NEW YORK | 740 Eighth Ave (Extell) | 1,067 FT | 53 FLOORS

[NYguy]

https://therealdeal.com/new-york/202...-avenue-tower/

Plans revealed for Extell’s 740 Eighth Avenue tower
Manhattan tourist attraction’s big ideas include a 260-foot thrill ride





By Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling
February 21, 2023

A mixed-use tower is skybound at 740 Eighth Avenue, and early renderings suggest it will be one of the quirkier additions to the Manhattan skyline.

Gary Barnett’s Extell Development proposal looks more like a Lego creation than the city’s latest tourist attraction. It will mix hotel, fine dining and thrill rides in a 56-story highrise.

The uncanny shape was designed by Oda Architecture, the masterminds behind D.C.’s futuristic Southwest Waterfront addition, The Wharf.

The power drill–shaped building has three primary exterior components: a base that will combine 825 hotel rooms and retail shopping; a smaller, bulky top section that will feature a restaurant and undisclosed VIP space and a thin stem in the middle that will offer a 260-foot indoor freefall tower drop between the two.

Three floors of observation decks are also pitched for the upper tiers of the highrise. According to Department of Buildings filings shared on Skyscraperpage, visitors will be shuffled through a turnstile-accessed zone at the 56th floor and descend through multiple viewing points around the building’s peak.

With so many tourist attractions in one space, the chunky colossus is set to rival some of the city’s other highrise attractions, competing for millions of visitors who flock annually to Rockefeller Center’s Top of the Rock and Hudson Yards’ daunting skydeck, Edge.

The plan was set in motion 10 years ago, when Barnett’s firm acquired the property from Boston Properties and Stephen Ross’ Related Companies, which had tried but failed to launch a high-end office property at the site in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

Since then, the Theater District space has been completely reimagined, nabbing nearby properties and securing air rights to evade requirements for a special permit.

Just three, four-story buildings remain, standing in the way of the proposed 776,000-square-foot tower’s total ownership of the Eighth Avenue stretch: an Irish pub, a gift shop and a nearly 30-year-old Italian restaurant.

[Busy Bee]

Hey no useful new info but SSP got a shout out!

[NYguy]

Outside of the skyscraper forums, no one has been talking about the drop tower. People have no idea what I’m talking about, but it now begins to be discussed “publicly”.

[Vertigo11]

I'm still convinced this is a joke. Who designed this thing? Did a kid in some random 4th grade art class win a contest? Fisher Price, my first skyscraper! The top of this thing will be painted bright red wont it.

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by Vertigo11

I'm still convinced this is a joke. Who designed this thing? Did a kid in some random 4th grade art class win a contest? Fisher Price, my first skyscraper! The top of this thing will be painted bright red wont it.

sure why not? i hope barnett sez he got the ideas from a kid and all these things are true.

[chris08876]

I plan on going to the drop ride when it opens up. I'll make sure to first eat some ghost pepper infused Curry at the Brick Lane Curry House, and than, have a slice of greasy pizza from Sbarro on 33rd, than I should be all ready for the drop ride.

This is an exciting development. And it will be a success because of the millions of tourists that visit the city. Plus, the restaurant looks interesting. Curious what it will look like once interior renderings are released.

[jackster99]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Plus, the restaurant looks interesting. Curious what it will look like once interior renderings are released.

Would be hilarious if it ends up being NYC's first In-N-Out

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by chris08876

...and than, have a slice of greasy pizza from Sbarro on 33rd, than I should be all ready for the drop ride.

Michael Scott's favorite authentic NY slice joint if I'm not mistaken.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by chris08876

I plan on going to the drop ride when it opens up. I'll make sure to first eat some ghost pepper infused Curry at the Brick Lane Curry House, and than, have a slice of greasy pizza from Sbarro on 33rd, than I should be all ready for the drop ride.

This is an exciting development. And it will be a success because of the millions of tourists that visit the city. Plus, the restaurant looks interesting. Curious what it will look like once interior renderings are released.

I’m curious what that VIP section at the top will entail. Sounds like a party.

[UrbanImpact]

Originally Posted by chris08876

I plan on going to the drop ride when it opens up. I'll make sure to first eat some ghost pepper infused Curry at the Brick Lane Curry House, and than, have a slice of greasy pizza from Sbarro on 33rd, than I should be all ready for the drop ride.

This is an exciting development. And it will be a success because of the millions of tourists that visit the city. Plus, the restaurant looks interesting. Curious what it will look like once interior renderings are released.

The hotel would be an ultimate skyscrapercon spot!

[NYguy]

https://www.curbed.com/2023/02/verti...es-square.html

Skyscrapers, Now With More Terror




You may soon be enjoying a similar thrill 40 stories above Eighth Avenue


February 23, 2023
By Adriane Quinlan

Vertical-drop rides are usually a mainstay of amusement parks. The tallest, at 415 feet, is just across the river at Six Flags in New Jersey. Disney had its own version for more than a decade — the 130-foot-high Tower of Terror, now closed. But they’re an unknown in Manhattan, where, for many years, the only thrill was a slow-moving Ferris wheel entirely contained in the Toys R Us flagship. (That could change, with a mega Ferris wheel proposed alongside a casino across town.)

A proposed tower project comes from Extell Development, which has its hands in other Times Square hotels (The W and Hyatt) and put up a few supertalls (One57 and Central Park Tower). In the request, Extell suggests that vertical-drop rides will pull in tourists as well as “a few jaded New Yorkers,” and pitches it as the next level for hoteliers who “must think flexibly in order to survive.” Some already are. The new Virgin Hotel in Nomad includes an adult-only mini-golf course. At a new 650-room development by TSX Broadway*, guests will be able to pay for special access to celeb performances on a stage that hangs over Times Square.

