooms. A subway entrance and retail space occupy the ground floor, while a fitness club and kids’ center are located on the second floor. The exterior of the building is faceted glass curtainwall.

Handel Architects is designing this project with Atelier Christian de Portzamparc.

[Fabb]

I'm really impressed.
Of course, it's much too short to be of any significance in the skyline. But from the street, it might be noticeable. In a good way.

[NYguy]

Looks more office than residential, but not bad.

[Daquan13]

Looks as though it's part of a futuristic space-age development for New York City!

[Stephenapolis]

I like it. It looks like a crystal growing out of the ground.

[some_stupid_nut]

Reminds me a lot of BOA tower.

I like it though.

[Daquan13]

I thought that tower look very familiar to the BOA Tower!

I was trying to remember where I saw something similar to that before, and that's what it was.:hmmm: :hmmm:

[NYguy]

Another 25 ft, and NY would have another 500 footer. Not a lot, but considering the neighborhood...


http://www.handelarchitects.com/project/400x300/400parkelev.jpg

[Daquan13]

Yeah, it looks like a junior BOA Tower.

It has virtually the same identical shape.

[Stu]

I like it. If only all 400 or so ft buildings were this interesting.

[JACKinBeantown]

Now if all new buildings could be designed like this... wait, all new buildings ARE designed like this. OK not all, but a lot recently. Come on architects... design, don't copy.

[Islander]

I don't think they're really copying eachother per se, IMO it's more that they're just going along with a current popular style of architecture. All these new crystalline buildings don't really look any more alike than, say, art decos look alike or modern boxes look alike, so I don't consider all of these designs to be that unoriginal.

[Fabb]

That's right.
Buildings tend to be inspired by mineral shapes. I think that it's better than the historicism o the post-modern era.

[buildup]

Nice building! It's a signifigant tower for the area it's in and a nice contrast to the older buildings surrounding it.

[Fabb]

Yes. And it'll be less squeezed than LVMH.

[Marvel 33]

A building mentioned in the first page article of this thread was recently again brought to attention by Gulcrapek at Wired New York.

To requote:

Such considerations no longer seem to matter. The celebrated French architect Christian Portzamparc and Gary Handel, of New York, are currently completing a design for a luxury residential tower farther north at 28th Street and Lexington Avenue, overlooking Madison Square. The tower's faceted glass form will have the sharp edges of a cut diamond.

400 Park Avenue South:
40 storeys; 475 feet

http://www.handelarchitects.com/project/400x300/400ParkLookNorth.jpg

http://www.handelarchitects.com/project/400x300/400parkelev.jpg

http://www.handelarchitects.com/project/400x300/400parkstreet.jpg

http://www.handelarchitects.com/project/400x300/400parkaerial.jpg

This residential tower on Manhattan’s East Side is currently in Design Development and recently won Department of City Planning and Community Board approval. The 40-story tower is comprised of 432 rental apartments ranging from studios to three-bedrooms. A subway entrance and retail space occupy the ground floor, while a fitness club and kids’ center are located on the second floor. The exterior of the building is faceted glass curtainwall.

Handel Architects is designing this project with Atelier Christian de Portzamparc.


This is a beauty! I love it!

[Lecom]

I'm really impressed.
Of course, it's much too short to be of any significance in the skyline. But from the street, it might be noticeable. In a good way.
In fact, its location will guarantee that it WILL affect the skyline, at least the mini-skyline of Madison Square area, the most prominent cluster between the ESB and Downtown.

[Fabb]

At least this cluster will be more significant.

[Chad]

Not bad.

[Buck]

To give an idea of how the new tower might look, Frank Gehry?s unbuilt NYTIMES Headquarters:

http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/past_exhibitions/gehry/images/projects/projects_images/ny_times13_lg.jpg

HOLY SHITE! Why didn't I see that before? That is absolutely incredible.

[H-man]

wow i never noticed the NY on the top

[Daquan13]

You've gotta be kidding.

Looks like a half-crumpled fancy shopping bag from Macy's, Nordstrom or Filiene's.

[Matty]

You've gotta be kidding, that would be much better than a "crystal".

