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Richard Meier-Designed Tower Finally Begins Construction at Turtle Bay South Complex

From the few details we’ve spotted on the approved permits, the massing of 685 First will essentially be a gigantic box. The ground floor will contain retail spaces along First Avenue, and the second floor will be packed with amenities such as a fitness center, pool, and library. Floors three through 14 will have 20 apartments apiece, floors 15-20 will have 16 apartments each, and thereafter will be an average of 10 units per floor up to the 42nd level.

Initially pushed forward through a joint venture between Fisher Brothers and Solow Realty & Development, the once nine-acre master plan was formerly home to an imposing Con Edison steam and electricity plant, which was one of the largest such complexes on the East Coast and served one-fourth of Manhattan. Solow purchased the site for $630 million in the mid ’90s and spent more than $100 million on environmental cleanups and demolishing the plant. An ambitious 40-firm architectural competition was held soon after, with finalists including top designers such as Peter Eisenman, Rem Koolhaas, and Christian de Portzamparc working in pairs alongside more pragmatic New York firms such as SLCE, Gary Handel & Associates, and Davis Brody Bond.

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http://www.6sqft.com/richard-meier-d...south-complex/