Posted Dec 5, 2018, 2:31 AM
|
 |
New Yorker for life
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Borough of Jersey
Posts: 51,900
|
|
https://therealdeal.com/2018/12/04/a...f-550-madison/
After last year’s blowback, Snøhetta takes another stab at 550 Madison
In an interview, Olayan executive says project is "off schedule"
By Erin Hudson
December 04, 2018
Quote:
A year after Snøhetta’s first attempt at renovating Olayan America and Chelsfield’s office tower at 550 Madison Avenue ended in controversy and eventual landmarking,
the architects are hoping their second attempt will be smoother.
The firm’s initial plan would have replaced the original facade of rose granite with a glass curtain-wall and garnered fierce backlash from architects, preservationists and
architecture buffs after its release in October 2017. The new proposal unveiled Tuesday features three stories of retail at the ground level and a new opening in the rear
facade to allow sight lines from Madison Avenue into a new open-air garden that will replace the currently enclosed galleria.
Snøhetta senior architect Nick Anderson said the firm “stood behind” their original design but said they learned from the criticism.
“We certainly were surprised by some of the passion of the people who came out. That said I feel like that helped us understand a little bit more about how much people care
about this building and why they care about it and what parts they care about,” he said. The landmark designation applies to the exterior of the building only — a sore point
for preservationists who had campaigned for interior landmarking of the building’s famed lobby before its demolition last January.
|
__________________
NEW YORK is Back!
“Office buildings are our factories – whether for tech, creative or traditional industries we must continue to grow our modern factories to create new jobs,” said United States Senator Chuck Schumer.
|