[JACKinBeantown]

I agree. And although it's my opinion that Gehry keeps doing similar designs for conecert halls and museums, this style has never been done for a skyscraper and it will look cool in the skyline if the new design turns out to be similar.

[NYguy]

You've gotta be kidding.

Looks like a half-crumpled fancy shopping bag from Macy's, Nordstrom or Filiene's.

A very large, half-crumpled, fancy shopping bag from Macy's. I'm glad we didn't get that.

Ghery's design for the 75-story tower downtown may be somewhat similar, but it will be a slender, less bulky tower that rises higher.

[STERNyc]

Two recent articles on Beekman Place:

Columbia Daily Spectator:

Perspectives on Expansion: Part Four in a Five-Part Series on Campus Planning
Surrounded Downtown, Pace Looks to Grow by Leasing
By Emily Schwarz
Spectator Senior Staff Writer

March 24, 2005

In November 2003, the president of Pace University, David A. Caputo, launched a five-year improvement plan to raise the school to Tier II status in the U.S. News and World Report annual college rankings. While this plan focuses on developing the university’s academic resources, Pace has also looked to expand physically. Pace’s Lower Manhattan campus faces unique constraints because its neighborhood is so highly developed and because of grants made available to developers in Lower Manhattan after Sept. 11th, 2001.

Frank Gehry, a prominent architect, is designing a skyscraper near the school’s Lower Manhattan campus. Pace had planned to lease 50,000 square feet of space in the new building and move its business school there, and to build new residence halls. But in November 2004, the developer, Forest City Ratner Companies, increased prices in the building, and the deal fell through when Pace refused to foot the bill. To the community’s satisfaction, a public school will now occupy part of this space.

Pace’s failed attempt to expand its campus illustrates the often-fragile relationship between developers and universities. Richard Whitfield, Pace’s executive vice pesident for Finance and Administration, said Pace has learned that “campus development and involvement in any project is complex. Even with the best plans and the best intentions, things can go wrong. When they go wrong, you have to step back and revise.”

After losing access to this space, the university has commissioned an external study to determine its space needs and which buildings in Lower Manhattan might be feasible places for Pace to lease or purchase. Unlike the other universities featured in this series, Pace is located in Lower Manhattan where there is very little vacant land, and so, Pace must look to acquire space in existing buildings.

The Ratner Building

In the 1950s, the area where Pace’s downtown campus is now located was designated an urban renewal zone. Jordan Gruzen, a partner at Gruzen Samson, an architecture firm that works in Lower Manhattan, explained that under this designation, the existing buildings were torn down and new buildings were built, including Pace University’s main academic building and NYU’s Downtown Hospital. However, a parking lot in this area, owned by the hospital, was never developed.

The hospital has only recently realized its plans to develop on this land, in the form of a one million square foot, 70-story multi-use building. The hospital hired Forest City Ratner Companies as its developer and in December 2003, Ratner purchased the land from the hospital, on the condition that the building include clinical space.

“The whole genesis of the project is the sale of the hospital land,” argued Paul Goldstein, the chair of Community Board 1, who hold local jursidiction.

According to Goldstein, the hospital is severely in debt and in poor condition. “We have to accept a huge building because the hospital wanted to gain every possible dollar out of the sale of their land,” he said.

Since the area is no longer an urban renewal zone, there are no restrictions on the use of the land, explained Michele de Milly of Geto & Demilly Inc., the public relations company representing Ratner, in an e-mail. “The building will conform to all existing zoning regulations and there are no limitations on the site,” said de Milly. “Forest City Ratner Companies has been working closely with government agencies to accommodate these important community facilities and amenities into the development,” such as retail space.

The bottom 24 floors were designated for Pace University and the hospital. Pace planned to lease 330,000 square feet. There is also a 45-story residential tower, retail on the ground floor and below-ground parking.

Pace planned to include dormitories, its business school and offices, an art gallery, and community space for the public in its portion of the building. Whitfield said that this project was valuable because of its proximity to Pace’s other academic buildings, and because of its magnitude, which would have brought visibility to the school. Also, Whitfield explained that with growing interest in the university’s dance and forensic science programs, there is a greater need for both lab and studio space.

