How to solve the problem of slotting black and bendyFive Franklin Place into a neighborhood of 100-plus year old buildings so that everything stands tall and secure? For Dutch architect Ben van Berkel and the gang at UNStudio, the answer was to clear out the guts of a couple of old buildings, then weave about 637 miles of black and bendy rebar ribbons into three feet of foundation. Finally, cover it all with lots of concrete. In this neck of the woods it's better to be safe than sorry. Ben's made a strong start on what's needed to get this big basket of blingification rising above Tribeca. Now, it's time to pour another one.
· Black and Bendy Five Franklin Place Fully Exposed [Curbed]
· Projects > Five Franklin Place [UNStudio website]
· Berkel Diggin' Five Franklin Place [Curbed]
Following the CurbedWire inquiry regarding "two low-rise buildings between 66 Charlton and the Big Hudson Street Hotel thing," we venture into the bowels of the Department of Finance where info shows that Extell and Gary Barnett have entered into a $16M + agreement covering the recently combined lots at 68 - 76 Charlton / 61 - 63 Vandam. So far, the only Building Permits for this site cover the demolition of some squat brick buildings which have been sitting empty there for years, with no info on what's to come. Some recent news about a proposed Hudson Square BID notes that Extell is on board, so they're definitely showing active interest in the area. Extell has another site down the block at Sixth and Vandam, but that one has been inactive for months now. But with the "shimmering" Sheraton Four Points to the east and the snazzy Viceroy Hotel complex rising at 330 Hudson to the west Gary and gang are well positioned to get aboard the hotel bandwagon pulling into downtown.
· CurbedWire: More Transients in HuSq [Curbed]
· Sleepy's Will Survive the Onslaught of Soho Love [Curbed]
· Four Points by Sheraton Touches Down at 66 Charlton [Curbed]
Down near the end of little Cortlandt Alley, where the eastern edge of Tribeca starts butting up against the courthouses north of Foley Square, a new condo project from Rawlings Architects is rising at 50 Franklin Street. According to records at DOB this one will top out at 18 stories, hold about 94,000 sf and be packed with 72 units, all just a stoned throw away from the frat-pack tower of sin at 80 Lafayette, the final point on the infamous NYU vomit trail. This site on Franklin Street looks down little Benson Place, which is sort of an alley but is more fittingly described as the driveway for the recently reclad New York County Family Courthouse across the way. The facade here is squared and notched, making it a nice counterpoint to the crazy curves going up around the corner at Five Franklin Place. The project, situated just south of a bit of Chinatown undergoing some re-zoning, is being developed by contractor CM & Associates. So far the RA website doesn't have anything on this one, but it's not set to be finished until March 2009 so there's still plenty of time for all the pretty pictures and stuff.
· Five Franklin Place Goes Online: Lobby! Floorplans! Music! [Curbed]
· Projects [Rawlings Architects website]
· Current Construction: Project Updates: 50 Franklin Street [LowerManhattan.info]
Broadway theater-goers have front-row viewing for a whole new show near Times Square. This production is reportedly from the Odd Couple of Stephen Ross of Related Companies and Mort Zuckerman of Boston Properties, and for now the show is free. This one has been yakked about for quite some time by the gang over at Wired New York. As of this week it's just a dirty old scar, but it could become a new million-square-foot tower. To make way for what's to come a stretch of teeny little bars and restaurants, where for years theater types could be found telling tales late into the night, are being ground into dust. The new project is called 740 Eighth Avenue and it will rise between 45th and 46th Streets just west of Times Square's massive Marriott Marquis Hotel. Lost City recently reported on demo permits for the stretch of little old brick stalwarts on the north side of 45th. Now, DOB records show that the entire bunch, from 259 through 267, will soon be coming down and the red-brick hotel at the southeast corner of Eighth Avenue and West 46th Street will be coming down as well. That old place was once the Hotel Fulton, where rooms could be had for as little as 60 cents a night. Times Square certainly has changed.
· Odd Couple Plans A Winner On Eighth [NY Post]
· New Tower Eighth and 46th Street [Wired New York]
· 45th Street's Mini-Restaurant Row Finally Coming Down? [Lost City]
The silliness over truffles seems endless, and developer Jack Parker has only added to the nonsense with the recent addition of some very teeny and oddly-placed openings on his black 'n' bulky development down at 450 Washington Street. No doubt we've all heard of doggy doors, but piggy portals are new to us. Perhaps swine must be free to roam. After all, an ungulate's return from late night wanderings might become bothersome to the hog's housemates. Maybe we're confusing their boar-ish behavior with the actions of those involved in another downtown menagerie. Is there some allusion to a sow's ear that we could toss in here? A mention of a pig's snout would at least bring us full circle. But enough said for now. We'll open that door when we come to it.
A new 7-story mini-tower housing a mere 5 condos will soon rise at 56 Spring. This one is sited on a street which offers everything from assiette de fromages all the way to zeppole, with assorted other things in between. This wee tower shows some facade switcheroo, which appears to be inspired by a Gravitram or possibly a Space Warp and comes from the mind of architect Arpad Baksa. It will nestle up next to 225 Lafayette Street, home of the $100,000 closet. Both are just east of the always busy intersection of Lafayette and Spring, down where Soho meets Nolita meets Little Italy meets Chinatown. The back side of 56 Spring will butt up against some terrific little gardens, hidden behind two old brick walkups facing onto Cleveland Place, one of which was sadly mauled and decapitated last summer. That broken bit of brickage is piled just across from the forlorn Lieutenant Petrosino Square, where recently ground was broken for a much-needed makeover. All said, whoever ends up residing at 56 Spring won't be able to complain about a lack of options, food or otherwise.