It’s clear that for the developers of skyscrapers, catering to tourists makes great business sense, especially since they seem to be willing to pay a premium for anything with “immersive” or “experiential” in the name. According to the Times Square Alliance, there were 23 percent more pedestrians on average last week in the district compared to a year before. They’ll need something to do. Besides, the cheapest pass for that Six Flags in New Jersey is $74.99.

[mrnyc]

this amenity is going to be so handy if you are late for a meeting!

[NYguy]

I thought I was being punked earlier today as I stood at the corner of 34th and 5th, and some guy and his wife (I guess) asked me where the Empire State Building was. After he asked the second time I said it was "right there". He asked me to point to it, and I did. But later realized I should have just pointed up. More people need to look up, especially if you're looking for something like the freakin Empire State Building. But anyway, I walked by this site to peek in on progress, and they are deep in the ground. But the matinee crowd lined both sides of the block. Which made me wonder, how many of these people will look up at this attraction while they're standing in line waiting to get into the many surrounding theaters? I'm guessing Barnett will get a lot of walk up business here because the area is heavy on foot traffic, both locals and tourists. And with the overnight success of the Summit at One Vanderbilt, you know the crowds will be lining up to get to the top of the next "hot" thing.

[chris08876]

They'll likely include a tiered price plan for the attraction. I noticed One Vanderbilt copied 30 Hudson in that it you pay a little more, you get a complementary champagne, while paying close to 70 bucks. Or if they will charge more depending on sunset views. ESB does something similar and even more of a charge to see the 102nd floor versus just the 86th floor.

With that said, Top of the Rock still offers the best deal right next to the general usage of the Edge. The Edge IMO, for 40 bucks, is worth it. Much more than 1 WTC.

All of these new decks breeds competition. No longer Top of the Rock or ESB as options, more pop up every other year.

[NYguy]

^ Yes, and it’s no longer about just the view - they see these decks as destinations of their own (and by the way, there’s a view).

But more people are starting to notice this one.


https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news...-square-022723

A vertical drop ride might soon open in the middle of Times Square
It would be part of a new mixed-use building.



by Anna Rahmanan
February 27 2023

Just a few weeks after hearing about the possible development of a casino and a Ferris wheel on top of the United Nations building in midtown Manhattan, we're pretty stunned by a new real estate-adjacent piece of news regarding a newly proposed mixed-use tower project that will boast a number of vertical drop rides at 740 Eighth Avenue by 46th Street, smack-dab in the middle of Times Square.

The proposal comes courtesy of Extell Development, who is hoping to erect a power drill-shaped skyscraper featuring, according to The Real Deal, "three primary exterior components: a base that will combine 825 hotel rooms and retail shopping; a smaller, bulky top section that will feature a restaurant and undisclosed VIP space and a thin stem in the middle that will offer a 260-foot indoor freefall tower drop between the two."

Also a possibility: three floors of observation decks overlooking this magnificent city of ours.

Talk about a revolutionary construction plan.

According to The Real Deal, the project has been ten years in the making—a time frame that has allowed for the almost complete re-design of Times Square as a whole.

Although still a magnet for the sorts of tourists that have yet to grasp the importance of walking fast while in town, the neighborhood will soon be home to a beautiful new visitor's center with a viewing deck, a museum focusing on the history of Times Square and a massive indoor-outdoor stage extending over Seventh Avenue that is sure to entirely revamp the city's entertainment scene.

Whether the thrilling vertical drop ride will become a reality is yet to be seen, but mere talks about the possibility make one thing clear: Times Square is going through a re-birth.

[Busy Bee]

Great. Now all future projects will be a deck measuring contest!

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Great. Now all future projects will be a deck measuring contest!

That they will...

[NYguy]

The media has gotten hold of it now. It only takes one.



https://www.fox5ny.com/news/vertical...r-times-square

260-foot drop tower to go up in Times Square


By Adeja Shivonne
March 1, 2023

Imagine a 260-foot drop tower in the middle of Times Square. Better yet, a 260-foot drop tower, between hotel rooms, with an observation deck below it, in Times Square.

This new real estate will be a combination of fine dining, hotel stays, and thrill rides all in a 56-story high-rise.

Construction is already underway, and residents have mixed feelings.

"I think they need other things in this city besides amusement rides," one person said.

While others are excited about the new amenity.

This is nothing new for Times Square. In 2021, the Times Square Wheel went up and most recently, Rise NY, that takes you through the city.

If the thriller ride is built, this would be yet another attraction that the city thinks will help to bring in revenue.

The project is expected to be complete by 2027.

• Video Link



The guy who says the city needs other things besides the ride looks EXACTLY like someone who would say that.

[NYguy]

https://t2conline.com/times-square-t...nd-disneyland/

Times Square To Turn Into Coney Island/Disneyland


March 3, 2023
By Suzanna Bowling

Times Square is about to get a 260-foot drop tower in the middle of Times Square. In between theaters, hotel rooms, with an observation deck below it. The project was proposed by Extell Development, which is involved with several Time Square hotels including the W Hotel and The Hyatt.

This new real estate, on the corner of 46th Street and Eighth Avenue, will be a combination of fine dining, hotel stays, and thrill rides all in a 56-story high-rise.

Construction is already underway, and residents have mixed feelings. The project is expected to be complete by 2027.

[tdawg]

I hate this building so much, like a Madeline Kahn in Clue kind of hate.