After Sept. 11th, the federal government allocated money in the form of Liberty Bonds for commercial and residential development to help stimulate the economy of Lower Manhattan. Tax-exempt commercial Liberty Bonds are distributed by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and residential Liberty Bonds are managed by the New York City Housing Development Corporation. The housing in this complex will receive residential Liberty Bonds, and commercial Liberty Bonds were designated for the construction of the 24 floors to be occupied by Pace and the hospital.

“We’re pleased that the Liberty Development Corporation has approved the use of Liberty Bonds for this vital project, which will enhance the city’s educational and health care infrastructures and generate jobs and economic activity in Lower Manhattan,” Bruce C. Ratner, President and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies, told the Liberty Development Corporation, the umbrella organization in charge of allocating the Liberty Bonds, in May 2004.

Ratner Deal Falls Through

But in November of last year, Ratner told Pace that it had underestimated the construction price and the university would have to pay the same price, about $180 million, for 30 percent less space in the new building. At that point, President Caputo said that Pace would end its negotiations with Ratner.

Ratner’s decision to increase the price of development, forced “Pace to reconsider its plans for downtown expansion,” President Caputo stated in a Pace University press release on Nov. 3, 2004. “We have no intention of abandoning the downtown that has been our home for nearly 100 years. But neither will we financially jeopardize academic programs and scholarships for this project.”

Caputo said that Ratner made this decision “despite a signed term sheet specifying basic concepts and details, and after 11 months of good faith negotiation including discussions facilitated by a broad spectrum of city and state officials.”

Once Pace backed out of the project, it was determined that a public school would occupy some of this space the university had planned to occupy. According to Goldstein, neighbors are happy that there will be a public school because it will better serve the needs of the community.

Ratner lost the commercial Liberty Bonds designated to the space Pace was intended to occupy. According to a New York Times article by David Dunlap published on Nov. 4, 2004, Ratner said that after losing the Liberty Bonds, it “would seek low-interest financing from the city and state available for residential projects that reserve 20 percent of their units for affordable rentals.”

Pace’s Current Development Plans

Having lost space in the Gehry building, Whitfield initiated a study to determine the university’s space needs and other possible locations for Pace to lease or purchase in Lower Manhattan. Whitfield said he is currently selecting a real estate advisory firm to perform this analysis. Since the study will not be completed until early fall, Whitfield said that he did not know what other buildings Pace may consider in the future to lease or purchase.

Pace has already expanded its campus in Lower Manhattan in the past decade. There are new dorms on William and Fulton Streets, and even a new dorm across the East River in Brooklyn Heights. Pace also leases space on William Street for offices, a computer lab, and class space.

There are plenty of other buildings with available space nearby that Pace can lease, Whitfield said. He said that with a decline of office rentals in buildings located in Lower Manhattan, there is an increase in available space in large buildings that can be transformed into classrooms and dorms. Nonetheless, he pointed out that it would have been convenient to have space in the Ratner building since it is adjacent to Pace’s main academic buildings.

Goldstein agreed that there are many other locations where Pace could move in Lower Manhattan, and they are often less expensive than the proposed space in the Ratner building. “There is already dorm space a block or two away [from the main campus]. It wouldn’t be the first time they had a building further away,” he said.

Community Relations

The new Ratner skyscraper will be the second-tallest building in the neighborhood. Concerned that it will block even more air and light from homes, local residents are demanding benefits in conjunction with any new construction.

Goldstein said that when Pace was planning to occupy space in the Ratner building, it was more receptive to the community’s requests for access to the university’s resources. He said that these negotiations ended when the university backed out of the project and Pace’s head of community relations took another job. He added that CB1 plans to bring their demands back to the table as soon as a new community relations person is hired.

“Theoretically, Pace can go back to discussing, but my sense was that they were more eager to talk to the community when building a new building,” added Goldstein.

According to Whitfield, Pace has expanded its community programs over the past few years. For example, the university instituted a community service requirement last year and, as a result, there are several new courses involving volunteer work.

“The goal is to instill an active sense of social responsibility while improving the nearby community,” the university said in a Nov. 12, 2003 press release.

In one class last year, students worked with the pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary parish to create a small museum for the history of Lower Manhattan, and in a math class, students used “data analysis, probability, statistical inference to make decisions about education, health, money, careers, and government,” according to the press release.

