[SkyscrapersOfNewYork]

New York's living skyline


Should the New York City skyline be forever -- like a bug cast in amber?
Of course not.
Yet the City Council is being asked to freeze that glorious vista in time -- by blocking Vornado Realty Trust from proceeding with a 1,200-foot skyscraper adjacent to Penn Station.
Vornado, according to Empire State Building owner Andrew Malkin, seeks to endanger the unique place in the Midtown skyline enjoyed by his building since 1931. And, at a scant 34 feet shorter than the Empire State Building, the proposal designated as 15 Penn Plaza stands to do just that.

REUTERS

Too bad.
Malkin needs to get over it.
This isn't an endorsement of the Vornado project per se. Given the torturous New York City project-review process, it's hard to say what the building ultimately will look like.
But it most certainly is a rejection of Malkin's bizarre assertion that his skyscraper deserves such protection.
It's NIMBY-ism gone mad.
Skylines do change. Alas, sometimes for tragic reasons -- as seen on 9/11.
But mostly for positive ones.
Great cities are organic -- vibrantly reflecting the aspirations of the people who live in them.
Vornado's willingness to invest in a Midtown office tower in such unsettling economic times is, frankly, exciting.
It's a vote of confidence from a developer that New York's future remains bright -- that the city will continue to attract successful businesses wanting offices in the heart of Manhattan.
Conceptually, this one is a no-brainer.
We're confident that the City Council is smart enough to see it that way.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/new_york_living_skyline_GO4p1yjsy81Dze1k4du8zI