Here's the thing about the Central Park Tower. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were NOT great architectural towers. Before 9/11, most people couldn't tell you any details about the designs, other than the obvious that made them stand out - they were indentical towers of enormous size and height. They were the first supertall buildings built in the city (and really the world) since the Empire State, about 4 decades earlier. So they were going to be noticed, and people came to love them because they were dominating, identifiable marks on the skyline and the city. Central Park Tower, while taller than everything around it, is not so much taller that it blows everything away. And it comes at a time when there is a small army of supertall towers taking over the skyline. It would have helped a lot if this tower had something that set it apart, because a skyline is mostly made up of silhouettes. And the ones that stand out the most are the ones that taper, or had some other distinguishable feature other than a flat roof. And there is no observation deck to draw attention to it.
New York's skyline is world famous, and it became that way because of the dramatic peaks that were built there. (NY was NY before it had a skyline, but the skyline and the city has gone hand in hand for a century and more.) Central Park Tower should have been more than it is, and in fact it was at one time. Too bad. It'll join the army of supertalls taking over the skyline, and it'll be fine. There are other mistakes, such as how this tower meets the street and it's base (there is no connection). But that's another story.
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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.
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