Another outreach effort, Pace’s Center for Downtown New York, was founded to “serve the community as an academic, research, and civic leadership partner in the effort to revitalize Lower Manhattan,” according to a different university press release. The Center created the Pace Downtown Index, which will monitor the economic development of Lower Manhattan since Sept. 11.

The Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace, a venue for professional and student programming, provides access to arts and dance performances for students and the neighborhood. Part of Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Film Festival took place at this Center and the Community Works/Theater Connections and brings 1,000 children to seven different dance and theater shows each year.

Similar to the University of Pennsylvania’s high school, in 2004 Pace gave funding to open a local public high school that receives guidance from its School of Education.

Curbed:

Bruce & Frank's Downtown Tower Wants You!
Tuesday, March 29, 2005, by Lockhart

http://www.curbed.com/archives/2005_03_gehry.gif


Is that Frank Gehry-designed residential tower in downtown Manhattan inching closer to reality? Last fall, developer Bruce Ratner leaked word of a 70-to-75-story Gehry-architected building slated for the open lot at 85 Bleekman Street, designs of which have not yet been made public. This week, a strange email is circulating seeking luxury individuals interested in participating in a focus group about the tower-to-be. For your reading pleasure, full text of the email after the jump.

The email reads:

From: [redacted]
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 4:02 PM
Subject: seeking new yorkers for research about apartments and neighborhoods

Hello,

We're helping a New York developer to plan a Frank Gehry-designed residential tower in lower Manhattan. To better understand the needs of the building's future residents, we're planning several workshops with people who live New York City and surrounding areas. We are seeking:

A. People who live in a 'luxury' apartment or loft, are seriously considering renting or buying one, or have done so in the past. (rent :$3000+ / month; purchase $1.5 million+)

B. Within group A, we are trying to find:
- Design / architecture lovers
- Manhattan-philes (people who would never consider living anywhere other than Manhattan)
- People who live / have lived in luxury corporate apartments
- Suburban dwellers who have, or are considering, owning or renting a second home in the city
- Luxury brand users (e.g. Prada, Fendi, W Hotels, Bang & Olufsen, etc...)

We are planning a workshop this Thursday, March 31 at 7-9 pm (time to be confirmed) in mid-town. Workshops participants will spend a fun evening contributing their views on NYC's neighborhoods and apartments, and sharing experiences they've had. In addition to contributing to the design of a notable building, we'll provide dinner and give you a small gift as a token of our thanks.

Several other workshops will take place the week of April 4 and 11.

If you or anyone you know fits both categories A & B, please have them reply to [redacted] with the following info:

name:
age:
neighborhood where you currently live:
category (ies) from 'B' that you fall under (describe briefly):

Thanks in advance for your help!
[signature etc]

[NYguy]

To better understand the needs of the building's future residents, we're planning several workshops with people who live New York City and surrounding areas. We are seeking:

A. People who live in a 'luxury' apartment or loft, are seriously considering renting or buying one, or have done so in the past. (rent :$3000+ / month; purchase $1.5 million+)

B. Within group A, we are trying to find:
- Design / architecture lovers
- Manhattan-philes (people who would never consider living anywhere other than Manhattan)
- People who live / have lived in luxury corporate apartments
- Suburban dwellers who have, or are considering, owning or renting a second home in the city
- Luxury brand users (e.g. Prada, Fendi, W Hotels, Bang & Olufsen, etc...)

We are planning a workshop this Thursday, March 31 at 7-9 pm (time to be confirmed) in mid-town. Workshops participants will spend a fun evening contributing their views on NYC's neighborhoods and apartments, and sharing experiences they've had. In addition to contributing to the design of a notable building, we'll provide dinner and give you a small gift as a token of our thanks.

If you or anyone you know fits both categories A & B, please have them reply to [redacted] with the following info:

name:
age:
neighborhood where you currently live:
category (ies) from 'B' that you fall under (describe briefly):




So, anyone going?

[NYguy]

Well, I don't really know what's going on with Gehry's tower, but here's what I've read in the April 25 issue of TIME :


Sculptural would be a good way to describe Gehry's work, too. If all goes as planned, ground will be broken this year in lower Manhattan for what will be by far the tallest building of his long career, a residential tower rising as much as 245 m

That's slightly over 800 ft. Calatrava will beat that easily.