· Portfolio > On the Boards > 56 Spring [Arpad Baksa Architect website]
· Celebrity Real Estate Wrap: The $100,000 Closet [Curbed]
· Cleveland Place Construction Chronicles: Razing the Roof [Curbed]
A new project right in the middle of Bond Street, 2007's block-of-the-year, now has the honor of becoming the first Landmark-approved building since that expensive stretch of street was added to the NoHo Historic District a few months back. 41-43 Bond is a design by architect Steven Harris and is a classic eight stories of simple limestone with white bronze shutters. The project is bankrolled by owner-mogul Adam Gordon, who has surmounted any number of problems at this site. He's now put the pedal to the metal and is ready to build. On June 24 DOB gave Approval to the application to combine the two zoning lots, but disapproved the new building plan. Have no fear. The way this project is now moving there's little doubt that the Harris - Gordon team will get those wrinkles ironed out and things will be rising here in no time. All the details, including canopies and flower boxes, not to mention a rear wall of glass, come by way of our roving reporter at CB2 and the pages of City Realty.
· Burgeoning Bond Street Mogul Not Allowed to Demolish, Yet [Curbed]
· Destructoporn: Noho's 41-43 Bond Torn to Pieces [Curbed]
· Landmarks approves revised design for 41 Bond Street [City Realty]
Have tough times arrived over at The Onyx, the often-stalled 52-unit condo project at 261 West 28th Street? Perhaps the infamous credit crunch is to blame for the RENT NOW signs which have recently appeared there. It was only a year ago that the Onyx gang was partying it up, celebrating the possibility of living within that big stack of black. So, besides the general economic craziness, what's going on? Gripes from those who bought there have not gone unnoticed. Still, being a stone's throw from midtown, and with the Lincoln Tunnel so close, what could there be not to like? Those who are still interested might want to take a look at a couple of listings, the first starting just below $6K per month for something new with 1-bed 1-bath while $7K brings a 1-bed with a big spacious terrace for viewing the world below. Deals abound!
· Development Update-o-Rama: Stalled at Onyx [Curbed]
· Onyx Parties Down [Curbed]
· New Development GripeWire: Chelsea Edition [Curbed]
UPDATE: Corcoran broker Joseph Bongiovanni writes: "Having sold out the Onyx Chelsea myself, I can tell you it is, in fact, sold out. A few condo owners who bought and closed are renting out their units. The 'For Rent' sign is for the commercial space. For the record, the Onyx never stalled although there was a slight delay of putting up the façade. It is an awards-winning façade designed by the highly acclaimed FXFowle."
Just to make certain that poor old 287 Broadway doesn't come tumbling down, big steel beams have been pushed up against the tilt of her leaning brick wall. Where before there was a cross-hatch of simplicity holding her up, now there's a jumbled mix of metal and wood, their textures and colors giving us a contrast of old and new, pliable and strong. It's all an effort to make certain that the cast iron beauty doesn't collapse into the lot next door, which has been cleared by a rambunctious gang from Chicago in preparation for yet another glass-covered condo.
East Houston between Mott and Mulberry in Nolita is growing a tumor, right in the shadow of the undulous new SHoP tower rising to the west and just around the corner from a little bit of fun going up at 277 Mott. The new growth is from architect Arpad Baksa and will rise at 49 E. Houston, formerly a one-story bike shop that is currently undergoing demolition. The new plan calls for a "Residential Apt House" with 14-stories and -- hold on to your seats -- 41 units! But that's not the half of it.
A slot of a lot in Little Italy just north of Old St. Patrick's Cathedral is about to be built upon. It'll be something new and fun, or so says the word on the street. The owner of this 20' wide property is Mr. Karl Kopp of Kopp's Custard fame. Mr Kopp not only knows his custard but knows his architecture as well. This can be seen over at Kopp's ever-playful and oh-so-modern glass and steel Bar 89 on Mercer Street in Soho, designed back in 1993 by architect Gilles DePardon of Ogawa/DePardon. This time Ricardo Scofidio of Diller Scofidio + Renfro will be the one who Kopp will play with. As of yet, the DS+R website isn't showing any renderings. The Department of Buildings shows that this one will be 7 stories with 3 units. But the more trusted word on the street says it will actually rise just 6-1/2 stories. No word if there will be a Kopp's Custard at street level.
· Kopp's Frozen Custard [wikipedia]
· On the Market: Grillin' on Greenwich [Curbed]
· Selected Projects [Diller Scofidio + Renfro website]
The very idea of 80 South Street, the futuristic stack of cubic condos designed by architectural wizard Santiago Calatrava that is going nowhere fast but still refuses to die, keeps hope alive in the minds of archi-freaks everywhere. Despite that hope one watchful soul over at Wired New York has dug up what could be considered evidence of the first nail in Calatrava's coffin. WNY poster BrooklynLove, while doing some rooting around in cyberspace, happened upon a few gems from Cook+Fox Architects that just might be 80 South Street revised.
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