We'll have to wait and see what the exact figures are. We know they want to make this a new landmark for New York. And its planned as the "second tallest" downtown. It probably won't top Calatrava's 1,123 ft spire. Unless this is a return to New York's secret spire wars.

[JACKinBeantown]

Ugh... spires. Let's see the buildings, not the damned spires.

[NYguy]

Ugh... spires. Let's see the buildings, not the damned spires.

Its New York, the city that was once dominated by spires - spires that define "skyline" for cities even now. Except for the misguided attempt to place a spire on top of the already lattice topped Freedom Tower - these spires will once again give New York that graceful skyline. Too many large boxes changed the skyline to what is now just a mountain of skyscrapers.

Spires have made a comeback, but its not just a New York thing now. Just look at the top 15 or so tallest skyscrapers in the world today. How many of them have spires?


http://www.puk.de/virtual-museum/magazin/17/feininger.site/Resources/nynacht600.jpeg


http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/abbott/051.jpg


http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/abbott/032.jpg


http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/abbott/228.jpg


http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/abbott/048.jpg


http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/abbott/227.jpg


http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/abbott/288.jpg


http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/abbott/119.jpg


There are so many more buildings in New York now, the spires must reach higher.

[Lecom]

Hello,

We're helping a New York developer to plan a Frank Gehry-designed residential tower in lower Manhattan. To better understand the needs of the building's future residents, we're planning several workshops with people who live New York City and surrounding areas. We are seeking:

A. People who live in a 'luxury' apartment or loft, are seriously considering renting or buying one, or have done so in the past. (rent :$3000+ / month; purchase $1.5 million+)

B. Within group A, we are trying to find:
- Design / architecture lovers
- Manhattan-philes (people who would never consider living anywhere other than Manhattan)
- People who live / have lived in luxury corporate apartments
- Suburban dwellers who have, or are considering, owning or renting a second home in the city
- Luxury brand users (e.g. Prada, Fendi, W Hotels, Bang & Olufsen, etc...)

We are planning a workshop this Thursday, March 31 at 7-9 pm (time to be confirmed) in mid-town. Workshops participants will spend a fun evening contributing their views on NYC's neighborhoods and apartments, and sharing experiences they've had. In addition to contributing to the design of a notable building, we'll provide dinner and give you a small gift as a token of our thanks.

Several other workshops will take place the week of April 4 and 11.

If you or anyone you know fits both categories A & B, please have them reply to [redacted] with the following info:

name:
age:
neighborhood where you currently live:
category (ies) from 'B' that you fall under (describe briefly):

Thanks in advance for your help!
[signature etc]
Hey, I'm... umm... interested... think I should go... free gift and dinner... I mean I live in New Jersey suburbs, I fall under Category A, don't I?

[STERNyc]

Hello,

We're helping a New York developer to plan a Frank Gehry-designed residential tower in lower Manhattan. To better understand the needs of the building's future residents, we're planning several workshops with people who live New York City and surrounding areas. We are seeking:

A. People who live in a 'luxury' apartment or loft, are seriously considering renting or buying one, or have done so in the past. (rent :$3000+ / month; purchase $1.5 million+)

B. Within group A, we are trying to find:
- Design / architecture lovers
- Manhattan-philes (people who would never consider living anywhere other than Manhattan)
- People who live / have lived in luxury corporate apartments
- Suburban dwellers who have, or are considering, owning or renting a second home in the city
- Luxury brand users (e.g. Prada, Fendi, W Hotels, Bang & Olufsen, etc...)

We are planning a workshop this Thursday, March 31 at 7-9 pm (time to be confirmed) in mid-town. Workshops participants will spend a fun evening contributing their views on NYC's neighborhoods and apartments, and sharing experiences they've had. In addition to contributing to the design of a notable building, we'll provide dinner and give you a small gift as a token of our thanks.

Several other workshops will take place the week of April 4 and 11.

If you or anyone you know fits both categories A & B, please have them reply to [redacted] with the following info:

name:
age:
neighborhood where you currently live:
category (ies) from 'B' that you fall under (describe briefly):

Thanks in advance for your help!
[signature etc]
Hey, I'm... umm... interested... think I should go... free gift and dinner... I mean I live in New Jersey suburbs, I fall under Category A, don't I?

Look at the dates, I think you're a little late.

[Lecom]

Sorry, I'm out of it today. Shit happened.

[NYguy]

Still no rendering, but here's the site as of

MAY 15, 2005


http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/43447887.jpg

[Fabb]

Ugh... spires. Let's see the buildings, not the damned spires.

Its New York, the city that was once dominated by spires - spires that define "skyline" for cities even now. Except for the misguided attempt to place a spire on top of the already lattice topped Freedom Tower - these spires will once again give New York that graceful skyline. Too many large boxes changed the skyline to what is now just a mountain of skyscrapers.

Exactly.
Let's see how Gehry integrates his new tower in the mix of old, elegant spires and contemporary, large boxes.

[Lecom]

That side was just made for a large skyscraper. Seriously, even the back walls of the old neogothic stuff are facing the site. Was anything ever built on there?

[supastar]

whoa, I work at 27th and Lex and didn't know this tower was even a possibility. I can't imagine where they'll put it, though.

[JACKinBeantown]

NYguy... I love pointy roofed buildings. And I think it's great to put a spire on top of a building when the architectural style makes it work (like all those old buildings in NYC that you posted the photos of). Like I've said before (somewhere in this forum), if the spire is a natural extension of the shape of the building (like all those old buildings) then I'm all for it. But if it's just stuck on the roof to make the official height taller, it just looks stupid and out of place as well as making a false grandiose claim.

[STERNyc]

NYguy... I love pointy roofed buildings. And I think it's great to put a spire on top of a building when the architectural style makes it work (like all those old buildings in NYC that you posted the photos of). Like I've said before (somewhere in this forum), if the spire is a natural extension of the shape of the building (like all those old buildings) then I'm all for it. But if it's just stuck on the roof to make the official height taller, it just looks stupid and out of place as well as making a false grandiose claim.

We don't know what this building will look like, however knowing Gehry's work and architectural style, he doesn’t reinterpret historical forms, which a spire is.

[NYguy]

NYguy... I love pointy roofed buildings. And I think it's great to put a spire on top of a building when the architectural style makes it work (like all those old buildings in NYC that you posted the photos of). Like I've said before (somewhere in this forum), if the spire is a natural extension of the shape of the building (like all those old buildings) then I'm all for it. But if it's just stuck on the roof to make the official height taller, it just looks stupid and out of place as well as making a false grandiose claim.

We don't know what this building will look like, however knowing Gehry's work and architectural style, he doesn’t reinterpret historical forms, which a spire is.

He's just complaining about spires in general, and the recent addition of new spires on the skyline. Which I pointed out to him was nothing new for New York.

[JACKinBeantown]

Ugh... no. NYguy, you're not reading what I'm writing. I said spires are fine on the right building and wrong on the wrong building. Simple as that. Please read my last blurb again for more detail. And have a nice day.

[JACKinBeantown]

Anyway, let's drop it and talk about puppies. I saw two little wiener dog puppies at the pet store the other day. They were really cute. And they way they kinda hop around when they run... that's the best. :)

[NYguy]

Ugh... no. NYguy, you're not reading what I'm writing. I said spires are fine on the right building and wrong on the wrong building. Simple as that. Please read my last blurb again for more detail. And have a nice day.

My day is fine, thank you.

But I've read your comments here and in other threads. This thread is about a tower with a design we haven't even seen yet. No way for you to judge its spire "worthiness". Now you have a nice day.

[Fabb]

I saw a cute puppy with a spire on the head the other day. It was outrageous.
But I kinda liked that.

Back to Gehry.
After the long wait, is he going to release a design that will be a clone of his proposal for the NYTimes ?

He can't do that, can he ?

[bayrider]

i hope not, that thing was hideous

[JACKinBeantown]

Thanks NYguy. And now I'm off to look at spire-headed puppies.

[JMGarcia]

There are very few building that I've ever seen that didn't look better with a spire (or 2) on them. For example, 1 WTC, Sears, John Hancock Chicago....

If it makes you feel better you can call them an antenna though. ;)